reuters An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 struck deep under the seabed off the coast of Japan south of Tokyo on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha Monday flew to Burma (Myanmar) to attend a regional economic summit during which he plans to co-sign two documents to boost cooperation with Thailand's neighbors.

nytimes.com Gov. Nikki R. Haley called for South Carolina to do what just a week ago seemed politically impossible - remove the Confederate battle flag from its perch in front of the State House building.


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bangkokpost.com The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) plans to gather over 200 local and foreign journalists next week to ask them not to upset Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and other cabinet ministers with provocative questions. The meeting will be the largest media summons by the NCPO since the 2014 coup.

Phuket Update Ed: The NCPO should take account of a well-worn journalism adage: ''There is no such thing as a silly question. But there are certainly silly answers.''

bangkokpost.com Fishing operators from Phuket and 21 other coastal provinces said more than 3000 middle-sized fishing boats will have to stop fishing from July 1, causing 15 billion baht in monthly damages, unless the government eases anti-IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing enforcement measures. Under the new fishing law, those who break the regulations could face a maximum of three years' imprisonment and a 300,000-baht fine.

reuters Prasert Thongcharoen, an advisor to Thailand's Disease Control Department, said he had investigated Bumrungrad Hospital's handling of the MERS case and found it to be ''flawless.''

bangkokpost.com Thai AirAsia X announced it would suspend service to northern Japan from August amid mounting concerns about Thailand's aviation safety.



AUSTRALIA'S top current affairs show, Four Corners, alleges there are many more Rohingya graves in a Thai border town near the home of at least one trafficker. And in Burma, more deaths at the hands of racist neighbors seem likely.

Full Report
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2015/06/22/4257490.htm

news.com.au In dozens of abandoned jungles camps, less than 500km from partying tourists in Phuket, lies the graves of hundreds of people who were tortured, held for ransom and then killed if their families couldn't pay up.



Phuket Update The Phuket beach-management research team at Prince of Songkhla University Phuket campus will present its findings about beach rules and the future to Governor Nisit Jansomwong next month: ''I think our solution is neutral and promotes sustainable development of tourism in Phuket.''

bangkokpost.com I thought the military coup happened because we needed wholesale reform of the country. The military takeover has happened, correct? Things seem to have moved so slowly I sometimes wonder if I have lost track of time. it has been more than a year and the reform agenda seems to have lost ground.

theglobeandmail.com For many residents of China's southern town of Yulin, the peak of summer is the perfect time to get together with family and friends - and consume copious amounts of dog meat. Yulin restaurateurs held an annual dog-meat festival Monday despite international criticism of the event as cruel and unhygienic.

news.sky.com Within China, there is also an increasingly powerful dog welfare movement which is beginning to change attitudes. According to local media reports, one woman named Yang Xiaoyun paid nearly 7000 yuan to ''buy back'' and save 100 dogs at the beginning of the festival.

bangkokpost.com Every Monday is a special day on Koh Lipe, a sandy, breathtaking and increasingly touristy Andaman island off Satun province. Since December 2013, Monday has been designated as the day of the ''Trash Hero,'' when a big clean-up of Koh Lipe takes place with the participation of locals and tourists.

nationmultimedia.com PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha will travel to Japan next month to attend the Mekong-Japan Summit to boost cooperation with Japan, an informed source said. As it happens, the July 2-4 visit will coincide with the 4th of July party hosted by the US Embassy at a Bangkok hotel on July 2. The source said that Prayuth has yet to get an invitation.

independent.co.uk The EU has launched a concerted naval operation, likely to include the use of drones, in a bid to tackle human-traffickers bringing migrants from North Africa to Europe. AP quoted an unnamed senior EU diplomatic official as saying the operation would see five naval units led by the Italian light aircraft carrier Cavour deployed alongside two submarines, three maritime surveillance planes, two drones and two helicopters.

abcnews.go.com Investigators believe that the man accused of fatally shooting nine people in a historic Charleston church last week was ''self-radicalised,'' according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

nationmultimedia.com Thailand is preparing hard to defend the status of two World Heritage sites in the face of ongoing concerns about conservation and management efforts. These two sites are the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex and the Ayutthaya Historical Park. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has threatened to downgrade the first site's status as a World Heritage site.

bbc.com Eurozone leaders have echoed hopes that a deal can be struck within days to stop Greece defaulting on its debt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said new proposals offered by Greece constituted ''some progress''. But she said more work was needed and ''time is short''.



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independent.co.uk England held on quite comfortably to beat Norway 2-1 and book a quarter-final against hosts Canada in Vancouver, in front of 50,000-plus, on Saturday night.



MORE THAN 1.5 billion Muslims around the world mark the start of Ramadan June 17, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek