UPDATING All Day, Every Day
telegraph.co.uk In Italy, ''threats from the mafia, among others, and unjustified defamation suits, skyrocketed,'' according to the World Press Freedom Index, sending it 24 places down to 73rd in the world. [Thailand slipped four places to 134 out of 180.]
smh.com.au Australians may reconsider travel to Indonesia if the two Australian convicted drug couriers currently on death row are executed by firing squad as expected, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has warned.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
bangkokpost.com The prime minister claims Ms Yingluck has to prove her innocence in court against charges of dereliction of duty amid continuing speculation she could try to flee abroad.
washingtonpost.com Cambodia's unique confluence of factors - an already high rate of rape as well as a bad translation that implies one is supposed to take the virginity of one's songsar - has turned Valentine's Day into a day of rape, government officials say.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/12/the-country-where-valentines-day-is-the-most-dangerous-day-of-the-year/
Obama's Bathroom VIDEO
Things everyone does but doesn't talk about
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1631492713658271
Phuket World of People
samuitimes.com Reports have come in to the Samui Times that tourist excursion speedboats based at the Lompraya jetty near Wat Napalarn in Maenam have recently started a dangerous daily activity in the Maenam beach area which is putting the lives of local swimmers at risk.
bangkokpost.com Wildlife officials found no abuse and no drugging of the 143 big cats in a three-hour inspection of the Kanchanaburi Tiger Temple tourist attraction, but seized illegal birds.
time.com Under the agreement reached in Minsk, the rebel lines of supply in Ukraine from Russia will remain intact. Meaningless or not, the terms of the deal appear to clearly favor the separatists.
bangkokpost.com Two young foreign women members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in red bikinis who gave bananas to pedestrians and motorists in Bangkok's central shopping district were later charged with public indecency.
afp Media freedom suffered a ''drastic decline'' worldwide last year in part because of extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram, the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said in its annual evaluation.
nationmultimedia.com A driver became the first motorist to be punished for refusing a breathalyser test, said the police, who added that they were forced to tow away her car with her still inside. Chutima Kanthang, 28, was found guilty of drunk driving, but handed a suspended three-month sentence with one year of probation.
reuters The two remaining Al-Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt for aiding a ''terrorist organisation'' have been freed on bail after Australian journalist Peter Greste was released last month.
bloomberg Dominique Strauss-Kahn's treatment of women was again under scrutiny as French judges quizzed him about a text message in which he asked a friend to bring ''equipment'' to a sex party. Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, admitted using the word to refer to women was ''inappropriate''.
reuters A South Korean court sentenced Heather Cho, the daughter of Korean Air Lines' chairman, to one year in prison after finding her guilty over an on-board incident in New York concerning the way she was served nuts in first class. It convicted another executive charged with trying to interfere in the government investigation and sentenced him to eight months in prison.
phnompenhpost.com Cambodia is one of the top 10 fastest-growing tourism destinations for British travelers, according to a report released by UK-based travel company Kuoni. The report said visitors view the Kingdom ''as a natural next step from Vietnam,'' with Cambodia moving up five places from 27th position to 22nd in the top 30 destinations for British tourists.
cnn.com The number of Americans choosing to give up their passports hit a record 3415 last year, up 14 percent from 2013, and 15 times more than in 2008, when only 231 people renounced their citizenship.
Around the Asean Region
Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-shot-dead-thai-border-day-rape-cambodia-cat-lovers-vietnam-21870/
Phuket World of Sport
afp Indonesia could lose the right to host the 2018 Asian Games unless its main sporting body changes a logo that includes the Olympic rings, an official said.
telegraph.co.uk Roy Hodgson has promised Wayne Rooney that he will not be moved into midfield for England and admitted that Harry Kane has proved he is ready for a senior call-up.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 19 Chinese NewYear
February 26-28 Phuket Old Town Festival
March 1-15 Heroines festival
March 4-8 Bay Regatta
April 11-13 Phuket Bike Week
April 17-19 Songkran Festival
May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled
