UPDATING All Day, Every Day
smh.com.au The team co-ordinating the search for missing flight MH370 has downplayed comments by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, in which he said the position of the black box flight recorders had been narrowed to ''within some kilometres''.
TNN In a path-breaking procedure, scientists have carried out successful vaginal implant in four women using engineered tissues. The women suffered from a syndrome that causes the vagina to be underdeveloped or absent.
afp Burmese (Myanmar) census takers made their final rounds on Thursday in the country's first population tally in three decades, which triggered international concern over a refusal to recognise the stateless Rohingya.
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.
Today's Top News Items
reuters A Reuters examination exposes flaws in how Thailand defines human trafficking, exemplified by its failure to report the lucrative trafficking of thousands of Rohingya confirmed in Reuters investigations published in July and December. A record 40,000 Rohingya passed through Thai jungle camps in 2013, according to Chris Lewa, director of Arakan Project, a humanitarian group.
reuters Pope Francis said 'enough' to human trafficking, denouncing it as a crime against humanity as police leaders and religious groups from around the world pledged to work together to combat it.
bangkokpost.com The SRT Electric Train has terminated the contract of managing director Peerakan Kaeowongwattana after an investigation found he used fake documents when applying for the position.
theguardian.com If you're strolling along a street in Thailand this Sunday to Tuesday, don't be surprised if a perfect stranger drenches you with water despite the obvious fact that you're not on fire.
bernama DCA director-general Voradej Harnprasert said the department, which supervises 26 Thai airports, has allowed 28 additional domestic flights from April 11-16, 158 extra international flights from April 2-21, and 69 additional chartered flights during the holiday period.
traveldailymedia.com For the first quarter of the year, Thailand has now welcomed 6.6m international arrivals, down 5.9 percent year-on-year. Tourism revenues declined 4.0 percent to THB311 billion (US$9.6bn).
Latest on Lost Flight MH370
cbc.ca For the fifth time in recent days, an underwater sensor detected a signal in the same swath of the southern Indian Ocean, raising hopes that searchers are closing in on what could be a flight recorder from the missing Malaysian jet.
cnn.com Underwater pings heard in the hunt for Flight 370 came from 4.5km down - a world where most life is unrecognisable, the pressure kills, and only a few people have ever seen.
Phuket World of People
hulldailymail.co.uk A British man accused of murdering his girlfriend has still not been extradited from the Philippines to Thailand to stand trial because police have been ''too busy''. Michael 'Mick the Pom' Taylor, 50, was arrested in 2005 after he was accused of plunging a knife into his girlfriend Jantra Weangta's heart in Phuket.
scmp.com The kidnappers who snatched a Chinese tourist from a Malaysian holiday resort today demanded a ransom of US$11.2 million. Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said they received a note from the kidnappers.
news.sky.com Satellite images that appear to show Russian warplanes, combat helicopters, armor, artillery near Ukraine's border have been released.
afp Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off Ukraine's gas unless Europe drummed up the cash to cover its debts and ensure its own supplies in a flaring standoff over the splintered ex-Soviet state.
latimes.com The prosecutor in the murder trial of South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius accused him of repeatedly lying to the court and offering versions of events so improbable that ''nobody would think it is reasonably or possibly true.''
aquila-style.com One of my girlfriends was sitting in a cafe in Phuket with her back against a wall, when a man jumped off a motorcycle, reached in through the window and snatched her bag from her lap.
huffingtonpost.com Nowhere does the current malaise of Burma come into focus as it does when one examines the case of the Rohingya. Burma seemed to be on the verge of rising up. Now it seems to be in a race to the bottom for denying basic human rights.
bloomberg Indonesia's smaller political parties are set to play a key role in July's presidential race after faring better than forecast in a parliamentary election, complicating the campaign of frontrunner Joko Widodo.
orange.co.uk Half a billion pounds has been wasted stockpiling two ineffective anti-flu drugs, according to researchers. A study claims there is "no good evidence" Tamiflu and Relenza stop the spread of the infection or prevent the complications of influenza.
ifra.com An international media freedom symposium held in London this week formally called on governments to bear the primary responsibility to ensure effective protections for free speech and the safety of journalists.
staradvertiser.com Hawaii and Bali are to become sister states.
bangkokpost.com Complimentary breakfasts seem to come first when global travellers choose their ideal hotel amenities today.
smh.com.au Does anyone else find it disturbing that more than a third of the world's most-visited attractions are theme parks?
Phuket World Sports Wrap
dw.de Ex-Schalke man Ivan Rakitic has helped Sevilla overturn their one-goal deficit in a 4-1 win that sends the Spanish side to the Europa League semifinals. Juventus, Benfica and Valencia also notched victories and advanced.
telegraph.co.uk Adam Scott opened his Masters defence impressively with four birdies in his first 11 holes at Augusta, also contrived to throw away a two-shot lead by dunking his tee-shot at the 12th straight into Rae's Creek. He scored a 69 to trail by a shot.
itv.com The future of European rugby has been secured after all parties agreed to a new competition structure from the 2014/15 season. The new tournament will involve 20 teams, not 24, there'll be 6 from the Aviva Premiership, 6 from the French Top 14 and 7 from the Pro12.
Phuket Coming Events 2014
April 10-20 Phuket International Cricket, Republic Ground, Chalong
April 11 Phuketwan journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian speak at IBAP, UrbanFood @Central Festival.
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
April 30 US Embassy Outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, 8am-noon.
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
