reuters Shares of Thai aviation firms and hoteliers fell on Friday after the public health ministry confirmed the country's first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

afp Kangaroos tend to be lefties, according to a study that sheds new light on the capacity for mammals, particularly those that walk upright, to prefer one paw over the other.


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 Thailand has confirmed its first known case of the deadly Mers virus, after a man who arrived from a Middle Eastern country was treated for a heart condition. The 75-year-old man has been quarantined at Bamrasbaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province.

reuters Thailand's civil aviation body is under scrutiny after the United Nations' aviation agency downgraded its safety ratings for failing to properly oversee airlines under its jurisdiction, the Department of Civil Aviation said. Short-haul routes are likely to face minimal impact.

afp Thousands of travellers may face frustrating delays in visiting the United States in coming weeks because of a technical failure that halted US visa processing around the world.



wsj.com Nearly 60 million people around the world had been displaced by persecution and conflict by the end of last year, a postwar high that has stymied the international community, the UN said. The figure is up from 51 million the year before and 60 percent higher than a decade ago.



nationmultimedia.com Some 100 Thai tour guides rallied outside Muang Pattaya Police Station in Chon Buri's Bang Lamung district, demanding serious action against illegal foreign tour guides. They also filed a petition with the mayor of Pattaya.

reuters Pope Francis demanded swift action to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear ''the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor'' and plunging the Catholic Church into political controversy over climate change.

nationmultimedia.com The controversial proposal of allowing legal casinos to operate has received a mixed public reaction, with supporters of the idea highlighting the huge revenue they would generate and critics denouncing them as immoral and the begetters of social and crime-related issues.

wsj.com It is inevitable that when nine black men and women are shot to death inside their church by a 21-year-old white man in Charleston, SC, the issue of race in America will be raised.

smh.com.au ''Now is the time for mourning and for healing,'' said President Barack Obama. ''But let's be clear. At some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.''

scmp.com Hong Kong's legislature blocked the government's electoral reform plan as a historic showdown between pan-democrats and Beijing loyalists became a farce when the latter camp's bungled walkout meant that only eight lawmakers voted for the plan.

bbc.com Denmark's opposition parties have beaten the ruling coalition after a close general election. With all mainland votes counted, the centre-right group led by ex-PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen beat PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt's centre-left coalition, although her party is the largest.

nytimes.com Kremlin officials proclaimed their success in wooing at least 24 chief executives to attend an economic conference in St Petersberg, some arrived despite objections of their home governments.

scmp.com In what may come as a relief for weekend binge drinkers, Chinese scientists have discovered a gene they claim can make alcohol help rather than harm people's livers, among other potential health benefits.

AP Harriet Tubman? Eleanor Roosevelt? Rosa Parks? Speculation is rising over which American woman will be chosen to grace the $10 bill, which has featured Alexander Hamilton since 1929.

thetimes.co.uk One of Tbilisi zoo's escaped penguins made it all the way to the border before being spotted, then gave his pursuers the slip again and is thought to have swum beyond their reach into neighboring Azerbaijan.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-mers-case-thailand-chase-pirate-tanker-rats-used-find-bombs-22679/



news.com.au Gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi blitzed the Southeast Asian Games last week, bringing home six medals, including two gold, for Malaysia. Not that the country's religious hardliners noticed the impressive tally. Federal MP Jamil Khir Baharom announced a review of ''Islamic compliance for clothing used for sports and other fields'' following complaints the shape of Abdul Hadi's ''aurat'' (genitalia) could be seen through her standard-issue purple leotard.



MORE than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world mark the start of Ramadan June 17, a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek