Thai parliament to dissolve in Sept.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says the lower house of parliament will be dissolved in September, in an apparent move to end a crippling political crisis.

Vejjajiva announced the time-frame on Thursday after the opposition Red Shirts accepted his reconciliation plan which includes holding early elections on November 14.

Earlier in the day, the ruling Democrat Party held talks in parliament to refine the reconciliation process with the anti-government protesters.

The timing of parliament's dissolution has been a key issue, as the protesters rejected Abhisit's earlier offer to dissolve parliament by the end of the year.

Anti-government protesters have been calling for Abhisit's resignation and snap elections for weeks.

Earlier on Monday, Abhisit announced his five-point roadmap reconciliation plan, including the offer for fresh elections in November, on the condition that all parties accept it and drop their demand for immediate polls.

He also called for immediate freeze of street protests in the Thai capital, Bangkok, as weeks of chaos have badly affected the nation's economy.

Protesters finally signed up to Abhisit's roadmap reconciliation plan to end the political impasse.

However, they demand more details and specific dates of the plans before leaving their protest camp in central Bangkok.

The political standoff has been marred by outbreaks of violence that left 27 dead and more than 1,000 injured last month.

Thousands of troops and riot police have been deployed in Bangkok to enforce a state of emergency since April 7.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125617§ionid=351020406.

Palestinians told to quit Israeli jobs

The Palestinian Authority has set a 2011 deadline for tens of thousands of Palestinians to quit working at construction sites in Israeli settlements.

"There are currently 25,000 Palestinians who make their living by working in Israeli settlements," the Palestinian Authority's Minister of National Economy Hasan Abu Libda told Ma'an news agency on Thursday.

Libda said while Palestinian law prohibited its people from working at Israeli settlements, a large number of people had left their jobs to work at the illegal construction sites.

"They should stop as they are not any different from 200,000 other unemployed workers," the Palestinian official stressed, urging laborers to find another solution for the issue.

According to the official, the Palestinian Authority is planning to stop all economic relations with those residing in settlements in seven months as part of the efforts to create job opportunities for the unemployed and protect national interests.

"So long as Israel continues to discourage the Palestinian national economy, the only alternative is to get the citizens to consume national products."

Libda said the Palestinian Authority should raise the level of consuming national products -- currently standing at 18 percent -- to 40 percent in order to be able to create 50,000 to 60,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmad Majdalani asserted that Palestinian law did not prohibit people from working in settlements, explaining further that only the import of settlement products were banned.

He, however, urged workers to stop such activities on their own free will out of moral and political considerations.

Israeli settlement expansions on Palestinian lands in the West Bank -- particularly in annexed east al-Quds (Jerusalem) -- has been one of the key issues hindering the Middle East peace process.

Palestinians argue that the ongoing construction activities eat up the land on which their future Palestinian state is to be built and thus render the concept of a two-state solution meaningless.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125613§ionid=351020202.

Tehran Int'l Book Fair opened

Iran has launched the 23rd Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) with more than 2000 publishers from 80 countries in the world participating in the event.

The annual cultural event -- believed to be the most prominent publishing event in Asia and the Middle East -- was inaugurated in the presence of the country's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi on Tuesday and opened to public on Wednesday.

The exhibitors have put on show an estimated 200,000 books of which 170,000 are foreign titles.

Some 2,000 publishers -- more than 1,100 local and 980 international -- have participated in the 2010 TIBF, where foreign e-books and e-journals are also put up for sale.

Publishing companies from China, Spain, France, Greece, the US, South Korea, Malaysia, Iraq, Russia and other countries are offering their publications during the ten-day exhibition held at the Iranian capital's Mosalla.

The fair also features special sections, including the House of Literati that honors prominent Iranian cultural figures from a variety of disciplines.

The international event opens a great window of opportunity for the country's publication sector and book dealers.

The public may find further information about the event on the fair's official website at: www.tibf.ir.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125614§ionid=3510212.

Ronaldo keeps Real Madrid in title hunt

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick has helped Real Madrid win a 4-1 victory over European hopefuls Real Mallorca to keep the Spanish giants' title hopes alive.

Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player, netted his first goal, canceling out Aritz Aduriz's 16th-minute header 10 minutes later at Ono stadium in Palma de Mallorca on Wednesday night.

The Portuguese forward put his side ahead in the 56th minute of the game and then completed his treble with 18 minutes by slotting a low right-foot shot past Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate.

"I have to thank my team-mates for helping me to settle and score so many goals," said Ronaldo. "There was a bit of pressure with Barcelona winning but we scored three in the second half to win the match.”

"We hope Barcelona drop points at Sevilla and all we can do is beat (Athletic) Bilbao at home. We hope and really want to be champions," he added.

Striker Gonzalo Higuain then made it 4-1 for Real Madrid 10 minutes later with a superb deft chip over the keeper to ensure La Liga title race goes down to the wire.

"He (Ronaldo) is a fundamental figure for Real Madrid. His spirit is contagious for the players," said Real Madrid's Chilean boss Manuel Pellegrini. "At present Real Madrid is the spirit of Ronaldo."

The Portuguese soccer ace was also praised by Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano for his great performance.

"He's extraordinary. He has played his most important game of the season, he rescued us," Valdano told Spanish television after the game.

"(But) it isn't right to talk about dependency on him. In the two months when he wasn't with us the team were capable of making themselves leaders," he concluded.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125596§ionid=3510211.

Israeli police injure 9 Palestinians

Israeli police have attacked the Palestinian residents of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, injuring nine people.

Israeli police forces fired rubber bullets and tea gas canisters at the Palestinians, who were protesting against illegal settlements. One Palestinian was lightly injured after being hit by a military jeep.

The injured were treated at a local clinic, medical sources said, adding that they were treating rubber bullet wounds and respiratory problems resulting from tear gas.

On April 24, clashes erupted between Palestinians and extremist Israelis who had launched a pro-settler rally in the al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan. The on-site medics said at least 30 Palestinians and two doctors were injured by Israeli fire.

The Silwan neighborhood is the site of ongoing demolitions of Palestinian homes and evictions of the families. An EU report issued in December 2009 said that the area has received the least planning permits by Israel's Jerusalem al-Quds Municipality since Israel occupied the neighborhood in 1967.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125594§ionid=351020202.

No Scuds in Lebanon, UNIFIL says

The UNIFIL spokesperson has confirmed that the UN peacekeepers have found no Scud missiles in their area of operation in south Lebanon.

There is no proof that Syria transferred Scud missiles to Hezbollah, Neeraj Singh said.

"We have around 12,000 soldiers and three Lebanese army brigades in a small area. We haven't seen a thing," UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Commander General Alberto Asarta Cuevas stated in remarks published on Wednesday.

Scud missiles are big and they are very difficult to hide, he told the local daily An Nahar in an interview.

Israel and the United States accused Syria of providing long-range Scud missiles to Lebanon's Hezbollah in April, but Damascus dismissed the allegations.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to listen to what Washington says, or else it would have to face "consequences."

Asked about the possibility of a new war, the UNIFIL commander said no one intends to start a war.

In April, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said that he did not believe there would be a war in the region, despite the rising tension.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125592§ionid=351020203.

MPs hail Ahmadinejad's nuclear stance

Iranian MPs have signed a letter praising President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his “strong stance” at the UN conference on nuclear disarmament.

197 members of the Majlis, which is Iran's parliament, including some from the minority faction, presented the letter to the Majlis Presiding Board, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

The lawmakers lauded Ahmadinejad's speech at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, which is currently underway in New York.

On Monday, the delegates of the United States, Britain, and France walked out of the conference venue as Ahmadinejad was delivering his speech.

Ahmadinejad criticized the three Western nuclear powers for failing to fulfill their obligations as NPT signatories.

He stated that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation have not been realized, saying that the US is to blame for the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The Iranian president also said the US should dismantle its nuclear bases around the world as a first step for creating a nuclear weapons-free world.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125586§ionid=351020104.