Bangkok,Thailand

The modern Asian metropolis at its steamy and exciting best.
Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban hierarchy as well as its political, commercial and cultural life since the late 18th century. Distinctly modern and Westernised, Bangkok is still a sleepy Thai village with a louder soundtrack of traffic and nightlife.
Bangkok proper seethes on the east side of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River), drawing rural Thai folk into its cluttered fold daily. The city is reportedly sinking at a rate of 5cm (2in) every year, but there's too much sànùk (a Thai sense of fun) going on for that to get anyone down.
Travel Warning: Political Protests - Terrorist Threat - General Security
Throughout May and June, several large political demonstrations were held outside government offices in Bangkok. These protests, held by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), at times turned violent: travellers should monitor local media and avoid the rallies.
A series of bombings in 2006 targeted tourist areas: travellers should exercise caution in Bangkok, heed any local warnings and monitor the media. Most travellers visiting the city will encounter no trouble, but they should be aware of more serious security concerns elsewhere in -level alert
Alleged assassination plot against Bush leads to arrests in Israel
ReutersPublished: Friday, July 18, 2008
JERUSALEM - Israel accused six Arabs on Friday of trying to set up an al-Qaida cell in Israel and said one of them had proposed attacking helicopters used during a visit by President George W. Bush.
Israel's Shin Bet counter-intelligence agency said one of the suspects had used his mobile phone to film helicopters at a sports stadium in Jerusalem that was used as a landing site for Bush's delegation.
The suspect then posted queries on websites frequented by al-Qaida operatives, asking for guidance on how to shoot down the helicopters, the agency said in a statement.

Six Arab Israelis were arrested Friday for alleged links to al-Qaida and for an alleged plot to attack the helicopter in which U.S. President George W. Bush was riding.
REUTERS/Japan Foreign Ministry/Handout
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Bush visited Israel in January and again in May.
Lawyers for the six suspects could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Shin Bet identified four of the suspects as Palestinian residents of Arab East Jerusalem and two as Israeli Arabs.
The Shin Bet said the men had met several times at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, seeking to organise a local al-Qaida network. The agency said computers seized from several of the suspects contained bomb-making manuals.
Earlier this month, Israel indicted two of its Bedouin Arab citizens for links to al-Qaida and for planning attacks inside the Jewish state.
With files from Avida Landau.