Mass grave found in Aleppo, Syria

Syrian activists said Saturday they found a mass grave belonging to detainees who were held in a Military Intelligence prison in the city, Resalah news website reported.

Meanwhile, Free Syrian Army fighters said they took control of the Justice Palace building in the vicinity of the Air Force Intelligence building in Aleppo, where the regime’s forces were situated.

In northern Damascus, Free Syrian Army fighters said they seized the international road of Damascus-Baghdad, along with a number of other areas previously controlled by the regime.

Syrian news websites reported that 16 pro-regime soldiers have been killed during clashes with the Free Syrian Army in Daraa governorate

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 28 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.

African Commission orders Egypt to suspend death sentences

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (The Commission) has requested that the Egyptian Interim Authority immediately suspends the penalties of 529 people who were sentenced to death following a court hearing in Minya, Egypt on 22nd March. The Order comes as part of a package of interim measures, which were ordered following a complaint submitted by the Freedom & Justice Party (JFP) on behalf of the 529 people sentenced to death.

The complaint submitted to the Commission by the FJP’s international legal team details serious violations of the African Charter and international human rights standards. The complaint details how the Criminal Court in Minya conducted a hearing that lasted less than one hour and purported to deal with five hundred and forty five defendants on various alleged crimes including the murder of a policeman in August 2013, the attempt to kill two other persons in the alleged incident, damaging public property, illegal public assembly and membership of a banned organisation in Egypt. The complaint states that despite the complexity of the allegations the Court managed to find 529 defendants guilty and collectively sentenced them to death.

The Commission has noted, in a letter addressed to the Interim Authority’s President, Mr Adly Mansour, that the ‘number of people allegedly sentenced to death is the highest recorded in the recent past from a single mass trial’ and ‘the manner in which the death penalty was imposed may therefore violate international and regional standards’. It has asked the Egyptian Authorities to answer charges that the trial of the men was a ‘complete sham’ and constitutes ‘collective punishment’.

The Commission, which is a principle part of the African Union, also ordered that Egypt upholds the African Union’s moratorium on the death penalty and allows those sentenced to death a proper appeal process. The interim Regime has 15 days from being notified of the Orders to report back on the implementation of the measures.

The intervention by the Commission comes at a crucial point in legal process; as the Grand Mufti of Egypt is due to confirm the death penalties on Monday 28th April 2014. The credibility of Egypt’s legal system is at an all time low as the Courts continue to mete out the harshest sentences for relatively minor allegations without proper due process. On Sunday a Court in Egypt sentenced 11 supporters of President Morsi to prison terms ranging from 5 to 88 years for participating in protests that followed the coup. Thousands of people including members of the elected government, journalists and lawyers remain in detention in very poor conditions, some of whom have alleged that they have been tortured.

Following the July 2013 coup d’état in Egypt thousands of protestors gathered on the streets of Egypt to oppose the coup and show support of the democratic process, which led to the election of Egypt’s first non-military President. In an unprecedented show of force the interim authority used extreme violence to suppress the protests resulting in the death of over 2000 protestors and the injury of many thousands more. The interim authority has failed to investigate hold or anyone accountable for these actions, which have been described as a ‘crime against humanity’.

Tayab Ali, Partner of leading London law firm ITN Solicitors who represents the Freedom & Justice Party said ‘We are very grateful to the African Commission for taking such rapid and clear steps to prevent serious violations of international law. It is hoped that the death penalties, which are clearly being used to repress political dissent in Egypt, will now be prevented’.

The African Union is a collective of African States bound by their ratification of the African Charter. Egypt is a member of the African Union and its membership has been suspended as a result of the coup d’état in July 2013. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is a principle section of the African Union

Tunisia bans entrance of Israelis

Tunisian lawmakers have banned the entrance of Israelis to the country expressing anger toward a decision by the tourism minister decision to let in a group of Israelis.

Over 80 Tunisian lawmakers signed a petition, demanding the withdrawal of confidence from Amel Karboul, who has been accused of normalizing ties with the Israeli regime.

More than 60 Israeli tourists entered Tunisia this week to attend the annual Jewish pilgrimage in the Ghriba Synagogue on Tunisia’s island of Djerba.

Karboul has defended the decision and says denying entrance to Israelis would hurt Tunisia’s economy.

Tunisian lawmaker Nejib Mrad said, “If the tourism minister is pretending to bring foreign currency, we say that we do not want her money. We prefer to starve rather than slowly normalizing relations with Zionists. Our people will never accept. We revolted against tyranny and dictatorship, as well as (Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali’s ties with Zionists. We are aware of the threat.”

Anti-Israel demonstrations have been held on several occasions in Tunisia over the past few months.Tunisia, the birthplace of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, revolted against the Western-backed dictator Ben Ali in 2011.

SZH/HSN/HRB

South Korea premier resigns over ferry disaster

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has resigned over the ferry disaster, which left hundreds dead earlier.

“I wanted to resign earlier but handling the situation was the first priority and I thought that it was a responsible act to help before leaving. But I’ve decided to resign now not to be any burden on the administration,” said Chung in a brief announcement in the capital Seoul on Sunday.

On April 16, the Sewol ferry sank as it was on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the island of Jeju.

The disaster left more than 300 dead, most of whom were high school students and teachers on a field trip.

Late on Saturday, the country’s prosecutors said all surviving crew members of the sunken ferry were in the government’s custody.

Lee Joon-seok, the ship’s captain, had already been arrested along with 10 other crew members.

The captain initially told passengers to stay in their rooms and took half an hour to issue an evacuation order, by which time the ship was tilting too severely for many people to get out.

The 6,825-ton ferry was reportedly carrying an estimated 3,608 tons of cargo — more than three times what an inspector said it could safely carry.

NT/NN/AS

Activists defy Egypt’s anti-protest law

Hundreds of Egyptian activists took to the streets against an anti-protest law, one month before a presidential election which former army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is widely expected to win.

On Saturday, the protestors marched to the presidential palace in Cairo calling for the scrapping of the law passed by Egypt’s army-backed interim leadership in November to curb unrest that erupted after the army’s overthrow of elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The law requires anyone planning a demonstration to obtain police permission. Saturday’s protesters, however, did not.

A few threw stones at the police, who did not react and there was no serious violence.

“Down, down with army rule,” the protesters chanted. Some burned posters of Sisi, who stepped down from his post as the head of the army last month to run for the presidency in the vote on May 26-27.

Crackdown on activists

Western powers and rights groups have voiced concern about the future of freedoms and democracy in Egypt three years after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, an autocrat who ruled unchallenged for 30 years, in a popular uprising

But a fierce army-backed crackdown on activists, mainly from Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group, has narrowed hopes of greater political freedoms under the former army leader’s

For More:

http://ift.tt/1fEZwoL

Families welcome new £31m Redcar leisure centre

Crowds flock to enjoy the new facilities at Redcar leisure centre which include a pool, sports and civic amenities

Families have given the thumbs up to Redcar’s new £31m Leisure and Community Heart.

The new complex, which boasts state-of-the-art leisure and civic facilities, saw thousands of visitors flock to its opening event on Saturday.

Hundreds of children were the first to sample the new, 25m pool in a swimming skills event run by former European and Commonwealth swimming champion Adam Whitehead, while others made a splash on the centre’s innovative FlowRider wave machine.

And the civic side of the complex even hosted its first wedding, with Ian and Michelle Douglas taking the matrimonial plunge.

Maureen Davies, 75, of Redcar, swims in the over 50s club at Eston but is looking forward to trying out the new pool.

Visiting with grandson James Nightingale and his parents Michelle and Trevor, she said: “The construction is absolutely awe-inspiring. I have watched it going up from a hole in the ground, so to see it now is magnificent. Redcar is lucky to have this.

View gallery

Redcar leisure centre opens

View gallery

“James will come to swimming lessons here as well. It’s marvellous.”

Friends Clare Mackintosh and Laura Smart, who both live in Redcar, brought their children along to look around.

Clare, mum to Jessica, 10 and Isla, 2, said: “It is very eagerly awaited. There’s nothing in Redcar for kids, so I’m looking forward to having somewhere to come.”

Laura, who has four children - Oliver, 11, Tia, 8, Harrison, 7, and Seth, 2 - said: “We live on Lobster Road, right round the corner, and I think it looks very impressive.

“I like the look of the baby pool as you don’t see many of them around, I will use that. Usually, we would have to go to Saltburn to swim but that means a train and a walk from the station, which can be a bit difficult with kids.”

Friends Sarah Darby and Donna Holtby were watching their children - Amber, 8 and Grace, 9, Darby and Alicia, 8, and Karma, 10 Holtby - take part in the swimming demonstrations in the main pool.

Donna, of Guisborough, said: “I think it looks great. My children go to swimming lessons in Guisborough, but I would definitely come back.”

The Redcar and Cleveland Heart, on Kirkleatham Street, boasts a six-lane and a training pool, a beach water fun area, fitness facilities, a sports hall, a registration service, council chamber, meeting rooms, business space with 44 units and the Mayor’s parlour.

88 dead in two days of clashes in Syria’s Daraa

BEIRUT: At least 88 rebel and regime forces have been killed in two days of clashes for control of strategic sites in Syria’s southern Daraa province, an monitoring group said Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in Britain said 45 opposition fighters and 43 regime forces had been killed in the fighting that began on Thursday. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that rebel forces, including fighters from Al-Nusra Front, had seized the strategic Tal Al-Jabiyeh hill on Thursday.

Clashes were continuing as the opposition fighters sought to take another hilltop nearby in a bid to connect territory they hold in Daraa and the Quneitra region, alongside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Observatory said rebel forces had seized weapons and ammunition during the clashes and that regime forces had called in support from heavy artillery and helicopters to try to retake the hill.

On Saturday, Abdel Rahman said, the opposition was focusing its efforts on capturing Tal Jamu, some five kilometers (three miles) from Tal Al-Jabiyeh, in a bid to link areas under its control.

French troops blamed for killing civilians in CAR

Residents of the Central African Republic (CAR)’s capital accuse French troops of killing and injuring a number of civilians in an altercation.

A number of residents of Bangui said they had witnessed the killing of five people and wounding of 10 others in the altercation that began on Thursday night and lasted until Friday morning.

The French military issued a statement, saying its soldiers defended themselves when they came under attack. No official death toll has been announced yet.

The African state has been the scene of fierce clashes between Muslims of the Seleka group and anti-Balaka Christian militias since late 2013.

France has deployed 2,000 troops to the country, but it has been unable to halt the deadly sectarian attacks on the country’s Muslim population.

The violence is escalating day by day despite the presence of French and African troops on the ground.

Christian militia in the CAR has been raging violence against Muslims, many of whom have escaped the country so as not to get killed by the militia.

The United Nations has described the displacement of the Muslims of the CAR as ethnic-religious cleansing.

Many believe the French troops, known as the Sangaris, target Muslims and turn a blind eye on Christian militia, an accusation Paris rejects.

France invaded its former colony on December 5 after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to send troops to the country.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.

JR/MHB/MAM

Dividing society is inseparable part of BJP’s politics: Premier of India

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said that the statements of some BJP leaders show that dividing society is inseparable part of the party’s politics.

Addressing an election rally of the Congress at Bhongir town of Nalgonda district, about 50 km from here, he said the some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders through their statements openly tried to create a divide in the society.

“Though BJP later tried to distance away from these statements, I believe attempt to divide the society is an inseparable part of BJP’s politics. The statements have come at a time when some states are going to polls where BJP think politics of division will benefit them,” the prime minister said at his first election meeting in Telangana.

He urged people to decide whether a party which divides the society should form the government and whether they will vote for a party which makes one community fight against the other.

Without naming the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he said BJP’s election campaign centered around one man. “They are only talking big which has no basis and they are making promises which they can never fulfill,” he said.

Prime minister since May 2004, Manmohan Singh has already declared that he is not seeking a third term and will demit office after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

He dismissed as baseless the allegations by political rivals that the government did not make all the efforts to curb corruption. He claimed that no government in the past made efforts as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government made in the last 10 years to check corruption.

Manmohan Singh said in the cases of irregularities which came to the government’s knowledge, it ensured that guilty are punished.

Describing the Lokpal bill a major step in controlling corruption, he said the government wanted to bring more new legislations but the BJP did not cooperate in parliament. “I am presenting these facts before you so that you know the real picture of the parties which talk big on controlling corruption.”

Listing out the achievements of his government, the 81-year-old economist claimed that the development which the country witnessed during last 10 years was never achieved in any other decade in the past.

“The UPA II government did its best to live up to your expectations. In many sectors we achieved a lot but in some sectors the achievements were not to the level we had expected.”

He claimed that the poverty declined by three times between 2004 and 2011 and about 14 crore people were lifted out of poverty.

He listed out the schemes implemented in agriculture, education, healthcare and the steps taken to improve the infrastructure.

Seeking another mandate for the Congress, Manmohan Singh said the party would redouble its efforts for development and to remove hunger, disease and illiteracy and to create new job opportunities.

Egypt: Two protesters, including woman, killed by riot police in Fayoum city

Two anti-coup protesters were shot dead by riot police in the southern Cairo city of Fayoum on Friday.

Sources told AFP that one of the fatalities was a woman called Reda Ramadan Dahesh, 38 years old, who was killed by birdshots fired at her chest. Another protester, a 52 year old make, died of suffocation due to the tear gas fired at protesters.

At least 6 other protesters have been wounded, AFP reported.

Muslim Brotherhood refutes violence claims by Egyptian media

Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood Mahmoud Hussein refuted claims by Egyptian media that the group has relocated to a particular country or that it carries out activities which contradict with its core principles of non-violent resistance.

In a press release Friday, Hussein reiterated that affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood “are keen on the security and safety of countries where they reside, in the same way they care about Egypt’s security and safety.”

He also reaffirmed the non-violent approach of the Muslim Brotherhood: “The Brotherhood, since its establishment, rejects and condemns violence. Members of the group have never resorted to armed struggle except against foreign occupation.”

Moreover, Hussein stressed that the Muslim Brotherhood has consistently adhered to peaceful means of opposition to the repression it faced by respective governments.

He added that past events that took place during foreign occupation of Egypt “should not be taken out of their contexts”. The group, he stressed, prides itself on its resistance of foreign occupation of Egypt, and “considers it a national duty for every Egyptian.”

Concerning anti-coup activities, Hussein said that “the primary field of anti-coup activity is Egypt” and that the sole means of struggle is the “creative peaceful popular protests by young people and women in all cities and villages of Egypt, not any other place.”

“Attempts to publicize the idea that the Brotherhood coordinates anti-coup activities from other locations or by means of agreements with other countries is an insult to the Egyptian people who have the sole right to change.”

“No matter how brutal the repression against the Brotherhood is, the group will remain committed to this [peaceful] approach,” he stressed.