cnn.com Former Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, sentenced to serve 35 years in prison for leaking classified material, will be credited for the 1294 days - or roughly three and a half years - he's already served.

reuters Syrian activists accused President Bashar al-Assad's forces of launching a gas attack that killed nearly 500 people in what would, if confirmed, be by far the worst reported use of chemical arms in the two-year-old civil war.

news.sky.com More than 1300 people have been killed in a chemical weapons attack near Damascus, according to Syria's main opposition group.

csrmonitor.com Bashar al-Assad's alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria today will likely raise the volume of calls for American intervention - but also the stakes of such a move. History suggests US intervention in Syria would be unpredictable at best, disastrous at worst.

independent.co.uk A bus carrying dozens of passengers has plunged into a deep ravine near a Genting Highland resort in Malaysia, killing 33 people, an official said.

smh.com.au An intruder managed to break into German Chancellor Angela Merkel's jet, playing around with buttons in the cockpit, activating the escape slide and using fire extinguishers. Authorities would not comment on reports that Volkan T. was dancing around on the plane in his underpants when caught by police.


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

bbc.co.uk Thailand has fallen into recession after the economy contracted slightly during the April-to-June quarter. Gross domestic product unexpectedly shrank 0.3pc during the period, from the previous quarter. That followed a 1.7pc contraction in the previous quarter.

afp Dozens of Muslim Rohingya boat people escaped from a Thai immigration centre, police said, as a rights group called for all of them to be freed from detention. Some 87 Rohingya men broke out of the detention centre housing 137 asylum-seekers in Sadao, a southern district bordering Malaysia.

guardian.co.uk The 87 Rohingya escapees used knives to file through iron bars and climbed ropes made from tied-together clothes to flee to surrounding woods in the Songkhla province of southern Thailand, where police were still looking for them. Rights groups claim Rohingya are kept in overcrowded, ''inhumane and unsafe'' detention centres.

voanews.com Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, an unofficial group made up of lawmakers from various Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has called on Thailand to give the UNHCR and the Red Cross access to the detention centers. Chairperson Eva Kusuma Sundari said the Rohingya issue has become a regional problem that requires a regional solution.

thestar.com A court in Thailand has sentenced a former police officer to 37 1/2 years in prison for the murder of Canadian Leo Del Pinto in the town of Pai more than five years ago. Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea a couple of weeks ago.



Phuket Update Phuket motorcycle crash victim George Harris jr will mark a record year in Vachira Phuket Hospital this weekend before being flown home to Dallas next Thursday as part of a medical evacuation brought about with the involvement of Phuketwan and US wardens Denny Bowman and Ananya ''Rin'' Insumrun.

khabarsoutheastasia.com Work on the Al Madina Mosque, named after the holy city in Saudi Arabia, started in October with a budget of 18m baht and is expected to be completed in November. The new mosque is being constructed on the outskirts of the Saphan Ruam Community on the gritty east side of Phuket Town.

nationmultimedia.com Canadian Gregory Joseph Curry, 67, was arrested in Prachin Buri over his alleged role in an international penny stock fraud scheme. The scam's perpetrators reportedly received more than US$140 million from victims in as many as 35 countries.

ANN Bartenders, house-keepers and chefs are among the 32 tourism industry-related professionals who will be eligible to work in any member country of Asean once the Asean Economic Community starts in 2015, thanks to the signing of the Asean Mutual Recognition Agreement on Tourism Professionals. New job opportunities are expected to attract workers to Phuket.

bangkokpost.com What started off as an ill-tempered, emotional debate by the Democrat opposition against the election of senators quickly turned ugly when the House speaker called police to evict Democrat MPs for un-parliamentary behavior - then riot police surrounded the House.

watoday.com.au Canberra doctors removed a 10-centimetre fork from inside a man's penis after a bizarre sexual mishap. The 70-year-old arrived at the Canberra Hospital emergency department with a bleeding sexual organ. He told doctors he had inserted the 10cm dining fork into his urethra in an attempt to achieve sexual gratification. But the utensil became stuck.

cnn.com Flooding in China's north and south caused by heavy rain has left at least 107 dead and inundated roads and farmland, the government and state media said.

dailymail.co.uk An out-of control New York City taxi has hit a cyclist beneath the Rockefeller Center and plowed into a British tourist, severing her leg in a dramatic mid-morning scene. A plumber used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for the woman's leg while a pizza truck owner raced to put her severed foot on ice.

bbc.co.uk Nine Korean military academy cadets will face disciplinary actions for drinking or visiting a massage parlor while conducting volunteer work in Thailand earlier this month, Army officials said.

scmp.com Lowly officials deal directly with the grass roots and their ''undesirable work style'' such as abuse of power can severely undermine the image of the Communist Party and government, according to the report, carried by the Beijing Times.

portlincolntimes.com.au Budget airline AirAsia X has been asked to end a new advertising campaign pitting Asian destinations against regional Australian areas like Port Lincoln. But Port Lincoln mayor Bruce Green sees the comparison to well known overseas holiday destinations such as Phuket as a compliment. Slogans like ''Port Lincoln or Phuket?'', ''Kangaroo Island or Kuala Lumpur?'' have been splashed on buses and taxis across Adelaide.

news.com.au Queensland MP Freya Ostapovitch owns two empty holiday houses in Port Vila, Vanuatu and Phuket in Thailand.

perthnow.com.au Think Phuket, think Patong? Think again. Looking for a Phuket experience where there's not a Singha singlet in sight but where you can still enjoy the color and characters? Then head to Laguna Phuket, the new posh precinct built around the lagoon, away from the madding crowds. The writer was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Banyan Tree and Laguna Phuket.

heraldsun.com.au Headline: New luxury resort precinct in Phuket, Thailand [Ed: Only been open 25 years. New enough.]

theguardian.co.uk The American crime writer Elmore Leonard, who suffered a stroke at the end of July, has died at the age of 87.



skysports.com AC Milan hold the advantage over PSV Eindhoven after their Champions League play-off round first-leg tie at the Philips Stadion ended in a 1-1 draw.



Until August 22 Logos Hope floating ''library'' visiting Phuket

August 21 Phuket FC v Airforce

August 25 Singtharua Port Lions v Phuket FC

August 31 Phuket FC v Ayuthaya FC

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

October 29-November 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Karon

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday



January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket