UPDATING All Day, Every Day
theguardian.com Conflicting reports have emerged over a baby with Down's syndrome allegedly abandoned by its Australian parents in Thailand after being born to a surrogate mother. The Australian couple have not been named but have reportedly denied leaving baby Gammy in Thailand.
AP Australia's government is considering intervening in the case, with a minister saying that the child might be entitled to Australian citizenship.
bloomberg Israel announced a seven-hour cease-fire for much of Gaza after renewed violence yesterday, including the shelling of a UN shelter, tripped up diplomatic efforts to end four weeks of conflict.
AP The head of a team of international investigators says more personal belongings of victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster in eastern Ukraine have been found, but no human remains.
AAP Rory McIlroy has stormed past Sergio Garcia to win the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational by two shots and reclaim the world No.1 spot from Adam Scott.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
cbc.ca A strong earthquake in southern China's Yunnan province toppled thousands of homes, killing at least 367 people and injuring more than 1800.
afp The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake at a magnitude of 6.1 and said it struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres at 4.30pm local time.
bangkokpost.com The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) denied claims by red shirt activist Kritsuda Khunasen that she had been tortured during military detention. Ms Kritsuda now says a video shown on army TV in late June was staged and fake. Rather than being united with her boy friend, she was forcibly separated from him and forced to sign a paper saying she was treated well.
stickmanweekly.com From the agents who facilitated dodgy visas all those years ago, to the language schools of today which promote themselves on their level of visa assistance with no comment about teaching methods or course material, visa work-arounds have long played a part in the underbelly of expat society in Thailand.
bangkokpost.com His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, on behalf of His Majesty the King, will preside over the opening of the National Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
The Ebola Outbreak
afp A US doctor infected with the Ebola virus ''seems to be improving,'' a top US health official said after the aid worker was flown back to the United States from Africa for treatment.
Phuket World of People
AP A Thai surrogate mother said that she was not angry with the Australian biological parents who left behind a baby boy born with Down syndrome, and hoped that the family would take care of the boy's twin sister they took with them.
nationmultimedia.com ''I would like to tell Thai women, don't get into this business as a surrogate. Don't just think only about the money,'' Pattaramon Chanbua was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying.
wsj.com The predicament of Ms Pattharamon and the now 7-month-old Gammy underscores what can go wrong in cross-border commercial surrogacy deals, in which a woman typically agrees to be implanted with an embryo and bear a child on behalf of another woman or couple for profit.
bangkokpost.com Phuket governor Maitree Intrusud visited Yupin Sengmuang and congratulated her on the reunion with the two British tsunami survivors, Ben and Emily Willgrass. In 2004, Khun Yupin and her husband drove the youngsters to Bangkok to catch a flight home because Phuket airport was closed. [Phuketwan has called for the Thai government to celebrate the heroism and generosity generated by the big wave that killed 5400 people 10 years ago on December 26.]
nationmultimedia.com The planning for a genetics regional database for wild cats in Thailand has begun in hopes of rescuing wild breeding tiger populations in the region.
bbc.com An attack that killed 10 people at a UN-run Gaza school was a ''moral outrage and a criminal act,'' UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said. It constituted a ''gross violation of international law,'' Mr Ban said.
bangkokpost.com The Platinum Group, the operator of Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok, is branching out with a community mall and two resorts at The Wharf on Samui: ''The market opportunity is better than Phuket and Hua Hin, which are quite crowded.''
reuters German magazine Der Spiegel reported that Israel and at least one other intelligence agency were listening in on US Secretary of State John Kerry's unsecured phone calls last year when he was holding nearly daily negotiations for peace with various leaders in the Middle East.
mercurynews.com Google confirmed that it's scrapping at least one of the mysterious floating tech barge showrooms that drew headlines, speculation and some ridicule last fall. The giant Internet company wouldn't comment on the fate of a second barge.
theguardian.co.uk A hundred years ago, on the eve of war, the Manchester Guardian argued passionately in a series of editorials for UK neutrality.
perthnow.com.au The budget impediments in Thailand are the beaches, which are decidedly upscale and it is expensive to get around the islands. Ko Tao is still a cheap place for an open-water diving certificate. The east side of Ko Pha Ngan remains a bargain. On the Andaman side, Railay in Krabi still has cheap digs.
Around the Asean Region
cbsnews.com Investigators using sniffer dogs recovered more human remains and personal belongings at the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 wreckage site in eastern Ukraine, the head of an international recovery mission said.
afp A hijacked Singaporean oil tanker carrying 21 sailors was released a week after being seized by pirates in waters off Ghana in west Africa, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
Phuket World of Sport
afp Chelsea slumped to their first pre-season defeat as they were beaten 3-0 by Werder Bremen in Germany to spoil the return of Didier Drogba and the debut of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
bangkokpost.com Germany proved too strong for Thailand, taking just 85 minutes to win in straight sets at the women's volleyball World Grand Prix in South Korea.
bbc.com Tiger Woods was forced to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio midway through his final round with a back injury.
usatoday.com Just a year after he won five times, including The Players Championship, and was voted the tour's Player of the Year by his peers for a record 11th time, Woods is a shell of himself. His best finish in seven starts is a tie for 25th.
aap Indian Olympic Committee secretary general Rajeev Mehta has reportedly been arrested in Glasgow. Indian media reported that Mehta and Indian wrestling referee Virender Singh Malik were both arrested over separate alleged incidents.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
August 8 Able Wanamakok, international television host and public relations/marketer, specialises in social media. She's speaking at IBAP.
August 11 Special holiday for Queen's Birthday
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
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show
