AP The top US envoy for East Asia, Daniel Russel, will be holding talks with Thai officials on Monday, days after the military-appointed legislature voted to ban ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from politics for five years.

afp Hong Kong police are hunting a girl aged between 12 and 14 years old over the theft of a diamond necklace worth more than $HK36 million ($5.7 million) from a luxury jewellery store.


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



reuters Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for the immediate release of a Japanese journalist held by Islamic State after a video surfaced claiming that a fellow Japanese captive had been executed.

cnn.com A picture and audio posted online purport to show that one of Isis's two Japanese hostages has been killed after a deadline for ransom passed, and appears to relay Isis's new demand for the other's freedom - a prisoner exchange.

bangkokpost.com The German election method to be adopted into the new constitution may hinder the country's development because a government can never be strong and a chance that a party will have majority votes to drive its key policies will be very slim, warned a reform councillor.



mizzima.com Two Phuket-based journalists facing a law suit from the Thai Navy over a story they wrote about the trafficking of Rohingya migrants have put in a plea to the Thai Prime Minister???s Office for the case to be dropped, according to Phuketwan.
http://www.mizzima.com/mizzima-news/regional/item/17152-reporters-take-plea-to-thai-pm-s-office-over-rohingya-trafficking-story



smh.com.au The Australian dollar fell back below 80 US cents and experts are warning an extended stint in the 70s is looming. It's worth remembering that last July the dollar was trading at US95 cents. [A lower $A means fewer Aussie tourists on Phuket.]

bangkokpost.com An autopsy on the body of British tourist Christina Annesley, who was found dead on Koh Tao this week, is expected to start on Sunday in Bangkok.

cnn.com Spanish authorities arrested four suspected members of a terror cell Saturday morning in that country's North African territory of Ceuta, a quartet that Spain's Interior Minister claimed were well-trained and well-prepared to attack.

nationmultimedia.com In a move to save more cardiac arrest patients, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine has joined forces with the private sector to install automated external defibrillators at public places frequented by high-risk individuals. The agency is also training people how to use the device.

stuff.co.nz NZ political journalist Barry Soper was just an unsuspecting tourist in Bali when police fined him NZ$100 for failing to stop for a red light. Soper said the small incident highlights significant corruption problems in the popular holiday destination for tourists.

bangkokpost.com The economy is extremely weak at present and will slowly pick up over the next 3-6 months, driven by public spending and investment, according to a poll.

nytimes.com A barrage of rockets struck homes and a market in the Azov Sea port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, killing 27 people and wounding 97 others, the Interior Ministry said.

thejakartapost.com The Bali provincial administration is expecting to attract four million foreign tourists this year and anticipates considerable growth in the number of foreign visitors following the government's policy to waive visa requirements for visitors from Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/459852/sombat-warns-of-german-method



mirror.co.uk Jose Mourinho was angry and ''ashamed'' after seeing his Chelsea team crash out of the FA Cup. The Blues were humbled 4-2 in round four by League One battlers ??Bradford.

bbc.com Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has denied his side's week-long trip to Abu Dhabi led to the Blues' shock FA Cup exit. City arrived back from their warm-weather training camp on Friday night, less than 24 hours before the fourth-round tie with Middlesbrough. The Championship side won 2-0.

independent.co.uk Bolton Wanderers, famed winners of an FA Cup replay on this ground 22 years ago, will have the opportunity on their own turf to add another unlikely story to a fourth round of extraordinary upsets after Liverpool failed to crack the defensive durability of the Championship side.

smh.com.au In an Australian Open in which Roger Federer is done and Rafael Nadal underdone, Novak Djokovic has confirmed his position at the top of the field, outclassing Spain's Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last 16.



January 30 US consular outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort