goal.com Just watch 30 seconds of a Brazilian news channel today and you will come to the conclusion that security cannot be guaranteed as the situation risks descending into chaos. Brazil's president may well be calling Fifa in the coming days to discuss calling off the the Confederations Cup, a warm-up tournament for the 2014 World Cup.

pattayaone.net Belgian Eduoard Gabrielle Hubert, 78, was fatally stabbed by his 37-year-old lover in Pattaya at the culmination of a heated argument over allegations directed at his partner relating to her sleeping with another man.

news.sky.com Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who revealed US secret surveillance programs, is to be charged by authorities, according to reports. A provisional arrest warrant has been issued and Hong Kong authorities have been asked to detain him, says The Washington Post.


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

washington post/ap European ambassadors urged authorities on a Thai resort island to work to ensure foreign tourists are safe from crime, corruption and dangerous road and swimming conditions. A statement issued on behalf of European Union countries said the embassies suggested several measures to be taken on the southern island of Phuket, which had about 4.8 million visitors last year, a little more than half of them foreigners.

Phuket Update With international news agency Associated Press now picking up on Phuket's problems, the issues must be addressed quickly. The TAT is still being quoted as saying there are 11 million overseas tourists to Phuket. That figure is the total number of all arrivals and departures through Phuket airport. AP has the figure for international visitors right.

bangkokpost.com Tuk-tuk and taxi drivers in Phuket are being urged to put an end to intimidatory and violent behavior related to price-fixing by introducing a transparent system of set fares on the island, available to foreign tourists and residents alike. [Phuket is the lead item online - but the Bangkok Post quotes the TAT's fake tourism figures.]

windsorstar/ap The statement posted on the British Embassy's Facebook page said, ''Tourists need to feel safe and that they are being treated fairly.'' They suggested curbing violence and intimidation by taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, enforcing ethical behavior by police and immigration officials whose jobs put them in a position to extort money and ensuring physical safety on roads and at beaches.

xinhuanet.com Nearly 49,000 people in Thailand have been infected with dengue virus, 59 of whom died, Thai National News Bureau reported.

irrawaddy.org Burma's health authorities warn that the country could be in the grips of a dengue fever epidemic. The number of reported cases this year has already surpassed the total amount of patients in the whole of 2012.

bbc.co.uk Pollution levels soared for a third day in a row in Singapore as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state. The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at noon on Friday - highest in Singapore's history.

bangkokpost.com The Thai Embassy suggested Thais avoid travelling to the city-state.

reuters Jetstar, the budget carrier of Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd, was advertising fares to unaffected destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, Bali and Shantou in China. ''Fantasising about greener pastures or fresh air by the beach? Turn your dream into reality by jetting off with this week's Friday Fare Frenzy!'' JetStar said.

bangkokpost.com With the lack of proper law and infrastructure in Burma (Myanmar), foreign investors should have second thoughts about the country, says Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

rt.com A dispute over the ownership of priceless ''looted'' artifacts brought to Russia after World War II hung over Angela Merkel's meeting with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, as the two leaders cancelled then re-scheduled a visit to an exhibition of German art.

nationmultimedia.com Cultural Promotion chief Chai Nakhonchai said that the Intangible Cultural Heritage draft legislation would soon be submitted for the Cabinet's consideration to support Thailand's participation in the Unesco Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

gnn.com Another day of protests was under way in Brazil as the government sought to grasp the forces behind the cries of tens of thousands of its citizens. Brazilians feel betrayed by a government they described as shortchanging its duties to its citizens while spending lavishly on events such as the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

bbc.co.uk Authorities in Canada have ordered the evacuation of central Calgary as flooding has left swathes of the city underwater. Military helicopters rescued about 30 people off rooftops in the Calgary area.

afp Thousands of pilgrims and tourists are sheltering in forests awaiting rescue almost a week after flash floods and landslides hit northern India, wiping out villages and leaving at least 150 dead.

bloomberg The European Union moved further toward a major clampdown on tobacco, with member states backing plans for bigger and bolder health warnings on cigarette packs and bans on most flavorings like menthol.

ft.com The chief executive of Flybe has insisted that the struggling UK carrier was on track to ''reclaim its position as Europe's leading regional airline,'' in spite of reporting a near sevenfold increase in its annual pre-tax losses.

smh.com.au In perhaps the most startling example of the recent advances of the gay rights movement in America, Exodus International, one of the most prominent religious opponents of homosexuality has dissolved itself, issuing a long and detailed apology for the harm it caused during its 37 years of existence.

dailystar.com.lb The amorous effect of Thailand's landscapes hung like a hot fog around the many private waterfront villas, wafted along its quieter stretches of beach and sprouted from the thousands of kilometers of fertile rainforests ripe with tropical fruit.



independent.co.uk It cannot possibly happen again - can it? A dozen years ago, the Lions laid waste to this loud, brash, super-confident sporting city of Brisbane and frightened the Australian Rugby Union into re-examining its entire approach to the three-Test series. Today, the Wallaby nation believes it will get its retaliation in first.



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 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