Israel working on the second phase of Greater Jerusalem project

Israel has started the second phase of the Greater Jerusalem project, which aims to expand the borders of occupied Jerusalem to encompass 10 per cent of the total area of the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian expert in Jewish settlements said.

Director of the Map Department in the Arabic Association for Studies based in Jerusalem, Khalil Tafakji said that the decision of the Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, which was announced yesterday, to annex hundreds of dunams and add them to the land of three settlements in Gush Etzion is part of the project.

The Gush Etzion settlement bloc is a cluster of Israeli settlements adjacent to occupied Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. “This is a dangerous development in the project,” Tafakji said.

Speaking to Arabi 21, Tafakji explained that the project makes great demographic changes in favour of Jews as the Palestinian population decreases to only 13 per cent in the city.

Tafakji said that this project was proposed by the late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his term as Minister of Infrastructure in 1997. He said the first phase of the project was completed as Israel could include all settlements established inside Jerusalem’s borders after 1967.

He noted that the second phase in the project includes expanding the settlement of Ir Ganim in the occupied West Bank to the southwest of Jerusalem. Tafakji said that 10,000 new residential units were planned to be built in this settlement.

He said that building the 10,000 units would make a “great and dangerous” demographic change in Jerusalem and the West Bank. He noted that the most dangerous phase in the project is connecting the Gush Etzion block with the other Israeli cities by a railway in order to facilitate the movement of settlers.

Regarding the relationship between the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and this project, Tafakji said: “The continuation of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is dangerous. Israel used the negotiations to cover up its settlements and Judaisation projects.”

Settlement and Judaisation projects threaten the future of the occupied West Bank if it is to remain a Palestinian territory, he explained, and anyone insisting on the viability of a two-state solution is only misleading the Palestinians because there is no land remaining in the West Bank to establish a viable state on.

There is an Israeli consensus among all Israeli parties regarding the necessity to include the Gush Etzion block to Jerusalem in any future political settlement with the Palestinians.

This consensus is common between the right and left wingers in Israel. Most settlements were launched when the labour party was in control.

A number of senior Israeli officials live in this settlement block, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Housing and Development Minister Uri Ariel

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, Tuesday 15 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.

Egypt police headquarters turn into torture camps for university students

Source: MEMO

Two Egyptian police headquarters in Cairo have recently turned into torture camps for anti-coup university students, human rights activists and eyewitnesses reported.

A written testimony leaked from Nasr City Police Headquarters in Cairo revealed shocking details about the torture of university students by Egyptian police to solicit false confessions. Omar Gamal Ibrahim Al Shoeikh, locked up in the Second Nasr City Police Headquarters, wrote to his lawyer that he was subjected to brutal torture by police officers after his arrest on his way home from college.

Omar narrates that an officer stopped him at gunpoint while he was heading to his house in Nasr City, beat him, and stole his wallet and cell phone. He was transported to the police headquarters and locked up on the second floor of the building, in a detention room called “the fridge” by inmates.

According to Omar, he was handcuffed and tied up from behind, his eyes covered with a red piece of cloth, and he was given electric shocks all over his body. During torture, Omar was interrogated about student protests, particularly who organizes and funds them. When the torturers didn’t elicit satisfactory responses, they used more painful means of torture such as electric shocks on sensitive parts of Omar’s body, such as his underarms, stomach, fingertips, and private parts. He was also beaten with a stick on his back and buttocks.

Omar added that police officers used sexual assaults as a tool to humiliate him: “Sexual harassment was used repeatedly. Officers groped my private parts during urinal.” After a round of sexual torture, officers forced him to record a video testimony where they dictated him what to say. Then he was detained in solitary confinement until he appears before prosecutors.

Political activist Haitham Ghonim confirmed in press statements that Omar’s colleagues visited him last Tuesday and found that he was unable to talk and stood with …..

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Israeli settlers move into Palestinian house

Israeli settlers have moved into a Palestinian house in the heart of the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).

On Sunday, the Israeli minister of military affairs approved the return of settlers. In March, an Israeli court ruled that the settlers are the owners of the house.

The Palestinian owner of the house said the four-story building has been taken over by settlers several times in the past.

Palestinians accompanied by international solidarity activists gathered in front of the house to protest the confiscation of the building by Israeli settlers backed by Israeli forces.

According to Palestinian political observers, Tel Aviv’s aim of confiscating this house is to tie the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba to other illegal Israeli settlements located inside the old city.

In 2013, more than 1,000 people were displaced in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) after their homes were demolished for not having Israeli permits. This is while the office of James Rawley, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territories, said the demolitions took place even though the permits “are virtually impossible to obtain.”

Human rights groups have voiced concern over the rising number of Palestinian home demolitions in the occupied territories.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.

The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.

IA/MAM/AS

Dusk and Dawn: 10 pictures of Teesside landmarks in silhouette

As the sun sets on another day on Teesside here's 10 pictures of landmarks from our region

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Kevin Forsey

Gallery: Teesside landmarks in silhouette

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As the sun sets over another day on Teesside, here's 10 of our best-known landmarks in silhouette.

Sunset was due at 7.54pm today.

Send your sunset silhouette pictures to us at pictures@eveninggazette.co.uk or at our Facebook and Twitter pages

Israeli forces arrest nearly 50 Palestinians

Israeli forces have arrested at least 49 Palestinians ahead of the Jewish Passover holidays.

According to Ma’an news agency, Israeli police announced on Saturday that the arrests were made over the past week in the cities of Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Ashkelon and Sderot.

Tel Aviv usually makes mass arrests ahead of the eight-day Passover festival.

Israeli officials claim that the Palestinians were detained because they were without working permits in Israel.

Human rights groups, however, have rejected the claim, saying that strict restrictions are being imposed even against Palestinian workers with permits.

Nearly 100,000 Palestinians work in Israel because the wages are higher than what they receive in the Palestinian territories.

Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem says 1,415 Palestinians were being held in prison for working without job permits at the end of January 2014.

DB/HSN/SS

Lorry driver cleared of causing the death of Ingleby Barwick dad

Arthur Page denied he had caused Wayne Howen's death by dangerous or careless driving on the A1

A lorry driver was today cleared by a jury of causing the death of a Teesside man by dangerous or careless driving on the A1.

Arthur Page denied causing the death of 38-year-old Wayne Howen by dangerous driving.

And after a trial jurors found the 59-year-old not guilty of the charge at Teesside Crown Court today.

The jury also cleared Mr Page on the alternative charge of causing death by careless driving.

Mr Page appeared emotional in the dock after the unanimous verdicts were announced.

And Judge Tony Briggs thanked the jury for their attention to the “unusual and difficult matter”.

Mr Howen, from Ingleby Barwick, was killed in an accident on the A1 near Kirkby Fleetham, North Yorkshire on September 12, 2012.

The dad’s stationary HGV was hit, he suffered fatal crushing injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Howen was on his way to deliver gas canisters to a BOC site when the tragic accident happened.

He had stopped his articulated tractor unit in the left hand lane of the carriageway with two badly damaged tyres after he was involved in an accident minutes earlier, the court heard.

The Crown said Mr Howen’s vehicle was lit up, he had placed warning triangles and cones on the road, wore a fluorescent jacket and waved a torch to direct traffic.

The prosecution alleged that Mr Page, a haulage driver, fell asleep at the wheel and caused the accident by his inattention.

His lorry struck Mr Howen’s truck to the rear, causing it to jack-knife and trap Mr Howen, killing him instantly.

Former paramedic Mr Page, from Worlaby, Lincolnshire, denied feeling tired.

He said he remembered swerving and braking before the crash, in which he suffered a punctured lung and broken leg and ankle.

The court was told he was diagnosed with sleep apnoea - which causes people to stop breathing while they sleep - following the accident.

Mr Page said he was not aware of the symptoms until he was diagnosed and didn’t know whether the accident was his fault or down to the medical condition.

Newboulds invests £100,000 in two Teesside store revamps

Newboulds has given its Linthorpe Village and Stokesley stores a facelift

Newboulds Butchers has invested nearly £100,000 in revamping two of its Teesside branches.

The store facelifts, at the company’s Middlesbrough branch on Linthorpe Road and Stokesley High Street, show its commitment to developing and growing the 158-year-old business, according to bosses.

Most recently, Newboulds has spent £60k on a full refit at the Middlesbrough branch in Linthorpe Village including new wall coverings, flooring and ceilings, more efficient refrigeration and new product counters.

New imoon lighting - specialist retail lighting for the food industry that enhances the look of products and is more efficient - has also been added, alongside an improved hot food facility.

Earlier this year, the company invested £40k in its Stokesley High Street branch with a full refurbishment.

All improvements at Stokesley have been carefully and sympathetically implemented due to the building’s conservation order.

Northern League: Guisborough strikers still smiling despite awayday defeat

Danny Johnson and Mikey Roberts have now scored 100 goals between them this season after both were on target in 3-2 defeat

Guisborough's surging strikers still had reason to celebrate despite the Priorymen’s 3-2 defeat at Crook.

Prolific pair Danny Johnson and Mikey Roberts have now scored 100 goals between them this season after both were on target against last season’s second division champions.

Johnson found time to turn and fire home a low shot to maintain the prestige tag of top scorer in the Northern League with 43 league goals.

The former Hartlepool United and Real Murcia striker’s opener means he has now got 56 for the campaign.

Roberts then fired home his 44th of the season to make it 2-0 and become the third highest-ever scorer for Guisborough with 80 goals.

Chris Hardy’s side had staged a second half fightback to win 3-2 at Shildon in midweek, but the roles were reversed as Crook came roaring back after the break.

The hosts levelled with two goals before the hour mark through Craig Hughes and Robbie Bird, then Roberts had a penalty saved. Crook stole the three points with another Hughes goal but Guisborough remain fourth.

Billingham Synthonia’s three-match winning streak was unceremoniously ended in a 3-0 home defeat by Bishop Auckland.

Synners had seen off Penrith, Newcastle Benfield and Durham City of late, but Bishops were much more clinical with former Billingham Town striker Danny Brunskill scoring twice.

Synners’ top scorer Michael Sweet had an early header saved, and the momentum swung the visitors’ way when Brunskill fired past keeper James Briggs.

Adrian Webster stuck away the second Bishops goal shortly before half time.

Brunskill completed the scoring when he thumped home from just inside the penalty area.

Another of Brunskill’s old sides, Marske, were humbled 4-0 at home by league leaders Celtic Nation but are safe in the first division for another season.

The Seasiders almost took the lead when John Alexander hit the crossbar as they matched the big-spending Carlisle side for an hour. But Nation’s extra quality told in the end.

Former Scottish Premier League striker Colin McMenamin scored their opening goal from a free-kick, a lead which Matty Grieve doubled.

McMenamin made it 3-0 from the penalty spot, and Jim Paterson chipped keeper Robert Dean from 30 yards.

Marske have three games this week, starting at third-placed Shildon tonight.

Billingham Town boss Darren Trotter felt Newcastle Benfield were bang out of order to allow keeper Andy Grainger to take a penalty against them in their 5-0 away defeat.

Former Darlington keeper Grainger made it 4-0 from the spot against relegated Town, who have now conceded 201 league goals this season.

Trotter felt insulted and said: “I wouldn’t allow that to go on, even in junior football.

“We’ve got a young side trying to do their best at this level, and to carry on like that is disrespectful.

“Spennymoor and Shildon absolutely battered us, but they beat us with dignity.”

Norton picked up a third home win in a row in Division Two, shutting out Birtley 2-0 at Station Road.

Gary Mitchell scored and missed a penalty, with Michael Jameson getting the second with a pearler.

Thornaby drew 1-1 at home to Jarrow Roofing with a late Ged Livingstone goal.

Stokesley also drew 1-1, after Connor Hood put them in front at Brandon.

Darlington guaranteed play-off place with 3-0 home win over Padiham

Quakers aim to secure second spot in the Evo-Stik League Division One North table to clinch home advantage

Darlington are guaranteed a place in the play-offs after Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Padiham.

Now Quakers aim to secure second spot in the Evo-Stik League Division One North table to clinch home advantage in the end-of- season showdown.

Two goals by Amar Purewal followed a first half Stephen Thompson strike to ensure Quakers have a chance of completing back-to-back promotions.

Thompson has now netted 24 league goals this season, and has been watched by scouts from higher division clubs.

But with Darlington next season set to return to the town from their temporary home in Bishop Auckland, the club should attract bigger crowds and gain more momentum in their bid to eventually return to the Football League.

And that should ensure that the club can keep its better players, and strengthen further.

Hartlepool pitched into League Two relegation dogfight

2-1 Victoria Park defeat to Chesterfield left Colin Cooper's men three points from the League Two drop zone

Hartlepool have been pitched into a relegation dogfight.

Saturday’s 2-1 Victoria Park defeat to Chesterfield left Colin Cooper’s men three points from the League Two drop zone, with four games to play.

Pools have lost five in a row, though six teams are in a more precarious position. Two go down.

“We now need players with big hearts and big minds,” Cooper told the club’s website. “People not afraid of the situation we’re in.”

Pools went ahead through Luke James on 24 minutes, but Liam Cooper and Eoin Doyle turned the tables.

Wearside League: Stockton stay top after 100th win in derby day showdown

Stockton Town retain a three-point hold on top spot after recording their 100th league win, 1-0 at home to Redcar Athletic

Stockton Town retain a three-point hold on top spot after recording their 100th league win, 1-0 at home to a strong Redcar Athletic side who are third.

Stockton had the best of the first half and scored what turned out to be the winner 14 minutes into it through Kallum Hannah’s 41st goal of the season.

The hosts had a golden opportunity to open the scoring early, when Stephen Roberts blazed over the bar with only keeper Matthew Berry to beat.

But Hannah made up for it when he raced onto Stockton keeper Michael Arthur’s clearance after beating Chris Bivens to the ball, then fired a shot past Berry as the Redcar netminder tried to narrow the angle.

Both sides then traded chances before the break, Berry pulling off a fine save from Hannah and Redcar striker Kieran Stares drilling wide of Arthur’s near post.

Redcar put their hosts under real pressure from the start of the second half, but the first chance fell to Stockton as Adam Nicholson’s header was nodded off the line by Lee Blackburn.

Richie Playforth flashed a shot across the face of the Stockton goal after Redcar raided forward, then Stockton’s James Ward wasted another glorious opening when he fired wide with only Berry to beat.

The game flared up with around 15 minutes remaining, as several players got involved in a free-for-all following a shuddering challenge involving Stares and Stockton defender Daniel Lawson.

Lance Skelton, Stares and Adam Preston were all shown the yellow card, and Stockton saw the game out with James Ward missing another clear late chance.

Ben Bonner scored a hat-trick in Wolviston’s convincing 5-2 win away to Harton and Westoe.

Egypt court jails Islamic leader

An Egyptian court has sentenced Islamic leader Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail to one year in prison for contempt of court.

Judge Mohammed Fahmy handed the ruling during a fraud trial against Abu-Ismail on Saturday, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

Fahmy reportedly ordered Abu-Ismail to be taken from the courtroom cage back to prison, accusing him of disrupting the hearing. After a short recess, the judge announced the jail sentence.

This is the second time the same court handed down a one-year sentence to Abu-Ismail this year.

The top Islamic leader was sentenced in January for insulting judges during the fraud trial, in which he told judges that the court was void and that Egypt’s judiciary was not a real judiciary in the first place.

Abu-Ismail was a top ally of ousted President Mohamed Morsi and also a presidential hopeful in the 2012 election.

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.

CAH/HSN

Abdullah slightly ahead in Afghan presidential poll

Afghanistan’s former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah is leading his closest rival Ashraf Ghani in the Afghan presidential election, partial results show.

Abdullah is leading with 41.9 percent; former finance minister Ghani has 37.6 percent; and Zalmai Rassoul ranks third with over nine percent.

This comes as ten percent of the vote has been counted. The Election Commission said the figures may change.

“Maybe today one candidate looks strong. Tomorrow, maybe another will pull ahead,” commission chairman Ahmad Yousuf Nouristani said.

The commission also said it is too early to say if the election will go to a run-off. Nearly 60 percent of eligible Afghans took part in the vote.

Election authorities said unless there is an outright winner with more than 50 percent of the vote, there will be a run-off between the two leading candidates at the end of May.

Meanwhile, a supervisory body of Afghanistan’s election said it has received thousands of reports of violations related to presidential vote.

The final result is not expected for weeks as ballot boxes have to be returned to the capital, Kabul, from remote corners of the country.

The election was held amid tight security in 6,000 polling stations across Afghanistan. Taliban militants had pledged to disrupt the balloting, warning the people against voting.

The elections came ahead of the planned 2014 withdrawal of US-led foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Violence continues to plague Afghanistan despite the presence of thousands of foreign forces, more than 12 years after the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

JR/PR

Hope that new £6m junction in Stockton will boost business at south end of high street

New junction represents the single biggest infrastructure investment in the £57m Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement (TVBNI) project

Shops and businesses at the south end of Stockton high street are hoping to reap the benefits of the new St John’s Crossing junction.

The £6m scheme saw the replacement of the existing junction which involved removing a roundabout and installing two new linked signal-controlled junctions in its place.

Vicky Pepper, owner of Dec-a-cake, a cake decoration shop which relocated to new larger premises at the south end of the high street last year, is pleased with the changes.

“The new junction is making it a lot easier for people to access the town’s car parks and the southern end of the high street looks fantastic now that the works are complete,” she said.

“My shop is in a prime position now so I’m confident trade is going to get better and better.”

Manager of the Castlegate Centre Karen Eve added: “The new junction has vastly improved the southern gateway in to Stockton, complementing the on-going regeneration of the town and making it easier to access parking and shopping facilities.”

Joanna Wake, from Stockton’s Town Team, added: “Last year more than 50 new businesses expanded, relocated or established themselves in Stockton town centre.

“The improved access created by St John’s Crossing will help ensure their customers can get to them quickly and easily which is another plus for their long-term sustainability within our quickly transforming town centre.”

Work is also under way to create a car park at the north end of the high street on the former Lindsay House site.

The new junction represents the single biggest infrastructure investment in the £57m Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement (TVBNI) project.

Acting operations manager at Arriva Stockton, Mark Gibbon, said St John’s Crossing has led to an improvement in journey times during peak periods.

“It has on the whole improved safety as there was a lot of rushing to find gaps when entering the old roundabout,” he said.

“Our drivers are happy as the bus lanes give the buses priority and stop the delays we used to encounter at the busiest times of the day.”

The Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement (TVBNI) project includes £38m contribution from the Department for Transport.

A sculpture of the Locomotion No 1, the first train to travel along the Stockton-Darlington Railway, has been installed next to the new junction.

The sculpture, created by artist Steve Tomlinson, was officially unveiled on September 27 last year – the 188th anniversary of the first passenger rail journey.

Modi effect: 2,000-odd RSS shakhas sprout in 3 months

LUCKNOW: For the last three months, Ravi Tewari, a 22-year-old engineering student, has been waking up at 5am, putting on his white shirt and khaki shorts and rushing to a nearby park for the morning shakha of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His family is surprised. No one in the Tewari clan has ever been with RSS. So, the family can’t quite figure what is driving Ravi to adopt this punishing morning drill.

“I believe in Hindutva,” says Ravi. “The country needs reforms. Who other than Narendra Modi can make it happen? The youth needs something to look forward to. They also need to take up more responsibilities to change things and the shakha is the best place to learn how to do it.”

Ravi speaks with a sense of purpose that only a new convert can have. He had never dabbled in politics before he joined ABVP, BJP’s student wing, a few months ago. And there are thousands like him, he says, neo-converts who have breathed new life into RSS after Modi was named the BJP’s PM candidate on September 13 last year.

Suddenly, the organization which was becoming moribund and seen to be out of tune with the times, is growing. In less than three months, more than 2,000 shakhas have sprouted across the country. By the end of 2013, there were 44,982 shakhas in India, of which 8,417 were in UP alone.

The numbers had peaked in 2004, when there were around 51,000 functioning shakhas. They shrunk during the UPA tenure, hitting a low of 39,283 shakhas in 2010. But as scams broke out, and UPA 2 went from one low to another, there was again a renewed, interest in shakhas, with a sudden burst in post-Modi months

Stockton-based Cleveland Biotech grows its workforce after securing contracts

CBio, which has a turnover of around £2m, creates bacterial-busting products which can break down organic pollutants

Stockton-based Cleveland Biotech is growing its workforce by 35% after securing five contract extensions worth £2.25m.

The firm announced ambitious expansion plans last July following a successful £4.4m management buyout backed by Newcastle-based NVM Private Equity and led by managing director Ben Hoskyns, a move which ploughed around £3m into the business.

Those plans are coming to fruition now as the firm invests in staff, adding five new employees to the 14-strong workforce, including a new commercial manager who aims to double sales by 2017, two new engineers with another on the way and a marketing assistant.

CBio, which has a turnover of around £2m, creates bacterial-busting products which can break down organic pollutants including oil, grease and limescale, which are found on supermarket shelves in the UK and Europe.

Exports have also been made to Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the Baltic States, but Mr Hoskyns’ focus is firmly fixed on the UK where gains are to be made from tightening UK hygiene and health legislation.

Now the company has announced lucrative repeat business with five of its biggest clients, all UK retail giants.

It has agreed contracts with supermarket stalwart Morrisons, the hugely successful pub chain Marstons and retail and fashion department store House of Fraser, clients it aids by installing and maintaining grease management equipment in their commercial kitchens and catering areas which can prevent the growth of ‘fatbergs’ like the 15tonne one discovered in a London sewer last summer.

The firm also met with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s team as well, to discuss ways the two could work together to maintain and protect London’s resources.

Mr Hoskyns said: “We’ve had a fantastic start to 2014 – over £2m in repeat business, five new employees, industry accolades and even a meeting with The Mayor of London’s office.

“We plan to take this success, build on it, and really cement our position as the UK’s best grease management company. Now we have the right mix of people coupled with high respect from our satisfied clients, who remain our best form of marketing, I see this as a highly achievable aim.”

New recruit Sarah McKenzie, CBio commercial manager, added: “As CBio start on their next chapter of growth, the management team have recognised the opportunity in investing in their sales team.

“It is my objective to support our ambitious business plan, doubling our sales over the next three years.

“I aim to do this by supporting the sales and marketing functions, growing existing business and the on-boarding of new customers.”

Israel confiscates Palestinian land in West Bank

Israel has grabbed more Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank in a move that could complicate efforts to extend the so-called peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Reports on Sunday said that the Israeli ministry of military affairs has declared nearly 100 hectares of territory in the Gush Etzion bloc, south of East al-Quds (Jerusalem), as its property.

According to the reports, the land confiscation is the largest in years and could eventually lead to the expansion of several settlements. This is while heads of nearby villages claim the land as an inalienable part of Palestine.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, reacted to the move, accusing the Tel Aviv regime of destroying chances for peace through a “frantic escalation” of settlement activity.

Israel is “hostile to peace moves and it’s taking steps which have a longer-term strategy,” she said.

Last Palestinian-Israeli talks broke down in September 2010, after Tel Aviv refused to freeze its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians seek to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds, and the besieged Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.

The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.

IA/MAM/AS

Lucknow court acquits three Muslim youths in terror case

By Abu Zafar, India Tomorrow,

Lucknow, 10 April 2014: A local court in Lucknow on Thursday acquitted three Muslims youths in a decade-old bomb blast case after finding no evidence against them.

“Special Judge of SC/ST Act, Badrud Duja Naqvi, who was hearing the case in Lucknow Central Jail, acquitted Dr. Sayyed Abdul Mubeen, Kaleem Akhtar and Gulzar Ahmed Vani for the absence of evidence against them,” Mohammad Shoaib, counsel of one of the accused told India Tomorrow.

A bomb blast took place at Sahkarita Bhawan Lucknow on August 15, 2000. The blast fortunately had no causalities or injuries.

Police had charged them under section 121, 121A, 122, 123 and 124A of the Indian Penal Code for constructing and planting of a bomb, and conspiring against the nation.

The accused who were on bail have already spent several years behind bars in this case.

Police had also accused them of being associated with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Pakistan based Hizbul Mujahideen. SIMI had not been declared a banned organization at the time the incident took place and their subsequent arrest. One year later, the BJP led government used these incidents and arrests to legitimize a ban against SIMI in September 2001.

Mubeen, a resident of Siddharthnagar in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for a similar case in Agra. AMU witnessed massive protest for more than 15 days due to his arrest. At that time Mubeen was pursuing an MBBS degree at AMU.

Akhtar hails from Lucknow and Vani hails from Baramula in Kashmir

Cycle accessories distributor Zyro creates 60 jobs at new Darlington site

Originally based in Yorkshire, Zyro have developed rapidly in the past few years taking on several new brands and expanding their range

A bicycle parts and accessories firm has brought 60 jobs to the region as part of £3m expansion.

Zyro, a privately owned bicycle parts and accessories distributor, has recently relocated to a 100,000sq ft warehouse and office at Faverdale, Darlington, recruiting 60 new staff - taking its total workforce to 150.

The company has been on the rise since its foundation in 1995 by Simon and Julie Ellison.

Originally based in Yorkshire, they have developed rapidly in the past few years taking on several new brands and expanding their range to cope with the recent rise in cycling the UK and Ireland has experienced

Zyro has invested more than £3m in the new site, pictured right, which marks an increase of nearly three times the warehouse space over their previous premises.

And it is looking to expand its business further over the coming months as cycling goes from strength to strength in the run up to the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire.

The distributor carries 30 brands, including their own cycle clothing brand Altura, Cateye, ABUS and CamelBak and has recently expanded taking on internationally renowned helmet, clothing and component manufacturers Giro, Bell and Easton.

In addition to their warehouse it has departments including finance, sales, brand management, operations, marketing and product design with a range of roles in each.

Aitor Karanaka: Boro are trying to extend Dimi Konstantopoulos' contract

Greek goalkeeper won man-of-the-match plaudits after keeping Burnley at bay on Saturday to help Boro record a hard-fought 1-0 victory

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Chris Vaughan/CameraSport

Dimi Konstantopoulos

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Aitor Karanka has confirmed that Boro are working towards extending Dimi Konstantopoulos’s contract with the club.

The Greek goalkeeper has been in fine form since coming into the first team following the departure of Shay Given and the injury suffered by Tomas Mejias.

He won man-of-the-match plaudits after keeping Burnley at bay on Saturday to help Boro record a hard-fought 1-0 victory - and complete a double - over the high-flying Clarets.

It means Konstantopoulos has now kept five clean sheets in nine Championship appearances and that figure would have been even higher but for Nottingham Forest’s controversial equaliser at the Riverside on March 11 which was directed in off Darius Henderson’s arm.

The former Hartlepool keeper joined Boro last summer on a short-term deal which was extended to the end of the current season in January.

Asked if he wanted to keep Konstantopoulos at the club for next season, Karanka said: “We are working on that but the most important thing at the moment is Dimi keeps working in the same way every day in training.

“He has done well for us. He is 35-years-old but he comes into training every day with a great attitude and works very hard.”

Were you at the game on Saturday? See if you can see yourself in our gallery of fan pics.

Egypt’s Sisi allocated 30% of youth housing project in bribes to army generals

The Egyptian coup leader and presidential hopeful Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi allocated 30 percent of the youth housing project “Emaar Square” to army generals in return for their support to his presidency bid, the Arab Observatory for Rights and Freedoms (AORF) reported in a statement.

The AORF reported that Sisi allocated 20 percent of the project to members of the military council and a number of officers, as well as 10 percent to lower ranking officers in return for their silence about the deal. According to the report, Sisi declined a request by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed to hand over ownership to Mubarak era prime minister Ahmed Shafik.

Furthermore, the report added that the Egyptian army allocated 65 acres of “strategic lands” in Cairo to the United Arab Emirates after expelling their residents in return for one tenth of the real price per meter. It mentioned that the Emirati Emaar construction company will acquire 20 percent of revenues from the project, while Egyptian army generals will receive 30 percent.

The project will be composed of a massive residence compound, in addition to shopping malls. Emirati companies have been planning for the project since Mubarak era, the report pointed out.

According to AORF, the deal started since Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s visit to Egypt in December 2013, when he met with then Minister of Defense Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, who told him that he wanted “a new Dubai” in Egypt. During the meeting, Sisi expressed his admiration of Dubai’s economic development, and “was surprised to find that Abdullah Bin Zayed already had plans for a number of huge projects which had been prepared since Mubarak’s era and were postponed when Mohamed Morsi came to power.”

Source: MEMO

Thorntree boxer broke jaw of soldier celebrating son's christening outside Flares in Middlesbrough

Judge told only offence victim could have caused was with his 'vigorous' dancing after John Lewis, 28, punched him outside the nightspot

A boxer broke the jaw of a soldier who was celebrating his child’s christening at a Teesside nightspot.

The victim endured “five months of pain” after the attack, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The only offence he could have caused was with his “vigorous” dancing, a judge was told yesterday.

The Army soldier was with friends at Flares nightclub in Middlesbrough after the christening.

Prosecutor Michael Bosomworth said: “On his own admission he was drunk.

“There is little evidence that he was behaving in a bad way, save that his friend spoke of him dancing in a particularly vigorous manner.”

The soldier was outside having a cigarette when he was confronted by boxer John Lewis at about midnight on July 28 to 29 last year.

Lewis pushed him to the chest and struck him once to the face, breaking his jaw in two places.

The injured man was taken to hospital and had an operation. He said he still felt pain and loss of feeling in his jaw five months later.

He did not know his assailant but Crimestoppers received an anonymous call identifying Lewis, who was then picked out at an identification procedure.

Lewis, of Roworth Road, Thorntree, Middlesbrough, at first denied the assault but later pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

He had three previous assaults on his record, all in pubs or clubs, all earning him conditional discharges.

Robert Mochrie, defending, said: “This was one punch, no doubt delivered in anger. Mr Lewis is not a man who has been involved in terrorising the streets of Middlesbrough bullying people who frequent public houses.

“It’s certainly not the case that he’s just approached a completely random person for no reason whatsoever and proceeded to assault him. There was at least some form of confrontation.”

He said Lewis was “not the most eloquent of people” and had struggled with dyslexia.

Judge Howard Crowson told Lewis: “Perhaps he was dancing in a way that caused offence to some, perhaps not to others.

“For some reason outside you felt badly towards him.

“What you did was a gross over-reaction to any offence he might have caused. It resulted in him having five months of pain.

“It seems to me that boxers are trained, and should be trained, to keep that kind of sport in its proper environment.”

He gave Lewis an 18-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months with supervision and 180 hours’ unpaid work.

He added: “A failure is a choice for prison so don’t test me on it. You’ve come very close to getting locked up.”

He ordered Lewis to pay £500 compensation to the victim, an amount limited by his means as he relied on benefits.

Orphaning of Swami Aseemanand and Nathuram Godse – Typical Tales of Disownment by RSS

A hallmark of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) is how swiftly they disown their brethren when they are caught red-handed in acts of terror – whether it’d be the cold-blooded killing of Gandhiji or the Samjhauta Express bombings. LK Advani while disowning Nathuram Godse had stated that Godse had “severed links with RSS in 1933… had begun to bitterly criticise the RSS”. Advani’s assertion was flatly contradicted by none other than Nathuram Godse’s brother Gopal, who was also an accused at the trial for conspiracy to murder. Speaking in New Delhi (The Statesman; December 24, 1993), in December 1993, on the occasion of release of his book “Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi”, Godse criticized Advani while stating:

“I have countered him [Advani], saying it is cowardice to say that. You can say that RSS did not pass a resolution, saying, ‘go and assassinate Gandhi’. But you do not disown him [Nathuram]. The Hindu Mahasabha did not disown him. In 1994, Nathuram started doing Hindu Mahasabha work when he had been a baudhik karyavah in the RSS.”

In an interview to Frontline magazine on January 28, 1994, when asked he if had been a part of RSS, he had stated:

All the brothers were in the RSS. Nathuram, Dattatreya, myself and Govind. You can say we grew up in the RSS rather than in our homes. It was like a family to us.

All attempts by RSS to disown one of their own has backfired at them. In fact, even today, office bearers of BJP openly show their love for Nathuram Godse

–Read More At: http://ift.tt/1gtU7AI