pattayadailynews.com Trend setting Phuket, which recently gained acclaim for its ''green'' campaign, is to promote the wearing of crash helmets all over the island to set an example for the rest of Thailand, and one that Pattaya needs to learn in particular.

cnn.com A Republican wave appeared to be forming Tuesday as early returns showed US mid-term voters overwhelmingly concerned about the economy were strongly backing GOP candidates.


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

bangkokpost.com Rescuers have struggled to get help to thousands of people stranded in their homes after three days of heavy rain triggered a massive flash flood that knocked down power poles and cut communications in Had Yai city.
Eighteen areas of Phuket face the threat of mudslides as a tropical depression swept across the South, severely damaging farms, roads and several thousand houses.
National park officials ordered the temporary closure of the Surin and Similan marine national parks, as well as Sri Phangnga and 10 waterfalls in Phangnga, for safety reasons as there were strong winds and waves in the Andaman Sea.

nationmultimedia.com The Navy deployed its aircraft carrier and an amphibious landing ship to help flood victims in the South. The HTMS Chakri Naruebet, carrying four helicopters, and the HTMS Surin, with several marine amphibious landing craft aboard, are steaming to Songkhla's Had Yai district. The convoy is expected to arrive by 1pm today.

asiatraveltips.com Flight stats are showing the scheduled PG flights (which includes some codeshare / partner airline flights) have not left either Samui or Bangkok but we have not been able to verify this information. The lack of information on this matter from the airline, or even TAT in Samui or elsewhere in Thailand, is really disappointing to say the least.



xinhuanet.com Surat Thani Governor Thirayuth Aiumtrakul declared 16 provinces of Surat Thani as flood disaster zones. The zones include the tourist islands of Samui and Phangan. Unconfirmed reports said that all power was out on the island of Samui.

todayonline.com A tropical depression that dumped two days of incessant rain on southern Thailand and northern Malaysia has disrupted rail services in both countries and forced thousands of residents to flee.

washingtonpost.com As military-ruled Myanmar prepares for its first election in two decades, some of its powerful ethnic minority groups are preparing for war. Several are boycotting Sunday's vote, which they see as a step toward shattering their long-held dream of semiautonomy under a federal system. The government in turn has canceled voting in 3400 villages in ethnic areas, disenfranchising 1.5 million people.

abc.net.au Burma is holding its first elections in 20 years this weekend but critics say the poll is a sham.

cnn.com Outdated security systems introduced to combat plane hijackings 40 years ago must be overhauled to address new terrorism threats, the head of the International Air Transport Association said. "Today's threats require a different approach and different technology," IATA's director-general Giovanni Bisignani told an aviation security conference in Frankfurt.

smh.com.au Premium traffic on international flights - which includes business and first class - fell 16 percent in 2009, the International Air Transport Association says. While demand has improved this year, premium traffic in August was still 11 percent down from the pre-downturn size in early 2008.

afp A package intercepted at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's offices contained explosives and was linked to the mail bombing campaign in Greece, Germany's interior minister said.

Assoicated Press Europe's two nuclear-armed powers Britain and France struck a deal for unprecedented co-operation on defence - sharing warhead-testing facilities and aircraft carriers to preserve their military might in an era of austerity.

baltimoresun.com Johns Hopkins has signed an agreement to open the first private, four-year medical school and teaching hospital in Malaysia in the Baltimore-based health system's latest effort to expand its reach overseas. Executives from Johns Hopkins signed an agreement with a Malaysian partner Tuesday during a ceremony attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in that country.

channelnewsasia.com Airlines have cancelled several flights to the Indonesian cities of Solo and Yogyakarta as thick smoke spews from the Mount Merapi volcano. Officials cited poor visibility and heavy ash on the runways of the two airports. SilkAir cancelled two flights - to and from Singapore and the city of Solo.

smh.com.au Go to the US or anywhere in western Europe, walk into a bar or restaurant and ask the first staff member you see. They'll tell you: Australians don't tip. About the best tip you'll get from an Aussie is the old: "Be good to your mother."



EACH Year British International School Phuket organises a seven-a-side football tournament. Friday and Saturday, November 5-6, will see this year's tournament take place. Twenty-five schools from around the South East Asia will send teams to compete.

Until November 7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 6 Charity golf at Tab Lamu, near Khao Lak: Call Sam on 089 875 1995 E: sam@khaolakappeal.com
November 6 Thailand Property Awards, Bangkok
November 12 IBAP meets at Thai Naan restaurant to hear Woody Leonard on what's best for internet access on Phuket.
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 22 QSI International fun run day at Bang Wad Dam, Kathu
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi