UPDATING All Day, Every Day
bbc.com The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of Ebola in West Africa an international health emergency. WHO officials said the possible consequences were ''particularly serious'' because of the virulence of the virus.
bangkokpost.com Investigators in Thailand believe the Japanese man who fathered nine surrogate babies is named Shigeta Mitsukoki, a police source said. Six boys and three girls were found at a Bangkok condo on Tuesday. The raid also found seven nannies and a 20-year-old pregnant woman.
nationmultimedia.com The Tourism Ministry is considering a proposal to exempt visa fees for visitors from European countries, said the permanent secretary for Interior ministry, Wiboon Sa-nguanpoing. The ministry has floated the idea with the private sector, he said.
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
cbc.ca Malaysia Airlines plans to suspend its shares from trading on Friday, likely as a prelude to taking it private, Reuters is reporting, citing unnamed sources. The stock has been hard hit by two tragedies - the disappearance of flight MH370 over the Pacific on March 8 and the downing of MH17 over Ukraine on July 17.
afp An Indonesian girl swept away by the devastating 2004 tsunami has been reunited with her family a decade after she was given up for dead, her mother said. Fourteen-year-old Jannah, who was called Wenni by the elderly woman who raised her, returned to her hometown in Aceh to be with her parents.
bangkokpost.com The Interior Ministry is the target of the most allegations of corruption and other disciplinary offences, followed by the Royal Thai Police and the Education Ministry, according to a report from the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).
Kyodo News Japan's transport ministry said it will ease restrictions from September 1 on the use of electronic devices during aircraft takeoffs and landings, allowing smartphone and tablet users to listen to music or play games without turning them off at any time during the flight.
The Ebola Outbreak
AP The husband of the second American aid worker recently diagnosed with Ebola and returned to the US said he is astonished at the reactions of people who are critical of the couple for putting themselves in danger.
Phuket World of People
reuters Thailand pushed to ban commercial surrogacy as a case involving nine surrogate babies allegedly with the same Japanese father emerged just days after a furor over the alleged abandonment of a surrogate-born baby with Down syndrome.
bangkokpost.com A police investigation in Thailand has identified a man who fathered nine surrogate babies, but his whereabouts are still unknown. A bill on tightening surrogacy regulations, meanwhile, has been forwarded to the National Council for Peace and Order.
latimes.com South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius should be convicted of premeditated murder, prosecutor Gerrie Nel told Pretoria's high court, saying the athlete had given an unlikely, contradictory account of what happened the night he killed his girlfriend.
AP Former US intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted permission to stay in Russia for three more years, his lawyer has said.
bangkokpost.com A 29-year-old theft suspect from Surin has become an internet sensation after a photo of his ID card showing his name made up of a compound of English words and configured in Thai was circulated online. Meet Mr Heangjobshappy Makelifebetter, who denies stealing an iPhone.
reuters As President Barack Obama considers sidestepping Congress to loosen US immigration policy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Americans are deeply worried that illegal immigration is threatening the nation's culture and economy.
nationmultimedia.com Thailand has drafted a paper to lay out a strategy for Asean to cope with the new landscape in the regional and international arena. The document would be used as a basic paper for Asean to discuss the future of the group after 2015.
dnaindia.com India is one of the few countries which have a negative travel account balance. Foreign visitors to India are very low compared to China (57 millions), Thailand (over 22 million), Malaysia or Turkey. Phuket or Bali alone attract more foreign visitors than the whole of India, said Oberoi's chairman.
bangkokpost.com Despite improving sentiment, Pattaya property developers are waiting for a turnaround in tourist arrivals at the start of high season in October before launching new projects.
bangkokpost.com An annual survey by a travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, concluded that Johannesburg in South Africa is the world's unfriendliest city, while Auckland in New Zealand and Melbourne in Australia were the friendliest.
Around the Asean Region
nytimes.com A court found the two most senior surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, which brutalised Cambodia during the 1970s, guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced them to life in prison. The proceedings of the tribunal, a joint effort of the Cambodian government and the UN, have been criticised as being extremely belated.
dw.de US Secretary of State John Kerry's bilateral meeting with the Myanmar (Burmese) authorities will cover the country's political and economic reforms, as well as such sensitive issues as the continued persecution of the Rohingya community and the imprisonment of five journalists for 10 years each.
aap Indonesia is ''99 percent'' certain to be named the host of the 2019 Asian Games after Vietnam's withdrawal, the influential Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said.
irrawaddy.org Though Burma has seen dramatic political changes over the last three years, it likely won't be until at least 2020 before we see a break from the leadership tradition that has endured for more than 50 years. Like it or not, the Burmese people may well be forced to accept another general-turned-president at the helm.
9news.com.au Convicted Bali bomb-maker Muhammad Cholili has refused to apologise to Australians for his role in the 2005 terror attacks. Cholili has been freed from jail after serving around half of the 18 year sentence he received for assisting Mohammad Top and Azahari Husin to assemble the explosives.
Phuket World of Sport
reuters Lee Westwood stormed into a share of the early lead with five birdies in his last six holes for a 65 and joint leadership at the PGA Championship as four-times winner Tiger Woods struggled in the opening round.
news.com.au Former Miami Heat basketballer LeBron James has been named the fittest male athlete in the world by Sports Illustrated. This is the first time the magazine has compiled the list, in which athletes were rated on speed, strength, agility and endurance.
afp Stuart Broad confirmed he would be undergoing surgery on a longstanding right knee injury after taking six wickets to leave England well-placed in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. India were dismissed for just 152.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
bangkokpost.com The long Mother's Day weekend will not be so lively for the hotel industry, as travel sentiment is still slowing. Some tourists, especially those from Bangkok, are expected to travel abroad or go further afield in Thailand such as Phuket, Krabi or Samui.
August 8 Able Wanamakok, international television host and public relations/marketer, specialises in social media. She's speaking at IBAP.
August 11 Special holiday for Queen's Birthday
August 12 Queen's Birthday
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
