bangkokpost.com Reg Twigg, the last British prisoner of war to work on the construction of the World War II ''Death Railway'' between Thailand and Burma has died, aged 99.

thephuketinsider.com A second outlet south of Catch Beach Club at Phuket's Surin beach is going to be launched in July called Bikinis and Martinis Beach Club. The concept according to General Manager Olivier Gibaud is an all day party beach club.

bangkokpost.com The royal oxen choose maize and grass at the annual ploughing ceremony, and soothsayers say this means abundant harvests and plentiful water.


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

jpost.com Following an expose on how much Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's double bed cost on his recent flight to London, he announced that he would no longer ask that a double bed be installed on his plane during short trips such as to Europe - a cost to taxpayers of $127,000.

huffingtonpost.com Netanyahu stopped buying ice cream from his favorite Jerusalem parlor after an Israeli newspaper discovered his office was spending $2700 a year for the treat.

sky.com New Orleans police say 17 people have been injured in a shooting at a Mother's Day parade. Many of the 17 victims were grazed and most of the wounds were not life-threatening, police said.

afp Fifteen people in Saudi Arabia have died from a SARS-like virus, Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabia says.



ndtv.com Braving the inability to read numbers and symbols, 21-year-old dyslexic Malayasian pilot Captain James Anthony Tan has managed to fly half-way around the world in a tiny, single Cessna 210 Eagle aircraft. Covering 6,400 nautical miles, Tan started his flight from Langkawi in Malaysia on March 26 and will return to Kuala Lumpur via Phuket on May 15.

nationmultimedia.com Letter: Phuket is a perfect example of a wasted opportunity. The airport is a disaster, the convention centre never materialised, traffic is chaotic. Many places lack town water, sewerage is discharged anywhere. Phuket city should be heritage listed like Penang. The streets are dirty with rubbish just left everywhere. And how about the local authorities staging a clean up Phuket day?

bbc.co.uk One of Britain's most wanted fugitives has been arrested in a raid on a luxury villa on Spain's Costa Blanca. Andrew Moran, 31, was detained after a pursuit by police in the Alicante resort of Calpe. He was charged with armed robbery but absconded during his trial.

guardian.co.uk For the first time in human history, the concentration of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has passed the milestone level of 400 parts per million (ppm). The last time so much greenhouse gas was in the air was several million years ago, when the Arctic was ice-free.

dnaindia.com Sir Richard Branson may be the billionaire boss of Virgin Airline but he proved he was a sport as he put on fake eyelashes, flashed black fishnets and pouted painted lips while working aboard an AirAsia flight. Branson was fulfilling a bet he lost to AirAsia CEO, Tony Fernandes which he had to do by dressing and serving as a flight attendant on board Fernandes' flight.

bangkokpost.com Nok Air's planned initial public offering is all set for launching next month as the budget carrier gears up to raise some 5 billion baht for future expansion, including aircraft procurement.

wsj.com Cyclone Mohasen is expected to land in Bangladesh on Thursday, but strong wind and rain will be felt earlier there and in Burma (Myanmar). The UN estimates that 60 million people could be at risk across the two countries.

bangkokpost.com Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri is rapidly losing its appeal to beach-goers and holiday-makers as it becomes increasingly filthy from rubbish and debris, and dead fish wash up on the shore, according to a Khao Sod report.

wsj.com A Singapore court begins an inquiry on Monday into the death of a US engineer after his parents challenged the Singapore police's initial findings that their son committed suicide.

cnn.com Rescuers pulled two more bodies from the wreckage of a collapsed building Sunday in Bangladesh, bringing the death toll to 1,119, the country's state news agency reported.



bbc.co.uk Sir Alex Ferguson marked his final match as manager of Manchester United at Old Trafford by lifting the Premier League trophy on behalf of his team. United beat Swansea 2-1 but had already won their 13th Premier League title and club's 20th championship on April 22.

independent.co.uk Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will lose his job this week and may be gone inside 48 hours, with the club's Abu Dhabi owners having lost all belief that he can make them into a force in European football.

afp Spanish media reports claim Mancini could be replaced by Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini in the close season, and the Italian angrily rebuked his employers for not publicly addressing the rumors.



May 13 Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day

Until May 14 World in Grey exhibition of black and white photos of Phuket, Standard Chartered Bank, corner of Phang Nga and Phuket Roads

May 24 Visakha Bucha Day

May 24-26 International Rugby 10s, Thanyapura

June 9 Laguna Phuket International Marathon

July 6-7 Phuket Air Show and Family Picnic, Phuket Air Park

July 17-21 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek

July 22 Arsarnha Bucha Day

August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 9 Asian Cup Triathlon Sprint, Patong

November 10 ITU Long Distance Series triathlon, Patong

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday



January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket