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<p>MILAN (AP) — Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna confirm that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysian airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.</p> <p>Italy's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that an Italian man whose name was listed as being aboard is traveling in Thailand and was not aboard the plane.</p>

It's happening in Ukraine, Venezuela, Thailand, Bosnia, Syria, and beyond. Revolutions, unrest, and riots are sweeping the globe. The near-simultaneous eruption of violent protest can seem random and chaotic; inevitable symptoms of an unstable world. But there's at least one common thread between the disparate nations, cultures, and people in conflict, one element that has demonstrably proven to make these uprisings more likely: high global food prices. Just over a year ago, complex systems theorists at the New England Complex Systems Institute warned us that if food prices continued to climb, so too would the likelihood that there would be...

Two young siblings and a woman were killed in an apparent grenade attack against anti-government protesters occupying an upscale shopping area of Thailand's capital on Sunday, the latest violence in a months-long political crisis that is growing bloodier by the day.

Respected fellow Thai citizens and dear rice farmers, I wish to begin by reaffirming that over the past two years since being appointed Prime Minister, I have been committed to serve the people of Thailand with honesty, integrity and every determined effort, as I have always been conscious of the mandate entrusted to me by the Thai people. I shall therefore not let them down; in particular the responsibility to protect the interests of the Thai people and uphold our democratic system with His Majesty the King as the Head of State. [snip] My fellow Thai citizens, I wish to...

Explanation: Can the night sky appear both serene and surreal? Perhaps classifiable as serene in the above panoramic image taken last Friday are the faint lights of small towns glowing across a dark foreground landscape of Doi Inthanon National Park in Thailand, as well as the numerous stars glowing across a dark background starscape. Also visible are the planet Venus and a band of zodiacal light on the image left. Unusual events are also captured, however. First, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while usually a common site, appears here to hover surreally above the ground. Next, a...

Forecasting Tsunami Threats Through Layers of Sand and Time Map Of The Bay Of Bengal The catastrophic Indian Ocean event in December 2004 that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries – including 15,000 in India – was hardly a one freak occurrence. It could happen again. Newswise — Azhii peralai: from the deep … large waves. This is the expression for ‘tsunami’ in Tamil, the oldest language in southern India. For an ancient dialect to have its own phrase for destructive waves triggered by earthquakes, the people of Tamil Nadu likely experienced tsunamis periodically through the centuries, says Halifax...

KIEV, February 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine has delivered the first five main battle tanks to Thailand of a 2011 order worth over $200 million, a state-run arms exporter said Wednesday. The shipment is part of an order of 49 Oplot-M tanks to be put in service with the Royal Thai Armed Forces in the near future. The Ukrainian tanks arrived at the port of Sattahip on Tuesday and will undergo additional acceptance trials, Ukrspetsexport said in a statement. The Oplot is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The...

The Ministry of Commerce said the Chinese government pulled out of the the deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice because of an ongoing probe. Thailand's Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a rice purchase policy. The policy has been a factor in the anti-government protests that have sparked Thailand's political crisis. The deal with China would have been the first stage of what the Thai government was hoping to be a larger shipment of rice this year. [ snip ] The rice purchase scheme, introduced by Ms Yingluck's governing Pheu Thai party, has seen the government...

Thai protesters vowed Monday to stage larger rallies in central Bangkok and push ahead their efforts to nullify the results of elections that were expected to prolong a national political crisis. Despite fears of violence, voting proceeded peacefully in 90 percent of polling stations Sunday. The protesters forced polling booths to close in Bangkok and southern Thailand, disenfranchising millions of registered voters. As a result, not all Parliament seats will be filled and a series of by-elections are required to complete voting, extending political paralysis for months.

Explosions and heavy gunfire rattled Bangkok Saturday as pro- and anti-government protesters clashed on the eve of controversial Thai elections seen as unlikely to end a cycle of violence in the kingdom after months of opposition rallies. Bystanders, security personnel and journalists raced to take cover in a shopping mall after a masked gunman man began spraying bullets from an assault rifle during confrontations between government supporters and opposition demonstrators, according to an AFP reporter. At least six people were injured as a busy intersection in a northern suburb of the capital was turned into a battle zone with volleys...

Thai authorities declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok that will begin Wednesday. It comes amid growing discontent among pro-government farmers.

Samong "Avajee" Traisattha, 36, was discovered by his wife lying in a pool of blood in his living room The singer of a black metal band has been stabbed to death for tarnishing Satan. Samong "Avajee" Traisattha, 36, was discovered by his wife lying in a pool of blood in his living room. The lead singer and bassist of Surrender of Divinity had earlier welcomed a fan of the band into his home in Thailand. His wife Jaruvan Surapol, 34, told cops she left to put her children to bed but when she returned an hour later on January 8...

Demonstrators have been attempting to 'shut down' Bangkok since Monday. Dozens were injured today as violence escalated after days of relative calm. An explosion during an antigovernment march in Bangkok today wounded at least 36 and raised concerns about escalating violence after the protest movement appeared to be losing steam in recent days.

Protesters trying to topple Thailand's government said they would tighten the blockade around ministries on Tuesday and a hardline faction threatened to storm the stock exchange, while many major intersections in the capital Bangkok remained blocked. The turmoil is the latest chapter in an eight-year conflict pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poorer, rural supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier who was ousted by the military in 2006. Many ministries and the central bank were forced to work from back-up offices on Monday after protesters led by...

People in the north-east repeatedly expressed frustration that they had to stay put, and watch the Bangkok protesters trying to overthrow the government they elected.

Anti-government protesters in Thailand cut off electricity to the prime minister's office compound on Thursday while their leaders met with businesspeople to explain why they want to oust the caretaker government before upcoming elections.

The sinister surprise attack against the naval base at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Military is recognized by historians as one of the most successful sneak attacks in military history. While many Americans initially thought the Empire of Japan intended to attack the United States mainland – Californians along the coastal areas felt especially vulnerable – the real targets were in Southeast Asia: Hong Kong, Siam, Malaya, Thailand, and the Philippines, as the first of many. The attack upon the naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, shocked America and the world. While Americans were still reeling,...

Thai protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban says he has met PM Yingluck Shinawatra and given her two days to "return power to the people". Mr Suthep said the meeting had been held under the auspices of the military and there was no compromise. [snip]They say Ms Yingluck's administration is controlled by her brother, exiled ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and they want to replace it with a "People's Council".

bomb squad officer The jihad in Thailand is brutal, vicious, relentless, and yet we hear nothing in the media. Soft targets are their specialty. Schools, banks. automated teller machines (ATMs) ........ thousands slaughtered. And these nurses are giving a victory sign. Moderates unmasked.Thailand: Muslim nurses flash victory sign in front of slain bomb squad officer Blazing Cat Fur (thanks to Chai) A hospital in southern (Muslim) Thailand publicly apologised on Wednesday after a photograph of two of its nurses flashing a victory sign in front of a slain bomb squad officer circulated on the internet (inset). The two (Muslim) nurses...

One of the most critical changes in global energy flows happened this week. China inaugurated a 2,500 kilometre pipe to carry natural gas and oil from the Indian Ocean across Myanmar in southeast Asia and into southwest Yunnan province. The gas portion of the line became fully operational this week. The line is expected to carry over 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day into China. The twin oil line is expected to follow. This massive development has several key implications for the global energy balance. Myanmar's significant offshore natural gas reserves (and growing production) now have a "go-to"...