afp Taking the Mickey: The European Union has said it is investigating whether Disneyland Paris is overcharging customers from certain countries including Britain and Germany in breach of the bloc's laws.

bbc.com A Sudanese man has been crushed by a truck as at least 1500 migrants tried to enter the Channel Tunnel in Calais on Tuesday night, French police have said.

watoday.com.au A 41-year-old man died after his motorbike hit a kangaroo in darkness late on Tuesday on the Old Coast Road, in Dawesville, Western Australia.

telegraph.co.uk A petition calling for justice for Cecil the lion has garnered more than 130,000 signatures after the beloved big cat was shot by an American dentist in Zimbabwe.


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 Suthep Thaugsuban left the monkhood and went to the Provincial Police Region 8 office to protest against the August 1 relocation of the command from Surat Thani to Phuket: ''If it must be moved, they should at least allow their subordinates who don't want to move to the resort island to be transferred to other places.''

Phuket Update Six meter-taxi drivers were caught and fined 2000 baht for using tampered meters in a check initiated by the Phuket Land Transport Office: ''We mounted the raid after many complaints were filed by both tourists and locals about high fares being charged for metered taxis in Phuket.''

nationmultimedia.com Thailand's economy will be able to expand by more than three percent in 2015 as tourism is still going strong, the Council of Economic Ministers has maintained.



nytimes.com Men who have fled servitude on fishing boats recount beatings and worse as nets are cast for the catch that will become pet food and livestock feed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/world/outlaw-ocean-thailand-fishing-sea-slaves-pets.html


bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urges calm and confidence of an ungrade in 2016, but the toughest criticism of the TIP report is happening in the US. International accusations flew that the rankings were influenced by politics and economic interests.

nationmultimedia.com A total of 25 Western NGOs have written to US Secretary of State John Kerry, supporting the State Departments decision to maintain Thailand's Tier 3 designation. The NGOs criticised the use of criminal defamation and the Computer Crimes Act to prosecute journalists and human rights defenders. ''This month, Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian, and migrant rights defender Andy Hall, faced court proceedings. If found guilty, the verdict will have a chilling impact on the ability of trafficking victims to speak out and seek justice.''



abc.net.au Media Watch: Australian journalist Alan Morison is now facing up to seven years in a Thai jail, as is his colleague Chutima Sidasathian Since 2008 they've been covering the mass exodus of the Rohingya through Thailand on their online news site Phuketwan.
http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4281832.htm

Phuket Update Russian man Sergey Koltsov, 24, has emerged from a coma resulting from a motorcycle crash in Kata on July 4 to charges of reckless driving over the death of his fiance. Marina Smirnova, 19. They crashed into a Karon police patrol car.

bangkokpost.com A 53-year-old Spanish man was found dead in the bathroom of an apartment in the Pattaya area of Chon Buri province on Monday night, police said. Gallardo Garcia is believed to have died 12 hours before his death was reported.

theguardian.com The company is offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 for users running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, provided they jump on the bandwagon soon enough. After a year, they'll have to stump up cash for the upgrade.

bangkokpost.com Residents protesting against plans for a new coal-fired power plant and sea port in the Thepa district of Songkhla province held their own ''public review.'' The protesters snubbed the official Egat sessions.

telegraph.co.uk Cecil the lion - the most famous creature in one of Zimbabwe's national parks - was killed by an American hunter. Walter James Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, is believed to have paid 35,000 pounds to shoot and kill the much-loved lion with a bow and arrow. Cecil was lured out of the national park and shot.

bangkokpost.com Monsoon storms have brought floods and landslides to areas in the North, a flood warning along the Mekong River in the Northeast and heavy rain in Bangkok.

telegraph.co.uk Facebook users in the UK can hand over their profile to a friend or family member after their death. This is the first time that you'll be able to put your old posts and pictures in the hands of someone else - from beyond the grave.

ft.com A court in Libya has sentenced to death Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of ousted leader Muammer Gaddafi, together with eight others connected with the regime which was overthrown in 2011. Once seen as heir to the late leader, Seif al-Islam was found guilty in absentia by a Tripoli court over war crimes and the suppression of peaceful protests at the time of the revolution.

thetimes.co.uk A sunken submarine has been found lying in water which nine months ago was the focus for a Cold War-style hunt for a suspected Russian craft. Sweden's military chiefs have so far been unable to identify the stricken ship which has been captured on video.

independent.co.uk Tesco in the UK has announced plans to axe sugary drinks, which would see some best-selling products by Ribena and Capri-Sun disappearing from shelves. Sugary drinks aimed at children will be replaced by no-added-sugar alternatives.



rfa.org A military transport helicopter carrying 19 passengers and four crew members to Houaphan province in northern Laos is missing more than 36 hours after it departed an airport in the capital Vientiane, an Air Force official said.



Phuket Update Government offices across Phuket are preparing for a four-day shutdown as Thailand marks the Buddhist holidays Asarnha Bucha Day and Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent) on Thursday and Friday (July 30-31) ahead of the regular weekend.

August 23-30 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival

September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach

October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies