UPDATING All Day, Every Day
watoday.com.au A Chinese ship has arrived at the new search area to relocate objects thought to be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion spotted 11 white rectangular objects in the Indian Ocean on Friday.
bbc.co.uk Gay men and women can be legally married in England and Wales for the first time in history. Some couples have tied the knot already.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
nationmultimedia.com Fifty-three political parties that ran in the February 2 election called for a new election to be held within 45-60 days after the election nullification was announced in the Royal Gazette, Pheu Thai Party legal expert Bhokin Bhalakula announced.
bangkokpost.com Sixty-five groups allied with the People's Democratic Reform Committee will today join a procession from Lumpini Park to the Royal Plaza to push for reform before elections. [Marchers will also be on Phuket City's streets.]
standarddigital.co.ke Grenades were thrown at the offices of Thailand's anti-corruption agency, which has summoned the prime minister to answer charges of dereliction of duty next week, as protesters trying to oust her prepared for a big weekend rally.
bangkokpost.com Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck accuses the graftbusters of unfair treatment in their probe of her involvement in the rice-pledging scheme.
focustaiwan.tw Thailand is regaining consideration as a vacation destination among Taiwanese travelers as political unrest there has shown signs of easing, travel agents said at the International Spring Travel Fair in Taipei.
news.com.au Medical and security concerns have been raised about the new medical tourism business run by health fund NIB offering offshore plastic surgery packages. NIB is organising cosmetic and dental surgery packages combined with luxury accommodation in Thailand under the new business that is not restricted to its health fund members and does not involve health insurance.
nationmultimedia.com An electronic monitoring system is being used for the first time at an airport in Thailand in a move to keep unauthorised tour guides and taxi drivers out of Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The bands could also be applied to scammers and thieves convicted of preying on tourists, or to people restricted from entering the premises for other reasons.
bangkokpost.com Manufacturing looks likely to rebound this month after 11 months of decline as industrial operators have stepped up production ahead of the Songkran holiday, says the Office of Industrial Economics.
reuters Continuing political uncertainty, derailed infrastructure plans and sliding domestic demand are making big Thai companies look more keenly at investing elsewhere in the neighborhood. At the Reuters Asean Summit, two of the country's largest companies, Siam Cement PCL and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL, outlined growth strategies that are now firmly focused outside their home country.
Latest on Lost Flight MH370
nytimes.com The Chinese government's unrelenting criticism of Malaysia's handling of the disappearance of Flight 370 and an angry protest outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing this week have produced a nationalistic backlash. Social media in Malaysia has been flooded with criticism of China this week.
independent.co.uk The search for wreckage from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 moved 1100km north-east following a fresh analysis of radar and satellite data, and five aircraft combing the new stretch of Indian Ocean quickly found multiple objects which ships will try to locate today.
reuters As mystery deepened over the fate of the Boeing 777 and its 239 passengers and crew, most of them Chinese, it became clear that highly classified military technology might hold the key. A reluctance to share sensitive data appeared to harden as the search area widened.
scmp.com President Xi Jinping's decision to compare China to the proverbial ''king of the jungle'' was seen as the latest sign that the president intends to pursue a more muscular foreign policy.
latimes.com From beach vacations to entertainers, all things Malaysian are being boycotted in China in protest of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 and what many consider the bungled investigation that has followed.
themalaymailonline.com The families of Malaysians thought to have been killed on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may be able to prove the death of their loved ones even though no bodies have been recovered, escaping potentially lengthy administrative nightmares.
Phuket World of People
dvb.no Nearly 1200 migrant workers from Burma will be laid off in April by Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, a seafood processing company based in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The company will soon suspend operations due to a material shortage caused by the epidemic shrimp disease known as early mortality syndrome.
dpa Pilots for the German air carrier Lufthansa said that they would go on strike for three days next week for higher pay and better benefits.
dailymail.co.uk Police have launched a murder investigation after a British man was found dead aboard his burnt-out yacht in the Caribbean Sea. Sailing instructor John Edward Garner, 53, was discovered with head and leg injuries after the coastguard responded to reports that a yacht was on fire off the coast of St Vincent.
nationmultimedia.com Four Southeast Asian newspapers have joined forces to give readers stories from each country on a single platform. With the CIMB Group as its official partner, the collaboration offers readers full access to The Star of Malaysia, the Jakarta Post of Indonesia, The Nation of Thailand and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
news.com.au The most beautiful beach I've seen is Phra Nang Beach in Krabi - It's truly magical. The ocean water is serene with crystal blue and turquoise colours you've only seen on what you thought was photo shopped post cards. Kopkunka (thank you).
afp For the second year running Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted World's Best Airport by air travellers. Seoul's Incheon International Airport was voted No. 2 and Germany's Munich Airport No. 3.
pattayamail.com Foreign tourists visiting Pattaya generally enjoy the city, but see room for improvement in areas concerning traffic, stray dogs.
Phuket World Sports Wrap
independent.co.uk Manchester United manager David Moyes has declared that even Sir Alex Ferguson would have faced difficulties keeping the club within the elite this season, with the current ageing squad.
smh.com.au Australia have all but been knocked out of the World Twenty20 after Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy conspired to hand the West Indies a six-wicket win.
nationmultimedia.com Asia's largest multi-class regatta celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with boats and sailors from around the world descending on Pattaya from May 1 to 5 at Ocean Marina Yacht Club on Jomtien Beach. The Top of the Gulf Regatta expects a record fleet of more than 250 boats and 600-plus sailors from more than 30 countries, including Olympians and national and regional champions.
Phuket Coming Events 2014
March 30 Vote for Thailand senators, alcohol sales banned from 6pm March 29 to midnight March 30
April 6 Chakri Memorial Day
April 7 Substitute holiday for Chakri day
April 10-20 Phuket International Cricket, Republic Ground, Chalong
April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week
April 13-16 Songkran New Year Water Festival
April 20-27 Phuket Pride Week
April 26 Vote for mayor in Patong, alcohol sales banned in election area from 6pm April 25 to midnight April 26
May 24 Visakha Bucha Day
July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day
August 12 Queen's Birthday
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
November 6 Loy Kratong
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
December 5 King's Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami
December 31 New Year's Eve
