Ailing king treated for lung infection

Thailand's royal palace has released a vaguely worded health report on the country's 88-year-old king, the world's longest reigning monarch who has been ailing for years, describing what appears to be a new bout of lung infection and occasional fever with rapid breathing.

The statement issued late on Sunday raised concern about the frail health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has spent most of the past six years living in a Bangkok hospital.

The Royal Household Bureau statement said the king had battled a fever for the past two weeks and that tests found "an infection in the lower part of the lungs" and an infection in his blood as well as inflammation in his right knee joint.