worldbulletin.net Thailand inaugurated a new national assembly dominated by military figures on Thursday, in what the junta has said is a step toward the transition of power back to democratic government.

afp Former Khmer Rouge leaders "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, 88, and former head of state Khieu Samphan, 83, were jailed for life Thursday after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by Cambodia's UN-backed court, the first-ever sentences for leaders of the murderous regime.

afp London Mayor Boris Johnson indicated that he would stand for election to the House of Commons next year, a move that could eventually position him as a successor to Prime Minister David Cameron.

bangkokpost.com Health officials are monitoring 21 tourists who arrived in Thailand to determine if they are infected with Ebola virus. Although Ebola poses only a small risk to Thailand, officials are taking precautions to screen all travellers, Dr Sophon said. Health authorities are checking passengers at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai airports.

telegraph.co.uk Wikimedia, the non-profit organisation behind Wikipedia, has refused a photographer's repeated requests to stop distributing his most famous shot for free - because a monkey pressed the shutter button and should own the copyright.

Papaapezzi: Photos Worth a Bunch of Bananas
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11015672/Wikipedia-refuses-to-delete-photo-as-monkey-owns-it.html


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



nationmultimedia.com The National Council for Peace and Order chief has a plan to lift the martial law soon, Lt-General Kampanart Ruddit, director of the Reconciliation for Reform Centre said. He added that the NCPO had discussed the areas where martial law should be lifted, though it might wait until a new government is formed and let it decide whether to partially or completely lift the law.

reuters The US State Department is increasing security at some American embassies in anticipation of the public release of a long-awaited Senate report detailing the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques, US officials said. The now-defunct ''Rendition/Detention/Interrogation'' program included Poland, Romania, Thailand and Afghanistan.

Torture in Thailand: The Full Report
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/425461/torture-in-thailand-the-full-report

afp British medical students Neil Dalton and Aidan Brunger, both 22, have been stabbed to death in Malaysia following a confrontation with a group of locals while drinking in a bar. The bodies of the two Newcastle University students were found lying in a road in Kuching, capital of the state of Sarawak on Borneo island, with stab wounds, The Star newspaper reported.

bangkokpost.com The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has pressed formal charges against Maj Gen Jennarong ''Seh James'' Dechawan and four other suspects for the alleged extortion of street vendors in Patpong. Police accuse him of using threatening ''gangster-style'' behavior, extorting money and taking bribes.

reuters Russia will ban all imports of food from the US and all fruit and vegetables from Europe, the state news agency reported, a sweeping response to Western sanctions imposed over its support for rebels in Ukraine.



afp The death toll of the Ebola epidemic neared 1000 as fears rose that the disease is now taking hold in Africa's most populous nation of Nigeria after a second death among seven confirmed cases in Lagos.

'It Appears It Could Be Too Late'
David McKenzie is the first journalist to visit the MSF Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/08/06/erin-david-mckenzie-ebola-sierra-leone.cnn.html

AP Spain sent an air force plane to Liberia to fly home an elderly Spanish missionary infected with Ebola, the first patient to be returned to Europe in a fast-spreading outbreak of the deadly disease. Two other missionaries who were in quarantine at the same hospital along with Miguel Pajares, 75 - Chantal Pascale of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Paciencia Melgar Ronda of Equatorial Guinea - also tested positive for Ebola.

afp In Liberia's capital Monrovia, where the dead have been left unburied on the streets or abandoned in their homes, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appealed for divine intervention and ordered three days of fasting and prayer.



japantimes.co.jp A Thai lawyer claimed that nine babies found in suspicious circumstances at a Bangkok condo are all ''surrogate babies whose father is a rich Japanese businessman.''

scmp.com Vorasit ''Wan'' Issara, 33, was in his twenties when tasked with launching the family's first resort hotel, Sri Panwa, on Phuket. ''I have visited Phuket since I was five years old. I love everything about it. It is isolated yet very convenient.''

nationmultimedia.com Demand for air travel to Thailand dropped significantly in the April-June quarter, due to political chaos followed by the imposition of martial law then a coup in late May 2014. As such, we expect AOT to report a 3Q14 (April-June) net profit of Bt2556m, down by 19 percent YoY and 31 percent QoQ.

expatforum.com The new military-run administration says it is cracking down on foreigners staying and working without proper paperwork. At risk are those on tourist visas working as teachers, early retirees and so-called digital nomads who live in Thailand and work remotely for a company in their home country, thus paying no tax in Thailand.

abc.net.au The Netherlands has announced it will halt the mission to recover victims and debris from the MH17 crash site due to increased fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels.

abcnews.go.com Marilyn Hartman,62, who has allegedly tried to sneak on a plane several times in order to get to Hawaii, was caught without a ticket on board a flight to Los Angeles, authorities said. Hartman shouldn't have been able to get through screening - and eventually on board the flight - without a boarding pass.

theguardian.com Harry Chapman Pincher, the journalist and author dubbed ''the great spy-catcher of Fleet Street'' in an extraordinary career at the Daily Express, has died aged 100. Pincher, who celebrated his 100th birthday in March, unearthed reams of military secrets during a 30-year career.

scmp.com The death toll from the magnitude-6.5 earthquake in Yunnan jumped to 589 as the 72-hour ''golden period'' for finding more people alive lapsed.

traveldailymedia.com A group of tourism operators in Phuket have joined forces to clean up the island's coast. The 'Go Eco Phuket' team comprised scuba divers, diving shops and other local businesses, who teamed up with other groups and individuals for one of Thailand's largest ever coast and reef clean-ups.

thedailystar.net Thailand is open for business with the rest of the world once again. The country boasts soul-soothing natural beauty like beaches in Phuket, Pattaya and Krabi.

afp The Italian economy shrank by 0.2 percent in the second quarter, dragging the eurozone's third-biggest economy back into recession and further behind EU neighbors, data from the national statistics agency showed.

afp An elderly Hong Kong couple were allegedly dismembered by their son and his friend before being salted, cooked and packed into lunchboxes ''like barbecued pork,'' a court has heard.

usatoday.com Have to leave your private staff behind? No problem. Iniala Beach House on Natai Beach near Phuket, Thailand, makes sure you feel like an A-list celebrity 24 hours a day. With Iniala's exclusive entourage service, guests are provided with their own personal team during their entire stay both on and off property.



nationmultimedia.com Environmentalists are overjoyed after their campaign proved successful and five major supermarkets agreed to remove parrotfish from their selves. The Reef Guardian Thailand group are now planning to push for the sustainable management of fisheries to become part of national agenda, ecology academic Petch Manopawitr said.



sg.news.yahoo.com Changi - the world's fifth busiest international airport - is undergoing a massive $1.5 billion expansion, with the goal of making the airport not only fun for tourists but a tourist attraction in and of itself. Centerpiece of the 1.4 million-square-foot airport expansion - code-named ''Project Jewel'' - is a glass-and-steel bio-dome that connects Terminals 1, 2, and 3 via glass-enclosed walkways.

afp Two former Khmer Rouge leaders face a verdict at a UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia on Thursday over allegations of crimes against humanity, marking the first time rulers of the murderous regime will be judged in a court.

reuters Singapore has its work cut out bringing companies to book under its new cross-border air pollution law. The law sets out the possibility of fines for companies that cause haze pollution regardless of whether they operate in Singapore. But making it work in practice will be tough.



AP Swiss prosecutors say a man arrested in connection with the suspected theft of former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher's medical records has been found hanged in his cell. The man, whose name wasn't released, was arrested on Tuesday.

dawn.com Pakistan's National Beach Handball Champio??nships will be held at its traditional venue of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad from August 22 to 24. On the performance of this championship, a national team will also be selected for preparation at the forthcoming fourth Asian Beach Games being held in Phuket, Thailand from November 14 to 24.

kansascity.com Barely able to tie his shoes three days ago, Tiger Woods is ready to tee it up in the PGA Championship. Woods caused the biggest sensation of the week simply by driving his silver SUV into the parking lot.



bangkokpost.com The long Mother's Day weekend will not be so lively for the hotel industry, as travel sentiment is still slowing. Some tourists, especially those from Bangkok, are expected to travel abroad or go further afield in Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi or Samui.

August 8 Able Wanamakok, international television host and public relations/marketer, specialises in social media. She's speaking at IBAP.

August 11 Special holiday for Queen's Birthday

August 12 Queen's Birthday

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

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