nationmultimedia.com The National Disaster Warning Centre Thursday warned residents of Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi and Trang to brace themselves for possible flash floods. The centre said the provinces could be hit by flash floods Thursday and Friday.

nationmultimedia.com First Army Area commander Lt Gen Thirachai Nakwanit set up a panel that aims to prevent passenger vans, taxis and motorcycle taxis from overcharging passengers in Bangkok.

reuters Perpetrators of forced labor, which affects 21 million people globally, will be punished in most countries under a UN treaty clinched on Wednesday, despite being snubbed by Thailand and nearly all Gulf countries.

relevantmagazine.com Modern day slavery brings in more than $150.2 billion a year; that's more than tobacco ($35B), Google ($50B), Big Oil ($120B) and even the US banking system ($141.3B).


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



AP Roads snarled in London, Paris and several other major European cities as taxi drivers and train workers protested new technology they say endangers passengers and gives upstart enterprises an unfair advantage. Services like Uber and Chauffeur Prive allow passengers to hail a cab from a mobile app.

The Future of Travel
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/taxi-drivers-protest-across-europe-5999943

bangkokpost.com Thumb-ups for the blitz that was to wipe out illegal taxi operators from Phuket. It showed that the Thai police could enforce the law if they wanted to. Strict action against crime and mafia groups will work better than any marketing campaign. They should also make services, in particular transport fares, more reasonable.

reuters A delegation of Thai military commanders travelled to China for talks on regional security and joint training amid Western reproach of the army's seizure of power in a coup last month.

america.aljazeera.com Thailand's military junta is giving away movie tickets this weekend and arranging free viewings of the World Cup for soccer fans, efforts aimed at winning over hearts and minds following last month's coup. The move is aimed at promoting ''love and harmony.''

telegraph.co.uk Senior British diplomats warned a month ago about critical problems which threatened to engulf the Passport Office, a leaked document has shown. On May 13, the head of the passport agency was confronted with evidence of widespread delays in the wake of a decision to shut down overseas passport centres.



nationmultimedia.com In a bid to live up to its motto of ''Bringing happiness back to Thai people,'' the junta managed to pull off a deal for the live telecast of all World Cup 2014 matches on free TV, which will bring joy to 22 million households

theage.com.au ''I've finally learn to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good soccer,'' Galeano wrote. ''I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: 'A pretty move, for the love of God'. And when good soccer happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don't give a damn which team or country performs it.''

dpa Football legend Diego Maradona has praised his compatriot Lionel Messi, and talked up the chances of Argentina winning the World Cup. ''To beat Brazil in the final, in their own country, would be an orgasm,'' the controversial 1980s star told Buenos Aires newspaper Ole.



thestandard.com.hk Price cuts for Thailand packages are being offered in the hope that Hong Kong's red alert against travel to the coup-hit nation will soon be downgraded. A three-day trip to Krabi near Phuket is priced at HK$3280. ''We're hopeful the red alert can be canceled,'' said Samantha Chau Chi-lui, TAT marketing officer.

bangkokpost.com Advance bookings for Samui for July and August are about 60 percent, and hotels on the island say bookings should gradually increase. Many tourists prefer to book 14-21 days in advance.

Phuket Update The hours at which the World Cup is screening are so late that bars in Patong have not requested extended trading hours so that tourists can enjoy matches live on television.

thephuketnews.com Acting swiftly following the crackdown on taxi crime in Kata-Karon area, Phuket Airport Express Bus Co is expected to extend its route soon from Patong to Karon and Kata, with a fare from the airport to Kata of 150 baht.

Phuket Update CBRE forecasts that the total Phuket hotel supply will increase by 4000 keys over the next three years, a 25 percent increase in current supply.

nationmultimedia.com Four primary-school students were killed and at least 10 others wounded in Nong Bua Lamphu's Muang district after a former school director slammed into them with his car while suffering an epileptic seizure behind the wheel.

bangkokpost.com CP All Plc, the SET-listed operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, is ready to roll out its ''green store'' concept and apply green initiatives at both new and existing branches this year.

theguardian.com The film director Oliver Stone has bought the rights to a forthcoming novel based on the life of the whistleblower Edward Snowden and written by Snowden's Russian lawyer.

cnn.com Pro-democracy Hong Kongers have reacted angrily to a Chinese government white paper affirming Beijing's ''comprehensive jurisdiction'' over the territory, released days after more than 100,000 demonstrators gathered in the city calling for greater rights.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk Boris Johnson has agreed to be blasted by water cannon to prove that they are safe enough to be used on the streets of London. The Mayor challenged Theresa May's authority by ordering three without Home Office approval.

eturbonews.com Cathay Pacific Airways has canceled all flights to the Pakistani city of Karachi from Bangkok and Hong Kong following a terror raid on the country's busiest airport this week.

foxnews.com Keeping your cellphone in your pants pocket may help you quickly answer a call, but new research suggests this habit may have some damaging health effects for men - notably wannabe fathers.

Media Release The TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014 has been awarded to 19 hotels within the Centara Hotels & Resorts portfolio, including Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, Centara Kata Resort Phuket and Centara Karon Resort Phuket.

theonion.com Wellness experts say curling up in a ball on the floor is the healthiest way to deal with the non-stop agony of the workday.



todayonline.com The chilling discovery of a legless body stuffed in a bloodied luggage bag brought traffic along Singapore's Syed Alwi Road to a standstill. The case has been classified as unnatural death.

AP Hilton Worldwide has signed a contract to operate five hotels in Burma (Myanmar), which is emerging as a popular Southeast Asian tourist destination after military rule was lifted in 2011.

hollywoodreporter.com 48 Hours in Brunei: Hollywood Reporter Infiltrates the Underground Gay Scene. Provided gays keep their ''situation'' private, nobody will get stoned.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/48-hours-brunei-hollywood-reporter-710691

hollywoodreporter.com More than 100 members of Congress have signed a letter urging Secretary of State John Kerry and US Trade Representative Michael Froman to force Brunei to repeal recently imposed laws that call for the stoning of gays and adulterers - or face expulsion from ongoing trade negotiations.

abc.net.au Indonesia calls itself a maturing democracy, but corruption is still one of the biggest threats infecting its most important institutions, including its election system. Bribery has become so expected that one candidate has even complained to officials that the money she paid for votes didn't win her a seat, as promised.

bangkokpost.com Fourteen Rohingya women and children fled from their shelter in the southernmost province of Narathiwat, believed to be intent on joining relatives who have settled in Malaysia.

irrawaddy.org There is great unease, nonetheless, among Burmese democracy and human rights activists over the Thai coup: when Thailand, after all its past democratic success, can regress to military rule, how long will Burma's road to genuine democracy be?

bbc.com Swarms of giant moths have descended on Malaysia, invading homes and even disrupting a national football match.

dpa Singapore's Marina Bay Sands resort is removing shark fin from its exhibition and convention centre menus, its management announced.



theguardian.com Fifa has voted down attempts to consider age and term limits for its executives, in a move that could allow Sepp Blatter to continue as president indefinitely.

afp All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has backed his erratic first Test line-up to ''improve massively'' in the second Test against England on Saturday, making only one injury-enforced change.



Until June 14 Phuket prisons fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

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