independent.co.uk Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide for shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead on Valentine's Day 2013. The Olympic star faces up to 15 years in prison for the offence and five more for shooting a gun in a restaurant.

asiatraveltips.com A slump in arrivals to Thailand's leading resort markets of Phuket and Samui jolted hotel trading, according to Phuket consulting firm C9 Hotelworks. Research shows that after martial law in May, Phuket experienced a 14 percent drop in arrivals. On Phuket there was a gradual easing of the negative trend in July and August.

cnn.com The mother of James Foley, an American journalist beheaded by ISIS militants, said she is ''embarrassed and appalled'' by how the US government dealt with her son's case, telling CNN that officials even suggested family members could be charged if they raised ransom to free him.

smh.com.au It was ironic that the launch of Barack Obama's war on terror coincided with the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, doubly so because it meant the president's pitch for Saudi Arabia to join his global coalition coincided with renewed attention on claims that Washington is suppressing evidence of Saudi complicity in the strikes on key US cities.


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



pattayamail.com Pentangle Promotions Co., Ltd will hold a FIVB women's international beach volleyball tournament in Pattaya from November 5-9 this year. An originally planned World Tour tournament was cancelled earlier this year as the traditional venue on Karon Beach, Phuket is being used for the Asian Beach Games, which are being held during the same time period.

theaustralian.com.au Thailand military government has denied the substance of an Amnesty International report claiming it has perpetrated ''widespread and far-reaching human rights violations'' since the May 22 coup. The National Council for Peace and Order held out a vague prospect of partly lifted martial law, in its response to the Amnesty report: ''The royal Thai government is also considering the possibility of lifting the martial law in some provinces in Thailand, where possible.''

bangkokpost.com The arrest of five so-called "men in black" allegedly involved in the killing of soldiers and civilians during political unrest in 2010 could lead to the identification of those responsible for masterminding the violence, a National Legislative Assembly member has predicted. They were taken into custody on Tuesday but the arrests were only made public yesterday.

voanews.com Suspected Muslim rebels in southern Thailand have attacked a government office, killing at least four people and wounding several others. Police in Pattani province say gunmen walked into a local government office Thursday and opened fire. As they were leaving, they planted two time bombs that went off minutes after the attackers made their escape.

iol.co.za Legal experts had mixed reactions on Judge Thokozile Masipa's ruling that Oscar Pistorius could not be found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Masipa has started handing down judgment in the High Court in Pretoria.



nationmultimedia.com Thailand's Public Health Ministry has quarantined a 52-year-old Dutch national, who had high fever after returning from a business trip to Ebola-hit Nigeria, said Dr Sophon Mekthon, director general of the Disease Control Department. The man, who returned to Thailand on Wednesday, visited a private hospital for treatment and was immediately transferred to Siriraj Hospital, which is set to take care of suspected Ebola patients.



wsj.com Reporters in the Dock: A similar case arose earlier this year in Thailand, where the Navy accused two journalists, Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian. Their Phuketwan website republished part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters report about officers' alleged mistreatment of Rohingya boat people, and are now in legal limbo awaiting trial. Since the Muslim refugees are unpopular with the Thai public, the prosecution is an opportunity for the military to quash criticism without creating a backlash.

theaustralian.com.auAustralia's High Court has struck out Immigration Minister Scott Morrison's bid to prevent a stateless Rohingyua refugee applying for permanent residency by granting him a temporary visa. TPVs expired every three years, allowing the government to reconsider whether the refugees still needed protection.

bangkokpost.com Qatar Airways will step up its services to Thailand with the launch of a non-stop flight from Doha to Phuket while raising its Doha-Bangkok frequencies.

telegraph.co.uk Tourist numbers dropped significantly in the month following the coup and signs of recovery have been slow over the summer months. However, a full bounce back may be imminent as the junta announced that it is considering lifting martial law, particularly in areas that attract a large numbers of tourists. For now those in search of an island paradise will find that Phuket is a lot closer to that vision than it was a year ago.

themalaysianinsider.com State-run Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says the country continues to remain a popular destination for foreign tourists, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported. The number of European and African visitors grew by 3.7 percent and 4-5 percent year-on-year during the first seven months of the year.

bangkokpost.com Asavasopon Co, the supplier of controversial conference room microphones installed at Government House under a 67-million-baht renovation plan, has dismissed allegations its product is overpriced.

bernama Premium short-haul airline Firefly launched its first flight to Krabi in southern Thailand from Penang International Airport. Its Chief Executive Officer Ignatius Ong said in a statement the airline will operate three times weekly to and from Penang/Krabi using its 72-seater, single-class ATR 72-600 turboprop.

bangkokpost.com Bangkok taxi drivers have settled on a fare rise formula and warned the Transport Ministry it will face an accelerated protest if there is no positive answer within a month. The current fare regime is 35 baht for the first kilometre, increasing progressively from the second kilometre from 5 baht to 8.50 baht per kilometre. Passengers are charged 1.50 baht per minute when stuck in traffic.

e27.co My Motosai has come up with a solution to end the waiting woes in the form of an app for booking motorcycle taxi (motosai) online in Bangkok, Thailand. The app ensures that a personal motosai comes to pick you up in less than five minutes.

cnn.com A huge relief operation is continuing across northern India and into Pakistan in the wake of devastating floods that have killed hundreds of people

eonline.com Singer Neil Young appears to have found himself a new cinammon girl. The 68-year-old, soon-to-be divorced rocker was spotted out with Daryl Hannah in Westlake, Calif., the actress's arm slung across his shoulders and his arm tucked firmly around her waist.

ttgasia.com Infinite Luxury will open its flagship Kata Rocks on Phuket's Kata Beach on November 28 this year, its first luxury resort property and the first of more to come.



themalaymailonline.com Singapore has banned a documentary on its exiles but the film, which reportedly features Singaporean communists, student leaders and trade unionists, has been okayed for screening in neighboring Malaysia, a New York Times (NYT) report said.

aljazeera.com Malaysia Airlines is embarking on its fifth recovery plan in a decade, but it's facing an uphill battle. it will need more than goodwill to survive.

dvb.no The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) has officially denounced claims that the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) requested any type of military partnership within the northern rebel territories.

scmp.com Philippine immigration authorities are rolling out a new whistle-blower programme to crack down on illegal foreign workers, but have denied that the scheme specifically targets Chinese or is linked to an ongoing diplomatic rift with Beijing.



nationmultimedia.com Thailand have a great chance of returning to Davis Cup Group I thanks to the experienced line-up they are fielding against unfancied Pakistan in the final round of the Zone Asia/Oceania Qualifying Group II tie, which starts today at the LTAT National Tennis Centre.

afp Portugal coach Paulo Bento has left his position with the national side by mutual consent, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced.



September 12 Amcham at Angsana: the New Phuket

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show