watoday.com.au Large schools of salmon are bringing danger to Perth's beaches and waters as great white sharks follow the fish along the coast. The Department of Fisheries issued a warning about unusually high numbers of white sharks off metropolitan beaches.


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



AP A Thai court sentenced four men to life in prison for a grenade attack on a political rally in Bangkok last year that killed three people, including two children, and injured 21 others. The court originally issued death sentences to the men for murder and other offenses in the February 2014 attack on the anti-government rally, but reduced the penalty because they confessed.

channelnewsasia.com Thailand's National Council for Reconciliation (NRC) will vote this weekend on whether to approve a draft of the new constitution. If it passes the country will hold a referendum next year, but the leading political parties strongly oppose the draft calling it undemocratic.



AP A foreign suspect arrested at Thailand's border near Cambodia is unlikely to be the man in a yellow shirt accused of planting the bomb at a Bangkok shrine nearly three weeks ago, police have said. The definitive ruling out of the suspect suggests that the person who bombed the Erawan shrine in Bangkok on August 17 remains at large despite two arrests and naming of seven other suspects in recent days.



Phuket Update The Australian dollar has slumped to a fresh six-year low after the US greenback rose overnight on the back of US labor data which bolstered bets the Fed will cut interest rates at its September meeting. At 0700 AEST on Saturday, the dollar is trading at 69.08 US cents, its lowest level since April 2009. [A low Aussie dollar means fewer Aussie tourists will visit Phuket.]

Phuket Update Drivers who have registered to serve GrabTaxi customers but fail to uphold the company's standards are on borrowed time, the Phuket Governor has warned.

bbc.com The Austrian chancellor has said his country and Germany have agreed to let migrants cross their borders from Hungary. Werner Faymann made the comments shortly after the authorities in Hungary sent buses to transport a group who had been walking to the border.

news.com.au Australia's Abbott government is facing growing pressure to open the doors to more refugees from Syria.

bangkokpost.com Cutting classroom hours is a small step to help, but the real education problem is a central system issuing top-down orders without meeting local needs.

news.com.au A man will undergo emergency surgery in hospital after being attacked by a shark on the NSW Mid-North coast. The victim, 65-year-old local man David Quinliven, told police he was on a surf ski when he was hit by the shark.

Phuket Update A straw poll taken among Phuketwan readers indicated they didn't care whether the bite in the foot of an Australian tourist on Phuket was caused by a shark or some other marine creature. ''We can only wish the victim a speedy recovery,'' one said. ''That's all that matters. What's happened to all the snake stories?''



channelnewsasia.com Indonesia has unexpectedly dumped much-vaunted plans for its first high-speed railway in favor of a slower and cheaper rail option, in a blow to Japan and China who have been fiercely competing to win the construction job.



theage.com.au Remorseful Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge, caught drink-driving just one week before his team begins its finals campaign to win a third AFL premiership in a row, said: ''I just want to crawl into a hole.''

goal.com Germany moved one step closer to qualification for Euro 2016 as they went to the top of Group D with victory over Poland. Bayern Munich duo Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze gave Joachim Low's side an early two-goal lead, and though Robert Lewandowski was able to pull one back before half-time, the visitors were unable to find the equaliser they required, before Gotze put the result beyond doubt.

bbc.com England captain Wayne Rooney is on the brink of history in San Marino as he stands one short of Sir Bobby Charlton's national goals record - and believes he can still emulate the Manchester United legend and win a major international tournament.



September 6-11 Asian Weightlifting Championships

Until September 12 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival

September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach

October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies