afp The death toll from months of flooding has risen to 823 with the inclusion of recent deaths in Southern Thailand, the government said.

Associated Press North Korea announced Saturday that Kim Jong Un has been officially named supreme commander of the military, further strengthening his authority after the death of his father, longtime North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.


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

bangkokpost.com Yingluck Shinawatra on 2012: I wish to see the return of the Thai smile. As for my brother [Thaksin Shinawatra], I would like to see him in good health, physically and mentally. I would be happy with that much.
Nandor von der Luehe, chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand on 2012: Corruption is one of the main roots of the many problems we are facing and it has put Thailand at disadvantage. As a New Year's wish we would like to see the government put proper mechanisms in place to fight corruption.

express.co.uk Another cherished invitation is to a party organised by entrepreneur David Tang at his hideaway on Phuket. A-listers including supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss frequently escape the gloomy London and New York winters to bask in New Year sunshine, with Sarah Ferguson and her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie. Other regulars include Sir David Frost, Kevin Costner and Elle Macpherson.

nationmultimedia.com More road casualties and accidents were reported in the first of the seven-day New Year period compared to the same period last year. Up to 34 people have been killed and 501 injured in 427 road crashes on Thursday - the first of the seven dangerous days for the holiday period.

andrew-drummond.com Kanokrat Sinsamuth Booth, blocked from returning to Scotland after her kilt-maker husband told British Border Agency officers that she had deserted him and was having an affair, has successfully had her case accepted by the European Court of Human Rights.

cnn.com A man who was fired by an international aid group in Somalia this week returned to the office and shot dead two aid workers. Thursday's shooting occurred in Mogadishu at the compound of Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders. The slain workers provided emergency medical relief in embattled city.

bangkokpost.com A tsunami survivor has called on coastal communities hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tragedy to make their own contingency plans to prepare for any repeat of the disaster. Maitree Jongkraijug from Nam Khem, a fishing village in Phang Nga province, said the December 26 tsunami made him realise the community could not rely on the government alone for its well-being.

hellomagazine.com William and Kate's kiss on their wedding day was one of the most iconic images of British TV 2011. Another popular moment: when a cockroach climbed up Fatima Whitbread's nose on 'I'm A Celebrity.'

balidiscovery.com To reduce the number of foreign workers in Bali the Governor has written to the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration to control the issuance of permits to foreign workers and consider the recommendations of provincial administrators in such matters.

scmp.com A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 flight from Manila to Hong Kong made it safely to Chek Lap Kok despite having one of its four engines shut down during the journey because of a technical problem.

eturbonews.com Hua Hin beaches are clean, the small town has a high density of chic and trendy shops, while boutique hotels are now spreading in any corner of the city. But in contrary to Samui, Phuket, or Pattaya, close to 70 percent of the tourists in Hua Hin are locals, or 714,000 over a total of 1.04 million guest arrivals in hotels in 2010.

pattayadailynews.com A Pattaya teenage gang who rode back home after the Bodyslam-So Cool Pattaya Count Down 2012 Concert was followed by a gunman on a bike who shot and wounded five teenagers and escaped. The police assume an old gang rivalry.

thejakartapost.com Rather than setting the scene for future young intellectual politicians, mainstream Indonesian parties prefer elite families to maintain their power. In addition, the collapse of law enforcement agencies to curb corruption strongly shows that corruption is a multifaceted phenomenon. President Yudhoyono, therefore, must drive reform.

pattayamail.com Pattaya plans to install public toilets along its beachfront. The city has hired a private company to construct modern, international-standard public toilets and present a business model to the city on how to collect usage fees and generate enough income to keep them maintained.

thestar.com.my ''Our [Malay Chamber of Commerce's] purpose is to ensure KFC and Pizza Hut do not eventually fall into foreign hands. This is why I am inviting all Malaysians, bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras, to participate in this exercise. Why do we need foreigners to manage our restaurants?''

skyclub.com Dan Booth, Business Traveller and Business Travel Executive's editorial director for trade publications said of the Best Traveller awards: ''What stuck out to me is the up-and-coming travel providers - especially Middle Eastern and Asian air carriers - seem to be taking a lot of good things from the playbooks of the legacy carriers and going the extra yard.''

sunstar.com.ph An iconic lifestyle destination, Singapore Flyer presents a brand new, world's first full-butler dining experience. Taking the up-in-the-air restaurant experience up a regal notch, we enjoyed the exclusive personalized butler service - the preparation of appetizer in direct view of guests on a service trolley - not to mention the glittering views of the cityscape from varying altitudes, as you are comfortably seated.

smh.com.au One of the brilliant things about public baths is you realise we really do all come in such weird and marvellous shapes and sizes. What you really want is someone who'll sit by your side in a public bath day after day, bits akimbo, and love you in their own cranky way.



telegraph.co.uk Steven Gerrard's enduring importance to the Liverpool cause was again underlined with a sparkling 30-minute cameo. He scored, he created chances and drove his team on, helping Liverpool leapfrog Arsenal into fifth in the Premier League. Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United.

afp The Australian media welcomed the return of the ''killer instinct'' after their wildly inconsistent team surprisingly humbled India's distinguished batting order to win the first test in Melbourne.

thesun.co.uk David Beckham has visited Tony's Pie and Mash shop twice in one week



nationmultimedia.com In the South, 'Colorful Phuket Countdown 2012' is drawing many local visitors and tourists during the year-end festival season. Party till the moon becomes the sun at the two-day Phuket Electronic Music and Dance Festival, being held for the first time on Karon Beach. Free both days.

Until January 8 Red Cross Fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

December 29-31 New Year Fair, Sanam Chai park, Phuket City



January 23 Chinese New Year

February 24-25 Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

April Opening of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, three waterfront gardens that will dwarf Kew in London and provide ''green lungs'' for the city.

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket