UPDATING All Day, Every Day
washingtonpost.com From European capitals to the White House, leaders in recent days have called for a fresh crackdown on trafficking networks that have enabled more than 300,000 migrants to reach the continent this year, while also leading at least 2600 more to their deaths.
bbc.com The US has said it is ''deeply disappointed and concerned'' at the three-year jail sentences passed in Egypt on three al-Jazeera journalists. Echoing criticism from the UK, Canada and Australia, the US state department urged Egypt to ''redress the verdict''.
nytimes.com Vester Lee Flanagan II fired 17 shots during his ''well planned and pre-meditated'' attack that took the lives of two television journalists in Virginia during a live broadcast, police said.
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 Stories
bangkokpost.com A general election is expected to take place in December next year with a newly elected government taking office in February 2017, assuming the draft charter receives approval throughout, according to political sources.
bbc.com Tens of thousands of Malaysians are expected to protest for a second day in Kuala Lumpur, calling for PM Najib Razak to quit over a financial scandal. On Saturday, crowds were undeterred by a heavy presence of police who had called the protests illegal.
The Bombing in Bangkok
scmp.com Police in Bangkok said they have arrested a 28-year-old foreign man with a collection of fake passports who was ''likely involved'' in a deadly bomb attack at a shrine in the Thai capital nearly two weeks ago.
bangkokpost.com Police are holding a man believed linked to the Ratchaprasong bombing on explosives charges. His Turkish passport is fake and his nationality is not confirmed.
afp Thai police said three Uygur Muslims, among dozens detained for illegal entry last year, had been questioned over the deadly Bangkok bombing.
Human Trafficking in Thailand
presstv.ir The UN has issued a warning over an expected surge of mostly Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees heading out for southeast Asia. ''UNHCR is calling for urgent action before the end of the monsoon season unleashes a new wave of people leaving on boats from the Bay of Bengal,'' spokeswoman Melissa Fleming was reported as saying.
huffingtonpost.co.uk Of all the human rights concerns in Burma, the appalling treatment of the Rohingya community remains the most worrying. I was struck by how little things had changed since my previous visit in 2012, not least in the camps for the internally displaced. Indeed, I saw and heard first-hand that for many housed in these 'temporary''camps for the last three years, living conditions have appreciably worsened.
Phuket World of People
Phi Phi Update Two touts allegedly misusing gibbons, Nattaporn Sithisak, 22, and Saman Prabphet, 52, both from Krabi, were arrested on Phi Phi by officers from the Thung Talay Non Hunting Zone and the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Division of the Royal Thai Police.
Phuket Update Nearly 400 athletes from 38 countries will take part in the Asian Weightlifting Championships on Phuket from September 6-11, organisers say.
rt.com The death toll from a tragic truck crash in Swaziland, which claimed the lives of dozens of girls and young women travelling to an annual traditional dance festival at the king's residence, has risen to 65, Swaziland Solidarity Network reported. The passengers were traveling in an open truck to cut reeds for the annual Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony, where one of them was to be picked as the king's newest bride.
theguardian.com Thousands of people took to the streets of the German city of Dresden to send a message of welcome to refugees after a string of violent anti-migrant protests in the region.
scmp.com Town planners in Hong Kong are suggesting getting rid of the city's historic trams to ease traffic congestion. [Ed: For many reasons, trams are definitely not the answer to Phuket's traffic problems,]
dpa Australia's new paramilitary style Border Force cancelled a planned operation to patrol the city streets of Melbourne checking visas, after hundreds of people protested: ''Fantastic news for all non-White Melburnians who now will not need to carry their papers around like it's Nazi Germany.''
bbc.com Ten members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram have been executed by firing squad in Chad after a three-day trial.
smh.com.au It was the Fair Work Ombudsman's third raid on the famous 7-Eleven franchise chain in the past six years. Each time investigators unearthed fresh evidence of underpayment of wages. A joint Four Corners and Fairfax Media investigation into 7-Eleven has uncovered startling and systemic wage fraud across Australia's biggest convenience store chain, including falsification of payroll records and other illegal practices. Two of Australia's richest people have been underpaying some of the nation''s poorest and most vulnerable people.
fool.com Among low-cost countries you might consider retiring to are Ecuador, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Thailand, and Belize.
Around the Region
afp Myanmar has approved its first-ever national minimum wage, equivalent to 100 baht a day, but some employers say it's too much to pay for low productivity.
Phuket World of Sport
reuters Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory over promoted Watford as champions Chelsea suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace.
smh.com.au Australia's greatest ever racehorse trainer Bart Cummings has died at the age of 87 in Sydney. The 12-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
Phuket Update The annual Por Tor (Hungry Gost) Festival organised by the Phuket City Municipal Office and Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office is being held in Phuket Town and everyone is being invited to join.
September 6-11 Asian Weightlifting Championships
Until September 12 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 5 HM The King's Birthday
December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies
"scmp.com Town planners in Hong Kong are suggesting getting rid of the city's historic trams to ease traffic congestion."
It was suggested by one former town planner, and has been widely ridiculed by all sectors in HK, including the Government.
Posted by Elephants Gerald on August 30, 2015 08:54
Editor Comment:
Trams are a wonderful historic form of transport. They do not suit Phuket's needs. Better to remove the median strip, create new lanes, ban big buses and devote the island's transport services to minivans, which are almost as adaptable as motorcycles. Trams work where development has been lineal and historic. Phuket needs a form of public transport that, like HK's minivans, works well along narrow roads and over hills. I love slow, reliable trams . . . but not on Phuket, please.