LATEST figures put the Songkran road toll in Thailand at 173 in the first three days of the ''Seven Days of Danger.'' No deaths have been reported so far on Phuket. Phuket averages about 11 deaths per month, according to 2011 statistics.

wsj.com The crash of a Lion Air jet off Bali may temporarily help other budget carriers battling in the rapidly growing market, a spokesperson for Credit Suisse said. The carrier has on order more than 500 jets and is currently the biggest customer for both Boeing and Airbus.

xinhua The total number of confirmed human infections of the H7N9 bird flu in China has risen to 51. Two new cases were reported in Central China's Henan Province on Sunday.

telegraph.co.uk Tiger Woods came under fire from his fellow professionals and leading figures in golf last night after resisting pleas for him to withdraw from the Masters, despite signing for an incorrect second-round score. He took an erroneous drop in his second round.


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 With 101 deaths, the cumulative road toll in the first two days of the Songkran holiday period remained higher than the same period last year despite fewer road accidents, Road Safety Centre reported. As many as 118,854 drivers have been arrested at checkpoints across the country.

smh.com.au scores of Australian tourists have been snared in a worldwide travel scam that targets property owners who advertise their rentals on websites including HomeAway, VRBO and FlipKey, which is mostly owned by TripAdvisor. In nearly every case, the victim arrives in paradise only to discover the communication had been faked, the genuine owner has never heard of them and the accommodation is booked out - leaving them broke and stranded.

cnn.com A seven-year-old girl is the latest person to be infected with bird flu in China - and the first case in Beijing, Xinhua news agency reported. Her case brings to 44 the number of people infected in China with a new variation of bird flu called H7N9. Eleven have died.

abc.net.au Concerns are being raised about the use of surrogates in Thailand as a growing number of Australians look to the country in their bid to have a child. A pair of gay men wanted to use a surrogate in India but the country now excludes gay couples. In the US surrogacy can cost more than $150,000, but in Thailand it is only about $50,000.

thejakartapost.com Lion Air general affairs director Edward Sirait said that Flight number JT-960, on the Bandung-Denpasar route, had not touched down on the runway of Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport before it fell into the sea. the Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft had just been received by the airline in March. He added the aircraft was piloted by Ghozali, whom he claimed to have had more than 10,000 flying hours.

aljazeera.com More than 40 people were treated for injuries including broken legs, head wounds and shock, though most were discharged from hospital on the day of the crash, hospital officials said.

smh.com.au Since its establishment in 2000, Lion Air's safety record has come under attack, with both the US and European Union banning the airline from its skies because it has failed to pass the required internationally recognised safety audit. It has been involved in five crashes and major incidents in recent years. One of those crashes, in 2004, claimed the lives of 25 people.

bangkokpost.com Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra issued an apology as part of a Songkran message posted on Facebook. He apologised to ''senior figures'' whom he had offended, although he did not specify to whom he was referring.

news.sky.com Police and helicopters are hunting Redoine Faid, one of France's most dangerous gangsters who is known for robbing vehicles carrying cash in transit. He escaped from jail after blasting through five doors with explosives and taking several wardens hostage.

nytimes.com The US imposed new sanctions on about two dozen Russians accused of human rights violations, and Moscow vowed to retaliate as a fractious dispute between the two countries escalated further into a cold war-style, tit-for-tat clash.

washingtonpost.com A second category - having had a role in the detention of Russian citizens in third countries - primarily concerns convicted Russian arms dealerViktor Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and then turned over to US authorities.

guardian.co.uk Protesters could be arrested for ''alarming or distressing'' mourners at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, a police chief in charge of security at the event has warned.

news.com.au As soon as I arrived in Phuket's Karon Beach I'd barely checked my bags into my resort before I found myself in my bikini on the white sandy beaches for which Thailand is famous. The island of Phuket has some amazing adventures to be found on and around the island.



afp Wigan Athletic defeated second-tier Millwall 2-0 to reach the FA Cup final for the first time in their history but the match was marred by fighting between fans of the beaten side.

reuters Ending Australia's jinx at the Masters is not the only thing on Adam Scott's mind as he prepares for Sunday's final round at Augusta National. It is also a chance at redemption, to make up for last year's British Open when he threw away a four shot lead with four holes to play.

heraldsun.com.au After leading for most of another great day for Australian golf, Jason Day made consecutive three-putt bogeys to close his round, falling two shots behind joint leaders Angel Cabrera, of Argentina, and American Brandt Snedeker who both shot 69 to reach -7.

guardian.co.uk Tiger Woods' attempt to win a fifth Masters title continued after the world No1 survived the threat of disqualification for taking an incorrect drop during his second round. Sir Nick Faldo was among those who called upon Woods to withdraw from the tournament.

bangkokpost.com Spanish La Liga leaders and Champions League semi-finalists Barcelona will return to Thailand to play against Thailand at Rajamangala National Stadium on August 7.

AP Black Caviar won her 25th consecutive race of a stunning career in Sydney. The super-horse broke out of a tight pack about 500m from the finish to win the 1.2km TJ Smith Stakes by two lengths.

dailyexpress.co.uk Arsene Wenger believes the Premier League is ''in denial'' if it believes it is the best in the world, as it was revealed England are in danger of losing a Champions League place.



ISLAND BLISS and Trisara are holding a Ready-to-Wear Collection Fashion Show 2013 5pm-7pm on April 27 at Trisara, 800 baht admission or 1200 baht with post-runway dinner, goes to the Good Shepherd Phuket. rsvp sales@trisara.com

April 13-17 Songkran New Year Festival

April 13 Angsana Laguna Phuket with XANA and Attica invites guests and Phuket locals to celebrate Thai New Year with a full day program. Entrance is freewith a lot of fun activities from Songkran water wars parade to Miss Songkran Competition and much more.

April 14-21 Phuket Bike Week

April 22-28 Phuket Pride Week, with the theme ''Same Same Not Different.'' Grand Parade 4pm April 27.

April 28 Kata-Karon Mini-Marathon, Karon Park

May 1 National Labor Day

June 9 Laguna Phuket International Marathon

July 17-21 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November 9 Asian Cup Triathlon Sprint, Patong

November 10 ITU Long Distance Series triathlon, Patong

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

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

December 5 HM The King's birthday



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket