telegraph.co.uk Gary Glitter, the former Glam Rock star, faces the prospect of dying in jail after police revealed he could face further charges following his conviction for sexually abusing three young girls.

reuters A former US Navy contracting official became the ninth person charged in a wide-ranging corruption investigation of a Singapore-based defense contractor, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, officials said: ''The GDMA investigation is far from over.'' The company overbilled the Navy for services and then demanded kickbacks from its subcontractors, according to court documents.


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



bbc.co Gary Glitter has been found guilty of historical sex abuse against three young girls between 1975 and 1980. The 70-year-old former singer - real name Paul Gadd - was convicted of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13.

bangkokpost.com Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam expects the next general election to be announced in January 2016 as election-related laws can be prepared in advance.

nationmultimedia.com Tourism authorities today will be urged to draw up a master plan for the South that upgrades infrastructure and energy resources in a bid to keep the region on the global tourism radar. Suchart Hirankanokkul, former president of the Thai Hotels Association's Southern Chapter, said that the association will call on the government and tourism authorities to reveal a tourism master plan for the Andaman Coast, covering key leisure destinations such as Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Bid-to-keep-south-on-world-tourism-radar-30253479.html



bnionline.com Australian MP Luke Simpkins, who has been on a covert visit to Burma, said that there was ongoing oppression against ethnic people by the Burmese government despite the claims by Australia and other western countries that Burma has reformed.



nationmultimedia.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand is counting on 530,000 Chinese visitors bringing in Bt22.9 billion into the local economy during Chinese New Year. During the 10-day-long celebration, Chinese arrivals would surge by 47 percent to 530,000 and revenue from them by 49 per cent to Bt22.9 billion. About 890 charter flights are scheduled to touch down at Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi.

bangkokpost.com Despite its assurance that sufficient water management mechanisms are in place to help people in drought-affected areas, the Royal Irrigation Department admitted that the volume of water remaining in the country's major reservoirs is now at its lowest level in 15 years.



theguardian.com Thai officials have raided a Buddhist temple that is home to more than 100 tigers and are investigating suspected links to wildlife trafficking, authorities said. Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua, or Tiger Temple, in Thailand???s western Kanchanaburi province, is popular with tourists who pet, cuddle and pose for selfies with the big cats.



bangkokpost.com A Ratchaburi woman has accused the parents of former princess Srirasm, now Thanphuying Srirasmi Suwadee, of citing the royal institution to threaten her and put her in jail for a crime she claimed she did not commit 12 years ago.
slate.comWhy you should care about Thailand's crackdown on drones.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/02/thailand_drone_regulations_why_you_should_care.html

news.com.au Jordanian fighter jets have carried out new air strikes against Islamic State, the military said overnight, a day after the country???s king vowed to wage a ''harsh'' war against Islamic State militants who control parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

nationmultimedia.com The National Reform Council's plan to establish a committee to oversee media rights while protecting freedom of the press and promoting professional standards has already received some support from academics and media experts.



nytimes.com There was one sentiment that many of the Middle East's competing clerics, fractious ethnic groups and warring sects could agree on: a shared sense of revulsion at the Islamic State's latest atrocity, burning alive a Jordanian pilot inside a cage.

washingtonpost.com A Taiwanese TransAsia turboprop plane carrying 58 passengers and crew slammed into a bridge on Wednesday morning, careening on its wing almost in a cartwheel over the roadway and crashing into a shallow river in Taipei - a horrifying scene captured by a motorist's video camera. The accident killed at least 23 people and injured more than a dozen others.

reuters North Korea has accused the US of plotting to bring down its regime and threatens to strike back using all its resources.

independent.co.uk The winter flu vaccine given to millions of people in the UK barely works, public health officials have said. New research from Public Health England (PHE) has found the vaccine protects just three in a hundred people - compared to 50 percent effectiveness typically seen in recent years.






Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-motorcycles-kill-progress-alcohol-ban-mini-marts-mass-graves-uncovered-21814/


news.com.au The latest Sports Illustrated cover leaves very little to the imagination - and is expected to turn the model into a star. American cover girl Hannah Davis features in a microscopic bikini on the front of the mag's swimsuit edition, even pulling down her bottoms to reveal her . . . lower region.
independent.co.uk were four minutes away from being frogmarched out of the FA Cup, just like Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, until their two goals against Bolton sealed a tie which delivered the best of the FA Cup.
channelnewsasia.com US singer Pharrell Williams, rock band Maroon 5 and iconic UK band Spandau Ballet will be the headline acts of the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix???s entertainment lineup, said Singapore GP in a media release.


THE SOI DOG Foundation will be holding its fourth mobile event in Phuket on February 21 to offer puppies and kittens for adoption. The event will be held at Macro in Thalang from 11am to 3pm. The kittens and puppets have all been vaccinated and sterilised.




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