reuters China says it has captured 180 people suspected of committing economic crimes as part of an aggressive anti-corruption campaign targeting suspects who have fled abroad, state news agency Xinhua reported.


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



independent.co.uk The Swedish government officially recognised a Palestinian state, with Israel recalling its ambassador to the country over the decision. The Swedish Foreign Minister, Margot Wallstrom, said she hoped it would boost efforts to end decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

bangkokpost.com Thailand's world ranking for ease of doing business has improved from 28th to 26th this year.

nationmultimedia.com One year after the controversial blanket amnesty bill was pushed through just before dawn by the then-ruling Pheu Thai Party, red-shirt co-leader and former Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakan still says it was a grave mistake that led to the downfall of Yingluck Shinawatra's government. He explained that it was at that moment that the anti-Thaksin Shinawatra forces managed to gain the critical mass to become a force to be reckoned with.



nytimes.com In the last two months, more than 170 men, mostly Bangladeshis, have been rescued from human traffickers in the jungles of Thailand. We should be outraged over what happened to these Bangladeshi men in the Thai jungle. But we should also be mortified by the terrible indignity that they face in their own land, which is forcing many of them into a life of servitude abroad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/opinion/linka-pelham-modern-slavery-in-bangladesh.html?_r=0

afp The World Food Program warned a cash shortfall means it may be forced to slash rice rations by a fifth to 200,000 vulnerable displaced people in Myanmar, including Rohingya Muslims in desperate camps in Rakhine state.



bbc.com Speaking at police headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand police chief General Somyot Pumpunmuang threatened to use one of Thailand's toughest laws - the Computer Crimes Act - to prosecute anyone caught speculating about the murders on social websites.



afp North Korea has announced it intends to quarantine all foreigners entering the country for 21 days, no matter what their country of origin, as a measure against the spread of the Ebola virus.



abc.net.au Apple chief executive Tim Cook has publicly acknowledged his sexuality, saying he's ''proud to be gay'' and wants to help others dealing with their identity.

bangkokpost.com Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a joint cooperation plan on tourism, but Preah Vihear temple was left out of the loop.

cnn.com Four people died after a small plane crashed into a building near Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport in southern Kansas. Four remain unaccounted for.

vancouversun.com A recent survey by lastminute.com has revealed the most common types of misbehavior by British hotel guests. People from Birmingham, Coventry, and Portsmouth are the most likely to get kicked out of their rooms, usually for drunken shenanigans. Cartoon characters like Betty Boop, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse are popular choices for fake names at check-in.

afp Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore was toppled as the army took power after protesters set parliament ablaze in a popular uprising against the veteran leader's 27-year-rule.

mizzima.com The British Foreign Office has dropped human rights as a priority in Myanmar and instead now focuses on promoting trade, claims Burma Campaign UK, dubbing British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire an ''ostrich''.

theage.com.au Federal police are investigating a record number of human trafficking cases in Australia involving sex slavery, forced marriages and child brides.

mcot South Korea reaped a record income from tourism in September, assisted by a solid increase in Chinese tourists, data showed Thursday.

smh.com.au The Seven Mile Beach Kiosk in Gerroa, south of Sydney, is offering discounted coffees to customers who are polite. A take-away coffee at the cafe goes for $5 - but saying the word ''please'' when you order will drop that price to $4.50, while adding a ''good morning'' will see your cappuccino or flat white come down to $4.



bbc.com Human rights groups have condemned a Singapore court's decision that a law banning gay sex is constitutional. The Court of Appeal rejected two legal challenges arguing that the law, Section 377A, infringes on gay citizens' rights.

abc.net.au A plumber has told a Brisbane court he was trying to find a toilet when he sparked a hijack scare on board a flight to Bali: ''I knocked on the toilet door, but as I found out, it wasn't the toilet door. It was the cockpit door.''

washingtonpost.com A powerful group of Buddhist nationalist lobbyists [The Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, locally referred to as Ma Ba Tha] has planned nationwide rallies in support of a controversial bill that some say would effectively outlaw interfaith marriage in Burma.



bbc.com Indonesian clubs PSS Sleman and PSIS Semarang are disqualified from the country's first division play-offs for scoring five own goals. Sleman win the game 3-2, but a committee decided both sides attempted to lose in order to avoid a semi-final match with Borneo FC, a club rumored to be backed by a local mafia. The game was scoreless until the 86th minute before Sleman score two own goals in quick succession, Semarang then score three own goals and lose the tie.



November 1-3 Patong Carnival

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-23 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