Vice president of the Shura Council of the Egyptian Islamic Group (al-Jamaa al-Islamiya) Osama Hafez said that Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi‘s statements on the role of Islam in politics “aim at pleasing the west at the expense of Islam.”
“Al-Sisi has been waging a war against Islam since the military coup,” Hafez said.
Hafez added that Al-Sisi’s statements on the “war on terrorism” are in line with those by Western leaders “whose real war is against Syria, Egypt and Libya.”
Wedding of the Week for Sedgefield couple Carolyn and Michael Duffy who renew vows on ice at Billingham Forum Ice arena
Peter Reimann
Gallery: Wedding of the Week for Sedgefield couple
Buy these pictures on our photosales website here
To feature your wedding, click on this link and fill in the form and send your pictures
Bride and groom :Carolyn Duffy, 37, and Michael Duffy, 45, both from Sedgefield.
Married at: Vows renewed at Billingham Forum Ice arena “centre ice”.
When? May 10, 2014, at 4.30pm.
Where did you meet? The couple met playing ice hockey 20 years ago.
The wedding ring : Carolyn’s wedding ring was rededicated to her, but Michael had a titanium, square-shaped wedding ring specially made for him.
What did the bride wear? A strapless tea-length dress with a lace jacket in ivory, with a shaped hemline, purchased from Exclusively Yours Bridal Shop in Wingate.
Bridesmaids/flower girls: Carolyn said: “We didn’t really have what you would call bridesmaids but our youngest daughters Ava, six, and our eldest daughter Hannah, 18, were in attendance.”
Ushers/pageboys: Again the couple didn’t have pageboys or ushers. But they did have their youngest son Joshua, eight, and their eldest son, Patrick, 17, at the celebration.
Witnesses: Les and Sarah Pearson.
The reception: After the vow renewal the couple had an ice hockey match - Cleveland Comets v Durham Dragons - and a reception for about 130 friends and family in the function room.
y TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: BJP Karnataka leader and former Union Minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was on Wednesday arrested by the Karnataka Police from a hotel in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra on charges of instigating violence against Muslim community in Bijapur at the time of Narendra Modi’s swearing-in as Prime Minister on May 26. He was described by the police as the prime perpetrator for the violence during a celebratory procession carried out by BJP workers.
Police say they have definite proof, including video footage, that former minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was responsible for Monday’s communal clash in the city.
Basanagouda Patil Yatnal
The circumstances turned into a riot like situation when the BJP party workers and supporters went on a rampage damaging parked vehicles, and push cart stalls, forcing everyone in and around Gandhi Chowk, Shivaji Chowk and Basaveshwar Road to shut down all shops and business establishments.
Karnataka police registered seven FIRs (under IPC sections 353, 336, 147, 295 and 295 A) against the trouble-makers out of which Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was shown as absconding in 3 FIRs. According to the Bijapur’s Superintendent of Police Ram Niwas Sepat the incident left two policemen injured along with many others.
Yatnal was allegedly absconding while the state police had arrested 29 people on Monday in connection with the above FIRs.
Yatnal was arrested on Wednesday from a lodge in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra along with three others — Yallappa Yalagond, Parashuram Kenganal and Umesh Kore.
“We have booked Yatnal under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offense committed in prosecution of common object), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty),” IGP (Northern Range) Bhaskar Rao said, adding, “Yatnal was the architect of violence during the victory rally.”
Yatnal was a minister for state in the AB Vajpayee led NDA government from 2002 to 2004. Later, he joined the JD(S) before returning to the BJP recently.
In a press release, Jamaat-e-Hind has said that anti social people responsible for the communal clash should not be spared. Innocent and poor people have become victims and they should be correctly compensated by the state government.
Stage will be erected near Middlesbrough College, looking out at Temenos, the Riverside Stadium and Middlehaven Dock
Top chart acts will rock around the dock when a major music festival comes to Middlesbrough, it was anounced today.
The open-air event, which will see national chart-topping acts play alongside exciting emerging North-east talent, will take place in Middlesbrough’s flagship regeneration area, Middlehaven, on August 23.
Spearheaded by care specialists Keiro, which has experience of running accessible music festivals, the Middlehaven Music Festival is supported by neuro, stroke and spinal injury rehabilitation centre The Gateway, Middlesbrough College, the Thirteen Group, Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough Football Club.
The first of its kind for Teesside, organisers say the festival is set to create a “fully accessible cultural event aimed at attracting visitors of all ages and abilities from across the region.”
A stage will be erected on a grassy area near Middlesbrough College, looking out at Temenos, the Riverside Stadium and Middlehaven Dock.
Business relationship director at Keiro, Alistair McDonald, said the headline act had been Brit-nominated, while others were also well-known. The full line-up will be anounced on June 6.
He said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be announcing such an exciting event and we can’t wait to share the line-up.
“Our aim is to use the most talented musicians that the country and the region has to offer to bring people to Middlehaven. The event will see the biggest range of current and emerging talent play alongside some of the UK’s most popular chart acts on two stages in what promises to be the music event of the summer.”
The Middlehaven Music Festival will also be host to a vast number of exhibitors along with children’s fairground rides, and is supported by radio station TFM.
Chris Smith, director of business development at Thirteen, said: “It is events like these that bring partners, tenants, students and customers together with the wider community and it’s great to see so many partners working together to make it happen and put Middlehaven even more firmly on the map.
“Middlehaven is fast becoming an integral and dynamic part of Middlesbrough’s town centre which has really started to thrive. The area has attracted millions of pounds worth of funding with more expected over the next few years and the Middlehaven Music Festival has the potential to give a significant boost to help promote what it has on offer for people – a really vibrant place to live, work or study.”
Middlehaven is currently home to world class residential, office, education, leisure and cultural developments including The Riverside Stadium, The Gateway, Anish Kapoor’s public art installation Temenos, the North East’s largest social housing organisation Thirteen Group, Brasserie Hudson Quay and Middlesbrough College.
Mr McDonald added: “The idea of doing something not only to raise awareness for Middlehaven but to encourage organisations and the community to come together to support this thriving area has been a pipedream for some time now so we are delighted to be able to provide such an exciting event for everyone.
“We hope to put on an incredible event for Middlehaven which, with local support, could really put us on the map and grow to be an annual event locally and in the festival calendar.”
Keiro currently holds a Silver accreditation by national charity Attitude is Everything for its annual Chase Park Festival in Gateshead aimed at breaking down cultural barriers often faced with people with disabilities, which has successfully run for the past four years.
Visit http://ift.tt/1wGJUvD or @Middlehavenfest on Twitter.
Boro fans have voted a trip to Rotherham's New York City Stadium the most appealing away day of next season
Gallery: Championship Grounds
Boro fans already have a good idea of which away games they want to attend next season.
We asked readers to tick off the away matches they hope to travel to.
While a trip to Elland Road is always a hot fixture, Leeds United were beaten into second place by newly-promoted Rotherham.
65% of Boro fans in the survey are hoping to go to Rotherham, with 57% hoping to attend Leeds.
It will be Boro's first competitive fixture at the club's New York Stadium and first league fixture in Rotherham since a 4-1 win in the old third division in 1986, although they did seal a League Cup victory there in 1995.
The ground, which is only a year old, has around 2,500 spaces at the 12,000 capacity all-seater stadium allocated to away fans.
At the other end of the scale, Cardiff, Millwall, Watford and Ipswich were amongst the least appealing away days for Boro fans.
The survey also showed that Boro's loyal away fans travel from all over the country.
While the majority of respondents were from Teesside, there were also some from London, Bournemouth, Cardiff and Dover amongst others.
One person from Bilbao in Spain finds fixtures at Blackpool, Derby, Leeds, Millwall, Rotherham, Sheffield Wed and Wigan appealing.
Five people, all from the Teesside area, said they were hoping to attend all 23 away fixtures.
And one respondent who left their name as a certain Robert Mortimer, from Tunbridge Wells, is hoping to attend thirteen away Boro games.
Reports claim that fans can "expect the return of Walter White in some way, shape or form"
Bryan Cranston is set to return as Walter White in a Breaking Bad spin-off, according to reports.
US sources claim that the 58-year-old actor - famed for his award-winning portrayal of the crystal meth producer - will 'definitely' return in now show Better Call Saul, despite his character being seemingly killed off in the show's finale last year
A source told HollywoodLife.com: "With the new show coming and the possibility of flashbacks or flash-forwards, there is going to be something with Walter White.
"They won't do it as a gimmick, it will actually mean something when they do it. Definitely expect the return of Walter White in some way, shape or form in the new show."
However the insider did not confirm whether White would be alive when he returns to screens.
They explained: "I wouldn't be able to answer that, but I know that they have options of bringing him back and that they will do it in an awesome way."
Bryan himself recently hinted at the return of the character when asked about the drugs kingpin's fate.
He told CNN: "You never saw a bag zip up or anything. I don't know. Never say never."
England fan hits the target with his paper plane thrown from the UPPER TIER
Peru's Hansell Riojas had a bit of a nightmare at Wembley last night.
Not only did his side go down 3-0 to a lacklustre England, but he then got hit in the side of the head by a paper plane hurled from the stands.
Everyone watching on television and in the ground saw the bizarre incident as the homemade aircraft soared on to his bonce.
But wait until you see how far away the plane was thrown from.
This amazing video shows how the paper airplane was sent on it's way from all the way up in the upper tier of the national stadium, only to float right down on to the playing surface, and poor unsuspecting Riojas' noggin.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will mobilize more humanitarian organizations to join the humanitarian alliance and also prepare an integrated program of humanitarian intervention to provide emergency assistance to those affected by the crisis in Central Africa.
The humanitarian mission, which implemented the decision of the OIC Executive Committee emergency ministerial meeting held on Feb. 20 at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah, concluded its fact-finding mission to the Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroon on the situation of displaced persons and refugees on Tuesday, where it visited Muslim refugees who are in the northern regions of Cameroon and adjacent to the southern border of the Central African Republic.
The high-level delegation was sent to assess the dangerous situation prevailing on the ground and to show solidarity with the Muslim community who are victims of violence and serious human rights violations. The meeting had also decided to appoint a special envoy to the Central African Republic and the secretary general appointed the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal Cheikh Tidiane Gadio as his special envoy, who in turn made several visits to the Central African Republic and neighboring countries.
The members of the mission visited some refugee camps in northern Cameroon, and discussed with officials the situation in the camps and the urgent needs marked by the lack of food, drinking water, tents and shelters.
Muslim refugees in Cameroon who fled the violence and bloody conflict in the Central African Republic complained of the large number of snakes and mosquitoes, and the diseases killing their children. There are in Cameroon alone, some 150,000 refugees sheltered in a dozen main camps and other camps scattered along the border with the Central African Republic.
The OIC humanitarian alliance has held consultations with officials in the countries concerned with the crisis to discuss ways to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons and affected refugees. The mission also made field trips to the camps for displaced people and refugees in the concerned countries during its week-long mission.
The OIC high-level ministerial delegation went to the Central African Republic which is an observer member of the OIC, at the end of April in a solidarity and assessment visit.
Ian Fawcett was wanted by officers in connection with a disturbance at address on Roworth Road, where a man received multiple stab wounds
A man wanted in connection with a stabbing in Middlesbrough has been arrested.
Ian Fawcett was wanted by officers in connection with a disturbance at around 6pm yesterday at an address on Roworth Road in Middlesbrough.
A 20-year-old man received multiple stab wounds during the disturbance, a man received serious injuries to his ear and a woman was threatened.
The 20-year-old man and the man with injuries to his ear were taken to hospital.
Police launched a search for 27-year-old Ian Fawcett with officers saying they wanted to speak to him in connection with the incident.
Cleveland Police has confirmed that he has now been arrested on suspicion of assault and is in police custody.
Irishman will join Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole on this year's judging panel
Louis Walsh has finally signed on the dotted line for the new series of The X Factor.
The 61-year-old music manager had previously said he was keen to join Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole on the judging panel for the 11th series of the ITV talent show, but was still in negotiations about his contract.
Walsh has now confirmed on the Colm Hayes show on 2FM that he has done the deal.
He revealed: “I knew I was doing the show but I just signed the deal and I’m very happy with it. At my age you have to keep working!”
It had been rumoured that Cole - who is returning to the show after three years - was not happy about working with Walsh.
Cowell had said: “I would love Louis to come back and do the show, it wouldn’t be the same without him.
“Other people have different views, so we have to agree on it.”
The fourth judge is still to be announced, although Spice Girl Mel B - who has previously made guest appearances on the panel - is said to be the frontrunner.
Walsh said: “It has to be someone I like. I’d love it to be Sharon Osbourne, but I don’t think it’s going to be her. There are all sorts of rumours going around.
“I think it could be Mel B from the Spice Girls. I love her and she’s quite mad. She also did both the American version and the Australian versions of X Factor.”
Walsh admitted fatherhood had “mellowed” Cowell, but insisted he will not be vying to take his title as TV’s Mr Nasty.
He said: “I definitely don’t want to be the hard guy. I’m going to try to be the sunny guy and put all the Irish acts through.”
Neighbours smashed windows to help ventilate the flat.
Neighbours have been praised after they helped rescue two pensioners trapped in a flat fire in Stockton.
The fire that took hold in the kitchen of a ground floor flat at Cowper Road in Tilery, Stockton, caused smoke to billow out of windows which caught the attention of neighbours Anthony Hudson, 26, Stephen Donachie, 21, Mark Taylor, 25, and Nathan Rogan, 22.
The neighbours called the emergency services and ran over to the flat to assist.
Finding two pensioners trapped inside and unable to break the door down the neighbours broke the kitchen windows to allow some of the smoke to escape.
When firefighters arrived they were able to rescue the two people from the inside the flat as well as a dog.
The flat’s occupants were given first aid by paramedics and were then taken to hospital as a precaution.
Cleveland Fire Brigade was called to the scene at 1.26pm and three crews from Middlesbrough and Thornaby attended.
Fire crew manager Brad Shaw said: “When we got to the incident there were three lads who had managed to put the windows through to vent the smoke.
“They did a good job, they knew that someone was inside, and it could have been a lot worse if they hadn’t.
“We broke in through the back door. There were two people trapped inside - one was laid on the floor next to the bed, there was also a dog inside which we also saved.”
Anthony Hudson, of nearby Stewart Road, Stockton, was one of the neighbours involved in the rescue.
He said: “We were just sat over the road. My brother, Stephen, was on his dinner break.
“We saw a lot of smoke at first. My mam rang the fire and they turned up about five or 10 minutes later.
“The kitchen was proper up and we could see this pensioner trying to get the door open. We shouted to him to go into the bedroom and we put the kitchen windows through to let the smoke out.”
Another neighbour, Mark Taylor, 25, said: “It was an old couple inside, the door handles wouldn’t move, they must have been locked so we tried to kick the door open but we were just bouncing off it.
“In the end we had to smash the windows to let the smoke out.”
Fire crew manager Brad Shaw said: “The fire was mainly contained to the pan and the worktop.
“There is quite a lot of fire damage to the kitchen and 100% smoke damage to the kitchen, but it’s not as bad as it could have been.
“It looks like it’s been a chip pan fire.
“This once again highlights the dangers of chip pans.”
1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist John Pearce is among the many insiders who believe Froch will be too strong for the Londoner
Middlesbrough amateur boxing icon John Pearce is tipping his old foe Carl Froch to stop George Groves again when they meet in an eagerly awaited rematch at Wembley tonight.
Froch will be defending the IBF and WBA super-middleweight titles he controversially retained by ninth round stoppage against Groves in November in front of a record 80,000 crowd.
And 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Pearce is among the many insiders who believe Froch will be too strong for the Londoner once again.
The 43-year-old from Acklam is more qualified than most when it comes to making a prediction.
He boxed Froch in the ABA quarter-finals in 1999, losing a majority decision which prevented him from going for a third ABA middleweight crown in a fight which Froch has said on more than one occasion was the hardest of his career.
“I think it will be a different Carl Froch tonight,” Pearce said.
“I think Groves will go for the same speed and power shots in the first six rounds, and he could force a stoppage if he catches him with enough time left in a round. But I think Froch has got too good a chin to be stopped by him.
“I think Groves has got the blueprint to beat Froch, but I don’t think he can do the 12 rounds like he can.
“I think the power shots will catch up with him late on and Froch will stop him.
“Whatever happens, it’s going to be exciting, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Pearce still has vivid memories of his ABA clash with Froch in Nottingham 15 years ago, especially as his efforts were hampered by a snapped ligament in his power left hand.
“My left hand was damaged from when I fought Stephen Swales at Redcar,” he recalled.
“It meant I was unable to make a fist and although we froze the bandage with a spray, we boxed later than scheduled and it had worn off by the time we got in there.
“His first punch was a right hand which I blocked, and I felt a crunch straight away.
“I kept on top of him after that and he was on the move trying to keep it long.
“I thought I lost, but a lot of people thought I won.
“It was a bit gutting, because Peter Richardson won two ABA titles and Commonwealth gold, and it would have put me one up.
“But all credit to Carl Froch. It’s a nice compliment that he says I gave him his hardest fight, and I give him all praise for what he has gone on to achieve.”
Father-of-two Pearce walked away from boxing at 30 to spend more time with his family.
His biggest fight has been outside the ring after being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2010, but it is one the window company boss is facing with dignity and determination.
“When I boxed, I couldn’t accept being pushed back, and I can’t accept that I will die from cancer,” he said.
“It will never go away, because it’s in my lymphatic system, but I’m not ready to go, and I’m not ready to not look after my wife and kids. I still train hammer and tong - and I will be out watching the boxing tonight.”
Kat Copeland overcame pre-race nerves to make a successful return to competition at the European Championships in Belgrade
Teesside's Olympic gold medallist Kat Copeland overcame pre-race nerves to make a successful return to competition at the European Championships in Belgrade.
Copeland skipped the 2013 season but is back in a boat this year, competing alongside Imogen Walsh in the lightweight women’s double sculls for the first time, and they fended off a challenge from Holland to win their opening heat - their first race as a partnership.
Speaking ahead of today’s semi-finals, Copeland, 23, said: “I am glad to get it over with really to be honest.
“I was a bit nervous.”
Copeland won a shock gold with Sophie Hosking at the London Olympics before taking a break from the sport but is one of Britain’s main medal hopes in Serbia as she begins preparations for the next Olympics in Rio.
Britain’s team in Belgrade features 50 rowers across 17 boat classes in the three-day regatta.
Walsh added: “It was a bit of a step into the unknown as it’s our first race of the season and our first race together.”
The men’s four of Andrew Triggs Hodge, Moe Sbihi, George Nash and Alex Gregory set a European best time of six minutes and 49.08 seconds in winning their heat.
“It felt good, it felt that like we were all flowing well together”, said Nash whose crew also now race in the semi-finals today.
Eight from 16 GB Rowing Team crews in total won their heats in yesterday morning’s session, three moving directly to finals - the women’s pair, eight and lightweight men’s four - and the others progressing to semis.
The women’s double and women’s quadruple scull crews are also through tomorrow’s finals courtesy of second places yesterday.
The British men’s pair were third in a tough heat but still move into the semis because of entry numbers.
Adam Trelor from Skelton sat in wind and rain on Scaling Dam to catch a stunning 7lb 5oz brown
Patience paid off for young angler Adam Trelor from Skelton, who caught a stunning 7lb 5oz brown at SCALING DAM.
He sat in wind and rain on the dam, and after being snapped by a large fish, he hooked and landed the big brown - the largest so far this season. It fell to feeder fished maggot.
In better conditions the rod average reached five, with the dam and the south shore the key areas.
Fishing at the west end of the dam, father and son team Jack and Josh Taylor from Middlesbrough each caught a brown on ledgered worm.
More browns will be stocked over the coming weeks, while 200 rainbows, with some from 5lb to 7lb have just been released into the reservoir.
Over the week 66 anglers caught 173 trout, with the top baits being: maggot, orange and chartreuse PowerBait and worm.
Fly anglers caught on Bibio, Black Pennell, Black Hawthorn and Black Gnat.
AT LOCKWOOD BECK, Dave Walker caught five trout in an hour from the jetty, when his Cut Throat Cat fished under an indicator, proved irresistible to the trout.
On the mooside the fish have come close in to take dries, with anglers often fishing no more than five to 10 yards out.
Colin Brown fished small Black Hoppers and took seven fish in a lively morning.
Bernard Fitzhugh caught nine on black dries, fished along the moor side.
Most of his fish were caught no more than three or four yards from the bank. Tony Shaw caught seven to 5lb wading at the culvert.
Darren Parry caught a 5lb 8oz rainbow from the moorside, while Jason Nunn caught seven to 3lb on small spider patterns.
A further 200 trout from 1lb 12oz to 6lb have been stocked.
Junior anglers Ben Morris and Robbie Dodds, who practice their boat fishing techniques at Lockwood, have been selected for the England team.
They are part of the England (Northern) Talent Pathway squad, which includes Lockwood season ticket holder Chris Traves.
PETER Johnson wasted no time in getting into rod bending action at WEST HOUSE.
On his first cast the Stockton angler’s Cat’s Whisker was taken by a 15lb rainbow.
In a lively week several anglers have caught more than 10 fish in a session.
The top patterns are: Buzzers, Hare’s Ear, Shipmans, Black Foam Beetles.
BAD weather restricted angler numbers at WITTON CASTLE, where 53 anglers caught a total of 225 fish. Anglers caught up to 14 fish each.
From June 7 Witton starts a trial period of late opening. Over the month the lakes will be open until 10pm on Saturday evenings. A four-hour ticket will be available for the evening sessions.
If the trial period proves successful more dates will be added for anglers wishing to fish later into the evening. For further details ring the lodge on 01388 488691.
OTHER RETURNS:
DERWENT: 231 anglers caught 930 trout to 12lb. Bait: Chartreuse and Orange PowerBait Eggs and worms with Magic Dust in a feeder. Patterns: Orange Fritz, Dawson’s Olive, Black Fritz, Black Hopper, Daddies, brown or black nymphs. 900 stocked.
GRASSHOLME: 136 anglers caught 405 trout to 4lb. Bait: Blue PowerBait Paste, Red PowerBait Eggs, Magic Dust, green worms. Patterns: Hot Tail Dawson’s Olive, Bibio, Mayfly, Black Gnat. 500 stocked.
HURY: 62 anglers caught 182 trout to 3lb 8oz. Patterns: Cat’s Whisker, Black Hopper, Orange Blob, Mayfly, Daddy. 200 stocked.
FONTBURN: 145 anglers caught 547 trout to 4lb. Bait: Orange PowerBait Eggs, Red Gulp. Patterns: Cat’s Whisker, Dawson’s Olive, Hawthorns and Daddies. 850 stocked.
KIELDER: 97 anglers caught 301 trout to 5lb 1oz. Bait: Orange PowerBait, worm. Patterns: Orange Blob, Dawson’s Olive, Cat’s Whisker. 450 stocked.
Havelock says: "I've been looking to strengthen the team. In fact I'm still looking - I’m scouring the world looking to see who’s available"
Redcar Bears promoter Brian Havelock has confirmed he is looking to strengthen his side.
The publication of the new averages has seen Jan Graversen move into the main body of the team, leaving rookie pair Luke Crang and Rafal Konopka at reserve.
Konopka fell in every one of his four rides at home to Ipswich last week and alarm bells are beginning to ring.
“Rafal knows he’s on a sticky wicket,” said Havelock.
“I’ve got six points to play with and I’ve been looking to strengthen the team. In fact I’m still looking - I’m scouring the world looking to see who’s available.”
Havelock was refused permission to bring back Richard Hall while Maks Gregoric declined an opportunity to return and Tero Aarnio was ruled out by his commitments in Sweden.
Max Dilger could yet return although the Ecco Finishing Bears would have scope to bring in a rider with a higher average.
One rider likely to keep his place, however, is Crang.
“Luke rode his socks off at Ipswich last week,” said Havelock, “and he looked like he was coming out of a bad spell.”
The Bears’ scheduled Premier League match with Berwick was postponed on Thursday after heavy rain left the track unrideable but they are back in action tonight when they visit a Workington side still reeling from a home defeat by Berwick last Saturday.
The Comets give a debut to Simon Lambert who has been brought in to replace Chris Mills.
COMETS: Rene Bach, Mason Campton, Josh Grajczonek, Kyle Howarth, Simon Lambert, Ashley Morris, Ricky Wells.
BEARS: Luke Crang, Jan Graversen, Rafal Konopka, Richard Lawson, Hugh Skidmore, Aaron Summers, Carl Wilkinson.
THE Bears’ charity race night has been rescheduled for June 10 although their rained off clash with Berwick definitely won’t be restaged next Thursday.
Josh Newton put together a cracking carp weight at Brafferton Fishery to win a charity match in memory of Ernie Farrow
Yarm's Josh Newton put together a cracking carp weight at Brafferton Fishery to win a charity match in memory of popular Thornaby angler Ernie Farrow.
Newton, 22, drew in-form peg two behind the first island.
He caught 28 F1 carp in the first three hours on pole and pellet fished shallow down the middle.
He then tempted three larger carp on meat fished in the near margin, and a 2lb chub and smaller fish taken from tight up against the island at 14 metres.
Runner-up with 49lb 6oz was Thornaby’s in-form Anth Smith, whose fished catfood down the middle and near margin to catch six large carp for a top three for the sixth consecutive match.
Billingham Tackle Box owner Neil Grange came third from unfancied peg 57 by alternated pole across and in the margins, with method feeder and pellet waggler.
He caught over 30lb of carp, barbel and chub.
The following day Newton paired up with Darlington’s Andy Dargue to win a large entry pairs competition with a big weight on Woodlands. Newton clinched fourth individual place.
Newton, whose father Richie and grandad Tony are also match anglers, has won many competitions with big weights, including 180lb at Manor Farm.
He is also a fine river angler with several wins on the Tees, and could well be a star of the future possibly with England.
The third match of Middlesbrough AC’s series at Hutton Rudby far pond was dour after an influx of cold rainwater.
Yarm veteran Mike Broadley won by fishing pole from peg 11 behind the island.
Fishing a light float tight to the island at 14 metres, he coaxed 17 small ide, two small mirror carp and a perch on alternated caster, worm, and sweetcorn for 12lb 14oz.
Middlesbrough’s Dave Alderson caught 7lb 12oz from peg two, the best weight from the front of the island.
From peg 14, Middlesbrough’s Derek Reaney alternated between the near side and island to catch mainly small crucian and mirrors to weigh in 7lb 6oz for third position.
Thornaby’s Anth Smith came fourth from peg 10 with 5lb 12oz consisting of skimmers, carp, ide and rudd to a variety of small baits on pole at 12 meters.
Middlesbrough AC club members wishing to fish these Monday matches are reminded that entry is taken by phone to Anglers Choice on 01642 899288 after 9am on the Tuesday preceding each match.
Darren Dalton took advantage of the low tide to target the slate beds at Hummersea and was rewarded with seven codling
Darren Dalton took advantage of the low tide to target the slate beds at Hummersea and was rewarded with seven codling.
With the low tide receding further than usual the slate, and the kelp gulleys at Port Mulgrave were within reach.
Dalton won with 17lb 13oz, while Alec Gate caught the biggest fish of the match, a 2lb 14.5oz codling, for third place.
Colin Sharp caught 11 flounder for 6lb 11.5oz to finish runner-up. He fished the channel edge of Whitby Harbour.
But the quickly retreating tide caught a few anglers out, leaving very little water in front of them to fish into.
Of the 18 members who fished, 11 weighed in a total of eight codling, 19 flounders, four rockling and an eel pout.
Tomorrow’s match is one of the club’s ‘away’ fixtures and is a fixed match on the River Wear at the Claxhaugh Walkway. Reports from the venue suggest some that large flounder should be caught possibly bettering the current season’s best of 1lb 6oz.
Booking in is 3.15-3.30pm, with fishing from 4-80pm. The weigh-in will take place on the river edge so all fish can be returned alive.
The Silloth Open Championship is also tomorrow. A number of Teesside matchmen will be travelling to Cumbria for the measure and release match, which is often won by North-east anglers.
The target species will be big flounder, plaice and sand dabs, along with silver eels and bass.
Lee Jones, 35, followed the woman to a block of flats for the elderly and stole handbag from the handlebars of her wheelchair
A callous burglar who followed home a frail pensioner before stealing her handbag was jailed for four and a half years yesterday.
Lee Jones, 35, followed the 81-year-old woman, who was pushing her wheelchair, to a block of flats for the elderly in Middlesbrough on March 4 before sliding into the building behind her through the security lock doors.
Footage taken from the building’s CCTV system for the court showed him pulling up his hoodie to hide his face as he watched her go upstairs in the lift before opening her door and stealing her handbag from the handlebars of the wheelchair.
Prosecutor David Crook told Teesside Crown Court that the victim was left upset and shaken by the crime committed in a building where she expected to be safe and secure.
Jones got away with £50 in notes and £2 in change and a bank card. He left his DNA on some pop socks which he discarded after rummaging through the bag.
Jones had 12 convictions for dwelling house burglaries and he had received long jail sentences in the past. In 2006, he was jailed for 43 months.
Jennifer Coxon, defending, said he had been walking past the building on his way home when he saw the opportunity to go inside to steal property.
She added: “He is disgusted now at his behaviour. He accepts that he will be receiving a lengthy custodial sentence. He appreciates how much he will have upset that old lady and he would wish to apologise to her and to explain that it was not her lack of mobility which drew his attention to her.
Judge Peter Bowers told Jones who had been remanded in custody for sentence: “I think you can only describe this offence as mean and despicable.
“You shadowed this elderly lady, and quite obviously from her condition it was likely that that this building was occupied by other people of similar age and disability.
“When you went into the flat you must have realised that you were stealing from someone who was infirm and old, and it is quite clear from her Victim Impact Statement that this has had a big impact on her life.”
Jones, of Bradhope Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for four and a half years after he pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary, of the building and the flat.
Ben Gibson was in Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up for the final group game against Colombia
Ben Gibson has helped England earn a place in tomorrow’s third-place play-off match in the prestigious Under-20 Toulon Tournament.
The Boro centre-back was in Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up for yesterday’s final group game against Colombia in the Stade Leo Lagrange, France.
Fulham’s Cauley Woodrow gave England a 27th minute lead before Joao Rodriguez hit a 68th minute equaliser.
The draw was enough to secure second place in Group B behind Brazil and England will play Portugal in a third/fourth place decider in Avignon tomorrow (4pm).
Meanwhile, former Boro midfielder Kevin Thomson has joined newly-promoted Scottish Premiership club Dundee.
The 29-year-old, who was released by relegated Hibernian on Monday, said: “I’m delighted to sign for Dundee and I got a great and positive vibe when I spoke to the manager Paul Hartley.
“This is a new challenge which I am looking forward to and for my future to be sorted out so quickly after the events of last weekend is a great pick me up.
“I am really excited to be here.”
The language used by politicians and the media colours and determines the way that we see things; it forms opinions. Thus, Western governments have refrained from calling the military takeover in Egypt a coup, from which we can deduce that “interests” are taking precedence over justice. Israel’s massive brute of a concrete wall is described routinely as a “barrier” and a “fence”, giving the impression that it is something innocuous, the likes of which we see around our own homes. And the biggest red-herring of them all, “terrorist”, is used to describe anyone opposing Western hegemony which itself employs terror tactics to enforce its “values” around the world.
The late Nelson Mandela was, of course, a “terrorist” in Western eyes until very late in the day; he was only taken off the US “terror watch” list in 2008, sixteen years after the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa. Apartheid is a word that is prominent once again, being applied to Israel’s internal oppressive polices and brutal military occupation of Palestine. Pro-Israel lobbyists protest, of course, but use of the word is gaining ground, especially with veteran anti-apartheid campaigners weighing in on the side of justice for the Palestinians.
In Britain, the appointment of an ex-counterterrorism officer to investigate the so-called “Trojan Horse plot” to take over Birmingham schools is an attempt to use the “anti-extremism” narrative so beloved of politicians these days to take down Muslims who have been too successful in driving up educational standards. Even independent Muslim faith schools have been ensnared by Michael Gove’s ever-widening net as he seeks to settle old scores, using an Office of State to pursue an openly ideological agenda against “Islamism”, “extremism” and, tellingly, anti-Zionism.
Extremism has never been defined, of course, because it is one of those words which are all things to all people; it all depends on your starting point. The coalition government in Britain is usually described as being right of centre by those who claim the centre ground; for those further to the left, David Cameron et al, especially his ideologue soul-mate the Secretary of State for Education, are right-wing, extremely so. “Moderate” Muslims are promoted by the government; they’re safe because “they’re the Muslims you can’t see; they don’t take their religion seriously enough to be seen”, in the words of a veteran non-Muslim, anti-racism campaigner and educationist at a seminar in Oxford earlier this week. If you are a practising Muslim seeking a better education for your children, beware; you are probably on a watch list on a counterterrorism computer somewhere.
A constant refrain in the “war on terror” has been that “they”, whoever “they” happen to be, and they’re usually Muslims these days, “hate our way of life”. There usually follows a list of characteristics and values supposedly unique to the West of which Muslims are envious and seek to destroy. Infamously, this ignores Western foreign policies which have caused death, destruction and chaos across the Muslim world for decades. Nevertheless, in Britain this has not stopped Michael Gove from using the school inspection service, Ofsted, to push, but never define, “British values” to the core of the education system. The irony is that such values, which have to include fairness, justice and respect for others, are being swept aside by a wave of very un-British inspection procedures in the crusade to destroy 30 years’ of hard work by Muslims to get the community involved in the education of their children as teachers, managers and governors. To paraphrase George Orwell, “a fierce opponent of nationalism who nevertheless provided the English with their most convincing account of themselves”, invisible Muslims good, visible Muslims bad.
Muslim schools are being told that they are not preparing pupils for life in 21st century Britain (or should that be England?) while evidence to the contrary – with many ex-pupils holding a broad range of university degrees in an even broader range of careers – is brushed aside. Differences once celebrated as being the essence of a democracy wherein minorities are respected and encouraged to be themselves are now threats to a hegemonic narrative that seeks to impose itself on everyone. The swing to the right in the Euro elections may not be the protest blip that some suppose.
All over the world, and in the Middle East in particular, the West is engaged in an ideological battle using the tactics of the terrorists to fight people who have the same aspirations as the rest of us and would quite like to be allowed to get on with their lives without Western interference. All the while we are fed Orwellian “Newspeak” to convince us that “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” This allows Western “interests” to trump all other concerns. Good is bad; lawful is unlawful; victims are villains.
All of these things are linked by a common political and media narrative which works to convince us that Birmingham Muslims working within the law to improve their children’s life chances are “Islamists”. This places them within the collective public mindset alongside Nigeria’s murderous “Islamist Boko Haram”; the “Islamist Al-Shabab” in Somalia; and the “Islamist Muslim Brotherhood”, whose “terrorist ideology” is now the focus of a government inquiry in Britain.
“Political language…,” wrote Orwell in Politics and the English Language, “is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” Remember this when you read about the “Trojan Horse plot” and Ofsted reports which turn “outstanding” schools into “inadequate” institutions in the space of a few months; they are part of a much bigger scenario. It is the same ideological thread which has prompted US President Barack Obama to create a $5 billion fund for “counterterrorism”; we have to be suspicious. Successive American presidents have thrown legal caution to the wind in order to fight the “war on terror”, to the extent that Obama has assassinated US citizens abroad with no due process; if he can do that to American citizens and still claim that it is lawful, what hope is there for those Yemenis and Pakistanis killed by US drones? Or for Palestinians seeking freedom from occupation and justice? Or, for that matter, Muslims in Britain demonised for being too successful with their children’s education? Orwell’s words take on an eerie prescience. “If you want a picture of the future,” he wrote in his 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, “imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever.” We can’t say that we haven’t been warned.
Source: MEMO
Police are hunting 27-year-old Ian Fawcett who is wantedin connection with a stabbing Roworth Road in Middlesbrough
The hunt is on for a man wanted in connection with a stabbing.
Police are appealing for information to trace 27-year-old Ian Fawcett who is wanted in connection with a disturbance at around 6pm this evening at an address on Roworth Road in Middlesbrough.
A 20-year-old man received multiple stab wounds during the disturbance, a man received serious injuries to his ear and a woman was threatened.
The 20-year-old man and the man with injuries to his ear were taken to hospital.
Ian Fawcett was last seen wearing a grey tracksuit and is around 6ft tall, medium build, with short brown hair.
Police carried out a detailed search of a green outside houses on Roworth Road.
Officers are actively seeking the man with units on the ground.
Members of the public are asked to not to approach him but call Cleveland Police on the emergency number 999.
Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.
One resident said: “We heard there has been a stabbing, three lads scrapping, one of them has had a knife and someone’s been stabbed.”
By 8.40pm only two officers remained at the scene outside a house.
Trend is set to continue over the weekend with most of the UK basking in the heat of up to 21C while showers are expected to hit the west of the country
Britain is on track for the third warmest Spring on record.
But despite balmy temperatures we have also seen more rain and cloudy weather.
And the trend is set to continue over the weekend with most of the UK basking in the heat of up to 21C while showers are expected to hit the west of the country.
It comes at the end of six months of above average temperatures .
“What the figures show is that warm weather doesn’t necessarily mean sunny weather,” Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers said.
“This Spring marks the sixth month in a row temperatures have been above average and if you think back, during the winter we had almost no frost.
“It’s an interesting stat and we haven’t studied how often it occurs in the long term.”
May has seen the hottest day of the year, torrential rain and even reports of a tornado.
It has been duller and wetter than average, with just 76% of the sunshine usually expected. The UK also saw 97.7mm of rainfall, 140% of the long-term average
If this month’s current average temperature persists it will be the third hottest Spring in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Yesterday mean temperatures for the month so far were 9.76C in England, 9.04C in Wales and 9C in Northern Ireland.
And barring a cooler final few days of May north of the border, Scotland could be set for its warmest Spring since records began.
The Met Office said across the UK temperatures from December to April have all been at least one degree Celsius higher than the long-term average.
An average 2014 March-May temperature of 8.97C for the UK is beaten only by the same periods in 2007 and 2011.
Scotland’s current average of 7.63C is narrowly above its record of 7.61C set in 2011.
Today scattered showers are expected in parts of Wales and western England but the rest can expect temperatures of 18C to 21C.
Helen Chivers added: “Saturday for most of us looks like it will be a dry and warm day.
“Then there may be some showers caused by the mountains in Wales.
“There’s always a chance of showers but for most of us we’ll be unlucky if we get one.”
Most central areas will be warm but overcast while coastal areas can expect the sun to break through .
Rain in the west will continue in to Sunday while fine weather is expected in East Anglia and the south east.
Anthony Stallard blamed the Middlesbrough firm for a stroke suffered by his mother when she was preparing his tribunal case
A sacked worker caused thousands of pounds worth of damage in a revenge wrecking spree.
Raging Anthony Stallard, 32, blamed the firm for a stroke suffered by his mother, a trade union officer, when she was preparing his tribunal case for wrongful dismissal.
He told Teesside Crown Court that he was sacked in 2012 by Elliotthire, based in Sotherby Road, Middlesbrough.
Prosecutor Sue Jacobs said that he caused damage totalling between £15,000 and £20,000 after entering nine unlocked Portakabins, smashed mobile toilets, threw paint over one unit, and punctured water pipes and an 800 gallon tank.
Cleveland Police received a call at 12.15AM on April 3 that break-in noises were coming from the yard. They secured the yard and detained Stallard.
His Ford Ka was parked outside and they suspected that he had been drinking, and he was breath-tested at the scene.
Stallard said he had been taking tablets, and he was taken to hospital for a blood test, but he refused to give a sample.
He later told police that he had been on his allotment and he was thinking about his mother. He decided to go to the compound in his car to disrupt the business.
Stallard said that he drank seven or eight cans of lager while sitting outside, and he said that another man went into the compound with him. He denied causing all the damage, saying the friend might have done some of it. He added that he was in a blind rage.
Graham Silvester, defending, said events had been festering for 18 months and that Stallard’s mother then had a stroke in February.
His plan was to park outside and to cause disruption. He accepted that he smashed up water tanks and sanitary ware but he had no idea how much damage he had caused.
Judge Peter Bowers told Stallard that his initial reaction had been to impose an immediate prison sentence.
The judge added: “You are very lucky. We are looking at £15,000 to £20,000 damage. I don’t know if the firm was insured to cover this and it is a huge amount to expect to pay out of business profits.”
Stallard, a father of four, of Shakespeare Avenue, Middlesbrough, was given a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, 200 hours unpaid work, and disqualified from driving for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to damaging property and failing to provide a sample.
Firefighters rescued two people from the flat in Cowper Road and they were given first aid by paramedics
Peter Reimann
Tilery flat fire in Stockton
Two people have been rescued from a flat fire in Stockton.
Emergency services were at the scene in Cowper Road, in Tilery .
Firefighters rescued two people from the flat and they were given first aid by paramedics.
They were then taken to hospital as a precaution.
Cleveland Fire Brigade was called to the scene at 1.26pm and three crews from Middlesbrough and Thornaby.
Boro haven't ruled out making a bid for Danny Graham, who scored 37 goals in 91 league appearances when he was previously at Watford
Watford have emerged as serious contenders to sign Danny Graham.
The Sunderland striker enjoyed a successful two season stint with the Hornets, scoring 37 goals in 91 league appearances before joining Swansea three years ago.
He earned that move on the back of an impressive goal haul of 23 in 2010/11, which made him the season’s top scorer in the Championship.
Boro haven’t ruled out making a bid for the 28-year-old Geordie, who scored six goals in 18 appearances for the club during his loan spell last season.
Danny Graham
His parent club, Sunderland, are believed to be open to offers for a player who has failed to establish himself at the Stadium of Light.
He joined the Black Cats in a £5m move from Swansea on January deadline day 2013, rejecting the chance to join Championship Boro in favour of the Premier League option.
However, he failed to find the net for Sunderland and joined newly-promoted Hull City on loan at the start of last season.
Again, that move didn’t work out and, after scoring just once for Steve Bruce’s side, he made the move to Boro.
Now he’s officially a Sunderland player again, though he’s never played for current boss Gus Poyet.
Graham was signed by Martin O’Neill, who was sacked just two months later with the Wearside club languishing just above the top flight drop zone.
His replacement, Paulo Di Canio gave him a run in the side at the tail end of that season, but allowed the front man to join Hull City at the start of the following season.
Graham certainly enjoyed his time at Watford and was full of praise for the club and their fans after Boro’s 1-0 defeat at Vicarage Road in February.
However, it’s believed his family is settled in the North-east and would prefer to stay in the region.
Sean Foster, 26, feared going to prison after he was caught with drugs in his hostel room while under a suspended sentence
A drug dealer who bribed a young girl to take a drugs rap for him has been jailed for two years.
Sean Foster, 26, from Middlesbrough, feared going to prison after he was caught with drugs in his hostel room while under a suspended sentence.
He got 17-year-old Emma King to walk into a police station and to say they were hers.
Prosecutor Adrian Dent told Teesside Crown Court that she owed £50 for the clubbers’ drug Mkat and had been promised the debt would be wiped off.
Two support workers found a stash of the C Class drug Phenazepan, known as Blues, in Foster’s room at the Stages Hostel on Bridge Street West, Middlesbrough, when they searched it on January 4 after information there may be drugs there.
There were 37 tablets hidden inside a Fisherman’s Friend packet on top of a fridge, and a small set of scales in a cupboard.
Mr Dent said Blues were stronger than the prescription drug Diazepam and the batch had a street value of £32.
Police were called and they seized two mobile phones and another packet of Fisherman’s Friends. They searched his car and recovered a small amount of cannabis from the rear seat. One phone, a Blackberry, had drug purchase messages.
Foster had been given a 12 months jail sentence, suspended for 24 months, at Teesside Crown Court in October 2012 for conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and B-class cannabis when police searched his home in Ormesby on February 24, 2011.
After his latest arrest, Foster said a friend had some Blues and he had given him a Fisherman’s Friend packet to put them into, not knowing they had been left in his room. He said he had not replied to any phone requests for drugs.
Mr Dent said the girl told police three days later that “someone” had told her the drug debt would be wiped off if she made the claim that the Blues were hers.
He added: “The Crown’s view is that it was Foster who put her up to it.”
Brian Russell, defending Foster, said the situation for him was bleak, given all the circumstances.
He added: “He was living alone amongst a lot of other people who were drugs users.
“He panicked and did something stupid, and he is sorry that he got someone else involved.
“He has now got a job and is hopeful of getting an electronic engineering apprenticeship and he has quit drugs.”
Duncan McReddie, defending King, said she was told that money she owed for Mkat when she was a heavy user would be wiped off if she lied to the police.
Judge John Walford told Foster: “It’s apparent from all I have read about you that you have the ability to lead a law-abiding and hardworking life, and that enables me to keep the sentence as short as it can possibly be.” The judge told King: “It seems to me that you do need some help in curbing your behaviour.”
Foster, of Doxford Walk, Hemlington, was jailed for two years with £120 victim’s surcharge after he pleaded guilty to possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply them, possession of cannabis and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
King, of Neath Street, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three months detention, suspended for 18 months with supervision and £20 surcharge, after admitting the conspiracy charge.
Sean Foster, 26, feared going to prison after he was caught with drugs in his hostel room while under a suspended sentence
A drug dealer who bribed a young girl to take a drugs rap for him has been jailed for two years.
Sean Foster, 26, from Middlesbrough, feared going to prison after he was caught with drugs in his hostel room while under a suspended sentence.
He got 17-year-old Emma King to walk into a police station and to say they were hers.
Prosecutor Adrian Dent told Teesside Crown Court that she owed £50 for the clubbers’ drug Mkat and had been promised the debt would be wiped off.
Two support workers found a stash of the C Class drug Phenazepan, known as Blues, in Foster’s room at the Stages Hostel on Bridge Street West, Middlesbrough, when they searched it on January 4 after information there may be drugs there.
There were 37 tablets hidden inside a Fisherman’s Friend packet on top of a fridge, and a small set of scales in a cupboard.
Mr Dent said Blues were stronger than the prescription drug Diazepam and the batch had a street value of £32.
Police were called and they seized two mobile phones and another packet of Fisherman’s Friends. They searched his car and recovered a small amount of cannabis from the rear seat. One phone, a Blackberry, had drug purchase messages.
Foster had been given a 12 months jail sentence, suspended for 24 months, at Teesside Crown Court in October 2012 for conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and B-class cannabis when police searched his home in Ormesby on February 24, 2011.
After his latest arrest, Foster said a friend had some Blues and he had given him a Fisherman’s Friend packet to put them into, not knowing they had been left in his room. He said he had not replied to any phone requests for drugs.
Mr Dent said the girl told police three days later that “someone” had told her the drug debt would be wiped off if she made the claim that the Blues were hers.
He added: “The Crown’s view is that it was Foster who put her up to it.”
Brian Russell, defending Foster, said the situation for him was bleak, given all the circumstances.
He added: “He was living alone amongst a lot of other people who were drugs users.
“He panicked and did something stupid, and he is sorry that he got someone else involved.
“He has now got a job and is hopeful of getting an electronic engineering apprenticeship and he has quit drugs.”
Duncan McReddie, defending King, said she was told that money she owed for Mkat when she was a heavy user would be wiped off if she lied to the police.
Judge John Walford told Foster: “It’s apparent from all I have read about you that you have the ability to lead a law-abiding and hardworking life, and that enables me to keep the sentence as short as it can possibly be.” The judge told King: “It seems to me that you do need some help in curbing your behaviour.”
Foster, of Doxford Walk, Hemlington, was jailed for two years with £120 victim’s surcharge after he pleaded guilty to possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply them, possession of cannabis and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
King, of Neath Street, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to three months detention, suspended for 18 months with supervision and £20 surcharge, after admitting the conspiracy charge.
Hundreds of performers once again travelling to Teesside from all over the world to showcase traditional dance and culture
Billingham's International Folklore Festival has transformed the town into a riot of colour for the past 50 years - and this year will be no exception.
For the bright and bold event will celebrate its half century in true style with hundreds of performers once again travelling to Teesside from all over the world to showcase traditional dance and culture.
The programme for the festival - which takes place from August 9-16 - has just been released and on the bill are a whole host of shows from an Italian flag waving troupe to folk dancers from Thailand to traditional Chilean and Russian performers.
The festival’s golden anniversary also has a few surprises up its sleeve - celebrations planned include a special event at the Transporter Bridge over the River Tees with performers flanking both the Middlesbrough and Port Clarence banks as the audience travels between the two.
Festival artistic director Olga Maloney said the 50th anniversary of the festival will be one to look forward to.
“We have a number of countries and performers who have never been to the festival before including performers from Russia, Thailand and Italy,” she said. “And we are planning quite a few projects to mark the 50th anniversary. One is a project which we are doing in connection with Zendeh, a dance company based in Newcastle. We are asking all groups to select a poem which will be recorded and set to music and choreography.
“Also for the 50th there will be a world dance performance at the Transporter Bridge on Sunday, August 10. Both landings will feature performers as the audience is transferred across.”
The event, she said, will be one of the biggest yet and organisers are looking forward to welcoming the performers to Billingham.
The fun starts on August 9 and runs until August 16, culminating in a closing ceremony and fireworks display.
This season a new ruling means that sides who win batting first get 25 points, and those who win batting second get 20
The toss of the coin is much more significant in the Darlington Building Society NYSD League than it has been in the past.
That’s because this season a new ruling means that sides who win batting first get 25 points, and those who win batting second get 20. Last season it was 20 points for all victories.
And that means captains have to think more carefully - whereas in the past they invariably put the opposition in to bat.
Richmondshire have won the title in the last two seasons, but this time around skipper Gary Pratt admits that pre-match decision making is tougher.
“When you play certain sides it’s definitely a tougher call,” he said. “And it will be even more important towards the end of the season when you can work out how many points you might need.
“Under the new system if you lose the toss and get put in, you don’t feel so badly done to, because you could win 25 points.
“Last week we won batting second and Darlington won batting first, so they got more points than us. We are a long way behind at the moment.”
In the last two years Quakers and Richmond have battled it out for the silverware, Richmond winning both times.
This season Stokesley are in the thick of it, as four of their wins have come batting first - and in three of those they won the toss and batted.
Pratt said: “Generally speaking in cricket if it’s hot and sunny you bat first. In the past that hasn’t happened. Last year I lost the toss a lot and teams put us in.
“We would score around 300 and the opposition was suggesting we should declare. I said: ‘you put us is - so it’s your fault.’
“We play Darlington in the last game of the season. Depending how things go before then that game could be massive, with a big decision for whoever wins the toss.”
Richmond are in favour of the new ruling, and there is another change that Pratt would like to see - 10 points for each side when games are rained off, rather than the current six.
“If you don’t play and get six points, and another team plays and wins batting first, the gap between 25 points and six is massive.”
But the weather can still have the last word. Richmondshire won a key game at Saltburn late last season with Darlington rained off on the same day.
NYSD League president Chris West said: “We asked the clubs about the points system, and a big majority voted for the change. We try to give the players the game they want. They also asked for the earlier start times.
“We always look to listen to players. In the past clubs turned up at the AGM and voted depending how they felt on the night. These days a lot more thought goes into it.”
Another initiative has been to play more derby games on Bank Holidays, and it worked as crowds were a lot higher. There’ll be derby games on August Bank Holiday as well.
At Richmond on Sunday the NYSD play Durham Seconds in two T20 games, which Durham will use as warm-ups for the second team county championships.
Billingham first team won the Durham County Cup for the first time ever and the Under-13 side are Durham County Champions
Billingham have enjoyed a fine end to the season with double cup success.
The first team won the Durham County Cup for the first time ever, beating Westoe 44-22 in a thrilling final at Durham City.
And the Under-13 side are Durham County Champions.
Billingham first team player-coach Chris Hyndman said: “I watched a team that had struggled for confidence most of the season put together one of the best performances I have seen from this group of players. We got a glimpse of what we can achieve.”
Chairman Mark Armstrong said: “It was a good end to the season. We had played badly against Westoe in the two league games, but in the final everything just clicked.
“We were superb. It was a memorable night. The cup is 123 years old and this is the first time we have won it.
“We picked up where we left off in the final league game against Huddersfield when we scored three ties in the last few minutes to beat relegation.
“As well as the success for the Under-13s, the Under-16 team reached the County Cup final, and the second team reached their county final.”
Billingham remain the top side in Teesside, and with Middlesbrough’s relegation at the end of last season, are now two divisions above any other Teesside club.
Meanwhile Acklam are launching a senior women’s team, and also aim to incorporate girls rugby within the junior set up.
The club is promoting the men’s Give Rugby a Try campaign.
Acklam’s initiative has been acknowledged by the RFU, with the Teesside club through to the last six in the country for the President’s Award, resulting in an invitation to Twickenham to the awards ceremony prior to the England against Barbarians game on Sunday.
Acklam club manager Mark Collins, and committee member Mike Dickons will see the Premiership final tomorrow, between Saracens and Northampton, and the Barbarians game on Sunday as guests of the RFU.
Collins said: “It’s never easy to recruit players, but it’s been a big success, with some joining us, and others coming to us then joining other Teesside clubs, so the whole area has benefitted.
“A couple of girls turned up, and that kick started our women’s rugby campaign. We had 23 women at training last Wednesday.
“We are playing ‘touch’ games against Bishop Auckland this summer, then in September will play our first game of competitive contact rugby. We will also continue having touch games for those who prefer that.”
The Acklam club is thriving with a strong junior section that fields several teams each week.
Their success is remarkable considering the first team’s struggles last season after they were placed in Yorkshire One, a far tougher league than they have traditionally played in.
They lost every game, but never dropped their heads, and club chairman Ray Kelly said: “We are stronger for the experience, and as a club we are doing very well.”
A string of new names have been added to the bill for this year’s Stockton Weekender
Further names have been added to the line-up for Stockton Weekender - which takes place on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27.
Former Seahorses frontman Chris Helme, Japanese multi-instrumentalist and artist ICHI, soul-fuelled cover band The Funk Collective, gypsy folk-rock quartet Holy Moly & The Crackers, psych laced blues heroes The Approved and Middlesbrough hip-hop duo Leddie and Smoggy are all heading for the event which boasts more than 40 artists over the two days.
Singer/songwriter Chris Helme first rose to prominence as the front man of John Squire’s post-Stone Roses outfit The Seahorses, whose hits included Love is The Law and Blinded By The Sun. His back catalogue is further bolstered by his acclaimed work with The Yards.
He’ll be taking to the Thirteen Stage on Saturday, July 26 with New Electric Ride, Lilliput, Weird Shapes, The Purnells, Goy Boy McIlroy and Silver Trees also performing on the stage.
ICHI, The Funk Collective, Holy Moly & The Crackers, The Approved and Leddie and Smoggy will join the eclectic mix in The Wunderbar Tent which will welcome an array of genres and talents.
Stockton Weekender’s ever expanding line-up, which spans four stages, includes Happy Mondays, Public Enemy, Shed Seven, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Reverend & The Makers, Peter Hook & The Light - and many more.
Tees Music Alliance’s Paul Burns - the festival director - said: “We’ve put together a fantastic line up – the likes of which has never been gathered before here on Teesside. We’re delighted with it and hope that people will be excited by it and, most importantly, come out to support and enjoy a top notch local event.”
The announcement comes as the second phase of ticket prices comes to an end, with prices rising on Sunday, June 1 from £30 a day, £45 weekend and £75 camping to £32.50, £50 and £80, respectively.
For Stockton borough residents prices will be sliced by 20%. Festivalgoers just need to provide their postcode when booking to access the offer, and bring proof of their address on the day.
TMA has also introduced the option to pay in instalments this year. Festivalgoers can reserve their tickets with a £10 deposit (per ticket) and then pay the rest off as they can, as long as it’s all paid for by July 25. This option is only available over the phone or in person and is subject to terms and conditions.
The event is also offering two free under-14 tickets for every adult ticket purchased.
*Visit http://ift.tt/1oXtmZt or call 01642 606525.
NHS figures show Middlesbrough has most alcohol-related hospital admissions in England :: Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton slightly lower
Drinkers in Teesside are admitted to hospital at a rate of one every 44 minutes, official figures show.
New government data has revealed that Middlesbrough is the worst area in the country for alcohol related hospital admissions for both men and women.
It meant that someone was admitted with an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis across the Teesside area every 44 minutes in 2012/13.
In Middlesbrough, 4,320 people in total were admitted last year.
Of every 100,000 of the population, 3,280 people were admitted - the highest proportion anywhere in England.
The number of people admitted in Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton was slightly lower - 2,540 per 100,000 people in Redcar and Cleveland, and 2,330 in Stockton.
Nationally, NHS figures show that every hour, hospital staff are having to deal with an average of 120 patients who had abused alcohol.
Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: “More than half of those who drink do so at risky levels. This isn’t just binge drinking youngsters but professional people who think nothing of drinking a few glasses of wine most nights. And it’s this regular drinking of a bit too much too often that stores up all sorts of health problems. We also continue to see a huge regional divide.
“To tackle these issues we need the Government to implement the nationwide alcohol strategy it promised in 2012 with minimum unit pricing at its heart.”
In total, England saw 1.1 million people taken to hospital for alcohol-related conditions in the 12 months up to April 2013.
Debbie Bannigan, chief executive of alcohol and drug support charity Swanswell, warned: “This should act as a wake-up call. Alcohol has become so integrated into everyday life it’s difficult for someone to know when drinking is becoming a problem.”
But figures yesterday suggested overall alcohol consumption is falling.
An Office of National Statistics study said between 2005 and 2012 the proportion of men saying they had drunk alcohol during the previous week fell from 72% to 64% and women from 57% to 52%.
UK spending on alcohol rose between 2009 and 2012 in real terms by 1.3% but pubs were still hit hard as drinking outside the home dropped by 9.8%.
For the latest local news straight to your Twitter, Facebook feed or e-mail inbox.
Chris was appointed editor of the Evening Gazette in January 2012. He is also a former Gazette news editor. Chris has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has previously worked in senior positions in Newcastle, Exeter and Nottingham.
The latest news from around the globe
CLEGG FACES RENNARD APOLOGY ROW
Embattled Nick Clegg faces a fresh crisis after former Liberal Democrat chief executive Lord Rennard finally apologised to four women who accused him of sexual harassment.
The Deputy Prime Minister has been urged to eject the peer from the party in the wake of his concession that he “may well have encroached upon ’personal space”’ - albeit inadvertently.
But friends of Lord Rennard indicated that, far from quitting, he will now seek to have the Lib Dem whip restored after complying with the recommendations of an independent inquiry. (
THOUSANDS PAY TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN
More than 7,000 mourners have marked the passing of an inspirational teenage cancer victim on the day a fighting fund he launched topped £4 million.
Through yesterday and into the night at Lichfield Cathedral, thousands filed past the coffin of Stephen Sutton, whose bravery in the face of terminal cancer touched people across the world.
Later today, people are expected to gather at about 11am to take part in a Thumbs Up For Stephen event, also at the cathedral, before his body is borne away for a private funeral.
SURGE IN ’EMOTIONAL ABUSE’ CLAIMS
The number of emotional abuse cases being referred by a children’s charity helpline to police and children’s services has surged by nearly 50% in the last year.
The NSPCC’s anonymous helpline, which supports and offers advice to adults who are worried about a child, has assisted more than 8,000 people who have concerns for children suffering from emotional neglect and abuse this year, with 5,354 of these cases so serious they were referred to local authorities. Last year, 3,629 such cases were referred.
In an example of an emotional abuse call to the NSPCC, a member of the public contacted the helpline with concerns about a teenager who was routinely being singled out and belittled by his stepfather.
UK GROWTH ’FASTEST SINCE 2003’
The UK economy is growing at its fastest pace for more than a decade, according to figures from the CBI.
It said a survey of growth recorded in May gave the strongest reading since its data began in 2003.
The poll of 726 firms found a balance of plus 35% - the difference between those reporting higher output in the last three months and those saying it was lower. It was up from plus 25% in April.
NHS ’MUST EXPAND LOCAL SERVICES’
The NHS must end “mass centralisation” and instead expand its local services to treat people in their own communities, the new boss of NHS England has said.
Chief executive Simon Stevens, who began the role last month, said too many patients are being robbed of “dignity and compassion” because of a lack of local care.
Many health services in western Europe were already successfully serving their local communities without centralising everything, he added.
SUSPECT DEVICE EXPLODES IN HOTEL
A “suspect device” exploded in a hotel in Londonderry while specialist officers were urgently working to defuse it, police have said.
The reception area of the Everglades Hotel in Prehen Road was severely damaged by fire but there are no reports of injuries, a spokeswoman said.
A masked man was seen throwing the device inside the hotel at around 11.15pm last night.
MP APOLOGISES FOR ’BIGOT’ REMARKS
A Labour backbencher has issued a grovelling apology after insisting Gordon Brown was right to brand Rochdale pensioner Gillian Duffy a “bigot”.
Alex Cunningham was caught on tape discussing the notorious 2010 election campaign encounter between the then-prime minister and Mrs Duffy.
Mr Brown forgot to remove a microphone from his lapel after being grilled by Mrs Duffy on immigration issues, and was overheard dismissing her as a “bigoted woman”.
Neil Warnock has revealed he would have loved the opportunity to work with Steve Gibson and manage Boro
Steve Gibson is the “best chairman there’s ever been” according to Neil Warnock, who regrets not being offered the manager’s job at Boro.
Warnock, a former Hartlepool player, managed 13 clubs during a colourful and, at times, controversial career.
He’s been out of the game since April 2013, when he parted company with Leeds United.
The 65-year-old was close to taking charge at Nottingham Forest last season but talks broke down at an advanced stage.
He’s currently living in semi-retirement in Cornwall, making the occasional appearance on TV and radio.
One of those appearances took place in the North-east, when Warnock spoke to Paul ‘Goffy’ Gough on BBC Tees.
Warnock revealed that despite enjoying a successful career, achieving seven promotions - three of which saw him take clubs into the top flight - he would have loved the opportunity to manage Boro.
“I’ve tried so hard over the years to become their manager,” he revealed during the interview.
“I think the chairman must have got fed up of people putting my name in when the manager’s job was vacant.
“I just thought he was the best chairman there’s ever been - the way he supported Bryan Robson.
Gallery: Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson
“I was hoping - because I knew Chris Kamara, I think they were very close, Steve Gibson and Chris Kamara - he might put me in charge or put me with Gareth at the time, because I thought that Gareth Southgate was a very nice lad and a very good coach and I thought he just needed somebody like me really.
“But it wasn’t meant to be, they never really came in for me.
“I was disappointed,” he added. “You always work better with a good chairman. To me he always let you manage and let you get on with it, always tried to give you the best chance with his support, with his financial backing over the years.
“So it’s really a disappointment that I never worked for Steve Gibson, I’ve got so much time for him it’s untrue. The number of times.... there must be four or five times I’ve really wanted to become manager there but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Has he ruled out one day managing Boro?
“You never say never,” he answered, tongue in cheek, “but it’s a bit too far for me now, living in Cornwall, I don’t think I can commute now!”
Warnock was never offered the chance to manage Boro, but he did turn down Sunderland back in the early1990s.
At the time he was forging his reputation with Notts County, who beat Boro in the 1990/91 Division Two play-off semi-finals before winning promotion to the old first division by beating Brighton at Wembley Stadium.
The following season, County were struggling in the top flight while Sunderland, then in Division Two, were looking for a new manager after sacking Denis Smith. Future Boro assistant boss Malcolm Crosby was in caretaker charge at Roker Park and took the club to the 1992 FA Cup final, which they lost to Liverpool.
“My one regret is probably not coming to Sunderland when I should have come to Sunderland when (chairman) Bob Murray asked me,” said Warnock.
“But I didn’t want to be disloyal to Malcolm Crosby, who I knew as a player, I felt he deserved to carry on while they were in the cup so it was an opportunity that went by.
“I think sometimes it’s fate and it’s never meant to be.”
NHS figures show that 461 operations cancelled at South Tees and 185 at North Tees trusts between April 2013 and April 2014
A patients group have criticised “alarming” figures which show almost two operations a day are being cancelled at hospitals on Teesside.
Between April 2013 and April 2014, 646 operations were cancelled by Teesside’s two biggest hospital trusts - and 30 patients at the South Tees Hospitals Trust, which runs James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, then had to wait more than 28 days for their treatment.
South Tees said that on occasion, medical emergencies take priority over planned operations. 461 were cancelled at the trust last year.
At the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 185 operations were cancelled, but no patients had to wait longer than 28 days to receive treatment after their original planned date.
A spokesman for North Tees pointed out that only 0.43% of the 42,582 operations carried out in 2013/14 had to be rearranged.
But Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association - a group set up to campaign for improvements in the health service for patients - said the figures were “alarming” and that patients were “bearing the brunt of NHS cuts”.
She said: “We receive countless calls to our Helpline from patients and their relatives who are fed up with cancellations and endless delays to their operations, often without any explanation. For many patients the wait to receive surgery can be both frustrating and daunting. In addition, many patients will have made arrangements, such as child-care, which have to be changed.
“The number of cancelled operations at Teesside’s two hospital trusts is alarming.
“These are not just statistics, these are people’s lives and delayed operations can impede a patient’s quality of life.”
The figures show the number of times that hospitals cancelled operations for ‘non-clinical reasons’ at the last minute - either on the day the operation was planned, or after a patient has turned up to hospital.
The NHS set trusts a target of completing the treatment within 28 days.
A spokeswoman for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We always try to treat patients as soon as possible, but there are occasions when medical emergencies have to take priority over planned operations.
“Due to winter pressures in 2012/13 we saw a huge rise in the number of ambulances bringing emergency patients and many more frail, elderly people with respiratory illness being admitted to hospital and staying with us longer.
“Because of this we had to cancel a number of planned operations due to bed pressures. A lot of work has been done since then to improve discharge processes and put more support into frontline services to try and prevent this from reoccurring.”
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust deputy chief executive and chief operating officer Julie Gillon said: “We carry out many thousands of operations at the trust every year and, while nearly all of them go ahead as planned, we do unfortunately have to cancel a very small minority of operations for a number of different reasons, many of which are very difficult to foresee and plan ahead for.
“The decision to cancel any operation is not taken lightly and we are very sorry for those patients who are affected by this for the obvious distress and inconvenience that this causes.”
