With tourists from around the world basking in the sun on its southern beaches, Thailand is calling in a revered Chinese sea goddess to ward off the restive spirits of the thousands who died in last year's tsunami disaster. A statue of Godmother Ruby, known as Mazu in Chinese, will be brought to the Thai island and tourist resort of Phuket from the Chinese coastal province of Fujian next month for ghost-clearing rites, according to Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Thailand is trying attract tourists back to its beaches by calling in a revered Chinese sea goddess to ward off the spirits of thousands who died in last December's tsunami. A statue of Godmother Ruby, known as Mazu in Chinese, will be brought to the Thai island of Phuket from the Chinese coastal province of Fujian next month for ghost-clearing rites, says Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Thailand is trying attract tourists back to its beaches by calling in a revered Chinese sea goddess to ward off the spirits of thousands who died in last December's tsunami. A statue of Godmother Ruby, known as Mazu in Chinese, will be brought to the Thai island of Phuket from the Chinese coastal province of Fujian next month for ghost-clearing rites, says Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Australia - land of sun, sand and. . . a few surfing mice? Australian surfing enthusiast Shane Willmott is training three mice by the names of Harry, Chopsticks and Bunsen, to surf small waves on tiny mouse-size surf boards at beaches on Australia's Gold Coast. The mice are put through some tough training in a bathtub first and then have their fur dyed when it is time to hit the beach.

An unusually high concentration of jellyfish has caused a large amount of discomfort along Spain's Mediterranean coast this summer, according to officials. The Red Cross says lifeguards have treated almost 11,000 people for stings on beaches so far this season in the northeastern region of Catalonia alone; twice the number from the same period last year, when the jellyfish count had already begun to rise.