AP Two trams used to shuttle visitors around a zoo in northeastern Thailand collided Sunday, killing five people and injuring more than 30, police said. The accident at the Kao Suan Kwang Zoo in Khon Kaen province occurred when one tram driver lost control due to a problem with the vehicle's brakes and slammed into a tram in front.

reuters Fara Williams struck an extra-time winner from the penalty spot as England defeated Germany 1-0 to claim third place in the Women's World Cup.

skynews.com.au Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman has blasted the film industry, saying it is in the 'worst' shape it's ever been in. The 77-year-old actor - who previously starred in 'The Graduate' and 'Rain Man' - has claimed that while the TV industry is riding the crest of a wave at the moment, the film business has hit an all-time low.

bangkokpost.com Because Thai law automatically grants custody of a child to the birth mother, gay parents Gordon Lake and Manuel Santos Valero live in fear that a knock on the door could be the surrogate coming to take their daughter away.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/612872/gay-couple-in-hiding-with-baby

afp Accused of urinating in public, spitting on the street, or kicking a sacred temple bell - free-spending Chinese tourists are receiving a mixed welcome as their soaring numbers help Thailand's creaking economy.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Chinese-tourists-boost-Thai-economy-but-stir-outra-30263782.html

thetimes.co.uk More than 100 firefighters have been battling a vast warehouse blaze that sent huge plumes of smoke visible for miles over London. Flames tore through the two-storey building in the west London suburb of Perivale.


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



Phuket Update A tourist pulled from the surf at Phuket's Patong beach late on Saturday has died at Vachira Phuket Hospital. His death is being recorded as a drowning. From the Middle East and aged about 30, he has yet to be named.

skynews.com.au Greece is hurtling towards a crunch bailout referendum which could determine its financial future and even its place in the eurozone, as anxious families unnerved by the country's uncertain outlook rushed to stock up on food.

nationmultimedia.com Some 100 Burmese workers at a construction site in Phuket's Thalang district held a protest after a Thai foreman allegedly put a cutter knife to a worker's neck on Friday night. Police are investigating a complaint.



arabnews.com The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution calling on the Burma (Myanmar) government to protect the rights of all people in its territory including Rohingya Muslims.



bangkokpost.com Broadcasting regulators will decide on Monday whether and how to punish state-owned Thai PBS TV for its scoop on anti-coup protests.

natgionmultimedia.com The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) group urged the international community to observe military court proceedings against 14 anti-coup students who have been detained since June 26 - in order to ensure transparency and fairness.

news.com.au Flight to Bali will be cancelled for the third time this week after a volcanic ash eruption at Mt Raung in Indonesia. Jetstar and Virgin cited safety concerns after they cancelled flights.

foxnews.com Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory Fourth of July message to President Obama and expressed confidence that their respective countries can work together on global issues including terror threats, according to news agencies.

bangkokpost.com Land Transport Department officials and soldiers on Monday will begin morning and evening rush-hour inspections of passenger vans around Bangkok's Victory Monument in order to improve safety and service.

nationmultimedia.com Despite its scenic beauty, green spaces and strict restrictions on building height and design control, the city of Chiang Mai finds itself overshadowed by massive advertising billboards. Where once people could drive around the highway and admire Doi Suthep in the skyline, today they just see one giant four-storey billboard after another.

cnn.com Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a 30-day state of emergency, saying another attack such as last week's terrorist massacre at a beach hotel would ''cause the country to collapse.''

telegraph.co.uk Survivors of the Tunisian terror attack have questioned the absence of armed security after it emerged that a suicide bomber had blown himself up at the same resort. Mohamed Khalil Ben Youssef, 22, an engineering student from Tunis, died when his suicide bomb exploded prematurely on the beach at Sousse in October 2013.

nationmultimedia.com Some 900 trawler owners without logbooks needed under new regulations suspended operations in Songkhla, but there was no blanket suspension as predicted.

bangkokpost.com What critics of China's land reclamation need to understand is that, even without any credible sovereignty claims to the sea area in question, or any islands within it, under international law China does have the right to build artificial islands and installations, including airstrips, on outlying reefs and shoals.

theguardian.com A video purportedly showing Islamic State militants shooting dead 25 men in the amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria has been posted online. The footage apparently shows the murder of soldiers fighting for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who were captured in Homs.

happylifestylejournal.com San Pedro Sula in Honduras is one of the most dangerous places in the world. According to statistics, in 2011, the city had 159 homicides per 100,000 residents, which surpassed the previous most dangerous place on Earth for three consecutive years, Ciudad Juarez, in Mexico. These numbers mean approximately three murders a day.



agencies Malaysian Prime Minister Naib Razak is preparing to sue the Wall Street Journal over a report that the troubled state investment fund channeled US$700 million into his personal accounts.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-chinas-allure-declines-japan-backs-dawei-blogger-faces-sentence-22765/



smh.com.au Australian Rohan Dennis produced the fastest time trial in Tour de France history to win stage one of this year's race. His average speed for the 13.8km individual time trial was 55.446kmh, the fastest ever recorded on a Tour de France time trial.

reuters Andy Murray reprised his familiar role of being the last British singles player heading into Wimbledon's second week but he needed a reboot to come through Saturday's four-set tussle with Andreas Seppi in a tale of two timeouts.



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

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek