GroveHillWanderer

America is benefiting from tariffs right now? That's interesting, since even Donald Trump isn't claiming that. He says there will be some temporary disruption before the benefits are felt. So please give us some examples of the benefits that are currently being experienced by Americans.

The current acting head (a Trump appointee) is apparently saying more or less the same thing. Social Security’s acting chief privately admits DOGE ‘will make mistakes’ while cuts delay processing of claims, report says https://fortune.com/2025/03/08/social-security-cuts-layoffs-doge-delays-processing-retirement-disability-claims/

OK, but the person they first went out in response to, was British. His Thai wife didn't show up till later in the piece. And actually, from the video it seems that they didn't even go outside till he'd left. However after they were outside, he appears to return along with his wife.

We don't know that they didn't do that, but when they saw their neighbours ripping up plants in their garden and went out to see what was going on, they surely never expected the situation to descend into such extreme violence.

It's not just that the other couple brought a court case though. It was the police that came and arrested them, confiscated their passports, fingerprinted them and charged them with multiple offences. As for it being likely the case will be dismissed, the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette reports the couple as having been warned that they will most likely be going to jail.

You can have a land dispute over the land that you currently occupy, whether you own it or not. For instance, let's say you have a lease on a property. If a neighbour then comes and builds on part of the property you are leasing and you dispute their right to do so (which is what appears to have happened here) then you have, de facto, a land dispute.

Not quite - it was a British man with a Thai wife and a British couple that were involved. And if you watch the video, I don't think you can really call both couples "aggressors" - the younger couple was mercilessly pummeling the other with punches, kicks and knees, while the elderly couple were just trying to stave off the attacks they were being subjected to.

Yes, and I posted a link to the video already.

It appears the other couple were a British man with a Thai wife, not two Thais. It's definitely horrendous aggression committed by a younger couple against an elderly couple, though.

Try reading the Sun article. It gives a number of details about what exactly the dispute involved.

Try watching the CCTV footage. I think it's fairly apparent who were the most serious and violent aggressors here. Incidentally, according to an article in the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, the other couple involved were a British man with a Thai wife, not a Thai couple. https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/des-mary-byrne-thailand-attack-31161162

He didn't "get a fat lip" - he was knocked unconscious and then punched in the head 22 times while lying unconscious on the ground.

This is a link to the Sun article about this. It contains more details and has CCTV video of the altercation. Brit couple's legal nightmare https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33737639/brit-couple-retired-thailand-beaten-neighbours-prison

That headline is a tad misleading. Although there was not unanimity on a final communiqué, the EU did agree to continue to provide funding to Ukraine. Here's an extract from an announcement made by the Council of Europe after the meeting. Ukraine https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/06/european-council-ukraine/ Also don't forget that two days earlier, Ursula von der Leyen announced a fund of $840 billion to allow EU members to increase their defence spending. And as she pointed out, that would among other things, mean that: As Trump halts aid to Ukraine, EU unveils $840 billion defense investment "ReArm Europe" plan https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-russia-war-trump-eu-defense-investment-rearm-europe-plan/

It's not the cave where the remains were found. The picture shows the Phraya Nakhon cave. The remains were found in the Din cave, as stated in the article below. Thailand’s oldest human skeleton discovered in Prachuap Khiri Khan https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/news/general/40046675

Generally speaking, a country exists when it is recognised as a country by others. Ukraine is currently recognised by, and has diplomatic relations with 182 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations. For me, that's a big enough consensus to say that Ukraine is indeed, a country. Notable exceptions (that don't recognise Ukraine) are Russia, North Korea and Syria. So if anyone wants to side with them then fine, that's your prerogative. I'll stick with the overwhelming majority of the world's countries that do believe Ukraine is a country.

Elon Musk has said on more than one occasion, that he considers Social Security to be not just a Ponzi scheme, but the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time. Given Musk's commitment to cutting a trillion dollars from US government spending, if I were a US citizen receiving Social Security payments that would not exactly fill me with confidence that he is not going to look at it for potential cuts. Musk Once Again Calls Social Security 'The Biggest Ponzi Scheme Of All Time,' Struggles To Explain To Joe Rogan Why https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-once-again-calls-010040388.html

Not so, at least in terms of Article 5, the mutual defence provision of the treaty. Collective defence and Article 5 https://www.nato.int/cps/bu/natohq/topics_110496.htm In fact, as explained in that link, this wording was drawn up specifically at the request of the US, so as to avoid the situation where the US would be obliged to become involved in an Article 5 operation if they didn't want to be

Not necessarily true. Some rich people are the stingiest so-and-so's you could wish to meet.

Aaaaand relax .... https://twitter.com/x/status/1894139589763186772 Read the full update: https://go.nasa.gov/3I0ZA7K

The trouble with that is that Trump promised to reduce prices "on day one". So people have a right to be disappointed when he doesn't do what he said he would. Trump backtracks on one of his signature day one promises https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/donald-trump-backtracks-on-one-of-his-signature-day-one-promises-heres-what-it-is-as-many-ask-whats-going-on/articleshow/118485039.cms

Just to note that that post of mine was from two years ago. Two years later, still had no repair bills (touch wood) and still entirely happy with my purchase. In fact, if anything the car is running smoother now than it ever did. Several people who've travelled in it over the years have remarked on how the engine seems to sound quieter now than it used to before, which is something I thought I'd noticed too.

Not sure either of you are quite taking on board what is meant by 'generous' in this context. As used here, it carries the secondary meaning of the word, indicated in the dictionary entry below, of: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/generous

I'm looking at Section 42 (27) of the code, which states as follows: "Section 42 - The assessable income of the following categories shall be exempt for the purpose of income tax calculation: [...] (27) Income derived from maintenance and support or gifts from ascendants, descendants or spouse, but only for the portion not exceeding twenty million Baht throughout the tax year." Does this really mean that if my wife gifts me an amount of money that doesn't exceed 20 million Baht, it's exempt from tax, as far as my tax return is concerned? That seems like an incredibly generous exemption, considering the other amounts involved, such as anything over 120,000 being assessable.

Sounds as if the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is not best pleased with Trump and Hegseth's unilateral declarations about Ukraine. A state of emergency would give Scholz the ability to massively increase support to Ukraine. Scholz proposes declaring state of emergency in Germany due to war in Ukraine https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/scholz-proposes-declaring-state-of-emergency-in-germany-due-to-war-in-ukraine/ar-AA1z1Pte Sweden has also countered the US position, stating that there is no reason why Ukraine can't become a NATO member in future. Ukraine's future NATO membership not off the table, Sweden says https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-future-nato-membership-not-off-table-sweden-says-2025-02-13/