Updating All Day, Every Day
bangkokpost.com Tar balls have washed up along several kilometres of the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, along with dead turtles and a dolphin.
smh.com.au Three people are dead after a riot broke out inside Bali's Kerobokan jail between two rival gangs. Prison authorities have confirmed that none of the Australians incarcerated in the prison were involved in the deadly battle.
theage.com.au Australia has been ranked as the second-best country in the world for its quality of life by a UN report that assessed economic, education and life-expectancy data. Norway is top.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Phuketwan closes on December 31.
Today's Top Stories
nationmultimedia.com Internet freedom in Thailand has been ranked ''not free'' for the second successive year, as the Thai government has been using its power to restrict freedom of information and violating Internet user rights, according to the latest Freedom House report.
AP The United States and Cuba have struck a deal to allow 30 regular airline flights a day, allowing a surge of American travel to Cuba that could eventually flood the country with hundreds of thousands more US visitors a year, officials said on the anniversary of detente between the Cold War foes.
bbc.com Chelsea's players were not to blame for manager Jose Mourinho's sacking, says technical director Michael Emenalo. The defending champions are one point above the relegation zone after losing nine of their first 16 Premier League matches this season.
Human Trafficking in Thailand
theeconomist.com It could still go wrong. (Myanmar still treats the Rohingya and other minorities disgracefully.) But the country's transition to something resembling democracy has come faster than anyone dared expect. For that, Myanmar wins our ''country of the year'' award.
thediplomat.com Muslims in Myanmar face unprecedented vulnerabilities and discrimination. They are killed with impunity, tortured, taken to court on false charges, and denied citizenship.
bangkokpost.com Conditions were up to snuff for a police inspection of shrimp peeling sheds after Monday's report of abuses, and a human trafficking suspect was arrested.
Phuket World of People
metro.co.uk British tourist Jordan Jacobs, reported missing on Phi Phi in Thailand, has been found strolling along a beach, police say.
mirror.co.uk Krabi, on Thailand's west coast, is where you'll find golden beaches backed by emerald coves and dense mangrove forests.
nydailynews.com Airport and airline authorities in India began investigating the death of a technician who was sucked into an aircraft engine at an airport in Mumbai. A pilot misinterpreted a signal and switched on the plane's engine.
bangkokpost.com Two medium-to-long-haul low-cost carriers, Thai AirAsia X (TAAX) and NokScoot, are freezing their expansion plans until Thailand's air safety deficiencies are resolved.
nytimes.com With his customary swagger and salty language, President Vladimir V. Putin held forth on a sweeping array of topics in his traditional year-end news conference, even throwing in a glowing assessment of Donald J. Trump.
ft.com Israel and Turkey have reached agreement on a political reconciliation that will end a five-year diplomatic estrangement and pave the way for talks on an undersea pipeline to export Israeli gas to the Turkish market.
nationmultimedia.com Newly founded venture-capital fund 500 TukTuks is forging ahead with its aim to be the growth engine for a start-up ecosystem in Thailand. The Kingdom's total venture-capital fund value in 2015 was expected to rise between US$40 million to US$50 million.
Around the Region
channelnewsasia.com An illegal shipment of elephant tusks and pangolin scales - worth an estimated S$1.3 million - was seized by Singapore authorities last week. The air shipment from Lagos, Nigeria was bound for Vientiane, Laos.
Phuket World of Sport
afp Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter demanded that a 90-day suspension be lifted after appearing before the world football body's ethics judges, his lawyer said.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 2004 Tsunami memorial ceremonies
December 26-January 5 Red Cross Fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City
Coming Events on Phuket 2016
January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show
