afp Asia's biggest budget carrier AirAsia said it has taken ''corrective action'' to resolve complaints in a lawsuit brought by Australian regulators over its online fare information.


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

nationmultimedia.com Water experts urged the government to be decisive about flood-prevention measures in order to prevent a repeat of last year's severe flooding. The La Nina phenomenon is expected to bring early rains and more storms this year.

bangkokpost.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand will ask for 8.6 billion baht from the government to promote Thai tourism in fiscal 2013 beginning this October 1, up by 78.9 percent from the present year. The sharp rise is aimed at boosting tourism revenue by 12 percent from both local and international markets.

bangkokpost.com Let's face it, security blunders are entirely possible as long as excessive numbers of people are passing through Customs and Immigration and we lack sufficient manpower and technology to properly check their identities and motives for coming here. I probably won't earn any praise for suggesting a cutback in foreign visitors.

tmzcom Jeremy Renner was flanked by security on the set of 'The Bourne Legacy' ... just a few weeks after that crazy ax brawl in {Phuket] Thailand. Renner looked unscathed and unfazed by the bizarre incident - where Jeremy and some buddies threw down with six bar employees ... one of whom busted out a homemade ax and slashed one of Jeremy's friends.

gulftoday.ae Tourism Authority Thailand director Pramoth Supyen, who oversees the promotion of his country as a tourist haven for Middle East residents, said: ''Thailand is very safe. Petty crimes exist in any country. We know that tourism is the source of 12 percent of our gross domestic product. We value our visitors and we give our share in keeping our country safe from crimes.'' Supyen said tourism spend from the Middle East visitors in 2010 was estimated at 46,000 Thai baht per person per trip and those from the UAE splurged 51,700 Thai baht per person per trip.

theage.com.au The body of an Australian teenager has been found in a river in Laos, three days after he disappeared while tubing in the popular tourist destination. Daniel Eimutis, 19, was on holidays with six friends when he disappeared.

abc.net.au Soldiers loyal to ousted former prime minister Sir Michael Somare are understood to have staged a mutiny in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby. Atbout 3am today a group of between 12 and 20 soldiers are believed to have raided the defence force headquarters at Murray Military Barracks and placed the head of the army, Brigadier General Francis Agwi, under house arrest.

bloomberg Singapore replaced its Civil Defence and Central Narcotics Bureau heads on allegations of ''serious personal misconduct'' in the city-state's highest-level probe of public servants in almost two decades.

iewy.com The Singapore government should cease violating fundamental free expression rights citing self-serving historical and cultural justifications that only tarnish Singapore's global image, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012.

cnn.com Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, is in no doubt that capitalism is "outdated," and that talent, not capital, should be the main driver of economies. Reader: I would like to see world leaders at Davos start thinking about a sustainable future and not just about lining their own pockets . . .

afp Europe's biggest bank HSBC said that it was selling its retail banking and wealth management business in Thailand to Bank of Ayudhya, the latest in a series of asset sales.

travelbizmonitor.com Low-cost carrier, Thai AirAsia recently announced that it would stop its Bangkok-New Delhi services from March 24. An AirAsia executive in India said that the subsidiary of the AirAsia Group had announced the withdrawal owing to high operating costs that include high airport and fuel charges.

fsm.org Indonesian fishing boats apprehended in Australian waters are burned on the spot - leaving fishermen with huge debts and no way to pay them back. In 2009 more than a thousand boats were destroyed, according to the Australian government. Now one of the fisherman who claims he was unjustly punished is fighting for justice in a land mark legal case in Australia.

ninemsn.com.au Police in Thailand have apprehended a thief with more than a thousand pairs of women's underwear in the trunk of his car. Police also found more than 10,000 pairs at the house of the 48-year-old Thai suspect.



telegraph.co.uk Dalglish's team have had too many home draws this season but this one in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg was greeted with a standing ovation. Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2 (Liverpool win 3-2 on agg)

guardian.co.uk Nine men have been arrested by police investigating suspected racist chanting by football fans. Police received reports of a group of Charlton Athletic supporters singing racist songs on a train following their FA Cup tie at Fulham on January 7.

theage.com.au Even when you have seen every run with the naked eye, the idea of double centuries for two batsmen in one Test innings, and a partnership of nearly 400 between them is, like a light year, or infinity, difficult to grasp.

mirror.co.uk England grafted hard but paid for missed chances too as they had to settle for seven Pakistani wickets on day one of the second Test at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Pakistan 256 for seven.

goal.com The FA has confirmed that Manchester City have failed to appeal the four-match ban given to Mario Balotelli after his stamp on Scott Parker during their game against Tottenham.



January 28-30 Old Phuket Town Festival

February 24-25 Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

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

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



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket