"In The News Today..."

 
February 14, 2012

A gay Thai couple celebrated their love this Valentine's Day with a two-day kiss. The 50-hour, 25-minute and one-second smooch [kiss] set a new world record.

The two men were taking part in the annual Ripley's Believe It or Not longest kissing competition in the resort town of Pattaya, Thailand. The seven competing couples started kissing Sunday and had to keep their lips locked at all times, including to eat and drink and to go to the bathroom.

Thirty-one-year-old Nontawat Jaroegenasornsin and 28-year-old Thanakorn Sittiamthong won $6,500 worth of diamond rings, cash and a voucher for a five-star hotel in Thailand for their first place kiss.

"We are happy about the result. We won because we supported each other. Last year we only lasted 22 hours. So we decided to come to this competition to compete again," said Jaroegenasornsin.

Last year's winner Lakkana Tiranarat and her husband lasted 46 hours, 24 minutes and nine seconds. Tiranarat says they bowed out of the competition this year in the name of love.

"We decided to stop it because we want to keep our love," said Tiranarat.

A one-minute kissing competition earned participants a free Valentine's Day dinner in Shanghai. And in Taiwan, 101 individuals proclaimed their love by paying thousands of dollars to have a message displayed on the side of Taipei's tallest building.

In the "City of Love," Paris, couples attached personalized padlocks to a fence along the Pont des Arts Bridge over the River Seine. The tradition is to then dump the key in the river.

In Britain, the popular Duchess of Cambridge received a special Valentine's day gift, but not from her husband Prince William. The duchess's 8-year-old admirer gave her cake and flowers during an official engagement in Liverpool.

The young royal couple will be spending their first Valentine's Day as man and wife apart. Prince William is on a six-week search and rescue mission in the Falklands Islands.

This Valentine's Day should be a happy one for about two-thirds of couples worldwide. A new Ipsos/Reuters poll has found that 63 percent of people in marriages or domestic partnerships say their partners bring them the greatest happiness in life.

Valentine's Day is a centuries old tradition that couples use to celebrate their love. It is unclear where exactly the holiday got its start, but there are several myths surrounding three separate Saint Valentines. The unofficial holiday is typically celebrated with the exchange of chocolates, flowers and other gifts.

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