Sydney Update The hostage drama is thought to have ended at 2am in Sydney when police stormed the cafe. Two people are dead, including the hostage-taker, according to some reports. Police have confirmed the 16-hour siege is over.

smh.com.au A gunman stormed into the busy cafe and took customers and staff hostage. Hostages could be seen through the cafe's windows with their hands held in the air, while heavily armed police surrounded the building.

smh.com.au The head of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, Keysar Trad, says: ''This is a time that requires us to band together and defeat evil inclinations.''

ft.com The siege follows warnings from politicians and police that radical Islamic terrorists posed a threat to security in Australia, which has joined a US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq.


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 Officers from the 3rd Naval Area Command have given resort operators on Koh Lipe three days to clear away deckchairs, umbrellas and tables as part of a campaign to reorganise the southern island's beach landscape. An inspection is planned for Wednesday.

xinhua A total of 11 Chinese tourists were injured after a tour bus overturned in south Thailand's Phang Nga province, China's consular office in Phuket said. Five of the injured Chinese are being treated, mostly for bone fractures, in two Phuket hospitals, it said.

bangkokpost.com Former princess Srirasmi is now officially known as Thanphuying Srirasmi Suwadee. Reports say she will be living her life simply in her hometown of Ratchaburi studying Buddhism. She has been granted 200 million baht to support her new status as a commoner.



nationmultimedia.com A 10-year-old Cambodian boy and his six-year-old sister, both Patong flower sellers, are being closely monitored by welfare officers after police rescued them from human traffickers. Sirumporn Komonsanao, director of the Department of Social Development and Human Security office in Phuket, said: ''We will talk to them again on Monday and that may lead us to more suspects.'' Three people are under arrest.

smh.com.au A Sydney mother of four facing the death penalty in Malaysia claims she was innocently carrying a bag that allegedly contained methamphetamines. Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 51, told lawyers she was asked to carry a soft-bag containing documents from Shanghai for a US army soldier in Afghanistan.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/it-was-a-setup-claims-sydney-woman-maria-elvira-pinto-arrested-at-kl-airport-20141214-126un8.html

bangkokpost.com Russian tourist Elena Sarycmeva, 27, suffered a minor injury after being hit by a stray bullet fired by police who were chasing two teenage bag snatchers in Pattaya on Saturday night. Two teenage bag-snatchers were also wounded.

independent.co.uk The UN climate deal agreed between nearly 200 countries was welcomed by politicians - but environmentalists and climate activists denounced it as both weak and ineffectual.

scmp.com A group of tourists from China who threw hot water and noodles on a Thai flight attendant and threatened to bomb the plane will be ''severely punished,'' tourism authorities have vowed.

bangkokpost.com The Land Transport Department has ordered all taxis to be tested before the drivers can charge the new, higher rates, and said a large number had already failed to pass.

nationmultimedia.com Soldiers have now stepped in to evacuate people, along with their belongings, from flood-hit zones in Nakhon Si Thammarat to safer spots.

ft.com Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic party has cruised to another election victory in Japan, strengthening the prime minister's firm grip despite a record-low turnout.

ft.com An accident is waiting to happen between Russian military aircraft and passenger jets over the Baltic Sea, according to local officials, after the second near miss this year. A passenger plane taking off from Copenhagen airport was ordered by air traffic control to change course to avoid colliding with a Russian military intelligence aircraft, according to Sweden's defence minister.

eturbonews.com Taxis in Phuket are among the worst in Thailand as they are mostly run by local mafias which extort horrendous fares to both visitors and locals.

nationmultimedia.com Parisian taxi drivers have vowed to block roads leading into the French capital on Monday to protest a court's refusal to ban urban ridesharing service UberPOP

smh.com.au Miss South Africa has claimed the crown at this year's Miss World competition. Rolene Strauss, a 22-year-old fourth-year medical student, took the title ahead of 122 other contestants from around the world.

nationmultimedia.com A Latvian tourist was arrested at the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint for using fake exit and re-entry visa stamps.

ibtimes.co.uk Businesses have lost thousands of pounds and face bankruptcy after a technical error meant hundreds of products were sold for 1p on Amazon. Members of the public cashed in after a software used by retailers on Amazon malfunctioned, advertising a range of products from clothes and toys to home furnishings and health products, for a fraction of their usual price.

cnn.com A 29-year-old US citizen denounced his home country at a press conference in Pyongyang after entering the country illegally. His mother says he's mentally unstable.

newbernsj.com North Carolina's New Bern Fire Chief Bobby Aster's 39-year career in fire and rescue led him to Thailand in 2004 as chief of staff for a Mass Disaster Victim Identification unit where he worked with the Australian government to identify thousands of victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

biotechinsights.com The Virgin Oceanic project, an endeavor to dive down to the depths of the world's oceans in a submarine spearheaded by billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, has been shelved for the time being.

independent.co.uk Today in technology that could actually benefit you, Facebook is considering inventing something to stop people posting embarrassing pictures of themselves while drunk.



Indonesia Update Rescuers report that 76 people are missing and 32 are dead after a series of landslides hit Indonesia.

straitstimes.com The grisly murder of Myanmar nationals in Penang has taken a new twist, with the emergence of a new group of serial killers. The disclosure was made by Penang police, the Malay Mail reported, following investigations and the discovery of two other bodies believed to be of foreigners - one highly decomposed, the other with his throat slit - this week.



theguardian.com Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United are fighting their way into the title race after securing a sixth consecutive Premier League victory with their 3-0 win over Liverpool.

skysports.com Britain's Lee Westwood secured his second Thailand Golf Championship title after overnight leader Marcus Fraser and US Open champion Martin Kaymer both slipped up.



December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show