voanews.com At least 54 people are believed dead after a Russian trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia's far east. Emergency officials say 63 of the 132 people aboard the ship were rescued.

bangkokpost.com Two foreign male tourists, a Swiss and a German, died after their chartered songthaew (a modified pickup truck with two rows of seats for passengers) veered off a winding road in the Khuan Don district of Satun province.
http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/516491/german-swiss-nationals-killed-in-car-crash

smh.com.au British sex offender Steven 'Stig' Allison who fled to Australia has been recaptured after boasting on Facebook about his new life.


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



bangkokpost.com His Majesty the King has endorsed a request by Prime Minister and junta leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha to revoke martial law throughout the country. The cancellation took immediate effect.

nationmultimedia.com It is estimated that about 400,000 Chinese tourists are coming to Thailand during the Songkran long holidays.Tourism Authority of Thailand said Thailand continues to be a popular destination for Chinese travelers even after the Chinese New Year period.

bangkokpost.com Consumer prices fell to their lowest level in five and a half years last month but authorities continue to deny there is deflation because ''the fundamentals are strong''.



nationmultimedia.com Inspection and monitoring of fishing vessels are being implemented on mid-sized trawlers arriving and departing Thai ports to solve human trafficking. Inspections have begun in Chumphon, Ranong, Songkhla and Phuket [Ed: The problem lies in international waters.]



Phuket Update Police on Phuket will frown on inappropriate Songkran celebrations as usual this year. Authorities have barred alcohol in water-play zones, sexy outfits, sexy dancing and water-fight trucks. The festival, on April 13-14, is not expected to be affected.

bangkokpost.com Despite reports that an engine failure caused an Orient Thai Airlines flight from Phuket to Chengdu to plummet towards the ground over China on Friday night, terrorising passengers, the airline issued a statement asserting that the plane landed normally in Kunming without any panic.

afp Uber has filed complaints with the EU against France, Germany and Spain as the popular taxi app hits back against efforts to ban it from Europe's streets, officials said.

scmp.com Macau's gaming revenue fell for the 10th straight month in March and suffered its second-worst year-on-year decline as Beijing continues to crack down on corruption.

liverpoolecho.cu.uk John Lennon's first wife Cynthia died at her home in Spain with her son Julian by her bedside, her family said. A message on Julian Lennon's website said his mum, aged 75, died ''following a short but brave battle with cancer''.

afp Fast-food giant McDonald's announced that it would increase wages for 90,000 employees in company-owned restaurants in the United States, as well as offering them paid time-off.

mashable.com An unassuming little songbird called the blackpoll warbler has just broken the record for longest non-stop overwater flight by a bird, when body mass is taken into account. Each year, the birds depart Nova Scotia and Vermont, fly over the entire Atlantic Ocean, and then land in either the Greater Antilles or the northeastern coast of South America, where they spend their winters.



kyodo news Singapore began imposing a new law to curb late-night drinking in public places in a move aimed at averting public disorder caused by drunkenness. Under the new law, the consumption of liquor is banned in all public places nationwide from 10.30pm to 7am daily.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-air-crash-science-russian-held-chase-viet-strike-grows-language-test-workers-22160/



reuters The lingering ''will he play/won't he play?'' scenario with Tiger Woods ahead of next week's Masters entered a new phase when the former world number one played a practice round at Augusta National.



April 6 Public Holiday

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek