bbc.com Eighty-five people are now known to have been killed in giant explosions in the Chinese port of Tianjin on Wednesday, local officials say. At least 21 firefighters are among the dead, with another 721 people injured.


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 Nok Air is giving free tickets worth 30 million baht to about 20,000 customers whose flights were affected when its check-in system failed on the Mother's Day holiday on Wednesday.

nationmultimedia.com The endorsement of General Jakthip Chaijinda as the new national police chief has raised the likelihood that General Preecha Chan-o-cha, the premier's younger brother, will be promoted to the powerful post of Army commander-in-chief this month, analysts say.

bangkokpost.com A foreigner who lives in Thailand shared a video clip of himself warning Thai women that having a foreign boyfriend might not be a feasible idea. The video, uploaded by Facebook user Jack Brown, has gone viral and drawn comments from many Thai women, most of them agreeing with him.


http://bangkokpost.com/vdo/thailand/654616/thai-farang-relationship-warning



bernama According to Major-General Paween Pongsirin, a senior police commander in south Thailand, 26 new arrest warrants have been issued for suspects of human trading and money laundering, and 16 others for money laundering related to trafficking, bringing the total number of warrants issued to 145.

smh.com.au Pope Francis makes a plea on behalf of our ''brothers and sisters . . . seeking a home where they can live without fear''. But the privileged world now treats those fleeing the chaos of war as suspected criminals and terrorists. Canberra recently sank to a new low - paying people smugglers to double-cross their hapless clients by turning around at sea, to head away from Australia.



nationmultimedia.com The National Legislative Assembly is considering attempts to improve the country's image through ''quality tourism'' strategies and further engaging international agencies to show that Thailand is transitioning to a democratic government.

avonandsomerset.police.uk A former Weston-super-Mare man expelled from Thailand to face child sexual abuse charges has been jailed for 15 and a half years. Robert David Hastings, 62, who was living in Udon Thani at the time of his arrest, was convicted of 10 counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child following a short trial at Bristol Crown Court.

AP Thailand's legislature has voted against impeaching 248 members of the previous Parliament, sparing them a ban from politics for trying to amend the constitution. The impeachment attempt was seen as an effort to cripple the Pheu Thai party, the political base of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 coup and whose sister led Thailand's last elected government.

Phuket Update Two men and a woman have been charged with possession of a weapon of war after Phuket police found a live M67 grenade under magazines on the back seat of their Honda Jazz during a routine stop and search at a police checkpoint.

bangkokpost.com Thailand's corruption situation has improved after the government's efforts to tackle the issue by imposing heavy penalties on perpetrators.

thehill.com The Thai economy is in a fragile state and it would not take much pressure from the US to push the country back on the path to democracy. Thailand's record on human trafficking is an opportunity for Washington to apply pressure on the military government in Bangkok over a range of issues such as civil liberties, human rights and the urgent need for democratic elections.

scmp.com Fears over toxic cocktail as death toll from Tianjin port blasts rises to 56. Authorities in the port city of Tianjin struggled to contain environmental and health hazards from Wednesday night's deadly warehouse explosions as firefighters scrambled to put out the blaze.

thetimes.co.uk Lord Janner appeared before a court to face charges of child sexual abuse spanning three decades. The Labor peer, who is 87 and severely ill with dementia, was driven from his home to Westminster magistrates court after attempts by his legal team to prevent his appearance failed.

cnn.com A man on a Cedar Point's roller coasters lost his phone and his wallet on the wild ride, then got off to track them down - a decision that cost him his life.



bangkokpost.com This time, the coup is ''civilian'' in name, as President Thein Sein makes a political move to stab his chief party rival Shwe Mann in the back.

afp Malaysia's premier Najib Razak called for greater transparency in political funding, drawing immediate ridicule from critics who attacked his failure to explain massive transfers to his own bank accounts.



bbc.com Australians Jason Day and Matt Jones were tied for the lead on nine under par at the US PGA Championship when a storm forced round two to be abandoned.

espn.go.com The last thing tennis wants is a new star who seems exciting and personable but, like certain NFL or NBA players, turns out to be controversial and edgy in all the wrong ways. Especially when it comes to women. That's something tennis has never experienced. And Nick Kyrgios made the Big Mistake.



August 23-30 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival


September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach

October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies