malaysiakini.com Air quality in the northern part of peninsular Malaysia substantially worsened today, forcing flights at Alor Setar and Penang airports to be delayed or cancelled.

inquirer.net Dense haze produced by Indonesian forest fires has caused some of the worst pollution levels in southern Thailand in a decade, officials said, delaying flights at Hat Yai.

independent.ie A reward of $15,000 has been offered for information leading to the capture of the killers of expatriate British couple Richard and Grace Wheeler, who were hacked to death in their home on the Caribbean island of Tobago.


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 Haze from Indonesia's forest fires is at dangerous levels in the South, and worried officials have urged children, the elderly and ill to be careful. Songkhla was hardest hit with the particulate matter reading at 267 micrograms per cubic metre, far above the safety level of 120.

Phuket Update Haze on Phuket is visible but not hazardous.

bangkokpost.com The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will begin a three-day safety audit on Monday - described by authorities as ''make or break'' for Thai aviation.



Phuket Update To avoid a flashpoint, Phuket police will wait for the funerals to be held of two young men whose deaths sparked the Thalang Police Station riot before making the arrests of 47 suspects. The funerals are expected in the next few days.



rfa.org Authorities in northwestern China's Xinjiang region have been publicly showing a film about two Uyghurs forcibly repatriated from Thailand as a deterrent to others in the area not to flee the country and seek asylum elsewhere, a local Communist Party cadre and police officers said.

abcnews.go.com Thousands of men, women and children from a minority group in Myanmar called the Rohingya are desperate enough to risk death and slavery to escape the country as refugees in search of a better life. ''It is so bad here that the best option is to face death, torture or abuses at sea or in Thailand just to escape,'' said Matt Smith, an activist and founder of Fortify Rights.



myfox8.com The FBI believes a suspect in an underage prostitution ring fled to Thailand. The agency is working with other federal agencies to bring Mickey Dale Snow, 75, back to Rockingham County.

Phuket Update Boonlert Sitsuwan, 26, was seen by police fleeing after snatching a necklace from a woman in Patong. But soon after he crashed his motorcycle in traffic, making apprehension easy.

bangkokpost.com The military's pledge to redouble efforts against anti-monarchy acts saw arrests of fortune-teller Mor Yong and two others, who went straight into army hands.

AP Thousands of people trying to reach the heart of Europe surged across Serbia's border into Croatia after authorities eased restrictions that had left them stranded for days in ankle-deep mud and rain.

AP Britain has used the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping as an occasion to ease visa requirements for other Chinese visitors. Prime Minister David Cameron's office said that standard visitor visas will be extended from six months to two years as part of the government's plan to strengthen ties with China.

standard.co.uk Riding on London's iconic red buses has been found to be cheaper per mile than Thailand's famous Tuk Tuks and Venice's renowned gondolas. The research by Travel Republic looked at 18 forms of transport around the world and calculated the average price per mile.

asiancorrespondent.com Thailand's roads remain among the most dangerous in the world according to a World Health Organization report, which found that the Southeast Asian nation is second only to war-torn Libya in terms of per capita road fatalities. The UN health agency???s 'Global status report on road safety 2015' study, found that 14,059 people died on Thailand's roads in 2012 - a rate of 36 people per 100,000 and an average of almost 39 fatalities per day.

watoday.com.au Australian authorities searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may have missed the wreckage as they canvassed search sites off the coast of Western Australia, American deep-sea investigators have claimed.



bbc.com Six leaders of a huge Singaporean church have been convicted of fraud in a case worth S$50m. The judge ruled City Harvest Church's pastor, Kong Hee, and others used church finances to fund the music career of his wife, Sun Ho, or falsified accounts to cover it up.



November 1-3 Patong Carnival


November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies




January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show