UPDATING All Day, Every Day
AMERICAN superheroes are not wanted. The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria has issued a note demanding that its former Soviet-era ally clean up a monument in Sofia's Lozenets district, identify and punish those responsible, and take ''exhaustive measures'' to prevent similar attacks in the future.
AP An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck California's northern San Francisco Bay area early Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was the largest quake since 1989.
nationmultimedia.com A 41-year-old Finnish man was found dead in a tightly-sealed and locked room that was filled with cooking gas at a guesthouse in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district Saturday night in what appeared to be a suicide, police said.
bangkokpost.com The baby farm: A total of 25 women from four of the 17 villages that make up tambon Pak Chong have been paid to become surrogate mothers, said a Pak Chong Tambon Administration Organisation official.
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
eturbonews.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Moscow Office and 13 leading tour operators in Russia are planning to launch a range of winter promotions in September 2014 to promote Thailand's many tourism attractions and attract high-end travellers from Russia during this coming winter season. The flights are set to bring tourists to Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi.
channelnewsasia.com Twenty-six people accused of plotting an attack in Thailand have been indicted by a military court on charges including weapon possession and conspiring to commit terrorism, their lawyer said.
bangkokpost.com Tourists are applauding the cleanup of Phuket's beaches but poor vendors displaced by the campaign will receive training so they can find find other work.
Latest on the Ebola Outbreak
dailymail.co.uk A British charity worker infected by the deadly ebola virus sweeping through West Africa is to be flown home in a desperate bid to save his life. The man, the first Briton to contract the disease outside the laboratory, will be transported by the RAF from Sierra Leone.
Phuket World of People
bbc.com Iceland has issued a red alert to aviation after indications of a possible eruption under the country's biggest glacier, the Vattnajokull. Airspace over the site has been closed, but all Icelandic airports currently remain open, authorities say. A Europe-wide alert has also been upgraded.
nationmultimedia.com PM's Office permanent secretary Panadda Diskul said he was shocked to learn that some provincial politicians are living in the lap of luxury without shame at the expense of taxpayers. Panadda made the comment on Facebook. He said some Provincial Administrative Organisation presidents were not satisfied with flying business class and would fly first class only.
bernama Thailand plans to build power plants in every region, aimed at meeting rising public demand and to support future national economic growth, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
nypost.com Interpol said it has launched a multinational investigation into what Thailand has dubbed the ''Baby Factory'' case: a 24-year-old Japanese businessman who has 16 surrogate babies and an alleged desire to father hundreds more.
nnt The Krabi Community Development Office is displaying some of the southern province's finest products at the Krabi International Airport. The event aims to publicise the exquisite One Tambon One Product (OTOP) masterpieces and food specialities to Thai and foreign tourists.
abc.net.au Thailand's ruling military has pledged leniency in the cases of babies born to surrogate mothers, as it looks to toughen rules in the lucrative but largely unregulated industry following a series of scandals.
washingtonpost.com President Obama has ordered a review of federal programs that supplied nearly half a billion dollars in military equipment to municipal police departments last year, amid criticism of the heavily armed response by local law enforcement agencies to protests in Ferguson.
nytimes.com In long meetings in advance of a protest at Staten Island, the Police Department planned for crowds that could reach 15,000 or more, officials said, though organisers said they expected between 3000 to 5000. Chants of ''I can't breathe'' - Eric Garner's final words as he struggled with officers - mixed with those borrowed from Ferguson: ''Hands up, don't shoot.''
usatoday.com 'Sleepy Hollow' actor Orlando Jones is putting a new spin on the ubiquitous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. After promising to donate his $100 to the ALS Association, he proceeds to pour not ice, but shell casings over his head to represent all those lives cut short by bullets.
nytimes.com An online fund-raising drive for the Ferguson police officer who shot an unarmed African-American teenager to death on August 9 surpassed $300,000 as dozens of people gathered at a St. Louis pub to rally on the lawman's behalf.
irrawaddy.org Miss Golden Land Myanmar Organisation is one of four pageant agencies in Burma that trains local contestants for overseas beauty competitions, which have become popular as the country opens up after half a century of military rule.
nytimes.com The Chinese government rejected the Pentagon's claim that a People's Liberation Army fighter jet had buzzed dangerously close to an American surveillance plane in international airspace, and it warned that frequent surveillance flights were risking an accident near the Chinese coast.
winnipegsun.com The reasonable prices were made even better by off-season specials. We stayed in enormous suites in some of the most exclusive resorts for little over a hundred dollars a night. We quickly slid into a slow island pace on the beaches of Railay and Ko Yao Noi. Between the pools and endless drinks with orchids as a garnish, it really was impossible to resist.
Phuket World of Sport
afp A rampant All Blacks produced a six-try blitz in a ruthless display to shatter the Wallabies by a record 51-20 at Eden Park.
bbc.com Two goals in the last seven minutes by Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud denied Everton as Arsenal fought back to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
afp Bayer Leverkusen's Karim Bellarabi hit the Bundesliga's fastest ever goal in just nine seconds to help condemn title hopefuls Borussia Dortmund to a 2-0 defeat in their opening game.
nationmultimedia.com The jinx continued to haunt Thailand in the 4th AVC Cup for Men when the world No 37 suffered a gruelling five-game loss to Japan.
afp Morne Steyn kicked a penalty three minutes from time to give South Africa a lucky 33-31 win over Argentina in a Rugby Championship thriller.
Around the Asean Region
channelnewsasia.com A Tokyo-bound Malaysia Airlines flight on Saturday turned back to Kuala Lumpur following ''safety issues''. Flight MH70 took off on a different aircraft from KL later.
maritime-executive.com In the two years following the June 2012 outbreak of inter-communal violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, some 87,000 people - mostly Rohingya but also Bangladeshis - embarked on the dangerous journey in search of safety and stability. In Thailand, the survivors of sea journeys said they were packed into pick-up trucks at night, and forced to sit or lie on top of up to 20 other people. They were taken to smugglers' camps in or around hills, jungles or plantations. Many were unaware that they would need to pay more money, usually US$1500-US$2200, to be released.
reuters A US teen and her boyfriend detained in connection with the death of the woman's mother on Bali will not be allowed to speak to each other until after they make a police statement, their Indonesian lawyer said.
eturbonews.com A group of 17 lifesavers representing members of the Bali Lifeguard Association (Balawista) have paid a call on the Badung Tourism Service to question the salary paid to those who guard Bali's more crowded beaches. The average wage paid to a Balawista in Bali is only US$150 a month.
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 12 Amcham at Angsana: the New Phuket
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
