neighboring states. But Russia had blocked its adoption and proposed a weaker text that takes other reference to violation of the international law.

On the eve of a major opposition rally, King of Abdullah of Jordan has

dissolved

parliament and called early elections. Friday's protests have been called by the main opposition party, the Islamic Action Front. Sebastian Usher reports.

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to rally in the capital Amman urging faster reform. A counter-demonstration by supporters of King Abdullah has been cancelled for fear it would provoke clashes. The King has

prided himself on

the fact which Jordan had avoided the unrest

unleashed

elsewhere in the Middle East by the Arab s spring, but economic problems are fueling calls for change. The king has dissolved the parliaments and sacked prime ministers before to show he's responsive to public dissatisfaction, but it was exactly the

wielding

of that kind of power for the opposition beliefs should be reformed.

Efforts to form a new government in Libya has suffered a setback with proposed list of ministers failing to get parliamentary approval. The Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abu Shagur has been reported saying he's withdrawn the plans but some deputies said they had rejected the cabinet line-up.

The World't biggest online social networking site Facebook says it now has more than one billion active users. Its chief executives Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement by updating his online status. He also said around 600 million people access the service through mobile phones. Analysts say sustained growth in emerging markets is crucial if Facebook is to maintain its value.