rte.ie At least 21 people celebrating an engagement have been killed on the Nile north of Cairo after a cargo ship hit their chartered boat.

bangkokpost.com By banning alcohol sales near universities and technical colleges, Thailand is putting the nation at the forefront of efforts in Asia to curb booze consumption.


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 After two weeks of protests against his plans for a Krabi coal-fired power plant, Gen Prayut says he wants to negotiate with the hunger strikers. Speaking through the media, Gen Prayut challenged the protesters to suggest alternative power sources instead of a coal-fired power plant.

nationmultimedia.com Many people still remember the night-time power outages in May 2013 that plunged [Phuket and] 14 southern provinces into darkness. The nightly blackouts inspired widespread fear among residents - particularly those in the insurgency-hit border provinces - and had an adverse impact on the tourism industry.

telegraph.co.uk The White House announced that it is finalising a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. The facility was opened by the Bush administration after the September 11 attacks to house detainees swept up in the war on terror.



bangkokpost.com Responding to questions ahead of the release of the TIP report on Monday at 9pm Thailand time, Gen Prayut said the government has worked tirelessly in combating the human trafficking problem, which last year saw Thailand relegated to Tier 3 on the US listing: ''This problem was inherited from the previous government and I have tried to solve it, not make it worse.''

news.com.au It was quite scary seeing soldiers with guns, and barbed wire fences keeping the Rohingya people in,'' Renee says. However Jodi now says she wishes she could have spent more time with the people. ''I did leave a piece of my heart with the Rohyingya people,'' she says. ''It makes my life seem so perfect and unfair to them.''
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/go-back-to-where-you-came-from-sisters-jodi-and-renee-clash-over-asylum-seekers-on-sbs-show/story-fn8yvfst-1227450881977



anna.aero Lucky Air launched services between Kunming (KMG) and Phuket (HKT) on 16 July. The 1934-kilometre sector will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using 737-800s. The airport pair are also served by China Eastern Airlines, which also operates a thrice-weekly service. Phuket becomes the airline???s fourth international route from Kunming (after Krabi, Koh Samui and Taichung) and 32nd in total.

nationmultimedia.com Public Health Minister Dr Rajata Rajatanavin confirmed that Thailand was free from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV). He said a man with Mers-like symptoms, admitted to Rayong Hospital on Tuesday, only had seasonal flu according to lab test results.

irishtimes.com The father of a British woman who died bungy-jumping in Spain has described her as a ''beautiful young woman who had all her life ahead of her''. Kleyo De Abreu, 23, who lived in London, lost her life at the Tablate bridge near Lanjaron, in Granada province, Andalucia, Spanish police said.

bangkokpost.com Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has asked several airport operators to reserve parking spots for aircraft in the event Thai-registered airlines are banned from flying to foreign countries.

bbc.com Two British tourists killed on the Thai island of Koh Tao appeared on more than a dozen security cameras in their final hours, a court in Thailand has been told. Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo deny murdering Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey.

irishtimes.com Amid demonstrations on the streets outside and protests from their own parliamentary speaker that the legislation before them on represented a ''violent attack on democracy,'' Greek MPs were set to pass a second package of emergency legislation demanded by Greece's creditors in order to commence talks on a third, 86 billion euro bailout for the over-indebted country.

skynews.com.au A memorial dedicated to the victims of a massacre in Norway has opened amid fears it could become a 'hall of fame' for mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. The right-wing extremist killed 77 people in in the worst peacetime atrocity in Norway, claiming he was fighting against multiculturalism and a ''Muslim invasion''.

iol.co.za My plan was to convert my maverick skills at a specialist gym in Phuket, the sun-drenched holiday island out in the Andaman Sea. Tourists have been coming here for decades in search of dreamy beaches and party vibes. But things are changing; more and more of Thailand's 25 million annual visitors are also coming here to keep fit - and kickbox.

latimes.com ''Today, I picked up my passport,'' Chinese activist and artist Ai Weiwei wrote beneath a selfie holding up his red passport. It's been more than four years since the Chinese government seized Ai's passport, making it impossible for the globally recognized figure to travel outside the country.

smh.com.au Australia's ABC will close its 50 retail stores around Australia, with up to 300 staff set to lose their jobs. The national broadcaster will instead move to selling ABC-related products online, and end leases with landlords.

watoday.com.au I once saw a young barmaid with an extensively inked decolletage and I thought, why, for the love of God, would you do that? Some tattoo inks are similar to auto or printers' inks and many have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

nytimes.com Fragments of what researchers say are part of one of the world's oldest manuscripts of the Koran have been found at the University of Birmingham. The global significance of the ancient fragments, which sat in the university's library for about a century, became apparent after a PhD student noticed their particular calligraphy.

nationmultimedia.com Siam Commercial Bank will temporarily close its ATM system nationwide from 11pm on Saturday, August 8 to 5am on Sunday, August 9 to upgrade systems and increase the security of transactions.

afp Award-winning American author E.L. Doctorow, known for fictional historical works such as 'Ragtime,' 'Billy Bathgate' and 'The March,' and an experimental narrative style, has died, The New York Times reported. He was 84.



scmp.com China's government could announce plans to further relax the one-child policy as early as this year to allow parents to have two offspring, according to a newspaper report.

bangkokpost.com Thailand's cabinet has approved the signing of a new reciprocal agreement with Myanmar to allow visa-free visits by citizens of both countries with ordinary passports for up to 14 days.



afp Liverpool signed Belgian international striker Christian Benteke from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, the Merseyside club announced.

bangkokpost.com Football president Worawi Makudi has been given a suspended jail sentence for forging election documents in a lawsuit brought by his chief rival.



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