Sarah Palin spent $290,000 on clothes and grooming

It emerged that $42,000 was paid to a hair stylist for the Alaska governor, as well as $68,400 to Amy Strozzi, a make-up artist nominated for an Emmy for her work on the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance?"

Officials at the Republican National Committee admitted earlier this week that $30,000 (£18,000) in "campaign accessories" would be reported soon, in addition to the $150,000 (£92,000) spent at designer shops on clothes for Mrs Palin and her family during the campaign that was already known about and damaged the 44-year-old mother of five's homely image. via The Telegraph

Well, well... US$290,000 is peanuts based on some Singaporeans' standards :P

via Daryl Cagle

via Daryl Cagle

Thai Government Dissolved

Thailand's constitutional court has found the ruling People Power Party guilty of voting fraud and dissolved the ruling political party together with its 2 coalition parties. The court has also banned PM Somchai from politics for 5 years.

Update: Anti-government protesters who had accused PM Somchai of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, the previously ousted Prime Minister Thaksin, were exuberant when they heard the verdict of Thailand's constitutional court. PM Somchai has also accepted the ruling and is ready to step down. However the airport crisis may still continue. The head of Thailand's airports says that Suvarnabhumi international airport will remain closed to passenger flights until at least Dec. 15 due to the disruption caused by anti-government protesters.

Further Update: Seems like the airport will resume operation on the 4th.

Asia in the news

Asia has been making headlines this week with Thailand's airport closure leading to a few thousand passengers stranded in Thailand and Mumbai's terrorist attacks. For those who are still blissfully unaware of the dramatic events, here's a quick sum-up...

On Tuesday night (25 November), anti-government protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) besieged Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport in their bid to force the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Somchai. The protesters shut down Bangkok's 2nd airport on Thursday in an attempt to stop officials from flying to meet Prime Minister Somchai. PM Somchai has declared a state of emergency at the 2 beseiged airports and rejected calls for him to step down, saying that his government was legitmately and democratically elected by the people.

In Mumbai, gunmen launched coordinated attacks on multiple targets on Wednesday. Hostages were taken in the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi-Trident Hotel, and the Nariman House. A Singaporean woman was amongst the hostages held at the Oberoi Hotel. In the on-going crisis, more than 100 people were killed and about 300 injured.