theage.com.au Ted Cruz, a charismatic conservative senator from Texas, is the first Republican to officially announce his candidacy for the party's presidential nomination, effectively starting the 2016 primary race.

bloombergview.com It's now Singapore's turn to confront questions about whether it can still compete, as Asia's emergence challenges the impressive economy Lee built.

Phuket Update Another opportunity slipped by as Phuket FC drew 2-2 with Muanthong United at home on Sunday night, leaving promotion ambitions in tatters.

afp Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 to successfully defend his Indian Wells crown and claim his 50th career ATP title.


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



bangkokpost.com Three young children aged seven, eight and five drowned at a waterfall in Ron Phibun district in Nakhon Si Thammarat after they went for a swim to cool off. The tragedy followed the deaths of four girls aged 9 and 10 who drowned in a pond in Nakhon Ratchasima on Friday.

nationmultimedia.com More than 200 illegal hotels in Cha-Am are being made registered hotels following a revised ministerial draft regulation on old building usage recently approved by the Cabinet. The association also plans to meet this year with hotel operators in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani and Hua Hin.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/New-lease-of-life-for-illegal-hotels-30256534.html

bbc.com Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91. Mr Lee served as the city-state's prime minister for 31 years, and continued to work in government until 2011.
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-lee-father-singapore-dies-vietnam-tiger-animals-queues-22098/



independent.ie One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson has been pictured kissing a girl in a pool in Thailand, forcing a spokesperson for the band to admit he has split from his long-term girlfriend Eleanor. Fellow 1D singer Zayn Malik abandoned the group's world tour after pictures emerged of him holding hands with a young woman - not his fiancee - outside a Phuket nightclub.

nationmultimedia.com Tourist Police are preparing measures at all major visitor destinations to ensure the safety and security of local and foreign revellers during the Songkran Festival next month. Police would be working longer hours in 36 areas across the country including Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Samui.

andrew-drummond.com What happened to 'The Beach': Is this a case of ''Pass the Sick Bag Alice'' for there is no aspect of tourism that the Thai industry it seems cannot and will not exploit to the detriment of the country and in the search for short time big bucks.

news.com.au Archeologists in Argentina believe a collection of ruins found deep in a remote jungle region may be the remains of a secret hide-out built by German Nazis to flee to after World War II.

bangkokpost.com The owner of two fishing vessels destroyed for allegedly encroaching on Indonesian waters last year is fighting to clear his name and bring home six crew members.

nbcnews.com Eleven medical students and medical school graduates, including an American, are believed to have traveled to Syria to work in hospitals controlled by ISIS, a member of Turkey's parliament said. The group - seven British, two Sudanese and one Canadian, plus the American - traveled through Turkey on March 12, Mehmet Ali Ediboglu, a member of parliament from the Hatay border region, told NBC News.

afp German airline Lufthansa said that services were more or less back to normal after a four-day walkout by its pilots in a long-running dispute over early retirement provisions.

independent.co.uk Russia has threatened to target Denmark's warships with nuclear weapons if the Scandinavian nation becomes a member of Nato's missile defence shield.

standard.co.uk Thousands gathered this afternoon - some in period dress and battle armor - to see the mortal remains of Richard III returned to Bosworth where he fell in battle 530 years ago.

straitstimes.com Almost exactly six years after she announced her divorce from singer Harlem Yu, Taiwanese singer Annie Yi re-married last Saturday. She announced their divorce on March 20 in 2009. Last Saturday, on March 21, the singer, who is 46, wed Chinese actor Qin Hao, 36, at the Phuket Laguna resort, watched by family and close friends.

thehindu.com It is a brand new morning when I arrive at Thailand's Krabi airport. I am to go some 25 kms off Krabi town, to Ao Nang, a vibrant Thai village on the Andaman coast of that country which is increasingly gaining international tourist attention.

theguardian.com In the past decade, as a percentage, more print journalists have lost their jobs than workers in any other significant American industry. (That bad news is felt just as keenly in Britain where a third of editorial jobs in newspapers have been lost since 2001.)

bbc.com British singer-songwriter Jackie Trent, known for her work for Frank Sinatra and Petula Clark, and the theme to TV soap Neighbours, has died, aged 74.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-lee-father-singapore-dies-vietnam-tiger-animals-queues-22098/



skysports.com Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Nou Camp to move four points clear of their rivals at the top of La Liga. The Catalans took a 20th-minute lead thanks to Jeremy Mathieu's header, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to equalise just past the half-hour mark with his 42nd goal of the season in all competitions.

bbc.com Brazil legend Pele says Lionel Messi has outshone Cristiano Ronaldo as ''best in the world'' over the past decade. Argentina and Barcelona star Messi, 27, edges Real Madrid and Portugal's Ronaldo, 30, 4-3 in Ballon d'Or wins.

afp Manchester United punished Steven Gerrard's moment of madness as Juan Mata's double secured a vital 2-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool. Making his final appearance against United before his close-season move to LA Galaxy, Gerrard was sent off, for the eighth time in his career, for a clear stamp on Ander Herrera.

goal.com Eden Hazard insists Chelsea are still a long way away from securing the Premier League title. The Belgium international scored the opening goal as the Blues beat Hull City 3-2, a win that moves the club six points clear of second-placed Manchester City.

espn.co.uk Arsenal's sixth successive league win left them just four points behind leaders Chelsea, who have two games in hand, but Wenger is adopting a one-game-at-a-time approach to the closing stages of the campaign.



April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek