Thailand will hold general election in July

Thailand

has been without a fully functioning government or parliament since December. Election Commission secretary general Puchong Nutrawong said the new voting date had been decided during talks with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Wednesday. 

 Ms Yingluck to resign to make way for an unelected "people's council" to oversee political reforms before elections are held. Ms Yingluck is pushing for new polls as soon as possible to shore up her position in the face of a series of legal challenges that could force her from office.

 She is accused of dereliction of duty linked to a loss-making rice subsidy scheme and the improper transfer of a senior civil servant. she was worried about a looming charter court ruling in the Thawil Pliensri transfer case that could threaten her future as prime minister and that of the entire cabinet. Last month the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the transfer of Mr Thawil as National Security Council secretary-general was unlawful and ordered him to be reinstated. Mr Thawil was removed in September 2011, paving the way for then police chief Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree to replace him and Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong, a relative of Ms Yingluck, to succeed Pol Gen Wichean as police chief.

Speaking to reporters at the Defence Ministry Thursday, Ms Yingluck said she will consult with her lawyers whether she will testify in person to the court on May 6.''I am worried about this issue as the Supreme Administrative Court has already ruled on the case. But I will do my best to clarify the matter,'' Ms Yingluck said, adding that she did not want to speculate on the future. The prime minister also said she hoped the charter court will rule on the case based on the facts and the rule of law.Charter court spokesman Pimon Thampitakpong said that on May 6 the court is expected to either fix the date for the ruling on the case or seek additional documents if evidence is still incomplete.Meanwhile, former Democrat prime minister Chuan Leekpai said the problems plaguing the country now had to do with the government's mishandling of policies and using unlawful approaches in administration.Speaking at the 16th anniversary of the Constitutional Court under the theme of "Political reform under the rule of law,'' he said the southern insurgent violence and judicial killings were cases in point."The rule of law is a part of good governance. Adhering to the law to administer the country will bring peace to the country. However, there will be new problems if the government resorts to unlawful approaches (in dealing with national administration),'' he said, alleging that on many occasions, the rule of law has been violated.The government has not put the right people in the right job, he added.Borwornsak Uwanno, secretary-general of the King Prajadhipok's Institute, said the Constitutional Court should have the authority to decide on its own what section of the charter to alter, if such content warrants amending.He stressed upholding the rule of law was imperative in allowing the country to progress and anyone who undermines the rule of law also destroys democracy.National reform should cast aside populist policies and change them so they are more in tune with state welfare programmes since they use state budget and they incur debt burdens to be passed on to future governments, Mr Borwornsak said.He added the country's current tax structure should also be changed.Since November, Thailand has been shaken by months of political violence that has left 25 people dead and hundreds wounded, including many anti-government protesters, in grenade attacks and shootings. The country has been bitterly divided since a coup in 2006 ousted Ms Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister. He still wields huge influence from his self-exile in Dubai, where he lives to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.

PERFECT STORM CAPTION George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin Are Engaged

George Clooney might be heading down the aisle soon. One of Hollywood’s most sought after leading men stepped out on April 24 with girlfriend Amal Alamuddin, who, according to a source, was sporting a ring on her left ring finger.

Today we declare george clooney husband of amal alamuddin.

Amal Alamuddin, was rocking that diamond on her left hand ring finger as she andGeorge Clooney, 52, stepped out in LA on the night of April 24. Amal’s band now has people asking if these two are engaged?

were first linked romantically in October

Are George Clooney and British lawyer Amal Alamuddin Engaged?The engagement story bubbled up after Clooney and his lawyer girlfriend Amal Alamuddin were spotted Thursday dining at Nobu in Malibu with friends Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber. Not an unusual evening out, except for the fact that, according to People sources, Alamuddin was sporting a big rock on her left-hand ring finger.UPDATE: People Magazine has confirmed that yes George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin are engaged! A source with knowledge of the duo’s relationship confirms George popped the question and told the magazine, “George and Amal are trying to keep things very low-key but they also aren’t really trying to hide this, it doesn’t seem. I think it’s like they want the people they love to know that this is real, that they plan on being together forever.”The power couple were out on a double date at a Malibu hot spot called Nobu with Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber. Both are long time pals of George and if you can remember it was Rande who was at the table with George when he reportedly went off on casino mogul Steve Wynn during a heated argument. 

Forever Tito Vilanova at Barcelona

Your fight is our strength a legend tito vilanova.

Tito Vilanova stood in the middle of the Camp Nou pitch with a microphone in hand. Tradition dictates that the new campaign is welcomed with the Gamper Trophy and the manager always has a message to deliver. This time, in August 2012, it carried a special emotive power. "I'm so happy that you're here with us," Vilanova turned to tell the French defender Eric Abidal. "Your fight is our strength."
Vilanova had an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from a gland in his upper neck in Nov 2011 and Barcelona confirmed Tito Vilanova will require another operation. He replaced Pep Guardiola as manager in June after working alongside him for five years and has guided Barcelona to their most successful start to a league campaign.
Barcelona had announced that Vilanova was suffering from parotid gland cancer for the second time in December 2012. The Spaniard was, however, first diagnosed a year earlier on.

ember 22.

`

Abidal had undergone a liver transplant in April of that year after suffering cancer and

Vilanova

knew something of what the Frenchman was going through: in November 2011 he had been diagnosed with cancer of the parotid gland in the throat while assistant manager to

Pep Guardiola

. The following May it was formally announced that he had fully overcome the illness and he looked forward to a future as the manager of the club. His club. Abidal was still recovering from the operation, his future uncertain.
"If you're strong and you have desire," Vilanova told Abidal in front of the fans, "we will wait for you, as long as it takes."
Abidal was given the medical all-clear and returned to the club's Sant Joan Despí training ground four months later. It was December 2012. The same day, it was announced that Vilanova had suffered a relapse of his cancer. He underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy while still the

Barcelona manager

, eventually being forced to leave the post last summer because of his deteriorating health. On Friday, Tito Vilanova passed away. He was 45.
Flags at the administrative entrance to the Camp Nou flew at half-mast. A little further round, alongside the north end of the stadium, stands La Masía – the small Catalan-style farmhouse built in 1702 where the club's youth team players used to live. It was there that Vilanova watched out of the window as Bernd Schuster trained on the tiny pitch below and there that he met Guardiola. Vilanova had arrived aged 14 and the two men – two boys – were technically gifted midfielders who shared much. Above all, they shared a philosophy.
Vilanova played for Barcelona B but not the first team. Born in the village of Bellcaire d'Empordà with a population of little more than 500, in Catalan agricultural country, Vilanova played at Figueres, Celta de Vigo, Badajoz, Mallorca, Elche and Gramenet. He had left Barcelona in 1990, determined that he would not wait more than two years for an opportunity yet his style was always a Barça style and he returned swiftly. In 2002, he became

coach of Barcelona's

Cadete B, a team of 13-year-olds that included Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fábregas and Lionel Messi.
When Guardiola was made coach of Barcelona's B team in 2007, he immediately called his friend. Vilanova knew Catalan football like few others: he had been sporting director at Figueres and Terrasa and was coaching at Palafrugell. He was an even more determined defender of a particular footballing faith than Guardiola, telling El País: "We're different. Winning alone is not enough: we have an ideal of youth team players and attacking football, as Barcelona's culture demands. We have our faults but being cowards will never be one of them."
Together they won the Third Division league title and then they took over the first team. "Are we ready for this?" Guardiola asked Vilanova. "Well, you are," Villanova replied. They won six out of six trophies, including a unique treble, and oversaw the most successful era in the club's history.
When Guardiola won the coach's Ballon d'Or, he dedicated the award to Vilanova, delivering the most personal part of his speech in Catalan. Vilanova had by then been diagnosed with cancer but he returned to work in 18 days. "My job is my whole life," he would say. And as Guardiola's time came to an end, he had overcome the illness and was given the chance to manage alone.
In a television interview that winter, Vilanova explained how during treatment he had thought of his two children who "still need me around". His son Adrià plays for Barcelona's juvenil youth team. A few days later, on what should have been a happy day, marked by Abidal's return, the news broke. He travelled to New York for treatment, temporarily leaving the post, returning to see Barcelona win the league title with a record 100 points.
As Barcelona's form had dipped and criticism had emerged at the end of that season, when

Vilanova managed

the team from his hospital bed, even conducting some team talks by video from the US, Javier Mascherano noted: "Our manager is not in New York on holiday, you know." Somehow it never quite feels real, so the Argentinian's words hit hard. The scarf Vilanova had taken to wearing round his neck was another reminder. Then, in the summer he was forced to step down as manager on medical advice.
There were occasional updates and he would be seen sometimes watching his son but he had largely withdrawn, determined not to burden others. "It'll be fine," he would say.
On that December day when Barcelona announced Vilanova had suffered a relapse of the cancer to which he lost his life , the sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, was asked if Abidal and Vilanova's illnesses made Barcelona's legend even greater because they had overcame adversity. "No," Zubizarreta replied, "it makes us human."