Mounting Israeli espionage scares US

There are fears in the United States that admitting Israel into the country’s Visa Waiver Program would facilitate espionage activities by the Zionist regime in Washington.

“The US intelligence community is concerned that adding Israel to the Visa Waiver program would make it easier for Israeli spies to enter the country,” said a senior House aide, Capitol Hill news website Roll Call reported.

Israel has long sought entry into the 38-nation visa program which allows foreigners into the US for 90 days without visa requirement.

A House Foreign Affairs Committee said Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte “has heard reservations from the intelligence community about allowing Israel into the visa waiver program because of concerns that it would allow in Israeli spies.”

The Homeland Security Department and the State Department have also conveyed these concerns to legislators on the House Judiciary Committee, which is the Congressional panel with jurisdiction on the issue of visas.

So far, US officials have refused Israel’s admission into the program only because the Zionist entity has failed to meet requirements. But several Senators are drafting a bill to lift those requirements for Tel Aviv.

Pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington are still pushing Congress to approve the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, which includes the visa waiver program clause.

The Israeli spying has become a sensitive issue in the United States, especially since the arrest of Jonathan Pollard and the fallout over his case.

Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, was arrested in 1985 for providing Israel thousands of classified American documents.

In 1987, a US court sentenced him for life in prison. Washington has so far rejected repeated Israeli appeals for his freedom.

KA/HMV/SL

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 22 April, 2014.

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‘Easy Meat’: Inside the World of Muslim Rape Gangs, Part II — 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 continues to share his battle against “Muslim Rape Gangs in the U.K.” [To see Part I, click here]. This time he discusses his report on this horrifying phenomenon, ‘Easy Meat,’ and takes us “Inside the World of Muslim Rape Gangs, Part II”:

Don’t miss Frontpage’s second episode this week with Daniel Mael, a junior at Brandeis University and a reporter at TruthRevolt.org. He discusses “Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Brandeis and Double Standards” and calls out the leftist Gestapo on his campus:

To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here .

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Egypt court jails 30 Morsi supporters for rioting

An Egyptian court has sentenced 30 supporters of ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, to more than three years in prison as military-installed government continues cracking down on dissidents.

Judicial sources said on Sunday the defendants were found guilty of violent acts during a protest against Morsi’s trial in February. Officials also accused them of membership in a “terrorist group,” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The ruling is the latest in a relentless government crackdown targeting Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters.

On April 16, a court sentenced around 120 Brotherhood supporters to three years in jail. The defendants were accused of violating a controversial law against street protests.

Last month, another court sentenced more than five hundred of Morsi supporters to death. That verdict drew harsh criticisms from rights groups and the international community.

Figures show Egypt’s military-backed government has jailed nearly 16,000 people over the past few months.

Despite Cairo’s crackdown, the Brotherhood says the group remains committed to peaceful resistance against the military-installed interim government.

Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since Morsi was ousted on July 3, 2013.

Several international bodies and the UN Human Rights Council have expressed concern over the Egyptian security forces’ heavy-handed crackdown and the killing of peaceful anti-government protesters.

According to the UK-based rights group, Amnesty International, 1,400 people have been killed in the political violence since Morsi’s ouster, “most of them due to excessive force used by security forces.”

MN/MAM

Israel attack on al-Aqsa dangerous escalation

A senior Muslim cleric says Israeli forces threw stun grenades into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and attacked Palestinian worshippers.

On Sunday, Grand Mufti of al-Quds Mohammed Ahmad Hussein said Israeli forces also fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians who were gathering outside the mosque, injuring several of them, Reuters reported.

Hussein warned against such acts, describing the attack as a “very dangerous escalation” of violence by Israeli forces.

The Israeli police have denied the account, claiming their officers threw the stun grenades on a plaza outside the mosque.

The al-Aqsa Mosque has been the scene of clashes in recent months following frequent visits by Israeli settlers and officials to the Muslim holy site. Israeli forces also prevent Muslim worshipers from freely entering the mosque.

The al-Aqsa compound, which lies in the Israeli-occupied Old City of al-Quds, is a flashpoint. The compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism. It is also Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

On Saturday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry slammed Israel for preventing UN and European diplomats to pass through a barricade to attend a pre-Easter ritual at a church in al-Quds.

Serry said Israeli troops stopped him as well as Italian, Norwegian and Dutch diplomats for up to a hour near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, crushed by a crowd of worshipers against a barricade, before they managed to pass. He said his appeal to speak with a superior was ignored as well.

Criticizing “unacceptable behavior from the Israeli security authorities,” Serry called on the Tel Aviv regime to “respect the right of religious freedom.”

MN/MAM

Israel continues violence against Palestinian children

Israel continues its aggression against Palestinian children in the occupied territories, despite calls to end the ill-treatment of minors during and after arrests, Press TV reports.

Tel Aviv said in February that it would implement a pilot program that relies on written summons instead of arresting Palestinian children at their homes at nights.

The plan came in response to repeated calls by the United Nations and international human rights organizations to stop the night arrests of Palestinian children.

However, the Palestinian section of an international child rights organization said the plan has failed to put an end to the violence against Palestinian children.

Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI-Palestine) said it recorded six cases in February involving children who had been summoned for questioning and who had been subjected to ill-treatment and torture while in Israeli military detention. They were summoned either by written notification delivered by Israeli forces in a night raid or by telephone calls from intelligence officers.

The children, all from Beita village in the occupied West Bank, reported to an interrogation facility and were promptly taken into jail while were denied access to a lawyer or a family member.

“In the previous two months, the DCI has documented cases of children who were summoned by Israeli army through phone calls or through handing invitations to their parents during night raids. Although they have introduced this new way, they are still using old tactics including ill-treatment, beating and torture of the children,” Ayed Abu Eqtaish, the Accountability Program Director at DCI-Palestine, told Press TV.

Palestinian children are mainly arrested for taking part in demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and Tel Aviv’s aggressions against Palestinians.

According to the DCI-Palestine, three in four children held in custody by Israeli forces in the West Bank last year endured physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation.

SAB/HJL/HRB

Evict Muslims from Hindu areas: Pravin Togadia

RAJKOT: Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) president Pravin Togadia sent temperatures soaring in Bhavnagar on Saturday evening with a hate speech that targeted Muslims for buying properties in Hindu areas.

At night, Togadia joined a group of VHP and Bajrang Dal members on a street protest outside a house purchased by a Muslim businessman near Meghani Circle. While saffron groups have been regularly organizing ‘Ram Dhuns’ and ‘Ram Darbars’ to thwart such deals, Togadia went a step further by asking the protesters to take complete control of the house and put a ‘Bajrang Dal’ board on it.

Togadia told the gathering that there were two ways to stop such deals. One is to pressurize the state government to bring in Disturbed Areas Act in Bhavnagar, which prevents inter-community sale of immovable property. The second is to take forcible possession of the house and fight a legal battle later which will go on for years.

He gave the Muslim occupant 48 hours to vacate the house. “If he does not relent, go with stones, tyres and tomatoes to his office. There is nothing wrong in it. Killers of Rajiv Gandhi have not been hanged … there is nothing to fear and the case will go on,” Togadia told the charged-up gathering.

“I have done it in the past and Muslims have lost both property and money,” he said.

He also said that this election is the best time to pressurize political parties to ensure safety of Hindus. “Don’t be reluctant to pressurize Congress or BJP for the sake of Hindus’ safety,” he said.

After the event was over, tension was palpable and police feared that the mob might attack the house. A team of policemen has been stationed outside the house to avert any trouble

US has become a police state: Posel

The United States has turned into a “police state” where the voice of the majority has been taken away, says Susanne Posel, a political analyst.

A new study by researchers at Princeton University suggests that the US is no longer a democracy but an oligarchy because the ideas of a small number of elite individuals are far more influential than those of common people.

However, Posel, chief editor of Occupy Corporatism and the US Independent.com, says the US was intended to become a constitutional republic but “got sidetracked” into a democracy and if you “look back at” history, you can see a democracy always descends into a “police state.”

According to Posel, who made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Sunday, a democracy is “where the majority rule” but since the majority’s voice has been taken away in the US, “there is no place but to descend into an oligarchy.”

“What our founding fathers wanted was a place where each citizen was sovereign, has their own rights; that state had its own rights; and that the federal government was there to just make sure that everyone else could conduct their business properly,” she said.

“There was no federal oversight, the states were able to take care of what they needed to take care of, sovereign people were able to take care of their own business and nobody was in your face, in your way telling you what to do and controlling you,” she added.

According to the Princeton University study, conducted by professors Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page, the opinions of a moneyed elite class in the United States are far more influential than those of the general public.

“The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence,” the researchers say.

AT/ISH

Israeli forces fire at farmers south Lebanon

Israeli army forces fired at a number of farmers near the borders with Lebanon but no casualties were reported, the Lebanese army said Saturday evening.

In a statement, the Lebanese army mentioned that “forces of the Israeli enemy shot at 4 farmers in the Sahl Al-Khiyam district in the south of Lebanon, but left no casualties.”

Last Thursday, Israeli infantry units abducted Lebanese shepherds from within a border village in the south of Lebanon, but released them the following day.

The border area between Israel and Lebanon routinely witnesses unrest, including sporadic gunfire, targeting farmers, planting improvised explosive devices and airspace infringement.

Israel blames Hezbollah for tensions in this region, while Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah accuse the Israeli army of carrying out attacks on the borders

US drones kill more innocent civilians

Yemeni human rights researcher Baraa Shiban says the US is expanding its assassination drone attacks in the country and the civilian casualties of such attacks will continue to rise.

The death toll of US drone strikes in Yemen has been spiraling over the last few days. On Saturday, over 20 people were killed when a US drone attacked a highway in the country’s southeastern Baida province.

On Sunday, 30 more people were killed in a US drone attack in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan.

US drones are targeting people about whom Washington “has no proof that they are eminent threats to its security,” Shiban, project coordinator at Reprieve, told Press TV on Sunday.

Shiban went on to say that these strikes “will not only jeopardize the security of the United States but the stability of the Yemini government.”

“These drone strikes and the drone programs inside Yemen violate both the Yemeni constitution and the international law,” he noted, adding that neither the United States nor the Yemeni government know who “they are killing” in these drone attacks.

Shiban also said that “the Yemeni government has not provided any names, or at least any names even to the public, to show that those people who are targeted in those drone strikes are an eminent threat to the security of the country.”

Shiban, who has interviewed many witnesses and survivors of US drone attacks in Yemen, investigated a US drone strike on a wedding party last year in December that killed 12 people. He even received a death threat for investigating the deadly attack.

AT/ISH

Darlington heading for the play-offs after 3-0 against Farsley

Martin Gray’s side are six points clear of third-placed Warrington :: Plus the latest from the Northern League and Wearside League

Darlington have pretty much sealed second place and with it home advantage in the play-offs thanks to their 3-0 Heritage Park victory against Farsley.

Goals from Ian Ward, Amar Purewal and Leon Scott gave Quakers a fifth league win on the spin.

Martin Gray’s side are six points clear of third-placed Warrington in EvoStik First Division North and boast a far superior goal difference.

Ward powered Darlington ahead with a 35th minute volley, and Purewal kept his composure to slot the second on the hour.

Scott’s drilled shot sewed up victory for Quakers, who play their penultimate league match at Wakefield this afternoon.

Darlington are looking for a second successive promotion after last season’s title win in the Northern League, which only featured one game with Teesside connections on Saturday.

Marske drew 2-2 at Penrith, but goalscorers Austin Johnston and Jamie Clarke are doubtful for today’s League Cup semi-final at Ashington.

Johnston got the Seasiders back on level terms when his punt from halfway was palmed into the net by the backpedalling Penrith keeper.

Penrith struck back to regain the lead but Clarke rescued a point with a late free-kick.

Stockton Town beat Ryhope for the first time in nine attempts and picked the perfect time to do it as their 2-0 victory gives them a six-point lead over the Colliery Welfare at the top of the Wearside League.

Kallum Hannah and Adam Nicholson scored for Stockton, who now need 10 points from their final five games to retain the title.

NYSD League: Newly-promoted Seaton Carew make history in front of home crowd

On a day when there were six winners in the seven matches played, the main accolades belonged to Seaton Carew

Champions Richmondshire began the defence of the North Yorkshire South Durham title in emphatic fashion with a comprehensive 133 run victory over hosts Sedgefield.

But on a day when there were six winners in the seven matches played, the main accolades belonged to newly-promoted Seaton Carew.

Playing at the highest level for the first time in their history they marked the unique occasion with a fine display in front of a good home crowd basking in some wonderful mid-April sunshine.

And it was skipper Stuart Lobb leading from the front as he struck three early blows to leave Saltburn tottering on 30-3.

This early dominance provided Seaton with the upper hand, and despite a fine looking 66 from Niraj Patel the visitors never really got back into batting gear and found themselves restricted to 200-9.

Last year was a remarkable one for young Paul Braithwaite – he picked up a glittering array of personal awards at the NYSD presentations last autumn, including the Division One player of the year trophy.

And the 17 year-old, who has also excelled for Durham at age group level, produced a masterful display of batting. Undeterred by losing his two opening partners for ducks, and then seeing his side slump to 74-5, Braithwaite displayed great maturity in leading his side to an historic success.

He made an undefeated 95 and sharing an unbroken match winning stand of 127 with Lobb (63no) as the two heroes claimed a five wicket win with two overs to spare.

Marton are many people’s favourites for the title, but their challenge got off to a disappointing start as they succumbed to a spirited Guisborough by five wickets.

Chris Allinson marked his return to the Priorymen with a match defining bowling performance in which he claimed 6-37 from 15 overs.

The first five home batsmen mustered just 42 runs between them and it took the resistance of Alex Wardell (56) and Ben Hutchinson (30) to lift Marton to 151.

Martin Hood then saw off his former teammates by anchoring the run chase with an unbeaten half century.

Along with Richmondshire, Stokesley were the only other team to rack up maximum points for a victory, and they did so with a strong performance against Redcar at the SCG.

James Beaumont (64 and 3-33 in 17 overs) took the lead role, but the Weighell brothers provided a top class supporting act as skipper Andrew (35 and 3-38) and Durham Academy star James (69) dominated the Seasiders who fell 104 runs short of the home team’s 229-8.

Elsewhere a 10 wicket thumping of Hartlepool by dark horses Barnard Castle followed a ponderous batting display which saw Pools muster only 151 in 50 overs despite losing just four wickets.

Great Ayton’s Nick Hendrie was in a familiar groove, the South African steering his team to a close two wicket win over Middlesbrough with an undefeated 79.

Marske’s return to Premier action saw them claim a draw at Feethams.

In Division One there were wins for Normanby Hall, Marton, Richmondshire, Whitby and Norton, the latter looking to have put together a strong squad well capable of mounting a challenge for a second consecutive promotion.

In the NEPL Stockton began the defence of their crown with a comfortable five wicket win when chasing just 126 against newly promoted Whitburn. Alan Baird (4-25) helping reduce the visitors to 50-8 at one stage, and Richard Waite once again the Teessiders talisman with two wickets and an unbeaten 41.

Teenage girl lucky to be alive after dinghy was swept out to sea donates funds to Redcar RNLI

Kirsty Dunstan and then stepmother Karren Greenhalgh were rescued by the Redcar RNLI lifeboat at Marske in August 2009

A teenager has thanked the RNLI crew who saved her life by donating money raised on her 18th birthday.

Kirsty Dunstan was 13 years old when she was carried out to sea in a toy inflatable dinghy while playing in the sea at Marske with her then stepmother, Karren Greenhalgh, in August 2009.

The two were found by the crew of the Redcar RNLI lifeboat half a mile offshore at Marske. Kirsty needed treatment for hypothermia at James Cook University Hospital.

Now, nearly five years on, Kirsty has held a party to celebrate her 18th birthday and at the party she held a raffle to raise funds for the Redcar RNLI station.

The raffle raised £460, half of which has been donated to the lifeboat station, the other half being donated to the neonatal unit at a local hospital.

While visiting the lifeboat station to hand over her donation, Kirsty said: “I wanted to raise some money for the lifeboat crew who saved my life.

“When I had my birthday party I organised a raffle, and I was really please when I found out we’d raised so much money.”

Her then stepmum Karren explained how the pair had drifted so far out.

She said at the time to the Gazette: “It was a gorgeous day. The water looked lovely so we went out on the dinghy. It looked like we were in safe water. We realised we were drifting out so we started paddling.

“But the current was pulling us and it just felt like we weren’t getting anywhere. Kirsty got into the water to try to pull it back but we weren’t getting anywhere so I told her to get back in.

“But she had let go of the rope and the dinghy kept drifting away. She had been in the water about 20 minutes by this point and she was exhausted.

“I saw her start going under and she was going blue so I jumped in and managed to get her into the dinghy.

“I started trying to swim and pull it but we were far out and I could feel the tide was changing and it was getting harder to do.

She said: “We could have died. I was exhausted and it was frightening.”

After being rescued, both were taken to Redcar lifeboat station before they were transferred to James Cook University Hospital.

Kirsty was suffering from hypothermia and needed a chest X-ray after swallowing sea water, while Karren was exhausted and in shock.

Kirsty presented her money to Dave Cammish, lifeboat operations manager at Redcar.

Dave said: “We sometimes receive donations from older people who reach a certain age and decide to donate money to the RNLI instead of having a party or in lieu of receiving presents.

“But this is the first time anyone as young as Kirsty has thought to be so generous at the age of 18.

“We are very grateful for her generosity, and we’ve asked her to thank everyone who chipped in at her party.”

Netherfields mum dyes her hair bright blue for World Autism Awareness Month

Kerrie Morrison made the decision to get her dark brown locks tinted bright blue as part of World Autism Awareness Month

A mum-of-four may look like she is feeling blue but she is happy her radical new hairdo is making waves.

Kerrie Morrison, from Middlesbrough, made the decision to get her dark brown locks tinted bright blue as part of World Autism Awareness Month.

“Blue is the colour associated with World Autism Awareness Month and on a personal level I have a son with the condition and I wanted to give something back locally,” said Kerrie, who lives in Netherfields with her children, Owen, 18, Warren, 16, Kathryn, 14, and Cara, seven.

Kerrie, 37, has raised money in the past for Gleneagles Resource Centre in Saltersgill, where Warren, who has autism, goes for respite breaks.

She suspected he had autism from when he was eight months old but he was first diagnosed with ADHD and then with autism when he was four years old.

“He is severe in some ways,” said Kerrie, a full-time carer and voluntary worker at Parents 4 Change Middlesbrough.

“He is verbal which is good but he will only speak to you on his terms, for example, we have had our neighbours for six years and he has only just started speaking to them. It’s very hard with strangers and health professionals.”

Kerrie Morrison

As a mum of four children all with special needs, Kerrie felt inspired to raise money for the autism charity MAIN, which has supported her family, and she decided to do so through a sponsored hair dye.

“Everyone thinks I’m barmy for dyeing my hair blue,” said Kerrie, who had a permanent blue hair dye put on by Michelle Hall, owner of Making Waves hair salon owner at the Southlands Centre in Middlesbrough.

“I came home to stunned silence from the kids. Kathryn actually likes it and Cara calls me Marge Simpson. Warren just looks but doesn’t say anything.

“They’ve all been very supportive and knew why I did it.

“It’s still a shock whenever I see myself in the mirror. I’ve had a lot of people staring - but it’s worth it if I’m raising money for kids like mine.”

So far Kerrie’s hair-raising stunt has raised almost £160 for the autism charity.

Anyone who would like to help Kerrie raise money for MAIN can do so via http://ift.tt/1h54Jdg.

Watch: Redcar Bears stars ride in with Easter cheer for poorly children

Speedway stars took a day off to deliver dozens of Easter presents to poorly children in Middlesbrough

View gallery

Ian Cooper

Redcar Bears riders hand out Easter Eggs

View gallery

Riders from the Redcar Bears visited the children’s ward at James Cook University Hospital and handed out chocolate eggs and soft toys to youngsters.

The riders - Rafal Konopka, Aaron Summers and Luke Crang - chatted to the youngsters and their parents.

Bears promoter Brian Havelock also attended.

He said: “The lads have been really looking forward to it.

“It is the start of the season so it is a busy time but this has been great for them.

“The eggs and toys were donated by the fans and we were really chuffed with the amount we received.

“We did this last year as well and it is nice to see the kids’ faces.”

Two-year-old Sonnie Douglas was in the hospital and received a gift. His sisters Tia, eight, and Sofia, five were also given presents.

Their mum Amy Kenyan, 25, from Middlesbrough, said: “It is so lovely that they came and did that.

“It is nice for the children and it has certainly cheered them all up. Sonnie is quite young to know what is going on, but looking at some of the other children, they looked so happy. It was a lovely thing to do. ”

Elisha Hughes, 17, from Middlesbrough, was in hospital recovering from appendicitis.

She said: “They gave me an Easter egg which was nice. I didn’t know they were coming. It is great that they do things like this.”

Nursery nurse Jan Murphy said: “This has been lovely for the children. It has been so nice to see the smiles on their faces. It has really brightened up their day.

“We want to thank all the fans who donated the presents - they were extremely generous.

“And of course we want to thank the Redcar Bears for coming in to see us and taking time off from their Bank Holiday weekend.”

Modi gets more NO votes than Justin Bieber in TIME poll

New Delhi : BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had many more “NO” votes than Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber and polled far fewer popular votes than AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in a TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world live poll as of late Sunday.

The voting closes on April 22 and the final result will be announced on April 24.

Modi, who opinion polls project as set to take over as India’s next prime minister post the ongoing general elections, had polled ‘NO’ votes close to six, on a scale of one to 10. Bieber had polled fewer negative votes.

Bieber in fact polled more YES votes than Modi.

The person topping the list was US actress Katy Perry, followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal who had as many YES votes as her and fewer NOs.

Modi was at ninth spot, below popular singer Beyonce Knowles and actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

However, a tweet showing the graph and the number of NO votes for Modi had his fans swinging into action, with many voting YES and urging others on twitter to do likewise.

On its site, the TIME asks voters if the person should be included in the TIME100 list.

By late Sunday night, Kejriwal had nearly 87 percent people voting YES and just 13 percent saying NO. The number of votes polled, both for and against, were over 130,000, with the polling numbers changing every second.

In comparison, Modi had over 62 percent voting NO and nearly 38 percent voting YES, with around 68,000 votes polled so far.

In comparison, world leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel had polled just 9,763 votes, with the meter barely moving. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had 13,000 votes polled, Chinese President Xi Jinping 7,777 and even Microsoft founder and the world’s richest person Bill Gates had polled 13,730 votes.

Vulnerable Teesside pensioners targeted by woman in 'mean and despicable' shop thefts

Eva Tulceanu, 38, was jailed for two years after she and a still at large male accomplice stole from shoppers in their 80s and 90s

Elderly shoppers were left traumatised after a woman targeted them for a string of “mean and despicable” thefts.

Eva Tulceanu, 38, was jailed for two years after she and a male accomplice stole from pensioners in their eighties and nineties.

She went to prison still protecting the identity of her partner in crime, who is still at large.

Judge Peter Bowers told her: “These were particularly mean and despicable offences. Over a period of five weeks, you targeted four elderly, trusting and vulnerable pensioners.

“It is quite apparent that each of these has been traumatised and left with significant emotional and psychological harm.

“There was clearly an element of sophistication and professionalism involved in the way you and the male with you relieved these pensioners of their money.

“Two of them had only just collected their pensions when they were subject to your attentions and lost most, if not all, of what they’d obtained.”

The pensioners had their money stolen when they were bumped into, pushed, shoved or distracted, Teesside Crown Court heard.

A 95-year-old woman had planned to put her money towards a mass in memory of her late husband on their 60th wedding anniversary.

She dropped her purse in the Savers shop on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough. A man kicked the purse to Tulceanu, she picked it up and the thieves left the shop, said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.

An 81-year-old man was shopping with his pension money in the nearby Co-op when his wallet containing £300 was pinched from his pocket.

An 82-year-old woman even helped Tulceanu at a till in Heron Frozen Foods in Guisborough before she had £170 stolen from her bag. She had just withdrawn her pension from the post office.

Tulceanu and her associate followed an elderly woman into a lift at Middlesbrough post office and stole her purse containing £600 from a trolley.

Tulceanu, of Wicklow Street, Ayresome, Middlesbrough, also stole a baby blanket, meat, chocolate and crisps in two Middlesbrough shops.

She admitted six counts of theft - her first crimes - all from January and February this year.

Duncan McReddie, defending, said Tulceanu regarded herself as a hard-working and trustworthy person.

She had been in the UK since 2010 but had never offended before the thefts.

He said she acted out of desperation after she lost her job as a cleaner and was unable to provide for her two children and pay her rent.

He said she was manipulated and persuaded to steal by the man she was not willing to name. He asked the judge to pass a suspended sentence because of her children, who were being looked after by her sister while she was in custody.

Judge Bowers said he was not prepared to spare her prison despite her plight.

He told Tulceanu: “However desperate you were cannot justify preying upon people who are old and vulnerable.

“The sentence has to contain an element which will deter others from preying upon the old and vulnerable.” He passed the two-year sentence, saying he felt “somewhat constrained” by sentencing guidelines.

Jonathan Woodgate wants to leave 'typical Boro' behind following defeat to Millwall

But skipper Jonathan Woodgate says that despite the setback Boro still have an incentive to finish the season on a high

Jonathan Woodgate believes his side must leave “typical Boro” behind if they are to flourish next season.

After four wins on the bounce - including wins over Burnley, Derby and Brighton - Boro slumped to defeat to lowly Millwall.

“That’s typical Boro,” he said. “Especially this season. We have done well against the big sides and let ourselves down against the ones down at the bottom.

“There’s no getting away from it, we were poor against Millwall.

“The fans showed their displeasure and that’s fair enough. If I could have booed myself I would have.

“We were sloppy all over the pitch. And that’s hard to take.

“There’s been a bit of buzz around the town the last few weeks when we’ve been winning games because people start to believe we can do things ... then it comes along and whacks you in the face.

“I’m sure we will go places next season, I’m positive about that.

“But we have to sort this problem out and become more consistent against the sides battling relegation.

“We have to be more ruthless and make sure we beat these teams.”

But the skipper said that despite the setback Boro still have an incentive to finish the season on a high.

“It is important to win these last few games because we want to win the fans back,” he said. “We want to show we are a good team that are getting better and that we want to go places next season.

“And that means a big finish. We have to give 100% in the next three games. They’ll be tough.

“Reading are fighting for the play-offs and Barnsley and Yeovil are out to beat relegation. We want to make it hard for all of them to reach their goals.”

Israel prevents UN delegation from reaching Church of the Holy Sepulchre

UN envoy for Middle East Peace Robert Serry said Saturday that Israeli police refused to grant him and other diplomats permission to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to attend Holy Saturday rituals.

In a statement, Serry said that Israeli police officers prevented a number of Palestinian worshippers and diplomats from crossing a checkpoint, citing “orders” they received in this regard.

Officers ignored a request by Serry to speak with senior officials, he told Reuters. He, along with diplomats from Italy, Norway and Netherlands, waited for half an hour at the crowded checkpoint. When Serry told an Israeli officer that he was UN Secretary General’s envoy, the officer responded: “so what?”

In his statement, Serry called on all sides to “respect the right to religious freedom,” denouncing the attitude of Israeli police as “unacceptable”.

A spokesman of the Israeli Foreign Ministry downplayed the incident, pointing out that it was “a very minor” one, and that police was merely trying to control the crowd.

Pope Francis is slated to visit Jerusalem and other places in the West Bank next May

Peace our greatest weapon: Al-Sudais

There some individuals who misuse Islam to achieve personal goals and spread violence and terrorism, said Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, chief imam of Makkah’s Grand Mosque. He was addressing the Dubai International Peace Convention on Saturday.

“Such misuse is incorrect as Islam seeks to build and not destroy, to improve life for humankind and not worsen it.”

The three-day convention, which concluded on Saturday, attracted about 70,000 people of varied nationalities from across the UAE and the wider Gulf region.

Notably, Dutch filmmaker Arnaud Van Dorn’s son embraced Islam and changed his name to Ali on second day of the convention. Arnaud Van Dorn had embraced Islam last year.

“Peace in Islam represents health and security. Peace also means a collective and individual behavior, which ensures that Muslims live for the betterment of society through commitment to goodness, harmony, dialogue and compassion while rejecting violence, corruption and terrorism,” Al-Sudais said.

“If the world takes pride in its mass destruction weapons, then Islamic nations are proud of their greatest weapon — peace,” he said.

The number of people who joined “The Peace Pledge” from around the world on various social sites reached over 250,000. The event witnessed significant participation of women.

The sessions and lectures led by India’s Zakir Naik witnessed unprecedented participation of fans from a cross-section of nationalities

Aitor Karanka: 'The shape wasn't the problem, the problem was we didn't play with the same intensity'

Aitor Karanka has questioned the 'mentality' of his players following the disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Millwall

Aitor Karanka has questioned the “mentality” of his players.

Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to struggling Millwall has all but extinguished Boro’s faint hopes of pushing for a top six finish, leaving the club seven points adrift of sixth-placed Brighton with just three fixtures remaining.

In Karanka’s opinion, however, it was talk of a possible play-off bid that led indirectly to his side’s defeat at the weekend.

“What I have learned this season is that every time there has been talk of the possibility of the play-offs, we have not performed and we have lost the next match,” he said.

“We need to change that mentality.

“A lot of people were speaking about the play-off position and always when we have spoken about the play-off position everybody has been distracted.

“This is a mentality problem and it always happens at the same time - when we think we are better than we are, we lose the game.

“It is normal,” he added. “I was a player and when you win four games in a row the fifth game is Millwall, a team in the relegation position, and you are at home, you think ‘if we can beat Burnley away, it is easy to beat Millwall at home’.

“I told the players before the game that it will be our mistake to think like this but it happened.”

Boro went into the Millwall game on the back of four successive Championship wins and were firm favourites to extend that sequence to five ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Reading.

Unfortunately the Lions, who were third bottom going into the game, were worthy winners against opponents who looked a pale shadow of the team that recorded wins over Brighton, Derby, Birmingham and Burnley.

Millwall took the lead in the 16th minute through a Stefan Maierhofer header and the giant Austrian added a second on the half-hour mark, again through a headed finish.

Emmanuel Ledesma converted a direct free-kick in the 80th minute to pull one back, but the hosts were unable to force an equaliser.

Karanka admitted his side’s lacklustre performance had taken him by surprise.

“It’s difficult for me to understand how a team of 11 players who beat Burnley away couldn’t beat Millwall at home,” he said.

“It is difficult to understand because it is the same players and the same shape that we had at Burnley.

“We had everything in our hands to win the fifth game and we didn’t get it.”

On Saturday the Spaniard stuck with the 3-5-1-1 formation that worked well at Burnley but denied that was the reason his team conceded two poor goals from a defensive point of view.

“The shape wasn’t the problem, the problem was we didn’t play with the same intensity that we played with in the last four games,” he said.

“The problem is you can’t let the opposition go in 2-0 up at half-time.”

Cyclists turn out to help brave Linthorpe teen Ben Honeysett on the road to recovery after crash

Ben Honeysett, 16, was due to compete in a cycling event the day after he suffered serious head injuries in a collision with a car

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Cycling event for Ben Honeysett

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A teenage cyclist has a “long road to recovery” after he was seriously injured in a horrific road accident in Middlesbrough.

Ben Honeysett suffered serious head injuries in a collision with a car and is recovering in hospital.

The 16-year-old was due to compete in a cycling event the day after the accident.

His mum Jackie, who has been by her son’s bedside at James Cook University Hospital since the accident, said: “He was the favourite to win that event. Everyone was wondering why he hadn’t turned up for it. It is going to be a long road to recovery for Ben but he is doing really well. He has serious head injuries which is limiting him physically at the moment. He has to have some more scans this week.”

Yesterday a special cycling event was held at Prissick Cycle Circuit in Middlesbrough to raise money towards Ben’s recovery. Dozens of cyclists took part in a number of races for different age groups.

Mrs Honeysett, from Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, said: “I think it is wonderful that they have done that. A lot of his cycling friends took part. Cycling is Ben’s passion and he is known by a lot of people in the cycling community. He goes out racing and cycling with a big crowd of people.”

And Ben has been cheered up by a “get well soon” message from a British cycling Olympic medallist.

Ed Clancy sent a kind-hearted video to Ben wishing him a speedy recovery.

In the video the Olympic star says: “Heard about your accident. Sounds like you are in a tricky situation there, but it sounds like you are getting better and hopefully you will be out of there soon.”

Ben, a student at Middlesbrough’s Macmillan Sixth Form College, was involved in the accident on Saturday, April 13 at midday. It happened at the junction of Oxford Road and Roman Road in Middlesbrough. Police are investigating the collision.

Marcus Smith, organiser of yesterday’s cycling event, said: “Ben could be a while in hospital and we wanted to do whatever we could to help.

“He is a great guy. And he absolutely loves cycling. He is down here a lot - not just to cycle but also to help out. We all hope he gets better soon.”

Callum Stevens, 21, from Ingleby Barwick, a friend of Ben’s, said: “We are all thinking about him and hope he gets better soon.

“This has been a great event and it is all for Ben.”

Pictures: 1,400 music fans attend venues across town for annual Stockton Calling event

More than 70 music acts from across the country performed throughout the day at the fifth annual Stockton Calling event

Dozens of music acts descended on Stockton for the fifth annual Stockton Calling event.

The sell-out event attracted 1,400 music fans who attended venues across the town during Saturday’s bumper event.

More than 70 music acts from across the country performed throughout the day.

One of the organisers, Chris Cobain from Tees Music Alliance, said: “This is the fifth year that we have held Stockton Calling and once again it was a great success.

“It has got bigger and better every year.

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Katie Lunn

Stockton Calling

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“It is great for Stockton. The town was buzzing all day and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. It was great to see so many people involved.

“We had people down here early doors with queues at all eight venues.

“We are hoping to do it again next year, hopefully with some more venues.”

The headliners at the eight venues were Young Rebel Set, Public Service Broadcasting, Space, Paul Thomas Saunders, Chris Helme, Collectors Club, We Are Knuckle Dragger and Baby Strang.

Young Rebel Set headlined the biggest stage - at Arc.

The group ended 2013 with a sell-out show at Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Daniel Horner, 27, from Stockton, was at the event with his girlfriend Catherine Brewis, 38.

He said: “This is great for Stockton.

“Catherine is more into music than I am but it sounds like a great event and it’s nice that so many local bands are taking part.”

Trish Roach, 46, a facilities co-ordinator from Norton, said: “This is the second year I have come to this. It is nice to see local bands taking part.

“There is a great atmosphere and a lot going on which is great.

“There is a lot of people around. It is great for Stockton.”

Angela Ralph, 46, an insurance saleswoman from Roseworth, Stockton, said: “I haven’t been to this before but it sounded like a great day out.

“The weather is good and the bands sound really great.

“It’s a great way to spend the bank holiday weekend.”