independent.ie Sweden's armed forces chief said that the military would attempt to force a suspected Russian submarine that has intruded into its waters to come to the surface.

Journalism Update Ben Bradlee, former Washington Post executive editor who led the team that broke the Watergate story, has died aged 93.


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 tourism industry is expected to face another tough year if the government maintains martial law, the head of the Tourism Council of Thailand said. The number of international arrivals at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport from January to September dropped by 19 percent compared with the same period last year.

bangkokpost.com While Thailand's millionaires increased their wealth by more than 11 percent last year, they're being blown away by Southeast Asian neighbors who are riding strong economies to boost their incomes by triple digits.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/438796/saddled-with-weak-economy-thailand-lags-asian-rivals-in-wealth-building



bbc.com Two Burmese men accused of killing two British tourists on the Thai island of Koh Tao have retracted their confessions, their lawyers have said. The pair now say they did not commit the murders and did not see what happened, according to their lawyers.

andrew-drummond.com The interpreter used by police turned out to be a local roti seller of Bangladeshi descent and was not always intelligible.



aljazeera.com What is frightening about this latest group of boatpeople to arrive north of Phuket is that they were physically forced into the trade. The traffickers are no longer content to exploit the desperation of people to undertake this journey. They are kidnapping and selling humans. The difference between human trafficking and slavery is often debated - but this looks more and more like an old-fashioned slave trade.



news.sky.com Passengers travelling to the US from three ebola-stricken countries in West Africa must enter the country through one of five airports, the government has said.



AP The bodies of two South Korean tourists were found in waters near Thailand's southern resort city of Phuket, two days after the tourist boat they were in collided with a fishing vessel, police said.

nationmultimedia.com Director of the Krabi branch of the Marine Department, Boonchao Tangsripaisal, sent officials to inspect tourist boats at tambon Ao Nang to ensure safety and check operators' licences and lifesaving equipment.

NNT Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant state agencies to reorganize public van, taxi, and motorcycle taxi services as well as beach front areas after recurring problems have occurred in many areas.

wsj.com Thailand's military-appointed government approved measures to help rubber farmers who have been hit hard by sharp declines in export prices. The decision enables the National Rubber Policy Committee to dispense a one-time cash handout worth no more than 15,000 baht ($465) to each of some 850,000 rubber farmers across the country.

nationmultimedia.com The body of an elderly Japanese man who was reported missing recently was found in an overgrown area near the Assumption University Suvarnabhumi campus off Bang Na-Trat Road in Samut Prakan province.

japantimes.co.jp Thai police said they have detained a Thai woman and her husband in the disappearance of a 79-year-old Japanese man in Bangkok.

bangkokpost.com A foreign man thought to be in his mid-50s was found dead floating in the sea off Pattaya beach in eastern Chon Buri province with slash wounds to his wrists.

traveller.com.au A new survey by business consulting firm Timetric has found that northern Europeans are the world's biggest travellers, with four Nordic countries all in the top five.

scmp.com China put 2400 people to death last year, a US-based human rights group said, shedding rare light on a statistic Beijing considers a state secret.

nytimes.com Today, the business of smuggling refugees and migrants across the Mediterranean into Europe has become a hugely profitable, if deadly, enterprise, with more than 3000 people believed to have died so far this year. One United Nations official estimated that in 2014 smugglers on those routes would gross more than $1 billion, with sophisticated operations that sometimes overlap with criminal gangs who traffic in arms and drugs.

chron.com The head of French oil giant Total SA was killed at a Moscow airport when his corporate jet collided with a snowplow whose driver was drunk, Russian investigators said. All four on board died. The snowplow driver was unhurt.

bangkokpost.com Major department store chain Takashimaya Co said it will open an outlet in Bangkok in 2017 to attract wealthy consumers in the fast-growing Southeast Asian country.

voanews.com More than 200 Vietnamese Americans rallied in southern California to support Hong Kong students and residents who are protesting for universal suffrage in the Chinese territory.

news.sky.com A man who was paralysed from the waist down after a stabbing attack is walking again thanks to pioneering surgery. Surgeons used nerve-supporting cells from Mr Fidyka's nose to help the broken tissue grow.



theguardian.com The body of a man has been found with his throat slashed, wrapped in plastic and dumped in a Bali rice field, police say. Badung police officer Komang Suartana said the body was that of Robert Kelvin Ellis, 60, a resident of Sanur. He said Ellis held a British passport but had been a long-term resident of Australia.

mirror.co.uk Robert Kelvin Ellis's head was almost decapitated after he had his throat slashed. Police have reportedly claimed Mr Ellis's Indonesian wife, Julaikah Noor Aini, confessed to hiring a hitman to carry out the brutal murder after allegations of his womanising.

aljazeera.com Islamic authorities in Malaysia are conducting an investigation into a controversial ''dog patting'' event aimed at removing the stigma regarding the animal in the multi-ethnic Muslim-majority country.



reuters Chelsea scored their biggest Champions League victory when they thrashed Maribor 6-0 at Stamford Bridge with a performance that underlines the belief that they are real contenders to rule Europe again.

telegraph.co.uk As they trudged out of the Khimki Arena into the biting cold and Moscow snow, with two points thrown away after allowing CSKA to fight back from a 2-0 half-time deficit, the Champions League prospects of Manchester City appeared as bleak as the Russian winter.

afp Bayern Munich produced a stunning display to demolish Roma 7-1 but they were not the biggest winners on the most prolific evening in Champions League history. A record 44 goals were scored in just eight group games.

eurosport.yahoo.com Barcelona were made to survive a late scare as they warmed up for their Clasico clash with Real Madrid by beating Ajax 3-1 at Camp Nou.

nationmultimedia.com The US$2-million Thailand Classic will become the Kingdom's biggest golf event when it tees off at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin from February 12-15 next year.



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