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Thailand's lower house approves bill to legalize same-sex marriage

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Thailand's lower house approves bill to legalize same-sex marriage


  • Lawmakers in Thailand’s lower house of Parliament approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday.
  • The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 out of 415 members of the House of Representatives in attendance.
  • The bill now moves to the Senate, where approval is anticipated.

Lawmakers in Thailand’s lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender.

The bill passed its final reading with the approval of 400 of the 415 members of the House of Representatives who were in attendance, with 10 voting against it, two abstaining and three not voting.

The bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code to change the words “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.” It would open up access to full legal, financial and medical rights for LGBTQ+ couples.

THAILAND DELIVERS FIRST BATCH OF HUMANITARIAN AID TO WAR-TORN BURMA

The bill now goes to the Senate, which rarely rejects any legislation that passes the lower house, and then to the king for royal endorsement. This would make Thailand the first country or region in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.

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Lawmakers in Thailand’s lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill on Wednesday that would make the country the first in Southeast Asia to legalize equal rights for marriage partners of any gender. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Danuphorn Punnakanta, a spokesperson of the governing Pheu Thai party and president of a committee overseeing the marriage equality bill, said in Parliament that the amendment is for “everyone in Thailand” regardless of their gender, and would not deprive heterosexual couples of any rights.

“For this law, we would like to return rights to the (LGBTQ+ group). We are not giving them rights. These are the fundamental rights that this group of people … has lost,” he said.

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Lawmakers, however, did not approve inclusion of the word “parent” in addition to “father and mother” in the law, which activists said would limit the rights of some LGBTQ+ couples to form a family and raise children.

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Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but has struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law.

The new government led by Pheu Thai, which took office last year, has made marriage equality one of its main goals.



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Dallas, TX

Cowboys updated 2026 NFL Draft order: Current 1st-round pick after Week 18

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Cowboys updated 2026 NFL Draft order: Current 1st-round pick after Week 18


The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up their 2025 season on Sunday and will now turn all of their attention to offseason work in the name of not finding themselves out of the playoffs this time next year. Obviously that is much easier said than done.

This upcoming offseason is one of the most important and critical in recent Cowboys history as they have multiple first-round draft picks for the first time since 2008. With the Cowboys now officially done for the season, we know where they will be picking come the 2026 NFL Draft.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft order

Here are the first 12 picks of the draft, through the Cowboys selection at number 12 overall, courtesy of Tankathon.

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If all of this sounds familiar it is because it is… the Cowboys held the 12th overall pick last year and used it to select Tyler Booker. They also used it in 2021 to select Micah Parsons, more on him in a moment, although they picked it up after trading back two spots. For what it’s worth the Detroit Lions held the pick in consecutive seasons beginning the year after and landed Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, so hopefully that type of success is what the Cowboys find.

While we know where the Cowboys are picking, it is still unknown exactly where their other first-round pick will land. Dallas holds Green Bay’s selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and the Packers are currently set to visit the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round which means we are all rooting for Chicago to take care of business.

Updated rundown of Cowboys Draft Picks

Keep in mind that Dallas has also already dealt away 2026 draft capital as well.

The Cowboys are projected to receive a couple of compensatory picks as well, potentially in the fifth-round, but those are not fully known at this time.

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Miami, FL

Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport

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Hundreds of Caribbean flights canceled, leaving travelers stranded at Miami International Airport


Travel disruptions continued Sunday at Miami International Airport after hundreds of flights to and from the Caribbean were canceled, leaving passengers stranded, separated from their luggage, and scrambling to salvage vacation plans.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace in and around Venezuela following the reported capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, triggering a ripple effect across Caribbean travel routes.

By Sunday, long lines had formed inside MIA as travelers waited hours to track down luggage that had been sent ahead — even though their flights never took off.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of people, and apparently thousands and thousands of bags,” said Jennifer Heimann, who was traveling from Tampa.

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Heimann and her family were scheduled to sail on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. Their flight to St. Thomas was canceled, but their luggage still made the trip.

“They said, ‘Your bags are in St. Thomas,’ and I said, ‘Wait — our bags are there and we’re not?’” Heimann said. “We can’t even get a flight until Thursday, and they just sent the bags ahead.”

The family is now renting a car to drive back to Tampa and hoping their luggage eventually finds its way home.

Similar frustrations were echoed by other travelers across the terminal.

The Cookson family, traveling from Tyler, Texas, had their flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico canceled just before they were set to board a cruise.

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“They’re shipping our bags out to the Caribbean and not allowing us to retrieve them,” said Pamela Cookson. “We don’t know when we’re going to get our luggage.”

American Airlines says it added six additional flights out of Miami, bringing the total to roughly two dozen extra flights and nearly 5,000 additional seats to help impacted customers. Even so, many passengers told CBS News Miami the earliest rebooking available wasn’t until Thursday.

Susan Daniel, traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas to St. Croix, said the delays forced her family to make last-minute arrangements.

“We had to Uber, leave our bags, get an Airbnb, then come back today, take another Uber, and stand in this long line just to hopefully get our bags and our computers — everything we need,” Daniel said.

Some travelers reported waiting hours in one line, only to be directed into another long wait for their luggage. Others tried to make the best of the situation.

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“Guess we’re vacationing in Miami now for three days or something like that,” said Jake Boylin, who was traveling from St. Louis. “Then going back home and rescheduling the trip.”

The next unanswered question for many travelers: whether they’ll be reimbursed for canceled trips, hotels, and cruises.

Travel experts advise passengers to keep all receipts and documentation in case refunds or reimbursements become available.



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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta weather: Foggy Monday morning, warming trend ahead

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Atlanta weather: Foggy Monday morning, warming trend ahead


Winter’s roller-coaster temperatures are climbing back up the hill this week, with another drop expected next week.

Patchy fog could affect the start of the workweek across parts of north and central Georgia, followed by a rapid warmup that may push temperatures close to record levels before a sharp cooldown by the weekend, according to the FOX 5 Storm Team. 

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How warm will it get this week?

By the numbers:

Monday is expected to look similar to Sunday, with filtered sunshine and mild temperatures. “Tomorrow looks very similar to today’s, mostly sunny, a bit mild,” FOX 5 Storm Team meteorologist Greg Majewski said, with highs generally in the low to mid-60s.

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The warming trend strengthens as the week continues. Overnight lows will rise into the 40s and near 50, followed by daytime highs climbing into the upper 60s and low 70s by midweek. “The trend is going to be going upward here for the week,” Majewski said.

Several days in the 70s are possible, bringing temperatures close to record territory. “We’re hitting the 70s here three days in a row,” he said. “This is going to get awfully close to the record high.”

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Rain chances remain limited early in the week, though Majewski said a weak boundary could bring “a couple of isolated showers” late Tuesday. More meaningful rain is expected later in the week as a stronger system approaches.

By Friday night into Saturday, showers and thunderstorms could move through the area, followed by a dramatic cooldown. “Here comes the rain coming in on Friday, kind of late,” Majewski said, adding that colder air will move in behind the system.

How cold will it get this weekend?

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What’s next:

Temperatures are expected to fall sharply by Sunday. “Boom. 51, 37,” Majewski said. “Much colder Sunday.”

That cold snap could bring another return to winterlike mornings early next week. “That means that Monday morning we’ll probably see the twenties back in here yet again,” he said. “So the roller-coaster ride of our winter continues here across Georgia.”

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The Source: This article contains an original forecast by the FOX 5 Storm Team. The National Weather Service contributed to this report.

WeatherNewsGeorgia



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