bangkokpost.com The Civil Court has accepted for consideraton the People's Democratic Reform Committee's petition for the revocation of the emergency decree and agreed to urgently deliberate the PDRC's case for an injunction to protect protesters.

bbc.co.uk Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 19, has been charged with assault in connection with a December attack on a limousine driver.

bangkokpost.com Anti-government protesters have blocked a postal centre in Chumphon, preventing the distribution of ballot papers to five provinces: Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang Nga and Phuket.

dailymail.co.uk A businessman worth millions installed another woman into his home and asked his partner of 30 years if she would stay on as a housekeeper, a High Court judge heard.


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 Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced protest marches for three consecutive days that will paralyse Bangkok and turn it into one big ''walking street and picnic ground'' for Sunday's general election. The marches start tomorrow. The PDRC and its allies will hold ''massive protest marches'' along several major roads throughout election day.

nationmultimedia.com A party source said several Democrats suggested the party should campaign for a ''no vote,'' encouraging voters to go to the polls, but not to vote for any candidate. This would reduce the Pheu Thai Party's ability to use the election results to claim support for the Thaksin regime.

bangkokpost.com In an exclusive interview, 'Kamnan Suthep' reveals how his life has changed since he abandoned conventional politics and took his fight to the streets. ''I sleep two to three hours a day but I have to perservere," the kamnan (tambon chief) said.

nationmultimedia.com The struggle between the caretaker administration and the People's Democratic Reform Committee will last another three to six months, PDRC key member Anek Nakabut predicted.

PTI Thailand's embattled government will deploy 200,000 police nationwide for the disputed snap polls on Sunday to foil protesters' bid to derail the voting as part of their campaign to oust premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

bloomberg Foreign investors have withdrawn $3 billion from Thai stocks since protests began Oct. 31, exchange data show.

economst.com A measure of the mess is that Burma (Myanmar), only freshly emerging from its half-century of authoritarian rule, is expressing its own worry about the instability next door, in Thailand.

bangkokpost.com Yingluck Shinawatra has pleaded for fairness from the anti-graft agency as she vows to defend her role in the rice pledging scheme allegations.

wsj.com Chinese package-tour bookings to Bangkok and the neighboring beach resort of Pattaya in the coming Lunar New Year break have fallen by 90 percent.

channelnewsasia.com In the April 2006 general elections, the Democrat Party pulled the same stunt and boycotted the elections - Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai party won 61 percent of the votes then but a whopping 38 percent of Thais voted ''No.'' The election was eventually declared invalid by the constitutional court, and Mr Thaksin was later ousted in a coup.

scmp.com Some supporters say they also expect popularly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to retreat to Chiang Mai and set up government there if the army tries to take power in Bangkok amid ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

theguardian.com Speaking to the jury in the phone-hacking trial, Dan Evans became the first hacker to talk publicly about his work, telling the court that he had admitted conspiring to intercept communications over a seven-year period for the Sunday Mirror and the News of the World.

cnn.com Two Norwegian lawmakers jointly nominate NSA leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he has contributed to a more stable world.

themalaymaionline.com Listed among the New York Times '52 Places to Go in 2014,' Krabi has been flooded with visitors lately, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The TAT Krabi Office notes that hotel occupancy rates in the area have averaged 95 percent so far during the current season, and that reservations over the coming months offer a promising outlook.

ttgasia.com Come March, Phuket will welcome Baan Teelanka, an inverted attraction that will mark the first of its kind in Thailand. Baan Teelanka - which means upside-down house in Thai - is founded and managed by Alex Riva and Wah Yodying, a husband-and-wife team that has invested 25 million baht (US$760,000) into constructing the gravity-defying structure. Adjacent to the topsy-turvy house is the A-Maze-in-Phuket.

nationmultimedia.com The Soi Dog Foundation is calling for public donations to help find 1.3 million baht a month to feed dogs rescued from the illegal dog meat trade. The foundation has its head office in Phuket and a branch in Bangkok.

independent.co.uk Ukraine stands ''on the brink
of civil war,'' according to a statement made in parliament by the country's first post-independence president.

AP Two landslides triggered by torrential rain killed at least 19 people and left 10 others missing on Indonesia's main island of Java, a government official said.

bangkokpost.com Singapore's Scoot is shifting its base from Suvarnabhumi airport to Don Muang to pave the way for a major consolidation before its newly formed joint venture with Thailand's Nok Air takes off in May.

thejakartapost.com The implementation of a moratorium on new hotel development in Bali's southern regions is considered to have failed, as the regional administrations keep issuing permits for new hotel projects.



afp Free-scoring Manchester City swept to the Premier League summit with a 5-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, but Chelsea lost momentum after being held 2-2 by West Ham United.

bbc.co.uk Australia beat England by 13 runs in Hobart in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international series.



January 30-February 5 Wat Chalong Fair

January 31 Chinese New Year (Horse)

February 1 Phuket FC v Chonburi, 6pm
February 9 Phuket FC v Songkhla Utd, 4pm

February 12-14 Bay Regatta

February 14 Valentines Day

February 14 Makha Bucha Day

February 17 Phuket FC v Surat Thani FC, 4pm

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-16 Songkran New Year Water Festival

March BMW Golf Cup International World Finals 2013 at Blue Canyon Country Club

August 12 Queen's Birthday

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday