bloomberg Air France-KLM, EasyJet and Deutsche Lufthansa were among airlines forced to slash services into France on as they endured a three-day strike by French air traffic controllers that cut 1800 flights in total.

thephuketinsider.com The political overtones of the past few weeks over the Phuket International Convention and Exhibition Center in Mai Khao between the Pheu Thai and Democrat parties has continued to elevate the deep divide between north and south.

bbc.co.uk Turkish riot police have entered Istanbul's Taksim Square, where anti-government protesters have been staging demonstrations for close to two weeks. Hundreds of officers have been using tear gas and water cannon to disperse activists.

reuters Police in riot gear moved in on a central London building where activists had planned an anti-G8 protest through the British capital before next week's summit of world leaders.

nytimes.com As Justice Department officials began the process to charge Edward Snowden, a former CIA computer technician, with disclosing classified information, he checked out of a hotel in Hong Kong where he had been holed up for several weeks, according to two American officials.

guardian.co.uk The US whistleblower Edward Snowden should not consider himself safe in Hong Kong, which has co-operated with the CIA before to remove America's enemies, the emergencies director of Human Rights Watch has warned

standard.co.uk Ecuador said Britain should let WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave his embassy hideout to go sunbathing as it was his ''fundamental right''.


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.

en.ria.ru Finland, Egypt and Thailand were the most popular destinations for Russian tourists in the first quarter of 2013, the Federal State Statistics Service said. Thailand was Russia's third-favourite tourist destination, with 379,800 holidaymakers visiting, up 13 percent on the previous year.

abc.net.au Australian Karl Joseph Kraus, 93, accused of abusing four Thai sisters, one as young as five, has had his case suspended for medical reasons and looks likely to be released on bail.

rapsinews.com Khursand Akhadova, a citizen of Uzbekistan, has been extradited from Thailand and sentenced to 14.6 years in prison for human trafficking, Uzbek media sources report. Akhadova has been selling people into sex slavery for some years. She was put on the Interpol wanted list in 2003.

bangkokpost.com The Anti-Money Laundering Office chief urged police to track down Eric Levine, co-founder of the failed California WOW Experience fitness club, wherever he may be, and to call on Interpol for help. Thailand could otherwise be seen as a haven to set up a business to cheat people then flee the country.



balticbusinessnews.com Shanghai-based yacht charter company, the rather straight-forwardly named Billionaire Yacht Club, has announced that it plans to invest up to 25m euros in Jurmala in Latvia: ''Russian tourists already come to our yacht club in Phuket, and we understood it is extremely interesting to have a place in Jurmala.''

telegraph.co.uk Burma's tourism authorities have unveiled a 320 million pound plan to help bring tourists. The focus will be to expand international arrivals, to improve the Bagan river pier so that more cruises can operate and to build main roads into popular destinations such as Inle Lake and Ngapali beach.

dvb.no Burma's tourism minister has called for hotel prices to be regulated ahead of the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in December or risk derailing the country's nascent tourism industry.

voanews.com The White House has declined to comment on the revelation of the identity of former CIA employee Edward Snowden, 29, who leaked information about top secret US government surveillance programs.

smh.com.au Australian federal police are obtaining Australians' phone and internet records without warrants nearly 1000 times a week, it has emerged as controversy rages over a vast US surveillance program.

independent.co.uk Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing legislator, said Hong Kong was ''obliged to comply with the terms of agreements'' with the US government, which included the extradition of fugitives. She added that she strongly recommends whistleblower Edward Snowden depart the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

nytimes.com Hong Kong: The whereabouts of the National Security Agency contractor who has acknowledged leaking secret US documents are unknown.

bloomberg Apple has introduced sweeping changes to the software powering iPhones and iPads and a new music-streaming service, seeking to blunt the advance of Google's Android mobile operating system.

usatoday.com A flight by Merpati Nusantara Airlines made a hard landing in eastern Indonesia. The incident slammed both engines of the Chinese-made Xian MA-60 turboprop aircraft into the tarmac. The flight was carrying 52 passengers and crew. Several passengers were injured, The Associated Press adds.

scmp.com Burma's state television showed a plane that swerved off the runway in Kawthaung in southeastern Burma after a flight from Yangon, via Mawlamyine. The plane carrying four crew and 60 passengers came to a stop in bushes about 60 metres off the runway.

blackseagrain.net It's not yet clear whether Thailand's credit-rating is at risk from its multi billion dollar rice subsidy program, but its credibility is already taking a beating. Government officials struggled to explain the extent of potential losses from the subsidy program after Moody's Investors Service warned that losses from the subsidy could threaten Thailand's stable Baa1 rating. India and Vietnam continue eating into what previously was a Thai-dominated market.

bangkokpost.com Potential losses from the government's rice-pledging scheme for four crops could exceed 300 billion baht, based on the accounting method of a Finance Ministry subcommittee.

xinhua An anti-government movement featured by the white masks has recently developed into a nationwide campaign in Thailand, mounting pressure on the Yingluck Shinawatra administration which is accused of corruption and incompetence. As a response, the ruling Pheu Thai Party announced that its supporters would start a pro-government campaign across the country.

space.com Rock star astronaut Chris Hadfield, just returned from a five-month stint in orbit, will be hanging up his spacesuit for a new adventure, the Canadian spaceflyer announced.

mcot The Gulf of Thailand and other Thai offshore waters face an ecological crisis as fish stocks have rapidly depleted due to commercial overfishing and the law cannot control the practice effectively, according to a civil sector seminar held by Greenpeace. A Greenpeace representative said the tumbling total population of fish and other sea animals resulted from overfishing beyond the balance rate.

independent.co.uk History's account of the Third Reich and the extermination of millions of Jews in the Holocaust may have to undergo some late revisions upon the surfacing in America of 400 pages of the long-lost diaries of Alfred Rosenberg, a close confidant of Adolf Hitler and an architect of the Nazi genocide dubbed the Final Solution.

todayonline.com Malaysia will achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation ahead of the 2020 schedule based on current projections, Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

forbes.com The tradition of child boxing has brought Thailand the ire of tourists and human rights activists, who see the practice as dangerous for the children. But in Isaan, the North Eastern and poorest region of Thailand, child boxing is a community business. It provides income to families that would otherwise have to rely on their rice paddies, and a way out of poverty for some children with few options.

AP Thai police say they have arrested a pet shop owner for illegally possessing wildlife after finding hundreds of protected species in his warehouse near Bangkok. Police Colonel Ek Ekasart said police found 14 albino lions from Africa, hundreds of birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls, monkeys and other species.

bangkokpost.com In Thailand, small, secluded islands surrounding Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and Satun are now home to many exclusive luxury resorts. Among them is the world-famous Six Senses on Yao Noi, a remote island midway between Phuket and Krabi.

groundreport.com Hilton Pattaya was awarded ''Country winner for Best Hotel, Thailand'' by the inaugural Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2013-2014.

mirror.co.uk Space scientists are over the moon about the discovery of a rock that suggest life was possible on Mars long ago. Nasa experts believe the sample found by its ageing Opportunity rover vehicle is full of clay minerals - an indicator of lengthy contact with water.

smh.com.au Journalists have a sharp news sense and understand what their readers, listeners or viewers want to know about. News is topical and often involves conflicting opinions and values. Journalists understand this and don't appreciate being told how to do their job.



aljazeera.com Three Lebanese football referees have pleaded guilty to accepting free sex from a gambling-linked global syndicate in return for agreeing to rig a match. A judge jailed assistant referees Ali Eid, 33, and Abdallah Taleb, 37, for three months. He deferred sentencing until Tuesday for referee Ali Sabbagh, whom state prosecutors said was the most culpable.

goal.com Thai Premier League club SCG Muangthong United have wasted no time in securing the services of former Thailand national team coach Winfried Schafer after he was acrimoniously removed by Thailand FA president Worawi Makudi earlier in the week.

reuters South Africa, the pre-tournament favorites, recorded their first win of the Champions Trophy with a 67-run victory over Pakistan in Group B. Both sides lost their opening matches.



June 14 IBAP meets at the Full Moon Brewwork Microbrewery and Restaurant at JungCeylon to hear from local author and colorful character, Colin Mackay. Mr Mackay will explain why women on Phuket are comparatively so successful and powerful in business, politics and as heads of their households in Phuket and the region. Thailand has a higher percentage of Female CEOs than any other country.

June 11-17 Phuket Prison fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City: furniture and other Otop items from 25 prisons across Thailand's south for sale.

June 15 Rugby for children begins at Alan Cooke Ground, each Saturday. E: acgrugby@gmail.com

June 22-24 Baba style traditional wedding, Old Phuket Town

July 6-7 Phuket Air Show and Family Picnic, Phuket Air Park

July 17-21 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek

July 22 Arsarnha Bucha Day

August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

October 29-November 3 Womens' volleyball, Karon beach

November 9 Asian Cup Triathlon Sprint, Patong

November 10 ITU Long Distance Series triathlon, Patong

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday



January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket