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Phuket Update The body of a Russian tourist was found in a room at a beachfront resort in Phuket's Karon district. Yury Kiryukhin, 36, was on a bed, dressed in shorts. Paramedics estimated he had been dead for up to five hours. Police took away medication for further examination.
news.sky.com An explosion at a fireworks factory in northern Vietnam has killed at least 21 people and left dozens more injured. An army official said the blast was at a military-run facility in Phu Tho province which employs around 300 workers, mostly women.
smh.com.au Novak Djokovic reached the Shanghai Rolex Masters final safely enough, but the unexpected sting in the semi-final tale came with Juan Martin del Potro's stunningly brutal upset of Rafael nadal, the man he had hailed pre-match as ''unbeatable''.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
nationmultimedia.com Former Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan warned that Thailand's worsening corruption problem is a cancer. He called for increased awareness about the ''crisis'' and strict and straightforward enforcement of the anti-corruption law.
bangkokpost.com The former Democrat Party politician, now chair of the Future Innovation Thailand Institute, insisted graft was scaring away investors. The cost of corruption adds a prohibitive 30-35 percent to any investment, he said. Mr Surin stressed the mindset of many Thais who condone corruption must change.
Phuket Update Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak is to visit Phuket on Tuesday for an update on the progress of the campaign, launched with the Department of Special Investigation, to reduce corruption and sort out the island's taxi and tuk-tuk mayhem.
nationmultimedia.com Neither Thai nor Chinese tourist operators were surprised at the two governments' decision to discuss waiving visas for both sides' visitors. ''Waiving visas is inevitable because the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand is really big,'' said Vichit Prakobgosol, honorary director for the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association and chairman of CCT Group, a travel service consultancy.
dailymail.co.uk Facebook is facing another backlash from users and privacy campaigners after announcing it is once again changing its privacy settings. Up until now Facebook let people hide their profiles in search results using the 'Who can look up your timeline by name?' setting, but the social networking site is retiring this feature with almost immediate effect.
bangkokpost.com Tourism-related businesses in nine provinces have been affected by floods since September 17, with estimated damage of 708 million baht, Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Pureesrisak said.
bbc.co.uk US tourist sites including the Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty are reopening after state officials reached deals with the federal government. Arizona and New York will fund the attractions from their own budgets, and are unlikely to be reimbursed.
thespec.com The Elephant Nature Park is home to 35 pachyderms, who came here blind and disabled from abuse in the logging or tourism industries.Our guide tells us that's why many of Thailand's chang are blind, because the quickest way to punish an unruly elephant is to stab it in the eye.
balidiscovery.com Despite major arrests and drug busts, the scourge of narcotic abuse in Bali continues to grow largely unabated. Bali has become a favored target for the operations of international drug syndicates.
smh.com.au Congratulations, Australia! We are now the richest people on the planet. There are only two small problems. First, most of the money is going to those who are already affluent. Second, there is a growing body of research on wealth that is overwhelmingly consistent and shows the rich tend to be more selfish, less empathetic, less generous and less compassionate.
Phuket World Sports Wrap
aap Holger Osieck has been sacked as Socceroos coach after the Australians were thrashed 6-0 by France in Paris. It followed a 6-0 thrashing by Brazil.
bangkokpost.com These days Phuket is known among international surfers as a great destination for beginners. Apart from locals increasing numbers of visitors also come to Kata and other beaches to surf or learn to surf.
Phuket Coming Events 2013
Until October 13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival
October 19 PTT Rayong V Phuket FC
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
October 26 Phuket Fc V Rayong United
October 29-November 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Karon
October 31 Halloween
November 2 Nakhonrachasima FC V Phuket FC
November 5 Melbourne Cup Day
November 8-9 Islamic New year celebrations, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall
November 17 Loy Kratong Day
November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket
December 5 HM The King's birthday
December 26 Commemoration of 2004 Asian Tsunami
Phuket Coming Events 2014
January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
