cbc.ca Two brothers suspected in the Charlie Hebdo newspaper attack were cornered inside a printing house northeast of Paris, taking a hostage and telling police they ''want to die as martyrs,'' a lawmaker said.

slate.com Agence France-Presse reports that the suspect in the eastern Paris kosher grocery shooting may be the same man who killed a police officer Thursday. The agency says ''at least five'' hostages have been taken at the scene.

bangkokpost.com Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has denied all charges against her in connection with the rice-pledging program, saying ''I have no position left to be impeached from''.


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



bangkokpost.com The government has assigned the Tourism and Sports Ministry to push for a serious recovery in tourism this year and to develop tourism quality in the future.

theguardian.com Tens of thousands of French police and soldiers were hunting for two Parisian brothers suspected of the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo magazine as the focus of the pursuit shifted from the streets of the capital to the woods and marshes of rural Picardy.

afp The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie (I am Charlie), in tribute to the 12 people killed in the attack on the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, has now been used in more than 3.5 million tweets, Twitter said.

todayonline.com Thailand's government urged supporters of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to stay out of Bangkok when the legislature begins an impeachment hearing against her, which could test a fragile calm under military rule.



bloomberg Indonesian authorities are stepping up efforts to lift the tail structure of the AirAsia jet that crashed into the Java Sea while the search for the plane's black boxes continues for a 12th day.



nationmultimedia.com Bangkok welcomed more tourists than any other Thai destination during the year-end season, but hotels in Chiang Mai enjoyed the highest occupancy rate, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

dailymail.co.uk Tourists who bring their own parasols to popular beaches on the picturesque Thai island of Phuket are being forced to sit in designated areas under a pilot project announced this week. Holidaymakers who take the ''bring-your-own-umbrella'' approach will not be allowed to sit wherever they please amid ongoing complaints about clutter on beaches.

bangkokpost.com Russian Nikita Salamatov, 26, and his 25-year-old Ukrainian wife Anastasia Dudnikova were attacked at the helipad in a park on Phra Tamnak hill in Chonburi province about 1am. Several attackers hit them and made off with their 2000 baht, $300 and a Nokia mobile phone.

thetelegraphandargus.co.uk The family of teacher Adam Pickles, left in a coma following a brutal assault in Thailand, has appealed against the decision to acquit his alleged attacker. British expat Sean Henry Tinsley, of Wolverhampton, was accused of striking Adam with an iron bar.

bangkokpost.com Steps will be taken urgently to revoke agricultural land-reform documents for plots covering more than 10,000 rai of forestland in Krabi found to have been illegally issued to and occupied by private individuals and encroachers to grow oil palms, said governor Songpol Sawasditham.

huffingtonpost.com Sex-change surgery gave me my life. I would not be who I am without it. I chose a surgeon in Bangkok because the Thais excel at sex-change surgery, and they do it all the time.

bangkokpost.com The North Korean envoy to Thailand has asked the kingdom to set up an embassy in Pyongyang, paving the way for strengthened cooperation with the hermit nation, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said.

scmp.com A group of 13 flight attendants say they were illegally fired by United Airlines after refusing to fly on a Hong Kong-bound plane that had a ''threatening'' message scrawled under its tail.

bangkokpost.com Thailand was ranked among the 20 worst-affected countries for cybercrime last year, according to a US-based security software firm. ''Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are the three Southeast Asian countries joining the ranks,'' said Khongsak Kortrakul, senior technology service manager of Trend Micro (Thailand).

bangkokpost.com Spurred by an increasing threat to aviation safety, 10 government agencies have joined forces to halt the irresponsible launching of traditional khom loy sky lanterns and bang fai rockets.



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afp Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfield star Yaya Toure became the first player to win four successive African Footballer of the Year awards.

football365.com Oldham's proposed deal to sign convicted rapist Ched Evans is off, the club have confirmed.



Until January 11 Phuket International Boat Show

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

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show