bbc.com The cover of the next edition of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo will show a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, holding a sign ''I am Charlie''.

bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Prayuth revealed a plan to make Phuket the ''Riviera of Asia'' for cruise ships in taking tea with businesspeople. Supaluck Umpuj, vice-chairwoman of The Mall goup, said martial law only served to make tourists feel safer. She added tourist numbers had shot up with rooms overbooked in Phuket. [Ed: It's called the ''peak season.'']

bangkokpost.com Passenger traffic through Phuket, the country's third-busiest airport, rose by 8.7 percent to 40,439 a day, with aircraft movements rising 9.1 percent to 247 a day between Dec 26 and Jan 5. Off a low base, Don Muang registered the highest growth among the six AoT airports.


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



nationmultimedia.com The economic slowdown in many countries and tough competition are the key factors expected to continue holding back the tourism industry this year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. The latest tourism confidence index from Chulalongkorn University shows that business has climbed back to a normal level.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tourism-council-warns-operators-to-be-prepared-for-30251776.html

cnn.com The Twitter account for US Central Command was suspended after it was hacked by ISIS sympathisers - but no classified information was obtained and no military networks were compromised, defense officials said.

bbc.com CCTV at an Istanbul airport appears to show Hayat Boumeddiene, the partner of Paris supermarket attacker Amedy Coulibaly, going through passport control. She is now thought to be in Syria.



reuters Thailand is deploying GPS on fishing boats, adopting steep fines and a budget to hire 700 anti-corruption staff in an effort to combat human trafficking ahead of a US deadline to show improvement, authorities said.

The Thai government has tackled human trafficking well in the past six months and even better than other countries in the same Tier 3 watch list of the US, said Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

reuters Dozens of children were among 98 suspected Rohingya trafficking victims from Myanmar discovered in pickup trucks in southern Thailand, police said, as more checkpoints were set up in the region to combat the trade.

The Lost AirAsia Flight

afp Long-haul Airbus A350 and A380 passengers jets will soon come equipped with ejectable black boxes that can float, making them easier to find in an air crash at sea, aviation sources said.

Phuket World of People

bangkokpost.com The tourist route in Khao Yai National Park should be changed for visitors' own safety after a spate of elephant attacks, an expert said.
http://www.nationtv.tv/main/mobile/content/social/378439977/

Phuket Update The body of a man found in mangroves at Mai Khao in northern Phuket on Sunday may have been murdered, police say. He had been stabbed twice, in the chest and neck. Investigations are continuing.

Phuket Update Local authorities have repaired the Phuket rural road where seven-year-old Molly Anne Bailey was killed in a crash into a chasm where the road should have been in December last year.

scmp.com Chinese police have shot dead six ''militants'' as they allegedly tried to set off bombs in a shopping district in the restive far-western Xinjiang province this morning, mainland media reported.

washingtonpost.com France deployed 10,000 troops at Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites in an unprecedented security boost as authorities remained on high alert after last week's deadly attacks in Paris. The extraordinary measures marked the first time such a large military force in France has been used in civilian protection

wsj.com President Barack Obama regrets his decision not to send a top White House official to represent the US at a march in Paris that drew dozens of world leaders in a show of solidarity against terrorism, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

dailymail.co.uk Amal Clooney used her first Golden Globes red carpet to make a political statement - pinning a ''je suis Charlie'' button on her Dior handbag in support of France following a series of terrorist attacks last week.

scmp.com About one million Chinese couples ask to have second child after easing of nation's one-child policy, with health officials expecting the change to lead to an extra two million births each year

theguardian.com The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, has personally congratulated the Sri Lankan president-elect, Maithripala Sirisena, two days after Sirisena was declared the victor in a surprise election result on Friday that ended the 10-year rule of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/11/tony-abbott-calls-new-sri-lankan-leader-to-emphasise-cooperation-on-boats

marketingmag.com.au 'Winkgate' and 'shirtfront' nightmares have helped Prime Minister Tony Abbott take out the number one spot of 2014's biggest PR Disasters, publicity blunders and media mis-steps.

scmp.com South Korean President Park Geun-hye said she is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without preconditions, and the country's nuclear weapons program wouldn't be an obstacle to holding the first Korean summit since 2007.

theage.com.au Hairy thighs, pale calves, and polka dot underwear. There was no shame for the thousands of commuters around the world who travelled sans trousers for the 14th No Pants Subway Ride and its variants on Sunday.

Around the Asean Region

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-orgy-pop-bands-trouble-malaysia-singapore-arrivals-fall-torture-amnesty-urges-21699/

Phuket World of Sport

b>ctheguardian.com Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded his third and least unexpected Ballon d'Or, with a year of individual overachievement that included 56 goals for Real Madrid earning him more than twice as many votes as Lionel Messi, his one-time Ballon-hogging nemesis, in the race for Fifa's main individual honor.

irishtimes.com Lionel Messi has alerted Manchester United to his potential availability by casting doubt over his future at Barcelona, with the Argentina forward saying he does not know where he will be playing next year.

swimswam.com The Dutch national swim team has already begun training on Phuket Island in Thailand. ''From experience we know that winter is a difficult time for swimmers,'' said National Team Director Joop Alberda.

Coming Events on Phuket 2015

January 21 Australian embassy outreach to Phuket Call 02-3446300, e: consular.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show