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, Friday 22nd August, 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.

Israeli citizens hold key US government positions: Report

Press TV has learned that a long list of senior US government officials and legislators hold dual US-Israeli citizenship, proving Tel Aviv’s powerful influence over Washington’s decision-making process.

Apart from the significant presence of Israeli citizens at sensitive non-elected federal positions such as head of Homeland Security, a large number of Israelis sit in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The Israeli lawmakers at the Congress have the power to propose and vote on crucial bills like waging wars on any country, forcing the US to veto any UN Security Council resolution unfavorable to Israel, and approving funds and lucrative government contracts in favor of Israel.

The prominent US-Israeli officials in the list include Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Head of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Chairman of Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board Richard Perle, former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowits, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, Director of Policy Planning at the State Department Richard Haass, US Trade Representative (cabinet-level position) Robert Zoellick, Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board Eliot Cohen, former UN Ambassador John Bolton, White House Political Director Ken Melman, White House Speechwriter David Frum, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Samuel Bodman, and Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board Henry Kissinger.

Israel receives billions of dollars of American taxpayers’ money each year. Under an existing 10-year aid agreement between Washington and Tel Aviv signed in 2007, USD 30 billion of American money is flowing to Israel.

The US’ annual military aid to Israel has been elevated from USD 2.4 billion to USD 3.1 billion through 2017 under the existing agreement.

Meanwhile, US and Israeli officials have discussed a surge in US military aid to Israel in a new aid package that would extend through 2027.

ASH/KA/SS

Google removes 12 BBC news stories in wake of ‘right to be forgotten’

A total of 12 BBC News stories have been removed from some search results following a landmark privacy ruling in Europe on the right to be forgotten.

The stories ranging from coverage of a court case on bomb-making in Northern Ireland 13 years ago to a dispute over a lost dog have been removed by Google since controversial EU “right to be forgotten” laws came into effect in May, the BBC reports.

Google made it a point to notify BBC about the removal of stories, but it did not reveal as to who had made the removal requests.

The “notices of removal” issued to the BBC by Google said the web pages would not appear in the results returned for “search queries for names or other personal identifiers, the report said.

Google said last month that it had received more than 91,000 requests to remove 328,000 pages from its search results.

While the search giant approved more than 50 percent of the processed requests, it refrained from revealing the total number of requests processed so far. (ANI)

PLO condemns forcible deportation of Palestinian MP by Israel

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The Palestine Liberation Organization on Wednesday condemned the Israeli order to exile Palestinian member of parliament Khalida Jarrar from her home in Ramallah, as further details emerged of deportation order she received in a pre-dawn raid earlier in the day.

PLO Executive Committee Member Saeb Erekat on Wednesday said in a statement that the order for Jarrar, who is a representative of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to be confined to a specific area in Jericho was “yet another manifestation of Israel’s widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population.”

He added that the order is in “clear contravention of Israel’s obligation under international law and treaties to respect the fundamental human rights of individuals, including the rights to self-determination, freedom of movement, privacy, and protection of the family.”

Erekat noted that the order, which was delivered in a pre-dawn raid on her home by Israeli soldiers and gave her 24 hours to leave, “effectively amounts to attempted forcible transfer, unlawful confinement and persecution, all of which are crimes punishable under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and under the universal jurisdiction provisions of the majority of States.”

Erekat condemned the move and noted that 36 other members of the Palestine Legislative Council, the equivalent of a parliament, were being held in Israeli jails.

Prisoner rights group Ad-Dameer said in a statement on Wednesday that Jarrar — who is a board member of the organization — was told that she would be confined to Jericho for the next six months because she was a “threat to the security of the area.”

The group said that the Israeli army did not give any explanation of the kind of threat she posed.

The group noted in the statement that the raid also pointed to the fact that the Palestinian Authority was complicit in her arrest, as any raid on areas in Area A — the approximately 20 percent of the West Bank technically under full Palestinian control as a result of the Oslo Accords — had to be taken with their coordination.

“By allowing Israeli occupying forces to enter Ramallah means that in effect the so-called ‘security co-ordination’ between Palestinian Authority security forces and Israeli occupying forces allowed for the expulsion of an elected representative of the Palestinian people, an elected representative who has continuously called for an end to such ‘coordination,’” the group said.

Elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006, the group noted that Jarrar has been banned from traveling outside of the occupied Palestinian territory by Israeli authorities since 1998, except for one occasion in which she traveled to Jordan for medical treatment in 2010.

The group also noted that Israeli forces have previously forcibly deported sitting members of the Palestinian parliament, including Mohammad Abu Teer, Ahmad Atoun and Mohammad Totah, as well as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Khalid Abu Arafeh in 2010.

All of the officials were deported from their homes in Jerusalem and Ramallah, the group said, noting that soon after the deportation they were arrested and held without charge or trial by the military.

Israeli settlers unleash dog pack on Palestinian kids

Israeli settlers have unleashed a large pack of dogs on Palestinian children, brutally injuring one near Salfit in the center of the occupied West Bank.

The dogs harshly savaged the five-year-old boy, who is in dire need of several surgeries, including a facial reconstructive one.

The boy, identified as Karmel Moayyad Shakir, was playing with his peers in the village of Azawiyeh when the illegal settlers from the nearby Kannat settlement arrived at the spot along with a large pack of dogs.

Before the boy’s family could intervene, the dogs attacked the five-year-old who was lucky enough not to die, yet sustained severe injuries.

“We were sitting in the house. My son went out to play with his friends when suddenly I heard the kids screaming and the sound of dogs. I ran out and saw more than 20 dogs attacking my son with the settlers in the background. There was so much blood we rushed him directly to hospital,” said Thikra Ashkira, the kid’s mother.

Karmel’s family said the villagers there were vulnerable to the Israelis’ repeated attacks, with Israeli military forces protecting the attackers.

“The area we live in is the closest to the Israeli settlement. We suffer many such attacks by the settlers and their dogs. We usually try to keep the kids inside, but we can’t do it every time because they have the right to play,” said Moayyad Shakir, Karmel’s father.

Among many other illegal settlements, Kannat is notorious for its extremist Israeli residents.

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 UN 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.

NT/MAM/MHB

Israeli airstrikes claim more lives in Gaza

More Palestinians, including women and children, are killed or injured as the Israeli regime renews its airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The number of Gazans killed during Tuesday and Wednesday amounts to approximately 30 with at least eight children among the dead, according to medical officials.

More than 120 others are said to have been wounded in the past two days’ onslaught.

The heaviest death tolls were reported from airstrikes on mosques and refugee camps.

Tel Aviv’s recent attacks have been focusing on the Zeytoun neighborhood in eastern, Rafah in southern, and Deir al-Balah in western Gaza.

The Israeli military said it targeted 60 locations in the war-stricken sliver.

Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding the blockaded enclave since early July, inflicting heavy losses on the Palestinian land.

At least 2,049 people, mostly civilians, have lost their lives and more than 10,200 have been injured despite pressure from the international community on the Tel Aviv regime to end aggression against Palestinians.

Nearly 400,000 Palestinian children are in immediate need of psychological help due to “catastrophic and tragic impact” of the Israeli war, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has been launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.

NT/MAM/MHB

Teesside local football stalwart Gordon Duck to get FA award

If you were rated by Wilf Mannion, you must have been a decent player.

But Boro’s golden boy was just one of many admirers of the footballing ability of Gordon Duck, who will soon receive an FA award recognising his 50 years “plus” of service to the game.

After starring in the Middlesbrough Schools side which won the Yorkshire Shield in 1948, Gordon, who grew up in Grove Hill and attended Marsh Road School, went off to do his National Service with The Green Howards.

During his service, he bagged all five goals as a Green Howards team won the coveted Northern Command Cup, as well as representing the Army against the RAF in Suez.

On his return, Gordon - who played centre-half or centre forward - hoped to forge a footballing career with Boro. But when manager David Jack left and the team was relegated, Gordon was given a free transfer and ended up at Torquay United.

With wife Joyce reluctant to leave Teesside, Gordon came back home and got a job in the steelworks.

But football was in his blood, and over the next few decades he became a stalwart of Teesside grassroots football.

It is for that dedication he will get his FA long service award at a presentation night in the Acklam Steelworks Club on Park Road South, Middlesbrough, on Friday, August 29.

A piece from a Torquay United programme in the 1950s, introducing Gordon to the fans

Dad-of-five Gordon is now 80 and lives at the Dalby Court care home in Coulby Newham. But according to his son, Gordon junior, he was still playing football as recently as 10 years ago.

Gordon, 57, said: “Football has been a massive part of his life. When we were growing up in Grove Hill, he was the dad who always played football in the street with the kids in the square.

“Dad can recall all the great players who were at the Boro in the 1950s, Wilf Mannion being the pick - whom he fondly remembers as Dodge.

“I remember being presented with a trophy from Wilf Mannion who, when I was introduced to him on stage, said what a good player my dad was. I felt so proud.”

Locally, Gordon was a key figure in the Middlesbrough and District League, helping run the Sycamore Social Club and Ayresome Quoit Club teams, as well as the TUC team in the Teesborough League.

In 1984, he helped form a local league for over-35s, which is still going strong today and for which, in 1994, he organised a 10th anniversary match at the Acklam Steelworks pitch featuring such Leeds United legends as Peter Lorimer and Eddie Gray.

Now it is hoped lots of Gordon’s friends and former team-mates will attend his special night.

Son Gordon said: “Dad has not sought this award, yet I and others believe he deserves this recognition.”

For details, call 01642 828242 or 07952572076 or email gordon.duck@hotmail.co.uk

Teenage robber armed himself with a plank of wood to steal a 13-year-old boy's phone

A teenager who armed himself with a plank of wood embedded with nails to rob a 13-year-old boy has been locked up.

Anthony Evans impressed Teesside’s top judge with his efforts at reform.

But that didn’t save him from his first custodial sentence for the street mugging.

He and his friends circled the young victim who had been using his phone on Lawson Street, Stockton at about 8.20pm on May 9.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters said: “The defendant was seen to arm himself with a plank of wood, approximately 2.5ft long with several protruding nails.”

He held up the stick to the victim, asked to look at his phone then demanded it from him.

The fearful 13-year-old handed over the Blackberry, Teesside Crown Court heard today.

Evans was later identified on Facebook and picked out at an identification procedure.

He confessed he’d been drinking and robbed the boy after he was threatened himself by drug dealers to repay a £40 debt.

Evans, formerly of Whitby Street, Hartlepool, admitted robbery.

He told to a probation officer he went out looking for someone to rob.

He had four previous convictions and was under a youth rehabilitation order at the time.

Andrew White, defending, said: “He wishes to apologise sincerely and unreservedly to the young boy.

“He is genuinely remorseful about what happened. The way he put it to me was he’s disgusted with himself.

“He’s never served a custodial sentence before. I think it’s fair to say he’s terrified of a custodial sentence.”

He said Evans was “a desperately frightened young man” at the time and regretted making the wrong decision to pay drug dealers.

He argued that there was no violence, brandishing or direct verbal threats and the robbery was short, though frightening and shocking.

He told how Evans had a troubled upbringing with little guidance or support, where drug and alcohol misuse were the norm. His father hanged himself last year.

Since the robbery, he sought help from the Moses Project, which helps men with drug and alcohol addictions.

Mr White said Evans was now “on the right road” - sober, off drugs and living with a supportive Christian family.

He’d changed dramatically, wanted a better life and was willing to comply with restorative justice and meet the victim.

Mr White argued: “Sending this young man to a custodial sentence would simply put him in the company of pro-criminal elements, negative influences.”

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, said Evans’ record was “not altogether surprising” after his difficult life, his drug debt at such a young age “sorrowful”.

He was impressed Evans got help and took steps to improve himself and come off drugs.

“But you must appreciate that I cannot overlook this offending,” he told the defendant.

“You will know that offences of robbery in the street will always be taken seriously by the courts.”

He said Evans deliberately went out to rob with some planning, armed himself and targeted a younger boy.

Evans was locked up for 20 months.

Scheme for 182 student flats on Middlesbrough's Marton Road approved

A five storey block of 182 student flats is planned for a central Middlesbrough site.

Cliff Court Developments has received planning approval for the scheme, which is proposed for the old Douglas House site on Marton Road.

The site, where the old Marton Road School used to stand, has been the subject of planning applications in the past, with a controversial 120-flat scheme - dubbed a “monstrous carbuncle” by one councillor and opposed by several people living nearby - kicked out by councillors in 2005.

Later that year, a revised, third application for two five storey blocks comprising 120 flats was approved. The southernmost of the two was constructed in 2008, but the economic downturn meant the other was never built.

The new application is for a self-contained, five storey block over an existing underground car park at Douglas Court, Douglas Street, on a site bounded by Borough Road to the north, Marton Road to the west, the Marton Telephone Exchange to the south and near Victorian terraced streets. It lies 0.3 miles from the main Teesside University campus.

A design and access statement, prepared by town planners England and Lyle and submitted with the application, says the 0.66 hectare site remains mostly undeveloped after buildings which used to be on it were cleared.

It says the principle of developing the site has already been established, and that setting the block back from the street’s established building line should “ensure the proposal will relate well to the existing block on the site.”

On parking, it acknowledges the block will have many more flats than the 80 proposed in the previous scheme, but car ownership is expected to be lower because the accommodation is for students.

The statement concludes: “It is considered that the siting, design and external appearance of the proposed block is entirely appropriate in relation to the wider context of the surrounding area, and is entirely acceptable and complementary to the existing street scene.

“Moreover, the proposed development will allow for the completion of the regeneration of a previously unused brownfield site...in a prominent and sustainable location at a gateway into the town centre.”

The application was approved, with conditions, by Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee.

Criminal brandished baton at police - but backed down when one officer drew his own

A violent criminal who brandished a police-style extendable baton at two beat officers lost his nerve when one of them drew a real baton.

The Cleveland Police constable, who had been trained by combat experts, told Nathan Young, 23, that he was not going to back down.

Young, from Stockton, ran away dropping the weapon and he was caught after a chase on foot.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh told Teesside Crown Court that Young, who had 64 convictions for more than 100 offences, said that he did not know why he had been arrested.

She added: “He said how could they be illegal if the police used them.

“He said that he had waved it around in a threatening manner intending that the officer would be frightened.”

Miss Haigh said that the officers had been approached by a member of the public at 1.15am on May 26 saying that he had seen two men in Derwent Street, Norton, and one of them was carrying a police-style baton.

Young ran off but he turned towards them and he wacked out a two-foot long baton in his right hand.

The officer nearest to him thought that he was going to be struck and he wacked out his own baton.

And on being told that the officer was not going to back down Young ran off dropping his baton.

Judge Howard Crowson said: “I take the view that an extendable baton cannot be in legal possession except in the hands of the police, and he used it to threaten them.”

Miss Haigh said that Young’s 105 previous offences included robbery, harassment, drugs and criminal damage, and the latest in June this year was for possession of a knife.

Police had received a report at 3.30am that Young had left his home with a three-inch knife,and they found him nearby in an agitated state. He was wearing an electronic tag which showed he was in breach of a house curfew.

Malcolm Styles,defending, said that it was hugely distorted thinking by Young, who had taken drugs.

He said: “The reality is that he needs to sort himself out from the drug problem that he has. He seems to labour under the disillusion when he is under the influence of drugs that he needs to protect himself.

“He did have the good sense to drop the baton when he was ordered by the officer. I would ask the court to bear in mind the background and the difficulties that this young man has.”

Judge Crowson told Young: “When the police challenged you, you saw no wrong in it, but there is wrong in it.

“These things can do great damage when in the wrong hands, and the police have training in the use of them.

“Apparently you do not see the harm that you can cause. Your past background of causing actual harm to people is also an aggravating feature.

“The fact that you were stopped after this for carrying a knife is also disturbing.”

Young, of Hartington Road, central Stockton, was jailed for six months after he pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the baton.

Bernie Slaven: Boro have had a great start - but now they need to push on

Boro have had a great start but now they need to push on - and that means making the Riverside a fortress.

Considering how many new players are still bedding in, I would say they have done very well in the opening few fixtures.

They won on the opening day, which Boro don’t normally manage.

And Boro got a win at Bolton, which is almost as rare as a Geordie or Mackem with a cup.

And Kike - the man who Aitor Karanka has brought in to score the goals - has got three in four games.

So that is really solid start for Karanka.

You can’t really draw any conclusions until we are 10 or 12 games in and we can see how the team and the table is shaping up but that has put some of the building block of a decent season in place.

But if Boro really want to push on and be among the promotion challengers this year then they need to do it at home.

Whichever end of the table you are at, your fate is decided on home turf.

Getting points away from home is great, that is always a bonus and the more you get on the road the better - but it’s what you can do at home that is really important.

Boro came out of the blocks at home with a good win over Birmingham on the first day.

They played very well and were easy on the eye, they kept a clean sheet, they scored two good goals and they had a bit of swagger out on the pitch and with a decent crowd of 18,500 that all helped create a fantastic atmosphere.

Now we need more of that at the Riverside.

Winning well at home racks up the points and pushes you up to the right end of the table but it builds the confidence of the fans too.

The supporters start to go to games expecting to win and they get behind the team and not on their backs and that creates a cracking atmosphere and gives the team a boost.

If you are winning at home you can get some real momentum going and the team kick off buzzing and hungry and the other lot are intimidated. They’re scared.

If the crowd and team are pulling together you get some special and that’s where promotion campaigns are won.

Boro only lost four times at home last year but they drew nine and that’s too many.

If they can turn five or six of those into wins this time they can be a force to be reckoned with,

It’s early days but that’s what Boro should be aiming at on the home front .

• Don't forget you can call Bernie Does Boro - the independent fans’ phone-in - after the Sheffield Wednesday match. The show - kindly backed by the Healthy Living Pharmacy Project - is on from 5.30-6.30pm on Community Voice FM. You can listen on 104.5fm or join in and call me on 01642 688104


• Myself and fellow Boro legend Mark Proctor are doing regular kids coaching sessions in Redcar every Sunday. The sessions are for boys and girls aged five to seven and run between 1-2pm every Sunday at Redcar Community Heart in Ridley Street.

Stockton kickboxing promoters Contender counting down days until they go Dutch

Stockton kickboxing promoters Contender are counting down the days until they go Dutch.

The Teesside promotional outfit is on the lookout for talented new fighters they can feature on their shows.

And their search is taking them to the Netherlands next weekend in a bid to find them.

Contender Promotions Fightstar Hunt Holland takes place at the revered Vos Gym in Amsterdam on Saturday, August 30.

Dutch fighters who think they have got what it takes to shine on a Contender show will be put through their paces in front of an all-star judging panel which includes thai boxing legend Ivan Hippolyte, former It’s Showtime super heavyweight champion Hesdy Gerges and K-1 Max star Gago Drago.

Contender’s next show is on November 8 at Eston Sports Academy and one of their main aims in Holland is to find a suitable opponent for GLORY and SuperKombat super heavyweight Daniel Sam, who is fighting in the main event.

Contender president Garry Bell said Holland was a logical first choice as a destination to find new international kickboxing talent.

“Holland is arguably the best place for kick fighters in the world,” he said.

“It has produced people like Remy Bonjasky and Alistair Overeem, and that’s what made me want to do our first Fightstar Hunt in Holland.

“We are looking for both amateur and professional fighters who I can help grow.

“We are looking for an opponent for Daniel Sam in Holland – someone who hasn’t had that lucky break yet.

“I believe there are guys out there in gyms who are better than some of these big stars.”

Vos Gym coach Francois Lubbers has tipped two of his fighters, Tyjani Beztati and Tarik Khbabez, to impress.

Stuart Hall confident Paddy Lynch collaboration will help him regain IBF bantamweight title

Stuart Hall is confident his new collaboration with esteemed Birmingham boxing trainer Paddy Lynch will help him bring the IBF bantamweight title back to Darlington.

Hall split from long-time coach Michael Marsden in the aftermath of his title loss to Paul Butler in June.

The 34-year-old gets an immediate chance to regain the title which Butler went on to vacate when he fights unbeaten American Randy Caballero, with the fight now listed for Monte Carlo on October 25 after it was originally lined up for Sheffield.

And with Lynch and Max McCracken in his corner, Hall is sure he is destined to win back the belt he lost on a somewhat controversial points decision at Newcastle Arena.

Lynch retired from boxing along with his brother Tommy in 2011 after more than 50 years in the sport, and is known throughout the Midlands for producing nine British champions.

He is coming back to help Hall, who will head to Birmingham to begin the full process of getting ready for Caballero next month and could not be happier with his choice of trainer.

“I’ve known Paddy for a while through a good friend,” Hall said.

“He’s 69 and is coming out of retirement to help me, not because he has to but because he wants to.

“He has got so much knowledge, I’m blessed to have him on board. I’m in proper good hands with him.

“What ever he says, I’ll do. He has trained all sorts of champions, and received an award from the British Boxing Board of control for services to boxing.

“You don’t get one of those for nothing. He is my adviser as well as my trainer, and I’ve got nothing but positive people around me now.

“After a full 10-week training camp with Paddy, I will smash Caballero.”

Boro in talks with number of Premier League clubs as Aitor Karanka targets three more signings

Read all our Boro transfer news stories

Aitor Karanka has revealed Boro are in talks with a number of Premier League clubs over possible signings as his wait to land Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford continues .

The Boro boss has targeted three new additions to the squad before the transfer window closes, with a striker, right back and midfielder still on his wishlist.

As Bamford continues to consider a possible loan move to Teesside after being shown around Rockcliffe Park on Monday , Karanka today confirmed he is in talks with other Premier League clubs as he looks to build on Boro's strong start.

Karanka said: "We are working until the last day [of the transfer window] because at the minute we haven't got the squad we want, but I'm happy with the [performances] of the players I have now.

"We are working but not just with Chelsea, but with other big teams in the Premier League. Our link with Chelsea is good because everyone knows my relationship with Jose [Mourinho], but it's not just with him.

"I would like to finish [Boro's transfer business] before the deadline but sometimes you have to wait until the last second. I want to finish this transfer window with all the players I wanted two or three months ago. If we do that I'll be very happy."

After bouncing back to winning ways with a 2-1 win at Bolton on Tuesday , Karanka is now looking forward to three consecutive home matches - starting with Sheffield Wednesday's trip to the Riverside on Saturday.

The team responded to their late Elland Road heartache in convincing fashion - and Karanka revealed the mood in the Boro camp is good ahead of the Owls' visit.

"If you win the last game everything is easier", the Boro boss added.

"The players are more confident and felt again that we are playing our way and like we know.

"We fought with the same intensity all over the team, we started the game losing but scored one goal in the last minute of the first half and in the second half we were much better than them.

"[Our start] has been good because we have for points and that gives you confidence. We haven't got a full squad, we are playing with players who didn't have a full pre-season and players who have come in two or three weeks ago.

"It's important to get points when you're not at 100 per cent.

"We are confident at home playing in our stadium with our crowd supporting us and this season if we want to do something important we have to be strong at home."

Recap: Pictures and reaction from GCSE Results Day 2014 at schools across Teesside

• Oliver Bewley 12.5 A*

• Mollie Brown 11A*, 1A, 1B

• Robert Openshaw 10A*, 1A, 1B

• Thomas Blackett 10A*, 2A, 2B

• Kathryn Wake 10A*, 3A

• Eleanor Cosstick 9.5 A*, 1A

• Andrew Snell 9.5 A*

• Harry Brooks 8 A*, 2A, 2B

• Thomas Cooney 8 A*, 2A, 1B

• Richard Brooks 8 A*, 5A, 1C

• Chloe Gray 6 A*, 4A, 1B

Man told to do unpaid work after being caught sniffing cocaine on central Middlesbrough street

A man who was caught sniffing cocaine on a town centre street at midnight will be doing unpaid work for a year.

Police on foot patrol saw engineering worker Jake Rollinson, 21, from Stockton, sniffing something from a key in Wilson Street, Middlesbrough, at 11.55pm on June 14.

When he spotted them he walked away and he ducked behind some wheelie bins.

They detained him and nearby they found a small bag of white powder which turned out to be cocaine.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh told Teesside Crown Court yesterday that Rollinson had breached an 18 months jail sentence with supervision suspended for two years in March for criminal damage and violent disorder.

He had also been given 200 hours unpaid work which he had been completing satisfactorily.

Rebecca Brown, defending, said that Rollinson knew that the prison sentence must be imposed in part or in whole unless it would be unjust, and she said that the Probation service were willing to continue to work with him.

She said that Rollinson had been on a night out drinking and he had bought the Class A drug for his personal use.

Miss Brown added: “He was under the influence of alcohol, that is not an excuse but it is an explanation for his behaviour.

“The suspended sentence was his first sentence,and he is not someone who would trouble the courts again.

“There is a degree of immaturity, and at the time he had been doing unpaid work and also working shifts at his full-time employment at Darchem Engineering. They are aware of these matters and they continue to employ him.”

Judge Howard Crowson told Rollinson: “In my view there is no point in imposing a suspended sentence unless it is carried out if it is breached.

“The suspended sentence was imposed for a dreadful piece of behaviour which I don’t need to go into now, and it was imposed for something that happened two years ago.

“Sadly there are many your age who think it is no more harmful than possessing alcohol, but that is not the view taken by the courts. There had been a long period of good behaviour prior to that and you were doing well on the suspended sentence, you were doing well at a job you had worked hard to get, and on the evidence it would be unjust to impose an immediate sentence.”

Rollinson, of Maria Drive, Fairfield, Stockton, was given an extra six months community order and another 60 hours unpaid work after he pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and breach of the suspended sentence.

UK continues arms sales to Israel

The British government has refused to halt arms exports to the Israeli regime despite earlier pledges that it would rescind weapons sales licenses to the regime if military attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip resumed.

“We said we would suspend licenses if there was a significant resumption of hostilities,” said a government spokesperson on Tuesday after Israeli forces broke a temporary truce with the Palestinian resistance.

“We are closely monitoring the situation. Our assessment so far is the resumption of hostilities has been limited,” he claimed.

Earlier this month, 12 licenses for British companies to sell arms to the Tel Aviv regime were threatened with suspension if hostilities continued in the region.

“We have taken the decision to suspend these existing export licenses in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities,” business secretary Vince Cable said.

No new licenses of military hardware have been issued for use by Israeli forces during the review period “and as a precautionary measure this approach will continue until hostilities cease,” Cable added.

Cable’s remarks followed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza last week. He expressed hope it would lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The ceasefire, however, broke off Tuesday when Israeli negotiators withdrew from truce talks in Cairo.

More than 25 airstrikes hit Gaza following the end of the ceasefire, which killed a woman and a two-year-old girl, and injured more than 15 other Palestinians.

Since 2010, the UK government has licensed 42 million pounds worth of military licenses to the Israeli regime, including targeting systems and drone components.

The UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has filed a lawsuit against the British government over the lucrative weapons deals with Tel Aviv.

“If arms from the UK are being used to commit crimes against humanitarian law, and human rights law, then export licenses for these materials must be revoked immediately,” said Rosa Curling, of the human rights team at Leigh Day, which represents the CAAT.

Curling further warned if London failed to act, the government’s current policy would be unlawful and “susceptible” to legal challenge.

MFB/HJL/HMV

Albert Park fountain back in action after being repaired following vandalism

A fountain at the heart of a historic Middlesbrough park is back in action following repair work.

The popular feature in the town’s Albert Park became clogged with soil and debris earlier this month as a result of anti-social behaviour.

When the council was alerted to the problem by a park user, arrangements were made to strip and clean the water system and filters to rectify the problem.

Blockages have been cleared, debris including socks, jumpers and other objects removed and nearby flowerbeds – believed to be the source of the soil – have been grassed to deter future vandalism.

Park staff will undertake daily checks to ensure the water feature continues to function freely, and deal with any further issues as they arise.

Park user Mike Dunn, who alerted the council to problems with the fountain, said: “I’m grateful to the council and its contractors for putting in a lot of effort to overcome the water flow problem.

“The fountain is once again a real centre piece and a credit to the park.”

Councillor Tracy Harvey, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for Environment, said: “Our parks are rightly popular with the many thousands of people who use them all year round, and when users bring issues to our attention we will always endeavour to address them.

“The problems with the Albert Park fountain were the result of unacceptable anti-social behaviour but I’m pleased to say we have been able to resolve them and take steps to prevent them occurring in the future.

“Extra patrols and inspections will ensure the fountain remains in operation for many years to come.”

The Albert Park fountain was built in 1869 and was fully refurbished in 2013 following damage sustained during the extremely cold winter of 2009/10.

The refurbishment programme in 2013 included the replacement of the fountain’s pipework and electrics, and the installation of new pumps and filtration units.

Staff and customers shaken after knifepoint robbery at Redcar convenience store

A man entered s Redcar shop brandishing a knife before making off with cigarettes and cash.

Police were called to reports of the knifepoint robbery at Sainsbury’s Convenience Store on Larkswood Road in Redcar at around 6:40am yesterday.

A man entered the store brandishing a knife, before leaving with cigarettes and a quantity of cash. It’s believed a second man was also involved and police are trying to establish the circumstances around the incident.

Officers say while no staff or customers were hurt, a number were left shaken by the incident. They are appealing for anyone who was in the shop at the time of the offence to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

Bank Holiday weekend weather: Britain set to be colder than Siberia

It's August Bank Holiday this weekend, and guess what? It's going to rain.

Large parts of the country will be hit by showers putting paid to plans for barbecues and spending the time relaxing in the garden.

Northern parts of the UK are set to shiver today with temperatures of 14c and 18c in the south.

That will make it colder than Yakutsk, in Siberia, known as the world's coldest city, which is due to be 17c today.

From tonight showers will affect parts of the UK, particularly in Wales and western England.

On Friday there will be a mixture of sunny spells and showers across the whole country with the chance of the odd rumble of thunder.

Saturday and Sunday will also see a mixture of showers, some of which will be heavy.

But Monday will see widespread rainfall across the entire country.

Earlier this week it was reported that Arctic winds would make it the coldest spell of August weather for 100 years.

Some outlets have even reported it being colder than Siberia in parts of the UK.

There is even a chance of sleet and snow over the mountains of Scotland this week as it dips to near freezing overnight.

And forecasters say there is "not much to be optimistic about" for the rest of the month, with temperatures staying below average.

This week, it is not expected to rise above 9C (48.2F) in parts of the north during the day, with chilly winds making it feel much colder.

The Met Office said Loadpot Hill, in Cumbria, is unlikely to see a maximum daytime temperature of more than 8C (46F) today.

Government figures show the last time it was this cold in August was in 1919 when the mercury rose no higher than 8.9C (48F) for four days in Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Wife and son of Qassam commander killed in Israeli attack

A Hamas leader said Wednesday that the wife and son of the commander of Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the group’s armed wing, were among the victims of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in Gaza City on Tuesday.

According to Moussa Abu Marzouq, the wife and son of Mohamed Deif were among the three victims of the Israeli airstrike on the house of al-Dalw family in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northwestern Gaza City, which left also 45 people wounded, mostly women and children.

In a statement, Abu Marzouq linked the airstrike to a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw Israeli negotiators from Egypt-hosted indirect talks on a permanent truce in Gaza following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday.

“In an unexpected move, Israel announced the fall of three rockets [from Gaza] on its territory, and Netanyahu announced the end of talks, withdrawal of the Israeli delegation and terminating the ceasefire to everybody’s surprise,” Abu Marzouq, a member of the Palestinian delegation to the talks, wrote on his Facebook account.

“We did not know the reason of these moves, but shortly the news came in; there were no rockets fired from Gaza, but it was a pretext to target a senior Hamas figure,” he said.

“And the new crime was targeting the house of al-Dalw family, in which the wife and daughter of al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohamed Deif were killed,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Brigades said that a barrage of rockets it had fired at Israeli cities since Tuesday came in retaliation for an Israeli “massacre” against al-Dalw family.

“We dare the Zionist enemy to declare the true cause behind hitting the house of al-Dalw family in Gaza City,” the Brigades said in a statement, without stating who the victims of the airstrike were then.

“This response is just the beginning, and the enemy has opened the gates of hell on themselves and would pay a hefty price for this attack,” it added.

Violence flared up in the Palestinian territories on Tuesday following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian factions and Israel.

On Tuesday, Israel launched several airstrikes across the Palestinian territory, leaving three people dead and 53 people injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Israeli army said the attacks came in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip despite a temporary ceasefire, which was set to expire at Tuesday midnight.

Hamas, for its part, has described the Israeli attacks as an attempt to undermine Egypt-hosted negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire.

The Qassam Brigades, meanwhile, claimed to have fired 50 rockets at Israeli cities on Tuesday in response to the Israeli attacks.

At least 2018 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 others injured in more than a month of devastating Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip since July 7.

According to Israeli figures, at least 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed in recent ground battles with Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip – the highest military death toll for Israel of any of its three onslaughts on the territory.

Three Israeli civilians, meanwhile, have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza.

Since 2007, the Gaza Strip – home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade that has badly affected the local economy and played havoc with residents’ livelihoods.

MEMO Photographer: Mohammad Asad

'Shock results' after GCSE reforms lead to first rise in grades of C or higher for three years

The proportion of GCSEs awarded a C or higher has risen for the first time in three years, but national figures also show large swings in English and maths results.

Headteachers said some schools were seeing "volatility" in results, warning that for some students, this could put their chances of a place at a top university such as Oxford or Cambridge, or their opportunity to go on to sixth-form college, at risk.

Results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland showed a sharp drop in English grades, with 61.7% of entries scoring A*-C, down 1.9 percentage points from last summer.

This is believed to be the biggest drop in the qualification's history.

Maths saw an opposite result, with 62.4% of entries gaining an A*-C grade, up a massive 4.8 percentage points on 2013.

Exam chiefs suggested that the changes in results were down to recent education reforms, including removing speaking and listening from final English grades, a decision that in England, only a teenager's first attempt at an exam would count in school league tables - a move which has hit early and multiple entries - less coursework and a switch by some students to take International GCSEs (IGCSE) in some subjects.

Overall, just over two-thirds (68.8%) of all entries scored A*-C, up 0.7 percentage points on last summer, according to statistics published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

But the A*-G pass rate has fallen for the second year running, and is down 0.3 percentage points to 98.5% from 98.8% in 2013.

The proportion of entries awarded the highest grade has also fallen slightly, with 6.7% gaining an A*, down from 6.8% last year. It is the third year in a row that this has dropped.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which represents many secondary school leaders, said they were getting a "very, very mixed picture" from schools, with slightly more concerns about maths than English.

He said the good news was that schools, teachers and students had worked hard to achieve their results in a "very challenging" environment.

There had been "volatility" in a significant number of schools of all types, he said.

"We're seeing some surprising results which have shocked some schools. They don't understand why, with the same teachers and a similar cohort, and they thought, adapting to the changes that had been announced, that's happened."

Mr Lightman added: "There are individual students who last year, or the year before, with the same work, might have got a higher grade. And if standards have been maintained, which Ofqual says, then that should not be the case and that is a major cause for concern."

Some students have received "shock results" which do not reflect their teachers' assessments of their abilities, he said.

"National statistics do not tell the story of an individual young person who has got a grade, and it may be a D rather than a C, or it may be an A rather than an A*, and remember that could mean Oxbridge or not, or Russell Group or not."

For others it could have an impact on their sixth-form studies.

JCQ said the fall in English grades could be down to strong candidates taking advantage of a final opportunity to sit the exam last winter, and a switch by students to take an International GCSE in the subject.

The removal of speaking and listening is also likely to have had an impact, particularly for students who are on the C/D grade boundary, it was suggested.

"If you look at the overall results, where speaking and listening is no longer contributing to the grade, it was always our view that would have more of an impact at the C/D borderline," Andrew Hall, chief executive of the AQA exam board said.

He suggested that the move to "first result counts" has had the most significant impact on entry patterns, and therefore results this year, dwarfing the impact of other changes.

This decision is likely to have meant that fewer lower-performing 15-year-olds are taking maths GCSE early, and bright students, who may have taken the qualification early in the past, are now sitting it in the summer, JCQ said.

In recent years there had been a growing trend towards schools entering pupils for exams early, or multiple times, but the new rule has changed this, and figures published earlier this year showed around a 40% drop in early entry across all subjects.

"What I think is really of note is the change in the 15-year-old results overall," Mr Hall said. "What is driving that is the 'first result counts'. Only the students who are really strong in the school's judgment are being entered at 15, whereas before they were being entered to see how they get on."

Schools Reform Minister Nick Gibb said: "An exams system had developed that worked against the best efforts of teachers and the best interests of pupils. These results show our plan for education is correcting that. The number of children now taking exams at the right time, the number studying for academic GCSEs and the higher standards achieved are hugely encouraging."

90-year-old raises funds for South Cleveland Heart Fund instead of accepting birthday gifts

When celebrating her landmark birthday, Flo Tanfield passed up the opportunity for gifts.

Instead, the thoughtful 90-year-old asked for donations to be made to a charity close to her heart.

And her generous friends and family came up trumps - raising over £420 for the South Cleveland Heart Fund (SCHF).

“Last year I was in and out of James Cook University Hospital’s heart unit because I had two operations,” said Flo, a resident at Hollis Court in Coulby Newham.

“I wouldn’t have even been here to celebrate my 90th birthday if it wasn’t for them, so I thought why not do what I can to say thank you.”

As reported, The Gazette is supporting the SCHF, set up by Dr Adrian Davies in 1994, through our Help Save a Life campaign.

It was launched to help the charity raise £1m for the cardiothoracic unit at James Cook University Hospital.

The money, some of which is also coming from the hospital trust, will help fund the major upgrade of an MRI scanner so it can deliver state-of-the-art scanning and a full Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) service.

One of the scanners will be upgraded to the highest specification and the other will be completely replaced - with double the magnetic power.

Currently there are four MRI scanners in the trust but only one is equipped to do cardiac scanning.

“I had a party and I said to everyone I would like your presence but not your presents, and asked for donations to be made to the heart fund instead,” said Flo, who had a pacemaker fitted at the unit as well as undergoing heart valve and stent procedures.

“I am just happy that I have been able to help,” added the member of the Zetland Ladies Club.

Dr Davies, a retired consultant cardiologist who set up the cardiothoracic centre at James Cook and chairs the charity, said: “It is incredible that Flo has chosen to give up 90th birthday presents for us.

“Every donation is so important to the charity and so I can’t thank her enough for what she has done.”

Hamas: Israel violated truce after false claim 3 rockets were fired

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Hamas spokesman on Wednesday accused Israel of having violated the temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, saying that Israel had failed to offer a serious partner for peace in ongoing negotiations in Cairo.

Hamas spokesman Moussa Abu Marzouq told Ma’an via telephone on Wednesday that Israel “ended the truce and claimed that three rockets hit Israel, which Hamas had no information about.”

Abu Marzouq added that “all options” are on the table now, saying that the group was ready for peace but was not afraid of continuing to defend itself if Israel continued to choose war.

“All options are open now: a new truce, keeping the war going, or signing an agreement,” he added.

He said that Egypt is currently making efforts with both sides as part of ongoing attempts to reach a lasting agreement to bring to an end a six-week Israeli assault that has left more than 2,040 Palestinians dead.

“We presented a new proposal (that offered) the least of our rights to the Egyptian side, who gave it to the Israelis yesterday. Instead of responding, they were ordered to leave,” Abu Marzouq he said.

Abu Marzouq said that Israel had failed in negotiations and that on Wednesday they attempted to assassinate the military leader of Hamas’ military wing, Muhammad Deif, but had failed.

Indirect negotiations between Palestinians and Israel have failed to achieve results, with Hamas accusing Israel repeatedly of “stalling” and refusing to make any concessions.

Palestinians have demanded that Israel end its eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the tiny coastal enclave’s economy and led to widespread suffering.

Israel, however, has demanded Gaza demilitarize, a demand that Palestinian resistance groups have scoffed at.

Teesside youngsters get creative in hand puppet workshops at Preston Park Museum and Grounds

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Preston Park Museum and Grounds hand puppet workshops

View gallery

Youngsters from across Teesside gathered yesterday to get creative during the summer holidays.

Preston Park Museum and grounds in Eaglescliffe played host to a series of cotton hand puppet workshops.

Held throughout the day, the hour-long classes gave the children, aged between six and 10, an opportunity to create their very own hand puppet based on the toy collection at the museum.

The free event is part of the Making a Mark Project, which is funded by Arts Council England to promote the use of museums by schools and families. The aim of the project is to try and develop the relationship with children and museums and encourage children to be creative.

For details about upcoming events call Preston Park Museum and Grounds on 01642 527375.

Mum and baby put in danger after spate of wheelie bin fires in Redcar

A mum and young baby were put in danger and another woman left shaken after a spate of wheelie bin fires in Redcar.

Police are appealing for information following a number of incidents in which wheelie bins have been set on fire in the area.

The incidents have happened over the last three weeks, in and around Hanson Court and Soppet Street, mostly between midnight and 1am.

An incident on Hanson Court on Monday caused damage to a bin and guttering at the property. The victim aged in her late fifties was left shaken.

Another incident also took place on Hanson Court on Wednesday, August 13, while a woman with a young baby was in the property at the time. Neither required hospital treatment.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Nuthorpe Bowling Club are hoping Wish Sport tokens will roll their way

A group of bowlers on Teesside are hoping plenty of tokens will roll their way in this year’s Wish Sport campaign.

Founded in 1908, Nunthorpe Bowling Club is one of the oldest sporting clubs in the area.

As the only bowling club covering Nunthorpe, Ormesby and Marton, over 60 members aged between 17 and 80 use the facilities.

The friendly club has a busy match season, playing in various leagues. The club also holds informal roll ups each weekend to try and encourage new and younger members to take up the sport.

With most facilities now in place including changing rooms, a visitor’s pavilion and walkways, the club is now hoping to keep on top of what they have and maintain the safety of the grounds for its members.

Ladies Vice Captain at the Club, Barbara Dobing said: “The club has entered the Wish Sport campaign in previous years and has put the money towards improving the facilities aroud the ground to help improve safety for the players.

“Any money received this year will also be spent on improving the club for members. The money will be spent on the club house, the toilets and other surrounding areas.”

The Gazette has teamed up with Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, which is providing £30,000 to share between groups across Teesside.

Tokens are being printed in the Gazette every day for groups to collect. The more collected, the greater the share of the prize pot.

This year the tokens collected will be worth a share of £25,000, with the remaining £5,000 up for grabs during two online bonus days, the first of which will be Friday August 22.

All groups will be in with a chance. However, the five groups with the highest number of votes on http://ift.tt/1md60Qe will receive a share.

Voting will open at 10am and close at 5pm.

Shaun Hughes, managing director of Erimus Insurance Brokers, corporate patrons of the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation said:

“We all want to see a fitter, healthier and more confident Teesside and I think encouraging local sports is the best way to achieve this.

“Erimus are delighted to see the Foundation throwing its support behind Teesside sports club and I hope they, in turn, take the opportunity to boost their fundraising activities.”

To help Nunthorpe Bowling Club, send your tokens to: Barbara Dobing, Nunthorpe Bowling Club, adj Railway Station, TS7 0JA.

Hamas: Israel imposes war on us again

The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas said that Israel has once again imposed war on the Palestinians after the failure of the ceasefire talks taking place in Cairo.

Anadolu news agency quoted Hamas’s senior leader, Izzat Al-Reshiq, as saying: “We have no choice but facing Israel to achieve victory.”

The Palestinian delegation to the ceasefire talks left Cairo on Wednesday morning after the talks collapsed on Tuesday evening, when Israel recalled its delegation.

Israel claims that rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel, which is why it ended the ceasefire talks. However, the Palestinian fighters denied authorising any rockets being launched.

In the wake of these claims, Israeli warplanes resumed attacking the Gaza Strip, striking several different locations and killing 12 more Palestinians.

After more than a week of talks brokered by Egypt between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, made possible by four temporary truce agreements, a permanent ceasefire could not be reached.

The Palestinian demands are lifting the siege of Gaza and stopping the continued Israeli aggression, but the Israelis are calling for the disarming of the Palestinian resistance fighters

Local Teesside football round-up: Champions Whinney Banks off to a flying start

Round-up of all the local football action from the Teesside League, Stockton Sunday League, Redcar Sunday League and other leagues from across our region

TEESSIDE LEAGUE

CHAMPIONS Whinney Banks YCC started the new season with a thumping 5-0 victory over North Ormesby, who were reinstated back into the first division after Acklam Steelworks were expelled.

Lee Mahon scored the only goal of the first half after three minutes, and Whinney Banks ran away with it after the break as Danny Lockwood scored twice either side of Lee Donachie and Ben Hugill goals.

Second division champions Thirsk Falcons swooped to a 6-2 win at Lingdale, with Stuart Rose scoring four times.

They went two up inside 20 minutes through a Rose brace and Joe Boynton made it 3-1 at half time after Dave Hitchin pulled a goal back from the penalty spot.

Rose completed his hat-trick five minutes into the second half when he made it 4-1, and then made it five before Hitchind reduced the arrears with his second penalty. Joe Barwick completed the scoring seven minutes from time.

Thornaby Dubliners scored twice in the second half to beat visitors Nunthorpe Athletic 4-2. Dubliners raced into a 2-0 lead through James Hackett and a Gareth Poole penalty.

Nunthorpe fought back to make it 2-2 at half time with goals from Adam Able and Stephen Grainger. But Gareth License put Dubliners back in front and Rikki Kemp added a fourth.

Grangetown Boys’ Club recovered from an early Richard Cook goal to beat BEADS 3-2.Michael McGowan made it 1-1 and further Grangetown goals from Lewis Simms and McGowan after the break were enough for victory. Paul Craiger pulled one back.

Redcar Newmarket fell at the first fence in a 3-0 defeat at Richmond Mavericks, but promoted Stockton West End kicked off with a point from a 1-1 draw at Fishburn Park. Stockton took the lead through Ben Turner but and Fishburn levelled midway through the second half.

Promoted New Marske drew 3-3 with Great Ayton United. The score was 2-2 heading into the final 10 minutes after Joe Bennett and Andy Heerin scored for New Marske and Ashley Woodier pounced twice for the visitors.

Ryan Bennions must have thought he had won it for the home side but Ayton’s Mark Shimwell put away a last minute penalty.

Three of the five new teams in the second division started off with victories.

Boro Rangers fielded a large number of former Acklam Steelworks players in their resounding 7-0 win at Guisborough Globe.

Jack Guy opened the floodgates after only five minutes, Dean Talukder got the second and Peter Snaith made it 3-0 at half time.

Snaith added two more after the interval for his hat-trick and Guy got on the scoresheet again along with Rob Keenan.

Redcar Town beat fellow newcomers Staithes Athletic 2-1 with goals from James Kesterton and Stuart Poulter. James Smuk was the Staithes marksman.

Darlington newcomers Middleton Rangers beat Loftus Athletic 4-1. The fifth new side Redcar Athletic slipped to a 3-0 home defeat by Billingham FC, who were known as Billingham Town Intermediates last season. Nathan Bayes, Shaun Laverick and Josh Chambers were the Billinghamscorers.

Two Ben Cotts goals and a Ryan Mackey effort gave St Mary’s College a 3-1 opening win at home to Cargo Fleet AFC. Joe Marron replied.

Kader drew 2-2 draw with Billingham Synthonia thanks to a last minute Andy Herbert goal. Ryan Barry had put Kader in front but Synners fought back to lead through Danny Liddle and Chris Horsley.

GOALS STOCKTON SUNDAY LEAGUE

Reigning Premier League champions Hardwick Social began their season with a hard-earned 2-0 win at Billingham Cons with goals from Jamie Owens and Kallum Hannah.

Last season’s runners-up Norton George & Dragon claimed a 2-0 win against newly-promoted Thornaby Village – formerly Thornaby Jolly Farmers – with goals from Chris Burton and Joel Callender.

Newly-promoted The Royal enjoyed a 4-1 home win against George & Dragon (Yarm) with goals from Mark Ferguson, Gareth Poole, Billy Thomas and Andrew Blackburn. Substitute Chris Irwin replied for the George.

Portrack beat Norton WMC 3-1 with goals from Martin Woodhouse, Daniel Rowbotham and an own goal. Ricky Dull replied.

South Bank edged out newcomers Thornaby Meerkats 5-4. Scorers for South Bank were Darren Morrison, Sean Harland, Anthony Barnes, Anthony Gregory and Paul Millward.

Meerkats replied through Paul Barker, Gary Bowe, Bradley Murray and James Brodie-Myers.

In Division One, newcomers Stockton Red Lion beat Layfield Arms 5-4.Red Lion’s scorers were Neil Davis and Martin Small with two each and Ethan Rawlinson. On target for Layfield Arms were Arron Brookbanks (2), Shaun Lightfoot and Philip Poulton.

Grangefield Park beat Sun Inn 6-2 with a hat-trick from James Hall and one each from Macory Smith, Sean Scott and Matthew Thomas. Carl Stonehouse scored both Sun Inn goals.

Newcomers Village Park Rangers lost 3-1 at home to Billingham The Kings. Callum McNally struck for Rangers but The Kings crowned their win with a Christopher Wase brace and Matthew Ford goal.

Stockton hammered Roseworth Social 6-0 with goals from Dale Evans, Darren Reed, Daniel Murgatroyd, Ryan Todd and Jamie Gunn as Roseworth finished with nine men following two red cards. The other game between Billingham The Merlin and Billingham Cowpen Club finished goalless.

In Division Two Eaglescliffe won 3-1 at Billingham with two goals from Robert McIlroy and an own goal. Matthew Willshaw scored for the home team.

Blytheholme raced to a 5-2 win against Norton Unicorn at The Tilery thanks to goals from Ryan Brown (2), Alex Frew, Andrew Ruddy and Allan Hamilton. Michael Alderson and Daniel Massey replied for the Unicorn.

Norton Red Lion won 4-0 at fellow newcomers Thornaby Aerodrome Club with goals from Charlie Inman, Lewis Powell, Liam Blyth and Christian Selby.

The Oxbridge entertained St Mary’s College at Yarm Road and suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat.St Mary’s goals came from Chris Taylor (2) and Andrew McNally. Oxbridge scorers were Tom Massingham and Liam Davies.

Fairfield Sports & Social Club beat Thornaby Sports & Leisure 3-1 with goals from Chris Johnson, Michael Ball and Luke Spence, Philip Robson struck for Thornaby.

The other game saw Rimswell (formerly Malleable) and Eaglescliffe Bazookas share a goalless draw.

JACK HATFIELD OVER 35s LEAGUE

REDCAR Athletic were forced to forfeit their George Dolan Trophy semi-final against West End BC after being unable to field a team.

In the other semi Thornaby Over 35s powered into their third final of the season with an emphatic 6-0 win against West Hartlepool at Teesdale Park.

They are now in with a unique chance of winning all of the competitions they are involved in this season – the Division One title, Ian Ramsey and George Dolan trophies and the NRCFA Vets Cup.

In Division One title favourites Thornaby pummelled bottom side SMC 13-2.

West Hartlepool won 3-0 at home to Acklam Steelworks, although the Steelies enjoyed success in a rearranged game as they beat their close rivals Dormans 5-3. Steelies scorers were Sullivan (2), Dean, Morrison and Donnelly (penalty).

Division Two title favourites George & Dragon had mixed fortunes. They beat Thornaby Vets 2-1 but that win was cancelled out in a surprise 1-0 defeat at title rivals Nunthorpe.

Yarm lost unexpectedly at Stokesley 4-2 before beating Cleveland Seniors 2-1.

The other team in contention, West Park Bowling Club, beat rivals Nunthorpe 2-1.

Fifth-placed Stokesley got themselves on the fringe of the other contenders with a 6-1 win over luckless Billingham Vets.

UPVC SUPPLIERS LTD ESKVALE & CLEVELAND LEAGUE

THE league returns to action this weekend with the same teams as last year looking to topple Lingdale United, who had an outstanding season in lifting four trophies.

Lingdale have lost a couple of players from last season but will still be hard to beat, while Lealholm will be hoping to step up this year having just lost out with injuries playing a part in their finishing position last term.

Staithes picked up silverware as they won the UPVC Suppliers Cup and they will look to build on last season having lost out to the top two late on.

Stokesley Sports Club will be looking to move forward from last season, while Boosbeck United are full of promise having reached two cup finals last season.

Loftus Athletic may be a bit of an unknown quantity as their first team had made the step up into the Teesside League while Hollybush United are under new management.

The league is looking to expand in the 2015/16 campaign. Inquiries can be made to the league secretary on 01642 287609.

Recap: A-level results, pictures and university clearing details for students across Teesside

Today is A-level results day and students across Teesside are finding out how they performed on their courses.

As well as getting the results of exams, the attention of many students will be turning to whether they have earned places at university.

Follow our live blog from 7.30am for details about how schools and colleges from across Teesside have got on - as well as for details about the types of uni courses that are on offer through the clearing system.

Read the latest edition of the Evening Gazette's Homemaker

Chris was appointed editor of the Evening Gazette in January 2012. He is also a former Gazette news editor. Chris has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has previously worked in senior positions in Newcastle, Exeter and Nottingham.

Official: 22 killed by Israeli strikes since truce collapsed

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 22 Palestinians since a temporary ceasefire collapsed on Tuesday, a health ministry spokesman said Wednesday.

The deaths brought the total Palestinian death toll in six weeks of Israeli bombardment to more than 2,040, with more than 10,200 injured as well.

Ashraf al-Qidra said on Tuesday afternoon that two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The dead were identified as Muhammad Imad al-Abit, 16, and Saher al-Abit, 11.

Six Palestinians were also injured in a strike on al-Mughraqa on the central Gaza Strip. The injured were taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital.

Two were injured in an airstrike on the al-Abdaleh family home in Khan Younis.

Zaki Suleiman al-Rai, 54, died from wounds sustained earlier Wednesday.

The bodies of Mustafa Rabah al-Dalou, 14 and Wafaa Hussein al-Dalou were also recovered from the wreckage of the al-Dalou family home in Gaza City.

Earlier, a two-year-old Palestinian girl was killed in Israeli shelling on the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, al-Qidra said.

She was identified as Nour Muhammad Abu Hasirah.

Before that, al-Qidra said an Israeli airstrike killed an unidentified man near the al-Maqusi residential buildings in western Gaza City. The man’s body was taken to Shifa hospital.

Al-Qidra added that civil defense rescue teams had recovered the bodies of a woman and a child from the rubble of the al-Dalou family home in Sheikh Radwan, which was hit by five Israeli missiles.

The wife and daughter of al-Qassam Brigades commander Muhammad Deif were killed in the attack, Hamas says, along with four-year-old Ahmad al-Dalou.

A 24-hour truce due to last until midnight collapsed late Tuesday afternoon when Israel said rockets fired from the Strip hit Beersheba. Hamas denied firing the rockets.

An Israeli army statement said that 137 rockets had been fired at Israel from Gaza since the truce collapsed.

One of them hit a home in Ashkelon without causing injuries, it said.

Earlier, the army said it had struck “some 60 terror sites” in Gaza overnight, in addition to targeting “two terrorists … in the northern Gaza Strip.”

Over 2,000 Palestinians — the vast majority of them civilians — have been killed throughout Israel’s offensive on Gaza.

Sixty-seven people have been killed on the Israeli side, 64 of them soldiers

Israel destroys six homes in the West Bank

Israeli occupation forces yesterday destroyed six Palestinian homes in the north of the occupied West Bank, officials in the Palestinian government said.

The chief of the settlement dossier in northern West Bank, Ghassan Daglass, said that the Israeli occupation destroyed four houses built of mud about 100 years ago.

The occupation claimed that the houses were illegally built. Daglass said that such houses do not need licenses because they were built before the occupation.

“Israel is used to demolishing houses built of mud or metal plates under the pretext of building without licenses,” he said. “What Israel did today suggest a new stage of targeting houses aiming at evacuating the Palestinian lands in order to be ready for expanding settlements.”

According to Daglass, the other two houses, which were destroyed, were modern located in Tubas in the north of the West Bank. “They were demolished under the pretext of having no licenses,” he said.

Israeli authorities did not comment on the demolition of the Palestinian houses