independent.co.uk Passengers aboard a cruise ship at the centre of an Ebola scare were in a panic after being refused to dock at either Mexico or Belize, with one claiming ''it's like a floating petri dish.''

afp Hong Kong police clashed with protesters early Sunday, with the government saying 20 people were injured in a fourth night of violence after nearly three weeks of largely peaceful pro-democracy rallies.

afp World number one Serena Williams lashed out at ''sexist'' and ''racist'' comments from the head of Russian tennis after he jokingly called her and her sister Venus the ''Williams brothers''.


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



scmp.com New clashes broke out between Hong Kong protesters and police in Mong Kok after a day which saw significant progress on attempts to bring students and the government round the table to thrash out a solution to bring street protests to an end.

smh.com.au Indonesia's incoming president Joko Widodo has promised a tough approach and issued a blunt warning to Tony Abbott, stating it is unacceptable for the Australian navy to enter Indonesian waters uninvited while turning back asylum seeker boats.

JUST four bars in Asia made the cnn.com list of the 50 best bars in the world and all of those were in Asia's ''first world'': Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Meaningless lists appear to be unavoidable. The best bar in the world is, of course, the nearest one.



bangkokpost.com Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon denied that British police would have any direct involvement in an investigation into the murder of two Britons on Koh Tao and said they would act as observers only.



bdnews24.com Thai authorities have rescued dozens of Bangladeshis from a jungle, says the BBC. The government in Thailand say they are trying to fight the slave trade, but have been accused of ''dragging their heels.''

bbc.com How Thailand handles the case of these men will surely be a test of its declared willingness to turn its back on a shameful record of trafficking, and take meaningful action to end the trade in people.

mmtimes.com A new report has accused Thailand and Malaysia of perpetrating similar discrimination against the Muslim Rohingya as that which prompted them to flee Rakhine State.

freemalaysiatoday.com Two human rights organisations have reminded Malaysia and Thailand that Rohingya refugees in the two countries are entitled, under international laws, to the protection of their right to ''education, healthcare and liberty and security of the person on an equal basis with others''.

unb Bangladesh State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan said the government would take steps to bring back the Bangladeshis reportedly rescued after being abducted and shipped to Thailand to be sold as ''slaves''. The minister noted that all of the rescued should not be considered as Bangladeshis just because they speak Bangla.

malaysiakini.com Out of the frying pan and into the fire. According to a report by a London-based NGO and a Bangkok university, Rohingya who escape Myanmar's Rakhine state only face more violence in the hands of traffickers.

straitstimess.com Activist Chris Lewa of The Arakan Project said what is clear is the trafficking network has become an industry. ''Bangladesh appears to be a new trend this year because of competition among brokers and smugglers as the syndicates are expanding,'' she said.



independent.co.uk Ebola is poised to become the ''definitive humanitarian disaster of our generation,'' Oxfam has warned, with more troops, funding and medical aid urgently needed to tackle the outbreak.



news.com.au From the hapless Aussie bloke who has lost his money, passport and several hours to alcohol and a ladyboy, to the heartbreaking trip home for an Australian family with the body of the child who has died overseas, 'The Embassy' lifts the lid on the lives of Aussies in Thailand: ''As much as Thailand is the land of smiles, it's also the land of surprises.'' [The show screens Sunday night across Australia.]
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-embassy-abc-tv-series-reveals-australians-in-strife-in-thailand/story-fn8yvfst-1227094157628

AP When his credit card was declined last month while dining in New York, US President Barack Obama wondered if he had become a victim of identity theft. ''It turned out, I guess I don't use it enough,'' Mr Obama said at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

bangkokpost.com Police are looking to question a Thai woman in the disappearance of an elderly Japanese man she had befriended, after learning that she had been married earlier to another Japanese man who also died. Pornchanok Chaiyapa, who has changed her name three times, is currently free on bail after being charged with theft after using the missing man's ATM card to withdraw 700,000 baht from his bank account.

nationmultimedia.com The disappearance of Yoshinori Tetsuo, 79, was reported on September 21 by his son Shimato, who said he had not heard from his father since September 4. After filing the complaint, the son visited his father's apartment this Tuesday with police officers and asked for it to be opened, only to find Phornchanok Chaiyapa, 47, in the room.

afp An official dealing with safety measures at the Korean concert where 16 people died was found dead as police launched an investigation into the incident.

bbc.com The BBC's Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson says he will have points on his licence for the first time in 30 years after he was caught speeding.

nationmultimedia.com Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra is the winner of the military coup and Pheu Thai Party will end up winning the next general election, former deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung has told party colleagues close to him.



AP Rebooting a slowing economy in a nation of 250 million where inequality is rising, a looming decision on raising fuel prices and vulnerability to any U.S. interest rate hikes would be enough to tax any incoming president. But Indonesia's Joko Widodo, who takes office Monday, must also find a way to work with a powerful and well-funded opposition that could block moves to address the challenges holding back the country's rise as an emerging market powerhouse.

ft.com The estranged wife of one of Malaysia's richest men has won a first-round victory in her legal fight to have her divorce heard in London rather than Malaysia. In what could be one of the biggest divorce cases heard in Britain, Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng, chairman and major shareholder of the retailer Laura Ashley, and Pauline Chai, a former Miss Malaysia, have been battling over whether courts in England or Malaysia should rule on their divorce and how their reputed 400m pound fortune should be split.



reuters The president of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpischev has been fined $25,000 and banned from the women's tour for a year after referring to Serena and Venus Williams as ''the Williams brothers'' on a television chat show last week.

afp Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero was a one-man wrecking crew with all four goals in Manchester City's 4-1 hiding of Tottenham Hotspur in their Barclays Premier League match.

telegraph.co.uk Southampton recorded their biggest victory in 93 years to dismantleSunderland who twice scored own goals as they slumped wretchedly to ignominious 8-0 defeat.

toffeeweb.com Everton won at Goodison Park for the first time in the Premier League this season as they put Aston Villa to the sword with a convincing 3-0 performance.

aap Leading by 10 points with 11 minutes left, the Wallabies ultimately fell 29-28 with All Black Colin Slade kicking a gut-wrenching conversion after the full-time hooter. Coach Ewen McKenzie resigned after the match.



October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 1-3 Patong Carnival

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-23 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

November 29-December 6 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

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



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show