Authorities at a Thai zoo have put a male Panda on a low-carb diet regime to get him to mate. Officials at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand say that Chuang Chuang the Panda is too heavy to have sex and needs to lose weight to persuade his female counterpart to have sex. "Chuang Chuang is gaining weight too fast and we found Lin Hui is no longer comfortable with having sex with him," Kanika Limtrakul, the chief veterinarian at the zoo told the AP, adding that Chuang Chuang weighed 331 pounds while Lin Hui is only 253 pounds.

Villagers in the remote town of Koh Sireh in Thailand believe that a banana tree is capable of predicting the winning numbers in lottery. People from as far as Phattalung, Phang Nga and Krabi, Thailand have been trooping to the village to pay visit and respect to the banana tree. Some were hoping to be given the winning numbers of the lottery, while some are paying respect, claiming that the tree gave them fortune by giving them winning numbers.

A 40-year-old woman from Bangkok, Thailand has authored a comic book on the life of deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra. The deposed leader is depicted as a hero with an unfinished mission to help the poor. Posatorn Butr-anan said the bloodless coup in September which ousted Thaksin, prompted her to write the book.

A boxer took off all his clothes to ensure he would meet the weight-limit for his championship fight. Celestino Caballero, from Panama, removed his underwear and stood stark naked at the weigh-in for his WBA super bantamweight fight.

Thailand's new military government is using a former beauty queen to help soften its image with the people. The junta has cracked down on political freedom, including free speech, and hope Thawinan Khongkran, 1987's Miss Asia, can help restore public opinion in the armed forces.