smh.com.au Power is being restored to the T2 domestic terminal at Sydney airport, after thousands of passengers were delayed for hours on Friday morning.

skynews.com.au Thailand has been excluded from the US led maritime warfare event Rim of the Pacific Exercise just as China has been welcomed. Twenty-two navies from China, India, Malaysia, South Korea, the UK, US and others are at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

smh.com.au Roger Federer took a thinly-disguised shot at old rival and potential Wimbledon semi-final opponent Rafael Nadal when he demanded play be sped up at the Grand Slams.


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 Police look set to launch a massive crackdown on mafia gangs and foreign criminals hiding out in major tourist spots following the arrest of a Russian mafia boss. Foreign criminals are reported to be posing as tourists in Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai.

nationmultimedia.com Only days after the US cut military aid to Thailand, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney praised the ruling junta for its new regulation on migrant labor, describing it as ''a good policy'' to tackle human trafficking.

bangkokpost.com The anti-coup movement, the Organisation of Free Thais for Human Rights and Democracy (FT-HD), will establish an official base in a Western country by next month, fugitive former red shirt Jakrapob Penkair said in Hong Kong.



theguardian.com Having last week knocked England out of the tournament, Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was banned from all ''football related activities'' for four months for biting the Italian Giorgio Chiellini during a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

skysports.com Portugal were knocked out of the 2014 World Cup despite defeating Ghana 2-1 at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia. Paulo Bento's side had to win by a big margin against their African opponents and needed the USA to lose to Germany in the other Group G match.

afp Germany's Thomas Mueller scored his fourth World Cup goal to pull level with Lionel Messi and Neymar in a 1-0 win over United States that gave his side top spot in Group G.

theage.com.au Algeria progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in their history as Islam Slimani's second-half header was enough to earn them a 1-1 against Russia.

afp Jan Vertonghen led 10-man Belgium to a 1-0 victory over South Korea that gave them top place in their World Cup group and ended Asian hopes in the competition.



bangkokpost.com Minor International Plc will launch two new luxury projects in Phuket and Bangkok's central business district (CBD) in the fourth quarter. The Residences by Anantara Layan Phuket, a luxury villa project on Layan Beach is worth 5 billion baht. The record high for a Phuket villa is $10 million, but The Residences by Anantara Layan Phuket will top that.

Phuket Update Soi Dog Foundation is looking for volunteer to help socialising the dogs and flight volunteer to accompany confirmed adopted dogs to their new home. Contact cristy@soidog.org

wsj.com Investors are dumping shares in some of Thailand's largest food companies as the shrimp-fishing titan faces the possibility of US sanctions following a furor over the use of forced and child labor in its fishing supply chains.

thenationmultimedia.com Navy and police officers rounded up 70 alleged prostitutes, including more than 50 transvestites and 7 Madagascan women, in Pattaya. The officers arrested the suspected prostitutes from the Pattaya Beach and Walking Street.

bloomberg A Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant her Christian faith has been freed on bail after a court canceled the ruling, and is now in a safe location, the US State Department said.

property-report.com Deciding when and where to pull the plug on a bad property deal is vague and disturbing. Luckily for any expat investors in Phuket, for example, the collateral damage is limited due to the non-availability of debt. But there is still the risk of all that cash disappearing down the drain on a deal gone bad.

telegraph.co.uk A hotel owner in Tuscany - Russians' favorite destination - has produced a television commercial that aims to educate wealthy Muscovites and other Russian visitors about the finer points of Italian etiquette. Teaching uncouth Russians how to behave in a more civil way should not be construed as Italian arrogance, he said, but a way of gently shepherding tourists towards more culturally acceptable behavior.

thedrum.com Media watchdog Ofcom has reported that the number of people using browsing websites and apps to obtain their daily fix of news now exceeds numbers reading newspapers for the first time.

bernama A senior tourism official said Thailand has become a safer place for foreign visitors since the military seized power about a month ago, Xinhua news agency reported.

news.com.au Six Senses Yao Noi in Phang Nga, Thailand. This five-star hotel is located on an island in the Phang Nga Bay between Phuket and Krabi, and is only accessible by boat. All of the 56 villas are nestled within a tropical forest and include a terrace with a private infinity pool, along with a serene view of the ocean below and the beautiful limestone rock formations for which the bay is famous.

afp Late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile sexually abused vulnerable patients in scores of British hospitals over decades and claimed to have performed sex acts on dead bodies, investigators said.



news.com.au Australian authorities said that a 23,000-square-mile area in the southern Indian Ocean had been designated as a new focus zone where searchers will look for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
afp A showdown between Singapore's religious conservatives and a growing gay-rights movement is shaping up ahead of a weekend rally celebrating sexual diversity in the city-state.

huffingtonpost.com The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that more than 86,000 Rohingya have left on boats since June 2012, and that at least 1345 of those have perished, although the actual number is likely much higher. Survivors have told the agency stories of boats that are overcrowded, lack food and water, and are plagued by abuse and killings.

theage.com.au An Australian resident detained in Malaysia is yet to learn if she will be charged or deported, five days after being arrested at an environmental protest. Natalie Lowrey and 15 Malaysian activists were arrested on Sunday outside the plant of Australian miner Lynas Corp in the eastern state of Pahang.



smh.com.au Nick Kyrgios is a potential grand slam champion headed for the world's top five, according to Richard Gasquet, the man across the net from the young Australian who enthralled Wimbledon with his astonishing second round win. He came back from being two sets down and saved nine match points.



July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day

July 16-20 Phuket Race Week yachting, Cape Panwa

August 12 Queen's Birthday

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