UPDATING All Day, Every Day
bbc.com UK-born US journalist Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie have been killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen during a failed rescue bid.
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
nytimes.com Thailand's revered and ailing monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, canceled his annual birthday address on the advice of doctors, just days after they said he was healthy enough to appear.
bangkokpost.com The nation celebrated the 87th birthday of His Majesty the King but doctors advised the monarch to cancel plans for a public audience.
nationmultimedia.com Billionaire businessman Nopporn Suppipat - wanted over the alleged abduction and intimidation of someone he owed Bt120 million - may have travelled to Canada after hiding in Cambodia, a police source said.
bangkokpost.com Consumer confidence fell in November due mainly to farm prices plunging to a 40-year low while the government's spending was slow.
Phuket World of People
pattayamail.com The recently launched Tourist Assistance Foundation served its first crime victim in Pattaya, coming to the aid of an elderly Swedish man who was robbed and left penniless by a woman he took back to his hotel. Cherif Hafsaoui, 68, was forced to live at the Pattaya Police Station for several days but eventually organised a flight home thanks to relatives.
nflnr.com For now, byo umbrellas will be allowed at several Phuket beaches, including Surin, Layan, Laypang and Bang Tao, but tourists should check with local authorities, as routine attempts at beach cleanups have spurred crackdowns on overcrowding and the presence of vendors at public beaches.
scmp.com Zhou Yongkang, China's former security chief and Poliburo member, has been stripped of his Communist Party membership and will face prosecution, Xinhua reported.
gulfbusiness.com Qatar Airways has advanced the launch of its newly received A380 jet to Bangkok, the airline announced. The carrier, which planned to begin A380 operations to the Thai capital from January 2015, said that it will now launch the new service from December 5, 2014, in response to high demand.
usatoday.com An unmanned capsule NASA is designing to carry astronauts to an asteroid and eventually Mars splashed down in the Pacific Ocean to conclude a successful first test flight.
skynews.com.au A vandal has scrawled the word 'rapist' on Bill Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of fame, in the latest unwanted news for the embattled veteran comic.
standard.co.uk A former pirate radio DJ who was friends with the late Jimmy Savile has been convicted of seven rapes and 11 counts of indecent assault. Ray Teret, 72, was found guilty of a string of sex offences dating back to the 1960s and 1970s.
telegraph.co.uk A British businessman described as a ''lying gigolo'' was jailed for 20 years for murdering his millionaire fiancee in a Paris hotel room. Ian Griffin, 45, barely reacted as the presiding judge in the Paris Assizes declared he was guilty of bludgeoning to death Kinga Legg, 36, in the five-star Bristol hotel in May 2009.
csmonitor.com President Obama has picked Ashton Carter to be secretary of Defense. If confirmed, Carter will have to deal with wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria while tightening Pentagon spending and facing the new threat of cyber warfare.
straitstimes.com A New Zealand man faces the death penalty after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into the Indonesian island resort of Bali, a customs official said. Anthony Glen de Malmanche, 52, was detained after officials found 1.7kg of the drug hidden inside his backpack when his flight from Hong Kong landed.
Around the Asean Region
bbc.com Tens of thousands of people have sought shelter as the powerful Typhoon Hagupit heads towards the Philippines. Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, has gusts of up to 230km/h and is due to hit land on Saturday evening.
dailymail.co.uk Police have detained 17 people from Myanmar over a string of gruesome murders in Penang and believe the killings are linked to ethnic unrest in their native country, reports said. Public anxiety has risen in the past few months as mutilated corpses or severed body parts have turned up - with at least 18 mysterious and unexplained murders of Myanmar nationals.
rappler.com Indonesia made good on its threat and blew up and sank three empty Vietnamese boats, the navy said, as the world's biggest archipelago nation pushes to stop foreigners from illegally fishing in its waters.
Phuket World of Sport
bleacherreport.com The 2014 Suzuki Cup reaches the semi-final stage on Saturday as the Philippines face off against much-fancied Thailand. The Azkals are very much the rank outsiders left in the last four, with group hosts Vietnam and Malaysia contesting the other knockout match.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
Until December 6 King's Cup Regatta
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
