UPDATING All Day, Every Day
Thailand Update The Public Health Ministry is monitoring a 48-year-old Thai woman who may have contracted Ebola while working in Liberia. The woman arrived into Bangkok on Wednesday and went to see a doctor at a private hospital.
usatoday.com Official government estimates put the number of British Islamic State fighters operating in Syria and Iraq at up to 800. The militant who beheaded American journalist James Foley in a horrifying video released this week spoke with a British accent.
AP The bodies and ashes of 20 Malaysians killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine in July have arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the first repatriation of victims from the flight to the country.
bangkokpost.com A combined force of navy officers and Tourism and Sports Ministry officials have arrested two Chinese nationals in Phuket for working illegally as tour guides. Some tourists on the bus told officials the guides extorted money from them, forced them to visit places that were not on the itinerary and were rude.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
time.com Thailand's military strongman General Prayuth Chan-ocha was appointed the nation's Prime Minister, after securing a landslide vote from a legislature that was handpicked by the junta late last month.
nationmultimedia.com A commercial surrogacy ring has ''exported'' more than 100 babies and earned more than 50 million baht each year, according to a young woman who claims to have sold her eggs to the ring.
news.com.au Jetstar is set to become Australia's main international carrier as Qantas looks to wind back its worst performing arm. Chief financial officer Gareth Evans has confirmed about half of the group's $2 billion in cuts will come from Qantas International.
Latest on the Ebola Outbreak
afp Two American missionaries who contracted Ebola while treating patients in Liberia have left hospital after making a full recovery, doctors said, as authorities in the west African nation struggled to deal with their dead.
Phuket World of People
gizmodo.com The stunning picture of the city of Bangkok, Thailand at nighttime was taken from the ISS by astronaut Reid Wiseman. Well, the concentrated bright white light was the city at least. The emerald green surrounding it? The green light comes from the countless fishing boats that make a living in the Gulf of Thailand.
tmz.com Robin Williams' body was cremated the day after he died . . . and his ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay . . . this according to the official death certificate.
Is It OK To Pee in the Ocean?
When you're stuck at the beach with a full bladder, feel free to release it into the ocean instead of those nasty shoreside toilets. Science says it's fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqR2bLsdhs4
brisbanetimes.com Some studies have linked Colgate Total toothpaste's active ingredient Triclosan with cancer and the disruption of hormone development. But Colgate says it's totally safe.
washingtonpost.com Israeli airstrikes killed three top Hamas commanders in Gaza, marking the most significant blow to the leadership of the Palestinian group's armed wing in six weeks of fighting in the battle-scarred enclave.
AP The killing of an American reporter is galvanizing international anger at Islamic State extremists and fueling fears about the flow of foreign fighters joining their ranks. But governments from the Mideast to Europe and even Washington appear uncertain about how to stop them.
afp The Islamic State poses a greater danger than a conventional ''terrorist group'' and is pursuing a vision that could radically alter the face of the Middle East, US defense leaders said.
alarabiya.net The president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, deemed the actions of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group ''embarrassing'' to the religion and called upon Muslim leaders to unite in tackling extremism.
azcentral.com Texas Governor and likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry called on the Obama administration to step up airstrikes against ISIS militants in Iraq, warning that jihadist terrorists could cross the Southwest border if they are not defeated in the Middle East.
bangkokpost.com Kenya Airways has upped the ante in tapping surging demand in the Asia-Africa air travel market via Bangkok with the deployment of the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet.
news.com.au Australian journalist Peter Greste and two other Al-Jazeera journalists jailed by Egypt for alleged ties with Islamists, have filed appeals against their convictions.
miamiherald.com A federal judge ruled Florida's gay-marriage ban unconstitutional and ordered the state to recognise marriages legally performed elsewhere.
Around the Asean Region
reuters Indonesia's highest court unanimously upheld last month's presidential election result, paving the way for Joko Widodo to take over as leader of the world's third largest democracy.
nydailynews.com Before Sheila von Wiese Mack was found dead in a suitcase Bali, she argued with her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend over who was paying their hotel bill, police said.
ibtimes.com The investigation team looking into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July plans to return to the crash site when the security situation in the country improves. Investigators suspended their search efforts in early August when fighting between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian rebels escalated.
cnn.com Malaysian police have charged two people over the alleged theft of around $35,000 from the bank accounts of four passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Phuket World of Sport
reuters Top seed Novak Djokovic and number two Roger Federer are favored to wage another title showdown in the last grand slam of 2014, although some emerging young guns have other ideas for the US Open starting on Monday.
afp Tottenham Hotspur closed in on a place in the group stage of the Europa League after coming from behind to win 2-1 away to AEL Limassol in Cyprus in their play-off first leg.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
August 30 Thailand vs Burma football 6.30pm
September 3 Thailand vs Qatar football 6pm
September 7 Thailand vs Phuket mixed team 4pm
September 7 Qatar vs Australia football 6.30pm
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
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show
