AP A female suicide bomber has blown herself up on a city bus in southern Russia, killing six people and injuring about 30, officials said. The attack in Volgograd added to security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

bbc.co.uk French President Francois Hollande has expressed ''deep disapproval'' over claims the US National Security Agency secretly tapped phone calls in France. In a phone conversation with US President Barack Obama, he said this was ''unacceptable between friends and allies,'' demanding an explanation.

bangkokpost.com Former finance minister Pridiyathorn has again called for the government to scrap the rice-pledging scheme, saying the project could incur more losses than he earlier estimated. He says the total loss could reach B466bn.


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

huffingtonpost.ca If you're planning a trip to Thailand, sooner might be better than later if a group of politicians have their way. The country's Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Ministry of Public Health and members of the Royal Thai Police hope to soon charge tourists an entrance fee to enter the Southeast Asian country.

dailymail.co.uk Although a date of New Year's Day 2014 has been set to introduce the tax, the measure may be postponed to avoid ''confusing'' tourists in what is the country's peak season. The tourism industry hasn't responded favorably.

mcot Fire suppression efforts at the SuperCheap department store in Phuket have progressed around 90 percent. Phuket Governor Maitree Intusut said he is concerned for the health of local residents in communities located nearby.

scmp.com Thai immigration officials were involved in the weekend sale of Rohingya detainees to people smugglers, according to sources, whose tips allowed the South China Morning Post to witness part of the clandestine deal taking place.

bangkokpost.com Thailand has experienced its worst epidemic of dengue fever in 20 years with 126 deaths and 135,344 people infected with the virus, according to Sopon Mekthon, director-general of Department of Disease Controol. Infection rates have fallen since June.

usatoday.com An unknown little blond girl found living in a Roma camp with a couple who are not her parents has opened an international hunt for her real mother and father and sparked age-old anger against Gypsies who are among the poorest people in Europe.

nationmultimedia.com The bodies of three Thai men killed in last week's Lao Airlines plane crash near Pakse will be transferred back to Thailand today, officials have said. Two other Thais have yet to be officially identified.

bangkokpost.com More than three quarters of paints sold in Thailand contain lead concentrations that exceed safety limits, the Ecology Alert and Recovery Thailand Foundation (Earth) warned.

arabianbusiness.com Pop superstar Rihanna was asked to leave the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi after being accused of posing for ''indecent pictures''. The singer - in the UAE capital to perform a concert - posted pictures on her Instagram account, showing herself in various poses at the mosque courtyard.

enstarz.com In the pictures she's wearing and posing in an all-black hooded outfit with bold red lipstick in an area that's blocked off for visitors. Officials that saw the pictures said they were ''inappropriate'' and asked Rihanna to leave the temple.

jpost.com Pop star Rihanna is set to take Tel Aviv by storm Tuesday night, playing in Israel for the second time. Rihanna is performing in Israel despite a campaign by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to pressure her to cancel the show.

irishnews.com An unlikely law enforcement agent has blown her cover and now the world and her mother knows about Rihanna's efforts to end animal cruelty. It turns out Rihanna is the animal welfare crusader of our times. For all any of us know. Miley Cyrus is now poised to come in like a wrecking ball on a human trafficking operation.

nationmultimedia.com Rattaphum 'Film' Toekongsap has more than Bt100 million invested in a residential development project in Phuket. He's finished his Bt50-million house in Lamlukka, Pathum Thani: ''I haven't moved in yet but my parents have.''

cnn.com Hundreds of homes have been destroyed or damaged by dozens of major bush fires raging in eastern Australia, fire officials said.

news.com.au Two Boeing 747 aircraft, carrying a combined 1000 passengers, almost crashed over Scotland after all four pilots accidentally turned the planes onto a collision course, the Daily Mail reports. The transatlantic planes were preparing to cross the ocean when an air traffic controller on the ground noticed they were converging on each other in June.

scmp.com Starbucks has filed a lawsuit against a Bangkok-based coffee stall owner in a dispute over its logo. The US firm says the green-and-white ''Starbung'' emblem used by 43-year-old Damrong Maslae - which features a man in a skullcap pouring coffee and holding up a victory sign -infringes on its intellectual property rights.

nnt The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has played down the rumor that claims Japanese government is set to discontinue granting visa exemption to Thai passport holders.

afp The Philippines' main Manila airport terminal has been named the world's worst for the second year in a row in a survey by an online travel website. Officials brushed off the survey results, insisting conditions were being improved.

ap Visibility shrank to less than half a football field and small-particle pollution soared to a record 40 times higher than an international safety standard in one northern Chinese city as the region entered its high-smog season.

watoday.com.au Wotif has warned that retail trading conditions in Australia and New Zealand remain soft, with the company yet to experience any increase in accommodation bookings despite a lift in consumer confidence. Mr Blume warned that its Asian business continued to be a drag on the company.

dailymail.co.uk Baldness could soon be nothing more than a bad memory, thanks to a breakthrough by British scientists. In research that could ''transform'' the treatment of hair loss, they have found a way of cloning the tiny cells that contain the ''instruction book'' for growing new hair.

nationmultimedia.com Tri Property CEO Adisorn Vivakanonda said the company was launching a condominium project in the new central district of Phuket named Zcape 3 at a cost of Bt1 billion.

bangkokpost.com Chief financial officer Chaiwat Tuntiwiwat said: ''Condo demand in Phuket is stable. Though new supply is ongoing, we believe in the future of Phuket as it has high development growth and the airport expanding.''



skysports.com Fulham came from behind to hammer Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park and consign the Eagles to a seventh Premier League defeat of the season.



October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

October 26 Phuket Fc V Rayong United

October 29-November 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Karon

October 31 Halloween

November 2 Nakhonrachasima FC V Phuket FC

November 5 Melbourne Cup Day

November 8-9 Islamic New year celebrations, opposite Phuket Provincial Hall

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday

December 26 Commemoration of 2004 Asian Tsunami



January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket