IN BRIEF : Kohl's big sleep

Thailand's top hotel is arranging a giant-sized bed for the bulky German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, as usual at world summits. A last-minute call from protocol officers to the swanky Oriental Hotel ensured Kohl had plenty of room to stretch out after his summit exertions.

"We have had to extend his bed in length and width after getting confirmation he is exceptionally tall and big," a member of the hotel staff was quoted as saying by a security source. Reuter