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As noted here, "Happy newlyweds Joke, 29, Bell, 21 and Art, 26, took the plunge on Valentine's Day after exchanging their vows in a fairy-tale ceremony at their home in Uthai Thani Province, Thailand. The three blushing grooms are thought to be the world's only wedded male threesome and have since become internet sensations after photos from their big day went viral. The trio consummated their love under Buddhist law in the ceremony as same-sex marriages are not recognised as legitimate under Thai law. In what they described as the happiest day of their lives, the three men were suited...

New Delhi, Jun 24: With no word from Tehran yet, India is all set to send legal request letters to four nations including Iran seeking help in its probe into the bombing of an Israeli embassy’s vehicle here in February. Official sources said today that Letters Rogatory for Iran, Malaysia, Thailand and Georgia has been sent to Union Home Ministry for vetting after which it would sent to Legals and Treaty Division of Ministry of External Affairs to be sent to these respective countries. The sources said Iran had been earlier requested through diplomatic channels for help in tracing Houshang...

Okay. Doesn't fall under "Breaking News" but, I don't post articles very often. So, I drop off my Alki friend so he can do some walk in/walk out bail thing at the Sheriffs Department. I'm bored and spy a Thai restaurant across the street. At first my thoughts were just about some delish lemongrass soup. So I walk in and order their lemongrass soup. But, they offered a twist I hadn't been offered at othe Thai restaurants "You want regular or spicy?". "Huh? Why I'll take spicy. I love spicy anything" I responded Well, they tried to talk me out...

By ROB KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand - A German statesman, a Czech supermodel and a Swedish Olympic ski champion were among the vacationers whose search for peace and sun in tropical southern Asia was shattered by the tsunamis that spared neither rich nor poor. AP Photo   Petra Nemcova — who appeared on the cover of 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue — was carried away with her boyfriend, the fashion photographer Simon Atlee, after a huge wave plowed into southern Thailand on Sunday. Nemcova's New York spokesman, Rob Shuter, said the model and her boyfriend had been vacationing...

There's only one real way to compare military strength, and thankfully the world hasn't had many opportunities lately. Despite the potential powder keg in the South China Sea, standoffs in Ukraine, and proxy wars throughout the Middle East, inter-state warfare between the world's military powers has been all but banished from the global scene (for the time being, at least). For a simpler evaluation of military power, we turned to the Global Firepower Index, a ranking of 106 nations based on more than 50 factors including overall military budget, available manpower, and the amount of equipment each country has in...

If we could reclassify the EPA as pig flatulence, we could get the EPA to fund its own elimination. A report released by Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake found numerous examples of EPA mismanagement and excess, including employees illegitimately spending $15 million on agency credit cards and $9 million the agency lost track of funding projects in California. Happens to everyone. One time I lost track of $12 million in Arizona and couldn’t find it for a week. $1,500,000 annually to store out-of-date and unwanted publications at an Ohio warehouse” and another “$700,000 to attempt to reduce methane emitted from...

The number of people killed by terrorists worldwide in 2013 rose by 60 percent compared to the previous year – from 11,133 to 17,958 – with four Sunni Muslim extremist groups responsible for two-thirds of all fatalities, according to a comprehensive annual study. Eighty-two percent of fatalities occurred in just five countries – Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria, although the number of countries that experienced more than 50 terror-related deaths also rose – to 24, compared with 15 the previous year. ... Four Sunni groups were responsible for 66 percent of all terror fatalities in 2013. In order of...

Thailand’s famous moon parties banned in drug and alcohol crackdown This story was published: 1 day ago November 01, 2014 12:00AM THAILAND’s fun police are likely to throw the plans of thousands of Australian backpackers into turmoil after banning three of the four main monthly “moon” parties. Half and Quarter Moon shindigs — along with some supplementary jungle parties — will no longer be staged on the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, near Koh Samui, for ‘drug and alcohol’ reasons. The only beach rave left standing is Koh Phangan’s original Full Moon Party which last month attracted about...

Anthrax: Source of Fishy, Shaggy Dog Stories Pleads Fifth December 20th, 2007 by Ross E. Getman In October 2007, the former Criminal Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Daniel Seikaly, was deposed in the civil rights action by Steve Hatfill about whether he was the source of leaks relating to Steve Hatfill in connection with Newsweek and Washington Post stories about the use of bloodhounds and the draining of ponds in Frederick, Maryland. Attorney Seikaly pled the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination in connection with most substantive questions. Attorney Seikaly has had a very distinguished career....

Phuket's Provincial Public Health Office sent agents to the condo to collect samples to test for the Ebola virus after discovering the victim, Martin John Roberts Clark, 68, had recently returned from Nigeria. Phuket Governor, Nisit Jansomwong, explained that the result of the autopsy would be announced today (October 25). Dr Kajornsak Kaewjarat, chief of Phuket Provincial Public Health Office said that the agents at the scene were collecting blood and mucus samples as well as other belongings from the room. Dr Kajornsak said, “The samples and belongings will be sent to the Regional Medical Sciences Centre in Phuket. “He...

BANGKOK - The Tourism Authority of Thailand says its preparing to add one more tourist attraction to the Kingdom's long list of temples, beaches, and mountains: life under martial law. "The TAT is preparing a campaign called '24 Hours Enjoy Thailand 'to attract foreign tourists to visit Thailand under martial law," TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik told Thai Rath newspaper on Friday. Thawatchai said that martial law is beneficial to tourism, because it ensures that foreign tourists can be safe 24 hours a day. "We want the tourists to be confident that they can travel in Thailand both day and...

A manhunt is under way on a Thai holiday island after two British backpackers were hacked to death. Hannah Witheridge, 23, a university graduate from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were attacked with a garden hoe after a late night party on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. Miss Witheridge, who was travelling with three female friends, had been on the island for only three days. She met Mr Miller, who was travelling with two male companions, hours before they were murdered. Their semi-naked bodies were found on the blood soaked sand at Sairee beach,...

An in-flight magazine for travelers to Thailand offers some friendly advice on how to win friends and influence people in a country led by military junta. "Despite being under miliary control, Thailand is very safe for tourists," chirps the magazine copy, shared by Twitter user @joe_black317 this week. But for "good measure" you might want to take a few minor precautions, such as avoiding the color red, refraining from taking selfies with soldiers sans their consent, and for godssakes ditching your dystopian novels on the plane. "Don't carry George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984," the Philippine Airlines magazine warns in tip...

Musli outreach and interfaith homicide. Our SIOA journalist in Thailand writes: “A deputy commander and two other police officers of Krong Penang police station in Yala Province were ambushed and murdered tonight (Thursday July 10, 2014) by Muslim terrorists as they returned from visiting a local mosque during a Ramadan peace initiative by police. The radio reports that the deputy police commander was a Muslim. The other two were probably Muslim judging by their names in Thai. This mosque was not Deputy Police Lt Colonel Adinant Ismaael’s normal mosque. He was there for community outreach. Ramadan is a very dangerous...

From a devilish-looking bat to a frog that sings like a bird, scientists have identified 126 new species in the Greater Mekong area, the WWF said in a new report detailing discoveries in 2011. But threats to the region's biodiversity mean many of the new species are already struggling to survive, the conservation group warned. "The good news is new discoveries. The bad news is that it is getting harder and harder in the world of conservation and environmental sustainability," Nick Cox, manager of WWF-Greater Mekong's Species Programme, said.

While his government’s focus remains squarely on domestic issues, Mr Modi is also charting a rather ambitious foreign policy course. He has already visited Bhutan and his future destinations over the next few months are likely to include Japan, Brazil, Southeast Asia, Australia and Nepal. Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign minister has saluted the new Modi government for injecting “new vitality into an ancient civilisation”.

He was too sick to eat, and Min Min Chan’s chest ached with each breath he sucked. It didn’t matter: The Thai captain warned him to get back on deck and start hauling fish onto the trawler or be tossed overboard. As a 17-year-old slave stuck in the middle of the sea, he knew no one would come looking if he simply vanished. Less than a month earlier, Chan had left Myanmar for neighboring Thailand, looking for work. Instead, he said a broker tricked and sold him onto the fishing boat for $616. He ended up far away in Indonesian...

In 1961, Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, Section 508 of which states that the U.S. must cut aid to countries in which a “duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup” until the resumption of civilian rule. On Thursday, in Thailand, a duly elected head of government was deposed by military coup. Two days after instituting martial law, General Prayuth Chan-ocha declared that the military was taking over the government and suspending the Constitution. That means the U.S. must cut aid to Thailand, right? Not necessarily. In a statement later Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry said:...

The US has suspended $3.5m (£2.1m) in military aid to Thailand and urged the country's army to restore civilian rule "immediately". Washington also urged tourists to cancel trips and halted non-essential visits by US government officials. The move came as former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra spent her first night in military custody.

Thailand's army chief has announced that the military is taking control of the government. The coup came after two days of inconclusive talks between the main political factions. Thailand has been in political turmoil for months. On Tuesday the army imposed martial law. A curfew has been declared, effective across the country from 22:00 to 05:00 local time. Political party leaders, including opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban, were taken away from the talks venue after troops sealed off the area......