aap All air passengers flying into or out of British airports, and not just those on US-bound flights, must ensure their electronic devices are charged.

smh.com.au Joko Widodo and his political patron Megawati Sukarnoputri have claimed victory in the Indonesian presidential election, based on ''quick counts'' of ballot papers, less than two hours after polling booths closed.


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 Designating Phuket and six other provinces with more than a million international visitors a year as special administration zones will be suggested by the Tourism Council of Thailand to the coup command at a meeting next week. Phuket could then determine its own tourism-management direction.

AP The rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, who was shoved off a moving train on an overnight trip from southern Thailand, has sparked public outrage and calls for capital punishment for rapists.

bangkokpost.com All small boats have been advised to stay ashore this week in weather warnings issued for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and eight other southern provinces by the Department of Disaster Protection and Mitigation.

nationmultimedia.com After success at Suvarnabhumi, authorities are planning to use electronic monitoring devices at Don Muang as well as at the Phuket International Airport in a move to prevent tour guides and taxi drivers from harassing tourists.

bloomberg When all else fails, there's always the bargain prices. An average Bangkok hotel room costs $116, compared with $235 in Singapore and $273 in Dubai, a ranking of city hotels compiled by Bloomberg showed.

smh.com.au A dozen mothers have reportedly tried to kill themselves on Christmas Island after deciding their children would have more chance of making it to Australia without them. Three independent sources have confirmed the women tried to end their lives, saying their children would be better off in life if they were dead.

theage.com.au More than 150 asylum seekers, including about 40 children, face living in limbo on the high seas in an Australian customs vessel for weeks, while their fate is decided in the High Court.

wsj.com A month-long campaign by Thailand's military government to return happiness to the fractured country seems to be working, according to a recent opinion poll.



skysports.com Miroslav Klose became the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer as Germany cruised past a shambolic Brazil with a 7-1 win to book their place in the final.

theguardian.com No team in that famous shirt has ever suffered in the way Luiz Felipe Scolari's had to during a brutal first half in which Germany scored five times in 19 minutes and played as though the team in front of them might as well have been invited from the beach.

cnn.com The Mother of World Cup Maulings. Awesome Germany Humiliates Brazil. World Cup Wednesday: Netherlands v Argentina.



bloomberg Ensconced in his lavishly appointed penthouse 45 stories above the teeming streets of Bangkok, US-born billionaire Bill Heinecke perceives firsthand the rewards and perils of a lifetime betting on turbulent Thailand. Memorabilia includes a costume worn by Yul Brynner in the Broadway musical The King and I.

American Billionaire Made in Thailand Keeping Kingdom Bet
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-08/american-billionaire-made-in-thailand-keeping-kingdom-bet.html

bloomberg One focus: the resort island of Phuket, where he has three Anantaras and a Marriott. Betting Thailand will continue to attract the international superrich, he's offering palatial holiday homes he plans to sell for more than $10 million each.

smh.com.au Irish police are hoping that Thailand is too distracted by its internal woes to bother with a fugitive Australian alleged drug smuggler who has popped up 18 years later as a Dublin cafe proprietor. Lisa Marie Smith, 38, fled Thailand in 1996 while on bail and facing a possible death sentence. She now runs Hippety's Cafe.

theage.com.au Terry Smith, Lisa Marie's father, was boss of National Mutual Asia in 1996 when he paid a $74,000 surety for his daughter to become the first foreigner in Thailand to be granted bail on drug charges. She is still on Interpol's wanted list. Ireland does not have an extradition treaty with Thailand.

bangkokpost.com Retired three-star army general Manas Paorik, suspected of having knowledge of the infamous ''men in black'' killers of the 2010 uprising, has surrendered to police in Bangkok.

wheelercentre.com Press Freedom vs Political Power: Peter Greste and Alan Morison are both Australian journalists who, with their colleagues, are subject to judicial action that challenges not only their own freedom but the fundamental principle of freedom of the press itself.

andrew-drummond.com Two more Britons were awarded the title deeds of their condominiums in Thailand as judges ruled on a scam by the property company Harlequin, run locally by former video store owner from the British Midlands.

bangkokpost.com I am glad to see a few metered taxis in tourist spots like Samui, Chiang Mai and Phuket. I have been warned to avoid them as most prefer charging a fee rather than going by the meter. Most of all, I hope that the NCPO initiatives compel taxi drivers in Bangkok to become more polite and service-minded.

Thailand Update Aussies can nab bargain flights to Bali or Phuket from a mere $200 - but a return flight could wind up costing $40,000. According to a list provided by an insurance company, Thailand is second only to the US as the most expensive for claims made by Australians who need medical attention while on holiday.

nationmultimedia.com Etihad Airways will start flights to Phuket in the latter half of this year as part of its business goal to further grow the number of destinations and passengers. Expected to start in October, the daily flights to Phuket will target United Arab Emirates residents and holidaying Europeans.

xinhua The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a campaign and marketing plan to try to net 2.2 trillion baht (about 69 billion US dollars) from local and international visitors in 2015. The Nation quoted TAT governor Thawatchai Arunyik as saying that the authority expected up to 28.9 million foreign visitors next year.

bloomberg ''I love the weather, the food, and the freedom of Thailand,'' said the 52-year-old on his third visit, drinking a Singha beer outside the Long Gun go-go bar in Soi Cowboy, one of Bangkok's red-light districts. ''I'd love to retire here.''

un.org The United Nations refugee agency today spoke out against the deportation of a Laotian man - a former Lao Hmong leader - from Thailand back to his homeland on June 13. He could face harsh treatment amounting to persecution.

Phuket Update A rare olive ridley sea turtle with a missing flipper - probably chopped off by a propellor - was found at Sai Kaew beach and taken by Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers to the Phuket Marine Biological Center at Cape Panwa.

time.com Wild elephants are being captured in Burma and mentally broken through savage beatings as traffickers seek to profit from a lucrative trade to Thai tourist parks, claims a new report from advocacy group TRAFFIC.

afp Activists in the gambling hub of Macau have announced an unofficial referendum on electoral reform in the latest challenge to Beijing, after almost 800,000 turned out for a similar poll in Hong Kong.



afp An Indonesian court sentenced a boat skipper to three years' imprisonment over an ill-fated diving trip which killed two of the seven Japanese women taking part. Agustinus Brata Kusuma lost track of the divers near Bali in February when a storm hit.

smh.com.au In remote Philippine villages and impoverished urban areas increasing numbers of children, including toddlers, are being forced to perform sex acts that are streamed online to paedophiles around the world. Police say the Philippines has emerged as the key hub of a billion-dollar cybersex industry where most of the victims are under 18 but some are as young as two.

todayonline.com While the outcome of today's Indonesian presidential election is considered too close to call, one thing is certain - Singapore businesses and investors should have nothing to worry about even though candidates Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo have expressed intentions to take a more protectionist stance.

reuters Hundreds of American women are being ensnared by Internet scammers based in Malaysia, with some losing over a quarter of a million dollars, as the country becomes an epicentre for online crime by Africans, US officials say.

nytimes.com Letter: Re 'Malaysia's trafficking record' (July 1): This editorial makes the unfair allegation that the Malaysian government does not take human trafficking seriously. We strongly disagree. Press Secretary to PM.

voanews.com Myanmar (Burma) is beginning its citizenship verification process, which many people feel is a ruse to exclude the Rohingya a term recognized by the UN, and foreign nations, including the US. Burmese authorities are calling them ''Bengalis.''

perthnow.com.au Lombok is the new Bali. Paradise is Bali's sister, they are right next door to each other and I reckon Lombok is the better-looking sister.



reuters Argentina goalkeeper Willy Caballero has joined Manchester City from Spanish outfit Malaga on a three-year deal, the Premier League champions announced.

espn.go.com Puerto Rican flyweight contender McWilliams Arroyo is probably headed to Thailand for his shot at a world title against Amnat Ruenroeng. Ruenroeng promoter Jimmy's Boxing won an IBF purse bid for $202,000 to gain control of the bout.



July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day

July 16-20 Phuket Race Week yachting, Cape Panwa

August 11 Special holiday for Queen's Birthday

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