772 scientists gives warning on climate change, we have very few years left to control the catastrophe

Brian Clark Howard

National Geographic

Published March 31, 2014

The world is not ready for the impacts of climate change, including more extreme weather and the likelihood that populated parts of the planet could be rendered uninhabitable, says the planet’s leading body of climate scientists in a major new UN report.

The 772 scientists who wrote and edited the report argue that world leaders have only a few years left to reduce carbon emissions enough to avoid catastrophic warming, which would produce significant sea level rise and large-scale shifts in temperatures that would dramatically disrupt human life and natural ecosystems.

“Observed impacts of climate change are widespread and consequential,” according to the report, which is from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and was released Monday morning in Yokohama, Japan.

The report uses stronger language around current impacts of climate change than past IPCC releases.

It warns that the impacts from changing climate are already happening, calling out “high risk levels” for spread of disease in Africa; property loss and mortality due to wildfires in North America; and decreased food production and food quality in South America. (See video: “Global Warming 101.”)

The report also warns of more dire consequences to come and says governments are ill-prepared for the effects.

It shows that “today’s choices are going to significantly affect the risk that climate change will pose for the rest of the century,” says Kelly Levin, a scientist who studies climate change impacts at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C.

Frances Beinecke, the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the report an “S.O.S. to the world.”

“Crossing a Threshold”

The new report, from a body known as the UN panel’s Working Group II, warns that the world is close to missing a chance to limit the global warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution.

World leaders had previously agreed on a target of limiting

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Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Monday 14 April, 2014.

You can contribute to the live blog by posting your comment below, and you can also tweet us @EveningGazette to share breaking news stories, pictures and opinions.

Our Teesside breaking news live blog begins at 07:00am every weekday and is updated throughout the day and into the evening.

Gavin Boby’s Fight Against Muslim Rape Gangs in the U.K. — on The Glazov Gang

[Subscribe to The Glazov Gang and LIKE it on Facebook.]

This week’s Glazov Gang was joined by Gavin Boby of the Law and Freedom Foundation . He shared his fight against Muslim Rape Gangs and Mosque Building in the U.K.:

Frontpage’s second episode this week was with Dr. David Wood, the host of the Trinity Channel’s live talk show, “Jesus or Muhammad?” He has been in more than 40 public debates with Muslims, and he runs the website AnsweringMuslims.com.

Dr. Wood discusses Brandeis’ Surrender to the Brotherhood on Ayaan Hirsi Ali and takes us behind the scenes of a university’s shameless surrender to Sharia:

To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here .

LIKE Jamie Glazov’s Fan Page on Facebook.

Egypt anti-terror draft law deeply flawed: Amnesty

Amnesty International (AI) has slammed the Egyptian government’s recent draft law on anti-terrorism as “deeply flawed,” saying such a law is in violation of the right to “free expression.”

On Friday, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui warned against the adoption of the “deeply flawed” anti-terrorism draft law which would ban events related to the country’s Muslim Brotherhood movement.

“This draft legislation…violates the right to free expression, undermines safeguards against torture and arbitrary detention, and expands the scope of application of the death penalty,” said the Amnesty official.

On April 10, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab signed the anti-terror law which bans any reference or participation in events related to the government of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

It also threatens capital punishment and life imprisonment against those who break the law. The new measures have yet to be signed into law by Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour.

Sahraoui further called on the Egyptian government to “change course and adopt an approach that respects human rights and the rule of law.”

“The draconian nature of this legislation, which flouts Egypt’s obligations, suggests that it will pave the way to further clamp down on civil society and government opponents and critics rather than tackling the threat of terrorism,” he added.

However, the Egypt’s military-backed government has rejected Amnesty’s criticism as interference in the North African country’s domestic affairs.

The military-installed rulers in Egypt have launched a heavy-handed crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood supporters after the army ousted the country’s first democratically-elected president on July 3, 2013.

Since Morsi’s removal, thousands of the Muslim Brotherhood members as well as the group’s supporters have been arrested and accused of inciting unrest in the country.

Amnesty International had earlier criticized Egyptian authorities for using an “unprecedented scale” of violence against anti-government protesters.

MKA/NN/AS

25 countries attend London anti-BDS meeting

The UK capital hosted this week a secret meeting attended by 20 countries to counter international calls for boycotting Israel, the UPI reported Friday.

UPI quoted the London-based Jewish Chronicle as saying that the meeting lasted for three days, and was attended by dozens of politicians and activists, including UK’s former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Alistair Burt and the Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz.

According to the report, 25 countries were represented in the meeting, including USA, Australia, and Canada, in addition to a number of European countries.

The meeting reportedly came as part of Israeli attempts to coordinate international responses to discredit campaigns calling for boycotting Israel.

The Jewish Chronicle quoted Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, as saying: “BDS campaigns are a double-edged sword because we do not lack power, we own resources and capability, and above all the will to defeat them.”

Egyptians rally against last November protest law

Thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to voice their outrage at a law that imposes restrictions on public demonstrations.

During the Saturday demonstration, Egyptian protesters chanted slogans against the military rulers who ousted President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The demonstrators also called for the release of all the activists arrested since Morsi’s removal.

The new protest rallies were staged after an Egyptian appeals court upheld prison sentences against three of the country’s most prominent political activists on April 7 under the provisions of the protest law adopted by the military-installed government last November.

The three activists were sentenced to three years in prison last December after the military-backed authorities passed a law banning all but police-sanctioned protests in November 2013.

Since then, hundreds of anti-government protesters have been jailed for breaking the law.

In a similar move on April 10, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab signed a new anti-terror draft law which bans any reference to, or participation in events related to the government of the ousted president.

It also threatens capital punishment and life imprisonment against those who break the law. The new measures have yet to be signed into law by Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour.

Amnesty International (AI) has slammed the draft law on anti-terrorism as “deeply flawed,” saying such a law is in violation of the right to “free expression.”

Since Morsi’s removal, thousands of the Muslim Brotherhood members as well as the group’s supporters have been arrested and accused of inciting unrest in the country.

MKA/NN/AS

Israel demolished EU-funded houses in E1 zone

Israel demolished this week a number of tin shacks funded by the European Union in the critical E1 zone which links the West Bank with eastern Jerusalem, EU diplomatic source told AFP Friday.

A spokesman of the EU delegation in Palestine said that on April 9, Israel demolished three out of 18 shanty houses in Al-Baba Mountain near the settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem.

According to the spokesman, the tin shacks were partially funded by the EU, and housed Palestinians who lost their homes due to severe weather conditions at the beginning of the year.

The diplomat said that a delegation representing a number of EU countries visited the area on Friday to measure damages. He warned that Israel is about to demolish houses still located in Al-Baba Mountain.

The diplomat added that Israel issued in February a decision to demolish 18 houses in Al-Baba Mountain. He pointed out that EU delegates raised this issue with Israeli authorities at that time.

An EU diplomat said that a number of EU countries intend to demand financial compensation from Israel “whenever it destroys EU-funded humanitarian relief projects.”

For Chatan Bhagat, bigotry appears to be new Cool

Submitted by TwoCircles.net on 12 April 2014 – 11:14pm

By Mahmad Sidat,

Chetan Bhagat once famously said that “To be good is new cool”, but reading his article published in Times of India on 22nd March 2014, it seems like “Bigotry is new cool”. The way he justifies the post Godhra violence in the name of retribution, one is reminded of the propaganda Hitler’s Minister Goebbels run in 1938 Germany.

He talked about Majority entitlement and how congress is more responsive to Muslim needs without bothering to look at Sachaar commission report. One in fact does not have to look at Sachaar commission report to know how Muslim goes through discrimination in Congress (mis)rule. The fact that such article was published in mainstream newspaper is evidence of how Muslim bigotry has been ingrained in mainstream narrative that killing and rape is being justified as majority entitlement and retribution.

This Minority appeasement propaganda of BJP and its right wing sympathiser is the stark reminder of how Nathuram Godse justified killing of Gandhi in the name of minority appeasement when in reality there was none. What he did not write but tried to convey is that Hindu majoritarian entitles them to push minorities to second class citizen status when law recognises everyone as equal. It’s about taking away equal citizen entitlement from minorities accorded to them by constitution.

For him, Law has Given Mr Modi clean chit but he fails to recognise that law does not take in to account pride March after the violence or how police officer with doubtful record in riot handling were rewarded. He tries to change the narrative from whether Modi is guilty or not to is was just emotional retribution.

Let’s face it , Modi is not popular among certain section of people and right wing sympathiser because he brought magical development to Gujarat or that he is not guilty but because he helped carry out that supposed retribution as part of Hindu majority entitlement. Where Pride is associated with retribution, fault line must

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Over 1,000 Muslims flee CAR amid fears of genocide

More than 1,000 Muslims have managed to flee the violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) to neighboring Chad amid fears of genocide at the hands of Christian militia.

African peacekeepers escorted the Muslims out of the country from the northwestern town of Bossangoa, authorities said Saturday.

The minority Muslims had gathered at a Quranic school and the Catholic Church’s premises, fearing for their lives if they stayed on in the town, police stated.

Thousands of Muslims continue to be trapped in other cities as the Christian militias, also known as anti-Balakas, have launched attacks on Muslims who try to leave the country.

Nearly 15,000 Muslim residents have reportedly been besieged in the CAR’s capital of Bangui by Christian militia.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had warned last week that the CAR crisis could turn into another genocide like that of Rwanda.

The Central African Republic government has acknowledged that it can do little to protect Muslims still in danger, with many saying the presence of troops from France and the African Union has failed to end the violence.

Fierce fighting in the CAR has reportedly killed thousands of people and displaced nearly a quarter of its population.

The CAR has been experiencing deadly unrest since December last year, when Christian militia launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group that toppled the government in March 2013.

GMA/AB/SS

Egypt Anti-Coup Alliance: USA, EU supporting the coup

An Egyptian coalition of Islamic parties says the United States and the European Union are supporting the Cairo military-backed government in its crackdown on people, Press TV reports.

Egypt’s Anti-Coup Alliance has issued a statement describing a recent visit by EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, as an “evil” visit.

The statement added that the alliance is not relying on the West to solve the political crisis in Egypt, saying it is frustrated with West’s hypocrisy to hide behind loose condemnations of human rights violations.

The alliance, where the Muslim Brotherhood is the biggest faction, also said that Ashton had made the right decision not to meet with alliance leaders since the coalition of Islamic parties would not have accepted such a meeting.

Earlier this week, Ashton visited Egypt and held meetings with interim president, Adly Mansour, and former army chief, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Ashton, however, failed to meet with Sisi’s main rival, Hamdeen Sabbahi.

Ashton hailed Sisi’s presidential bid in the upcoming elections and expressed support for the army-imposed roadmap that came into force after the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically-elected president of Egypt, in July 2013.

Ashton also stated that the EU would send observers to Egypt elections in May and it would closely follow the electoral process.

State institutions and media are all geared toward Sisi’s candidacy, a situation which undermines the chances of a fair competition for any other candidate.

Sisi is accused of leading a severe crackdown against supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

CAH/HSN/SS

American Atheists President: “Brandeis has Caved to Religious Intolerance Masquerading as Political Correctness”

American Atheists President David Silverman has written a letter blasting Brandeis for banning ex-Muslim feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali under pressure from Islamist groups such as CAIR and the Muslim Students Association.

Ms. Hirsi Ali is not “hateful” as some have claimed, nor does she promote violence. She is an eloquent spokesperson for the millions of women and children worldwide who live under the tyrannical thumb of Islam, as she did as a child. She speaks out in defense of justice, equality, and freedom of expression for all people. She speaks for me.

My education at Brandeis has, in no small way, allowed me to rise to the position of president of American Atheists. My job, and indeed my reason for waking up in the morning, is to fight for the rights of those whose voices too often go unheard in the forum of public debate. Those whose most basic freedoms are crushed by theocratic regimes throughout the world.

Addressing some of the most fundamental questions about human rights, particularly the rights of self-determination and free expression, is complex and difficult. When entrenched religious beliefs are used to justify cruel, immoral actions against hundreds of millions of people, we have an obligation to speak out. The criticism of religious beliefs has, in recent years, become taboo for some. This taboo, perhaps, has grown as a result of the privilege we have to live in places where diversity and the agency of individuals is paramount. Ms. Hirsi Ali’s experiences, however, are different.

Her background allows her to speak with clarity about one of the most challenging questions of our time: whether a robust commitment to equality, diversity, dialogue, and social justice is possible when we look the other way when confronted with the realities of Islamic extremism.

What you have done to Ms. Hirsi Ali is rob her of such an opportunity. You have robbed her of the opportunity to speak to Brandeis students about her lived experiences as a child in Somalia and Kenya. You have ended the “dialogue about these important issues” before it has even begun.

Silverman then adds that as a former student, he is cutting ties with his old alma mater.

Today, you have done nothing to “safeguard the safety, dignity, and well-being” of the members of our global community. You have only prevented a powerful voice for such action from being heard by your students. And you have done so in perhaps the most cowardly and dishonorable ways possible.

For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my association with Brandeis University. Accordingly, I am withdrawing my membership in the Alumni Association, ending financial support of the University, and encouraging others to do the same.

I question whether Brandeis is still a place in which all ideas are open for discussion. No worldview, political position, and certainly no religion is above criticism. I will encourage students who value activism, diversity, and freedom of expression to choose educational opportunities other than Brandeis. Until Ms. Hirsi Ali receives an apology from the University, I will continue to question your professed commitment to these values.

American atheists have tended to be quieter than their European counterparts in defense of secularism against Islamization. At least at the organizational level. Maybe this is a sign that things are changing.

Palestine accepted to Geneva Convention

The UN and the Swiss government have accepted requests from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to join 14 international treaties and conventions.

The Swiss government said on Friday that Palestine can accede to the Geneva conventions governing the rules of war and military occupations.

Spokesman of the Swiss foreign ministry, Pierre-Alain Eltschinger, said that the state of Palestine was acceded to the conventions on 2 April. Eltschinger said that all concerned countries were notified about this measure.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas said that the accession was a “historic day for the Palestinian people.”

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Abbas had received a letter signed by the head of the Swiss Federation telling him that Palestine is now a party in the Geneva conventions for 1949 and in the additional protocol for 1977.

According to the letter, Erekat said that Palestine would become a full member in another 11 treaties on 2 May. The treaties include the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations, the convention on the rights of children, the convention against torture and an anti-corruption accord.

The State of Palestine would also be a full member of the convention against genocides on 2 July.

Meanwhile, the UN said that the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had agreed on the accession of Palestine to 13 treaties.

In wake of serious difficulties facing the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Abbas decided to turn to international organizations and sign international treaties.

Israeli media have said that Palestinians are mainly interested in the fourth Geneva convention because it defines the duties of occupying powers and acknowledges the occupation of Palestinian territories.

It also prohibits forced transfer and deportation of populations or individuals, as well as the destruction of movable or immovable property, unless it is made “absolutely necessary by military operations.”

Israeli authorities said this should not be applied in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip because they are no longer claimed by Egypt or Jordan, who ruled them before 1967. In addition, they claim that the Palestinian state has never existed.

Regarding East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities also said it should not be considered an occupied territory because Israel has extended citizenship rights to its Arab residents

Bush draws boos from conservatives

A mention of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a potential 2016 presidential contender, brought boos from a conservative crowd in New Hampshire on Saturday.

Speaking at the New Hampshire Freedom Summit, a gathering of conservative activists and figures organized by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United, billionaire Donald Trump said Bush’s recent comments on immigrants coming to the US as an “act of love” were “out there.”

“You know, I heard Jeb Bush the other day,” he said, with quiet boos and angry murmurs erupting from the crowd at the mention of Bush’s name.

“And he was talking about people that come into this country illegally, they do it for love,” he continued, with the boos growing louder.

Trump added, to laughter from the crowd: “And I said, say it again I didn’t get — that’s one I’ve never heard before…I understand what he’s saying, but, you know, it’s out there.”

Bush drew considerable conservative backlash when he made the comments in a recent interview, but defended them at a Connecticut Republican Party dinner on Thursday, where he further urged “sensitivity to the immigrant experience.”

Bush and Trump are both mulling a potential presidential run in 2016. Bush has consistently polled in the top four of the prospective GOP presidential field, while Trump is typically not included in surveys of the race. The Hill

GJH/AGB

Man charged with drink driving after car ploughs into Middlesbrough shop

A man has been charged with drink driving after a car ploughs though the window of Woodrow Convenience Store in Marton

A man has been charged with drink driving after a car ploughed into a Middlesbrough shop.

Emergency services were called at 2.50pm yesterday when a black Audi careered though the window of Woodrow Convenience Store in Marton.

Police, fire crews and the North East Ambulance Service attended the scene where officers arrested a 47-year-old man.

He was later charged with drink driving and is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 28.

There were no injuries sustained in the incident.

Cleveland Fire Brigade were requested to attend by police as the building was not safe.

A spokeswoman for the brigade said appliances from Marton and Coulby Newham, as well as the emergency tender, attended the incident.

Crews helped to make the building and vehicle safe.

The spokeswoman added they then “stood by on protective standby until a structural engineer was called from the council.

”At the scene today, a barrier stands in place around the outside of Woodrow Convenience Store.

Fire Brigade cordon tape was also still visible.

No one from the store was available for comment.

Iraq executes more than 600 Iraqis in four years

The Iraqi justice ministry has executed more than 600 “terrorists” in the past four years, the Iraqi justice minister Hassan al-Shimri has said.

Speaking publicly in Al-Nasiriyeh City, Al-Shimri said that his ministry was not famous four years ago. However, he reiterated, it has became known to everyone as a result of the execution of “criminal terrorists.” He called this “an achievement” for his ministry.

Al-Shimri noted that the “terrorists” used to completely control the reformatory prisons and run their operations from inside.

The minister said that his ministry has “forcefully” fought “terrorists,” brought the prisons under control and prevented any political or religious party from interfering in how his ministry works.

He stressed that executing more than 600 “criminal terrorists” in the past four years was an achievement. He was reported saying that the justice ministry has not executed such a huge number since 2003. His ministry ignored calls by a number of Iraqi parliamentarians to cancel the executions based on calls by a number of international organisations.

It is worth mentioning that international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), have criticized these executions in the past years. In April 2013 HRW accused the Iraqi justice system of failure to meet international standards for fair trials.

“A striking increase in executions in Iraq points to the failure of Iraq’s justice system to meet international fair trial standards,” the organisation said

Palestinian political prisoners pay the price of freedom

The issue of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees held in Israeli jails continues to inflame the Palestinian public. Numerous events and activities take place throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, mainly in Gaza, to show solidarity with the prisoners in their call for freedom and in their demands to improve conditions inside.

The Palestinian ministry of detainee affairs says that more than 5,000 Palestinians are being held in Israeli jails across 23 prisons and detention centres, many of them without trial or charge, under administrative detention, a military procedure which allows suspects to be held without charge indefinitely. Some of the prisoners have spent nearly 30 years locked up because of their struggle against the Israelis and their support for their cause for national liberation.

Former freed prisoners have said that it is not possible to reach a peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis without ending the issue of prisoners forever.

Atef Abu Saif, a former prisoner and editor of Seyasat magazine, said that the issue of Palestinian prisoners is one of the most important felt by every citizen. Statistics show that more than one fifth of Palestinians living in the occupied territories have spent some time in prison and many have paid the price of freedom.

“Any liberation of this country Palestine has to lead to the prisoners’ freedom. Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners, so anyone who supports freedom and human rights, and the rights of nations, ought to contribute to the release of these prisoners.” Abu Saif added.

For the first time in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since 1948, the year 2013 witnessed Palestinian political detainees winning their freedom through face-to-face struggles with their jailors in Israeli prisons and detention centres.

The prisoners, especially those detained under Israel’s administrative detention, initiated campaigns to free themselves through hunger strikes. The success of Khader Andan and Hana Shalabi, who won their freedom through hunger strikes, has encouraged more detainees to adopt the same approach.

Adie Mormech, International Human Rights activist, said that Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners and should not be behind bars. Palestinians have an international, legal right to resist occupation.

It is worth noting that in late 2013 the United Nations overwhelmingly voted to declare 2014 the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. On 17 April each year events take place inside the occupied territories and worldwide to show solidarity with the prisoners, call on Israel to improve their imprisonment conditions and call for their release.

A prisoner swap in late 2011 saw the release of over 1,000 Palestinian political prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier who had been held in captivity in Gaza for 5 years. However, Israel broke the deal when they re-arrested 8 prisoners on the same charges after the release of Gilad Shalit.

164 out of 1,027 Palestinians from the West Bank who were released in the swap were sent into exile in Gaza. 41 were forced to go and live in other countries.

Hani Al-Bassos, a political expert, said that it’s not easy for Palestinians to free political detainees from Israeli jails without using the power and pressure of the Israeli military forces, similar to the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shali in which more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli jails.

“I think one of the responsibilities will be laid on the international community to take action against the Israeli authorities to release them, as a large number of the detainees are held in detention without trial,” Mr Al-Bassos added.

In Gaza, the families of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails have gathered every Monday since 1995 in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and hunger strikers.

Solidarity across the occupied Palestinian territories persists as the issue of Palestinian prisoners has united the Palestinian public everywhere, regardless of their political differences and affiliations.

The ministry of detainees affairs and x prisoners ministry said that one of the goals this year is to internationalise the issue of the prisoners, some of whom have spent over 25 years languishing behind bars from before the signing of Oslo Accords in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

According to the ministry of detainees, over 200 Palestinian political prisoners have died inside prison since 1967 due to medical negligence.

According to the Palestinian NGO Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Addameer, there were more than 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails as of January 2014. The prisoners include 155 administrative detainees, 17 women and 154 children in addition to approximately 1,000 sick prisoners. Statistics by prisoners’ advocacy groups show that since 1967, Israel has imprisoned nearly 800,000 Palestinians.

Meanwhile, for more than five years between June 2007 and August 2012, Israeli forces have prevented family members in the Gaza Strip from visiting detainees.

Israel ended this comprehensive ban as part of an agreement to settle the mass hunger strike in April 2012, but continues to bar relatives, including children who have reached the age of ten, from travelling through the Erez checkpoint to its prisons.

Israeli occupation forces carry out almost daily arrest campaigns throughout the West Bank; this comes as Palestinian inmates are planning to hold protests in Israeli jails, an official from the Palestinian Authority (PA) has said.

The plan came as a response to Tel Aviv’s decision to scrap a fourth release of prisoners, Ziad Abu Ein, the PA deputy minister for prisoner affairs said on Friday. “The protests would include hunger strikes by the prisoners,” Abu Ein added.

The prisoners were supposed to be freed as part of US-brokered talks between the PA and the Israeli regime. Tel Aviv had promised to free the inmates and in exchange the PA pledged to freeze all moves to seek membership in UN organisations until April 2014.

As peace talks failed to release long-serving Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, the families of the prisoners call on resistance groups to capture Israeli soldiers and settlers in order to exchange them for prisoners.

Securing the release of prisoners is a highly emotive issue in Palestinian society where they are considered freedom fighters

African soldiers help 1,000 CAR Muslims flee to Chad

BANGUI: African peacekeepers escorted more than 1,000 minority Muslims fleeing attacks by mainly Christian militias in the Central African Republic to neighboring Chad, police told AFP on Saturday. “Not a single Muslim remains in Bossangoa,” a police source said, referring to a northwestern town, adding that they left for Chad on Thursday.

The refugees had gathered at a Qur’anic school and the Catholic Church’s premises in Bossangoa, fearing for their lives if they stayed on in the town, he said. Large-scale violence between Christians and Muslims had been raging in Bossangoa and nearby Bouca since last September, part of nationwide unrest sparked by a March 2013 coup.

Thousands have been killed and around a quarter of the country’s 4.6 million people displaced, most of them Muslims, who make up around one-fifth of the overall population. Muslims who lived peacefully alongside Christians for decades have abandoned entire regions since the conflict took on unprecedented ethnic and religious dimensions.

At least 150 people have lost their lives in the fighting in the Bossangoa region alone pitting former rebels of the Seleka movement that held power for 10 months against mainly Christian “anti-balaka” militias