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
bbc.com The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Captain Francesco Schettino was at the helm when the ship hit rocks and sank in 2012, killing 32 people.
bangkokpost Yingluck Shinawatra is not being targeted and the word ''dictatorship'' is not appropriate to describe the military regime, the NCPO told foreign military attaches.
Human Trafficking in Thailand
bbc.com Rohingya Muslims will not be able to vote in Myanmar's referendum after the prime minister withdrew temporary voting rights following protests. Hundreds of Buddhists took to the streets following the passage of a law that would allow temporary residents who hold ''white papers'' to vote.
Phuket World of People
boredpanda.com Australian Alfred Date, 109, has been knitting since the 1930s and his latest/most famous endeavor is making mini sweaters . . . for endangered penguins. His secret for longevity? ''Waking up every morning.'' [Experts now say they now have too many penguin sweaters.]
reuters Bangkok city officials are urging young Thais to forgo sex on Valentine's Day this weekend and visit temples instead, as a far better way to mark the day of love. Thailand has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Southeast Asia, public health officials say, and faces HIV infection rates among its gays comparable to those in Africa's AIDS hotspots.
traveldailynews.asia Just short of Valentine's Day, the highly-respected travel website, Fordors.com named Phuket as one of the world's Best Honeymoon Destinations for 2015. Fordors.com praised Phuket as a honeymoon destination, citing its endless soft white sandy beaches, electric blue waters and the world's best sunsets.
cnn.com Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn conceded that his approach to sex is rougher than that of most men, as he took the stand for a second day in his trial in France on aggravated pimping charges. In France, prostitution is legal but pimping is not.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/11/europe/france-strauss-kahn-trial/
nydailynews.com Belgian call girl Sandrine Vandenschrik testified that Strauss-Kahn, who is on trial in prostitution ring case, made her perform sex acts ''no other client would dare do'' to her. The sleazy 65-year-old has admitted to participating in several orgies but has denied he knew the women were prostitutes.
usatoday.com At least 300 migrants feared dead while trying to cross the frigid and rough Mediterranean waters to reach Europe are just the latest victims of a growing humanitarian problem for which no country wants to foot the bill.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/02/11/migrant-ships-refugees/23235585/
theage.com.au Users of social media have accused mainstream news organisations in the US of hypocrisy over their initial coverage of the shooting deaths of three young Muslims, adopting the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter to highlight their anger.
voanews.com The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany are meeting in Minsk, Belarus, to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as deadly fighting in the region continues.
scmp.com Hundreds of police surrounded Taiwan's Kaohsiung Prison, after six inmates armed with rifles and revolvers took the warden and a colleague hostage.
businessinsider.com Tenancingo, Mexico, widely considered the sex trafficking capital of the world, is the single largest source of sex slaves sent to the US, according to the US State Department. Before they are trafficked to the US, women and girls as young as 14 are routinely kidnapped from villages surrounding Tenancingo by men who trick, threaten, and even seduce them into working for the illicit sex trade.
nationmultimedia.com Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation broke the ground in late January for the construction of the Marine Turtle Shelter and Education Centre, a new facility located on-site at JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa. The foundation will be dedicated to the protection and conservation of Phuket's endangered sea turtles who face multiple threats from commercial fishing or becoming entangled in ocean litter.
Around the Asean Region
bangkokpost.com Singapore reported its first decline in visitor arrivals since the global financial crisis, as a new Chinese law curbed tourists from the mainland while political turmoil in Thailand and aviation disasters damped travel.
Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-singapore-tourists-drop-american-murder-hunt-aussie-accused-boys-mh370-families-fly-21863/
Phuket World of Sport
telegraph.co.uk Two Chris Smalling goals and a Robin van Persie penalty may have secured the points against Burnley, who were led impressively by goalscoring forward Danny Ings, but United were nothing less than abject for long periods.
eurosport.yahoo.com Sergio Aguero scored twice to end his seven-game goal drought and hand Manchester City a vital 4-1 victory over Stoke City.
telegraph.co.uk Chelsea celebrations at the final whistle said it all. Big win. Chelsea 1-0 Everton.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 19 Chinese NewYear
February 26-28 Phuket Old Town Festival
March 1-15 Heroines festival
March 4-8 Bay Regatta
April 11-13 Phuket Bike Week
April 17-19 Songkran Festival
May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled
