UPDATING All Day, Every Day
AP The shrine where a bomb blast killed 20 people and wounded more than 120 on Monday night reopened in downtown Bangkok on Wednesday morning.
nationmultimedia.comThe bomb attack in Bangkok has limited immediate impact on the sovereign credit support for Thailand but downside risks caused by weaker tourism are increasing, said Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.
reuters The teenage daughter of a wealthy German businessman has been killed during a botched kidnapping attempt in which her abductors demanded a ransom of almost $2 million from her family.
afp Russian President Vladimir Putin burnished his action man image by diving in a mini-sub to explore a shipwreck off the coast of the Crimea peninsula that Moscow seized from Ukraine last year.
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.
Top Stories
theguardian.com Thai police say they are certain that a man seen on CCTV dropping a backpack at a Hindu shrine shortly before a bomb ripped through central Bangkok and killed 22 people was responsible for the blast: ''The yellow-shirt guy is not just the suspect. He is the bomber.''
VIDEO Man Leaves Backpack at Shrine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DPA0cBlBrk
Bangkok Update Twenty-three countries have issued travel advisories in the wake of Monday's Erawan shrine bombing, with most advising caution rather than avoiding travel to Thailand.
bangkokpost.com Islamic leaders in the southern provinces have urged the public not to assume the blast at the Erawan shrine was related to the southern conflict. Every lead is being followed to solve the Bangkok bombing, including one saying Uighur terrorists are seeking revenge for the China rendition.
AP Evon Lo, a representative of New Way Travel, a Bangkok-based agency that caters to Hong Kong tourists, said that the ''cancellation rate of our Hong Kong clients today is 100 percent'' in the wake of the bombing, which killed 20 people and injured over 100.
time.com If you've already booked a flight but want to cancel or postpone your trip to Bangkok, Thai Airways is waiving its flight-change fees from now until September 18. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that life in the city is ''continuing as normal.''
bangkokpost.com Editorial: Thailand must unite in the face of such an attack. At this time, we all are Thais, determined to defeat this visceral threat to the nation.
Phuket World of People
ftnnews.com Emirates' addition of four more weekly flights in flights to Phuket from December closely follows the announcement of the airline's codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways, which has added 14 new destinations to the Emirates network. Together with this codeshare agreement and the increased capacity to Phuket, Emirates' customers now have even greater flexibility when planning their travel throughout South East Asia.
Phuket Update Budget of 60 million baht has been set aside from October next year to construct new bicycle lanes at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu, on Sakdidet Road to Ao Makham in Vichit, and at Suan Luang Park, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong revealed in the wake of the Bike for Mom event.
Phuket Update Construction of the 20 million baht Palai Pier adjacent to the popular shorefront restaurant in Chalong is 30 percent complete and on target to open for use by local fishermen by February next year.
afp A man known for dressing up in a Batman superhero costume to cheer up sick children in hospital was struck and killed on a US highway after his ''Batmobile'' broke down, reports said. Lenny Robinson, 51, had got out of his Lamborghini, customised to resemble the Caped Crusader's ''Batmobile,'' on an unlit stretch of highway in Maryland to check the engine when it was struck by another vehicle, slamming the car into him.
reuters Eight suspected human traffickers are being held by Italian police after 49 migrants suffocated on engine fumes in fishing boat.
dailymail.co.uk Lion killer Walter Palmer was caught on camera for the first time since the despised dentist went into hiding after it was revealed he killed beloved Cecil the Lion on a hunt in Zimbabwe last month. Palmer, who was seen in a red t-shirt and blue jeans while walking through the neighborhood near his home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, recently reopened his dental practice.
csmonitor.com Just two months after the German government predicted it would receive a total of 450,000 asylum seekers this year, officials say that number could reach as high as 750,000, according to media reports. As the country continuously struggles to accommodate migrants from Syria and the Balkans, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres says it's time other European nations stepped in to ease the burden, the BBC reports.
bloomberg The Tianjin explosions killed at least 114 people and brought attention to lax regulation at a time authorities under President Xi Jinping are firing corrupt Communist Party cadres and demanding accountability from local officials.
afp US regulators are expected to decide Tuesday whether to approve a drug nicknamed the ''female Viagra,'' which would be the first pill on the market to raise women's sex drive.
traveller.com.au Briton Nigel Short, who boarded his Air Zimbabwe flight from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, got what can be described as a private plane experience when he was the sole passenger on the Boeing 737 jet.
nationmultimedia.com Holiday Inn Express Krabi Ao Nang Beach will add 222 guestrooms to Krabi's famous beach destination in 2017. The hotel will be located a short walk away from the beach, and not far from the existing Holiday Inn Resort Krabi Ao Nang Beach.
Around the Region
straitstimes.com Seven Malaysian victims involved in the bomb blast in Bangkok on Monday evening are from the same family. The family has been informed that four out the of the seven have died.
Phuket World of Sport
reuters Promoted Bournemouth are still waiting for their first Premier League points after succumbing to a controversial Christian Benteke goal in a 1-0 defeat at Liverpool.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
August 23-30 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival
September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach
October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival
November Patong Festival
November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
November 25 Loy Kratong festival
November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015
November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 HM The King's Birthday
December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies
