UPDATING All Day, Every Day
bbc.com A teenager believed to have taken nitrous oxide - so-called laughing gas - at a party in Bexley, south-east London, has died. Seventeen people in the UK died between 2006 and 2012 after taking the drug.
AP Chinese state media say a man attempted to set a fire on board a Shenzhen Airlines flight from the city of Taizhou to Guangzhou near Hong Kong.using gasoline and a cigarette lighter, but was restrained by passengers and crew.
bangkokpost.com Local communities in Songkhla have launched a protest against a proposed coal-fired power plant in the province, saying it would destroy the area's reputation for organic farming. Government forecasts show a need to nearly double the country's power capacity.
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 Stories
news.com.au Police patrols are continuing off Tasmania's east coast after a man was killed by a shark as his daughter watched on in horror. The man, in his late 40s from the Hobart suburb of Kingston, was diving for scallops with his daughter near Maria Island.
theage.com.au Australia is on the cusp of joining a huge new United States-led trade deal which will ''set the rules'' for doing business in the region at the expense of China. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, involving twelve Pacific-Rim nations, could be sealed in coming days, after talks that had drifted for five years narrowly escaped death in the US Congress.
Phuket World of People
Phuket Update Resort security guard Halem Dami, 26, from Songkhla, told police he was attacked and slashed in the throat while on duty in Nai Yang by a former friend who was also a security guard. He is receiving treatment at Thalang Hospital while police hunt for the assailant.
afp A Myanmar (Burma) passenger plane skidded off the runway on landing during heavy rain at Yangon International Airport, the carrier said, leaving one injured. The Air Bagan ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop was carrying 49 passengers from the central city of Mandalay.
Phuket Update A driver who abandoned his red Volvo V70 after crashing it into post in Phuket's Srisoonthon district on Wednesday surrendered to police. Chamnan Intham, 48, told officers at Thalang Police Station that he and a friend panicked and fled, leaving his ID card behind. He was charged with reckless driving.
afp US President Barack Obama compared homophobia to racial discrimination he had encountered in United States and called for gay rights in Africa during his landmark visit to Kenya.
bbc.com More than 100,000 people have signed a petition against the closure of a beach on the French Riviera to allow Saudi King Salman to holiday in private. The petition insists the public beach in Vallauris should be ''available for the benefit of all''.
scmp.com A group of Hong Kong cab drivers smashed a taxi, calling for the government to curb the practice of private car drivers offering cheaper rides through services such as Uber.
theguardian.com Like their much-caricatured American predecessors in the postwar era, the behavior of China's new travellers is not always sensitive to local Asian traditions and beliefs. In February,there was outrage in Thailand over evidence that a tourist, presumed to be Chinese, had rung and then kicked the bells of a 14th-century temple in Chiang Mai.
bangkokpost.com The Associated Press and British Movietone have placed their extensive archives on YouTube in the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date.
afp British publishing company Pearson said it was in talks to sell its 50-percent stake in The Economist Group, owner of the prestigious magazine of the same name. ''Pearson confirms it is in discussions with The Economist Group Board and trustees regarding the potential sale of our 50 percent share in the Group,'' a Pearson spokesman said.
bangkokpost.com The army has issued new security guidelines for southern monks on their morning alms rounds in the wake of a deadly bombing in Pattani on Saturday. The order, issued after a monk was killed, allows monks to leave temples to gather alms only in ''safety zones'' cleared by security authorities in advance.
brisbanetimes.com.au Young families and senior citizens were among the 100 people who gathered in Brisbane to rally against the anti-women slogans on Wicked Camper's campervans for rent. Some recent slogans include: Save a lollipop, suck a d--k; Fat chicks are harder to kidnap; Flash ya t--s at the driver; My c--k just died, can I bury it in your back yard.
Around the Region
reuters As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government seeks to accelerate development on the Andaman and Nicobar islands to promote its military, trade and tourism, preserving the pristine environment and handful of unique tribes is likely to get harder. ''The islands are fragile, they are in a seismically active zone not far from Indonesia's Aceh coast,'' said Pankaj Sekhsaria of Indian environmental group Kalpavriksh.
Phuket World of Sport
theage.com.au Britain's Chris Froome is poised to win a second Tour de France title, after being pushed to the brink by Nairo Quintana to defend his race lead.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
July Kathu Street Culture festival
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 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies
About Uber service my first impression was that they will offer a kind of more efficient booking service etc., but within a current legal framework that governs providing of taxi service, and in many countries is tightly regulated business.
However, what they did is apparent ignoring of those rules and just making every available private car to run commercial transportation service.
Taxi service is regulated for the reason, and circumventing it by may lead to a regular taxi service just dying , but Uber and similar services only capitalising on high demand periods, and not enough service is offered e.g. on weekday nights etc.
This would be tantamount as to kill public (subsidzied) transport in favour of cheaper minibuses that runs only through peak periods - as to do business at other time would be loss-making, so no service for that time is provided then.
In most cities in the West taxis run well (except London - just don't like London cabs, what an uncomfortable vehicle, especially for journeys that last more than 5 min - whatever mini-cab is way much better..), one may wish taxi service to be cheaper, but then it would mean in the end much lower regulation burden - no exams on teh city geography, no screening of drivers, no maximum age and similar demands for the vehicle etc.- that may lead to the level of service like in Phuket (yes, it has improved during last year, but still far away from acceptable (price factor is not considered)).
Posted by Sue on July 27, 2015 00:42