theguardian.com Scores of African migrants trying to reach Europe were feared dead after their boat sank off the Libyan coast. Only 26 of the 250 had been rescued, a Libyan navy spokesman said.


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 Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning major roadshows and travel fairs in Western countries in the last quarter of the year to lure visitors back. According to official figures, Europe accounts for 4.13 million of 15.7 million arrivals January-August, with growth of 3.16 per cent over the same period of 2013.

bangkokpost.com At least 22 transnational gangs chosen Thailand as their operating base for criminal activities including identity thefts, burglaries and electronic card skimming, according to research from the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). French and Britain gangs were found to use fake electronic cards to withdraw cash in Thailand, especially in Phuket.

cnn.com Britain will ''confront this menace'' and ''ultimately destroy'' ISIS, British Prime Minister David Cameron says after David Haines' brutal murder.



reuters Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sacked 10 senior officials because they failed to heed a warning to return from overseas travel to help the government's fight against an Ebola epidemic that has killed at least 1100 Liberians.



bangkokpost.com The Pheu Thai Party has denied claims that the government of Yingluck Shinawatra ordered an investigation into ''men in black'' to be shelved after coming to power. ''Had DSI director-general [Tarit] taken the investigation seriously, this issue should have come to an end a long time ago,'' wrote one member of a Senate sub-committee on Facebook.

reuters Sweden's centre-left Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven emerged as victor in Sunday's general election after a voter backlash against tax cuts and trimmed welfare by a centre-right government, but he fell short of a parliamentary majority.

bangkokpost.com A survey by the Thai Roads Foundation (TRF) revealed there were 18 million Thai children aged nine to 12 travelling as passengers on motorcycles, but only seven percent wore helmets. That means about 16.5 million children travel on Thailand's roads were unprotected.

smh.com.au The Australian dollar hit a fresh six-month low on Monday morning, at risk of breaching the US90c mark, hovering at US90.10c. [The higher the Aussie$, the more Australians can afford to travel to Phuket.]

afp North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced US citizen Matthew Miller to six years' hard labor for ''hostile'' acts, two weeks after he and two other detained Americans had pleaded for help from Washington.

washingtonpost.com For travelers with an Indiana Jones streak, the one place often considered impossible is becoming increasingly possible: North Korea. A growing number of Western tourists is coming here to see whether this last remnant of the Cold War is as bad as it's made out to be.

bangkokpost.com Authorities have come up with a win-win plan to battle two major problems at a stroke - promote businesses in new special economic zones in border areas, to absorb the never-ending flow of migrants seeking work

nationmultimedia.com The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) is taking advantage of the approaching Asean Economic Community in its quest to make Ranong Port [north of Phuket] a pathway to Burma (Myanmar) and also the Bimstec group and the Middle East, or even to Europe.

afp The prospect of Scottish independence is raising fears in Europe that it could inflame other separatist movements at a time when the continent's unity and even its borders are under threat, analysts say.

nbcnews.com 'Django Unchained' actress Daniele Watts says she was ''handcuffed and detained'' on suspicion of prostitution by police last week, in part, because she kissed her partner in public: ''If something like this can happen to me, an articulate, educated person, certainly there's more attention we need to shine on places like Ferguson.''

theage.com.au A three-year survey dispels the idea that the rubbish on Australian beaches is due to ocean currents bringing the world's rubbish: ''The majority of coastal debris in Australia is from Australian sources, not the high seas.'' The report's author said the plastic was having a devastating effect on seabirds.

nationmultimedia.com Singapore-based Ministry of Design has been appointed as the architect and interior designer for the W Retreat Phuket, scheduled to open in January 2018. W Retreat Phuket will be located on Koh Yao Noi, one of the largest islands in the Phang Nga Bay archipelago between the eastern coast of Phuket and western coast of Krabi on the mainland.

theage.com.au Fairfax Media has launched Australia's most comprehensive travel website, Traveller.com.au.



abc.net.au Indonesian police say four foreigners arrested on Saturday planned to join one of Indonesia's most wanted terrorist leaders. The four men from Turkey were arrested by Indonesian police and the anti-terrorism squad Detachment 88.

afp Burma (Myanmar) has temporarily banned its women from working as maids in Singapore due to concerns over abuse and exploitation, an employment body in Yangon said.



afp Radamel Falcao made his debut as Manchester United belatedly kickstarted their season with a breezy 4-0 win at home to Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.

afp France will host Switzerland in the Davis Cup final in November after Roger Federer gave the Swiss the winning point against Italy in Geneva.

usatoday.com The US beat Serbia 129-92 in the championship game of the FIBA World Cup.



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



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show