independent.co.uk One million copies of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo will be published next week as French media and journalists vowed to ensure it is printed.

news.sky.com Anti-terrorism police have converged on a village northeast of Paris after two brothers suspected of being behind the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack were spotted at a petrol station. AFP reported that two men fitting the description of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stole petrol and food.

independent.co.uk A female police officer has reportedly died of her injuries after she and a colleague were shot in southern Paris less than 24 hours after the gun attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

dpa The number of tourists visiting Thailand fell by 6.6 percent in 2014 from the previous year because of political tensions and a drop in the value of the Russian rouble, officials said. Anoma Wongyai, director of the TAT Phuket office, said Russian tourist numbers have dropped almost 40pc.

andrew-drummond.com Satire is a vital and essential tool in a journalist's very limited armory. Yesterday's attack reminds us all that there are some societies tolerate freedom of speech but sometimes journalists pay the penalties in other ways.


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



independent.co.uk French police have identified three suspects for the massacre of 12 journalists and police at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as the manhunt to track then down continues.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-attack-hunt-continues-for-three-gunmen-who-massacred-12-journalists-and-police-9963499.html

news.com.au Stephane Charbonnier, the editor of Charlie Hebdo, was on a Al-Qaeda most wanted list since 2012 and had his own personal bodyguard, who was also reportedly killed alongside him in the mass shooting at the magazine's Paris headquarters.

ft.com Many details of Wednesday's massacre - the worst terrorist attack inflicted on France in decades - remain unknown. Moreover, the perpetrators are still at large, having made their getaway in a black Citroen that they later abandoned on the city's north eastern fringe.



rfa.org Conditions at six detention centers in Thailand housing hundreds of Uyghur refugees who fled northwestern China's restive Xinjiang region are deplorable, resulting in illnesses and deaths, according to a Uyghur filmmaker who visited two of the centers.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/filmmaker-visits-detention-centers-01072015171346.html

huffingtonpost.com Today, Nicholas Kristof and other leading journalists bring us news of another frightening instance of ethnic cleansing - this time of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar. Reacting against the supposed fear of Muslim fundamentalism and population rates in Myanmar, the Rohingya have been rounded up and put in primitive camps without access to any medical treatment and insufficient food. They are often tortured. Women are dying in childbirth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-atamian/one-hundred-years-of-soli_b_6419864.html



scmp.com Recovery teams have found the tail of crashed AirAsia flight QZ8501 in the Java Sea, as pictures of the wreckage were released - one emblazoned with the airline's logo.

time.com Indonesian news portal Detik reported that bargain tickets offered by low-cost carriers - some of which go for as little as $4 - were to be banned. ''This is so that the airline has enough financial room to raise the safety standard,'' said Transport Ministry official Hadi M. Djuraid.



bangkokpost.com Mobile phone operators agree to new promotion packages that charge callers by the second following criticism that consumers are being ripped off.

afp European benchmark Brent oil sank under $50 on Wednesday for the first time since 2009, hit by Opec's stance on maintaining its current production levels, market oversupply, weak demand and the strong dollar, analysts said.

bloomberg Although oil prices have dropped by half in recent months and continue to nosedive, don't expect to see that being translated into lower airfares, at least any time soon. Most airlines so far have been very reluctant to start passing on any savings made on plummeting oil prices by cutting ticket prices.

nationmultimedia.com Lobbyist Robert Amsterdam broke with fugitive ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. ''Following a military coup last May which toppled the elected government, conditions for human rights have sharply deteriorated, and the engagement between Robert Amsterdam and former Prime Minister Thaksin has concluded,'' said Amsterdam & Partners LLP.

irishexaminer.com Bey, hubby Jay Z and their daughter Blue Ivy spent a day out at Phuket's FantaSea and were snapped petting a captive tiger cub at the theme park.

express.co.uk Superstar Beyonce has been chastised by an animal rights group for reportedly posing next to a tiger cub in Thailand.

dailymail.co.uk World Animal Protection's Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach said tigers used for these photos are often crammed into tiny cages or chained to the floor for long periods.

zeenews.india.com Burbach further explained that many tourists unwittingly contribute to the suffering of wild animals, and their ''once in a lifetime'' photo means a lifetime of misery for that animal. The animal rights organisation authority mentioned that the tigers that are being used for these photos are often crammed into tiny cages or chained to the floor for long periods, and the little babies are also forcibly removed from their mothers to be fed artificially by tourists.

torontosun.com Ten thousand Syrian refugees will be brought to Canada over the next three years, Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says. Wednesday's announcement comes in response to a global appeal from the United Nations Refugee Agency to resettle 100,000 Syrians.[Australia's response is being anxiously awaited.]

scmp.com The US has expressed concern over a lack of information surrounding a planned US$50 billion (HK$388 billion) Chinese-led canal project in Nicaragua said to rival the Panama Canal.

fredericknewspost.com Reasonable men (and women) are required to move Frederick County forward. All Kirby Delauter is doing yet again is displaying his inability to control his temper, embarrassing himself, his district, the county and those who voted him into office.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/kirby-delauter-kirby-delauter-kirby-delauter/article_da85d6f4-fa3c-524f-bbf6-8e5ddc0d1c0a.html

thetimes.co.uk Councils must stop the ''multi-culti'' practice of translating leaflets into other languages, Boris Johnson said. The mayor of London said that he was ''amazed'' to read that some people could not make themselves understood to doctors and nurses and called on all migrants to learn English.

mysailing.com.au Phang Nga Bay and Krabi are set against spectacular limestone rock formations and hongs, while Phi Phi and Racha islands boast crystal clear water and dazzling sandy beaches. With a culture rich in history and a people renowned for their warm and generous hospitality, Thailand continues to thrive as a successful tourism and business destination.

Phuket Update Laguna Phuket has recently been named 2014 Best Tourist Destination in Asia at the 11th Annual Golden Pillow Awards, held at Westbrook Hangzhou in China. After about a two-month long selection process which consists of mystery guests survey, voted online by approx 200,000 participants, and a panel of judges discussion, Laguna Phuket was awarded 2014 Best Tourist Destination in Asia marking its newest achievement which is also a first win in China. About 300 hotels worldwide participated.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-laos-lead-airasia-flights-ended-minute-air-safety-coming-aussie-face-firing-squad-21675/



bbc.com Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join the Los Angeles Galaxy in July, according to the club's coach. Galaxy president Chris Klein described former England midfielder Gerrard, 34, as ''the perfect fit''.

afp Steven Gerrard would have stayed at Liverpool if he had been offered a new contract during the close season, he said in a British newspaper interview.

Dakar Rally organisers hunted for clues to the cause of the death of motorbike rider Michal Hernik that plunged the race into mourning after only three days. The 39-year-old Polish rider's body was found 300 metres from the desert track with no apparent injury and no damage to his motorbike. His was the fifth death since the rally was moved to South America in 2009.



January 8-11 Phuket International Boat Show

January 21 Australian embassy outreach to Phuket Call 02-3446300, e: consular.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show