Israel orders family to evacuate home near Aqsa mosque

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — An Israeli magistrate court in Jerusalem has ordered a Palestinian family to evacuate a small rented house adjacent to the al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City which the family has been living in for 25 years.

The al-Bakri family was ordered to evacuate the house before Sept. 4, 2014.

Sadiyya al-Bakri told Ma’an Tuesday that her family of 18 expects Israeli authorities to forcibly evacuate the family at any moment.

“The deadline we have been given has passed and so we expect to be evacuated at any moment. However, we refuse to leave the house we have been living in for several years,” al-Bakri said.

She added that her family used to pay rent to the Niaaji family, whom she described as a “protected tenant who has the right to rent the house.”

After that, the family started to pay the rent to the Israeli government’s Custodian of Absentee Properties. The agency, she said, claimed that the al-Bakri family isn’t a “protected tenant.”

Based on that claim, the Israeli judge ordered the family to evacuate the house.

Violent Stillington builder caught attacking man on CCTV in Middlesbrough is spared jail

A builder with convictions for violence who was caught on CCTV punching and kicking a man was spared jail.

Matthew Spence, 31, who employs his brother, was said to be completing work on a bungalow for a customer.

The former doorman from Stillington now also has 150 hours unpaid work to do for the community after he was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court yesterday for the Middlesbrough attack.

Prosecutor Emma Atkinson said that the victim had described himself as merry as he left The Linthorpe pub on the night of April 18.

A man accused him of being one of a group who had chased him, and he said “I don’t know what you are talking about”.

He said there was a “sneaky punch” from Spence on the right side of his face, he was being punched from behind and he fell to the ground where he was punched and kicked.

He suffered a fractured cheekbone and abrasions to his forehead.

Spence claimed in interview that he received a phone call from a friend who had been chased out of the pub, and when he turned up he was surrounded and abused.

But when police showed him the CCTV footage he said “That’s not good”.

Miss Atkinson said that the victim gave a statement saying that the attack left him in fear of his safety.

Spence had a previous conviction for actual bodily harm assault in 2007 when he was working as a doorman, a similar ones in 2008, and in 2011 for battery after he slapped his son across the cheek.

Robin Patton, defending, said that Spence had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and he had supplied references which showed better sides to his character and that he had a good work ethic.

Mr Patton added: “His whole future turns on how things work out today.”

Judge George Moorhouse told Spence: “This is a very serious offence and an offence which fully justifies you serving a custodial sentence.

“He suffered a fractured cheekbone.

“I have read all the letters about you including your notes and you have shown remorse.”

Spence, of West Street, Stillington, was given a 12 months jail sentence suspended for 12 months with supervision, 150 hours unpaid work, an activity requirement, and he was ordered to pay £500 compensation and £60 surcharge after he pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Romanian thieves facing deportation after touring the north to steal from elderly

Two Romanian thieves who targeted the elderly to steal money are in prison facing deportation today.

Petronche Fuliuta, aka Tulceaniu, and Maria Borcoi travelled the north from their Middlesbrough home pinching from shoppers.

They distracted, confused and intimidated victims to steal their money, wallets and cards, Teesside Crown Court heard.

After they were caught, they both said they wanted to return to their homeland - a wish likely to be granted by the Home Secretary.

Prosecutor Joseph Spencer described how they preyed upon shoppers, some of them elderly.

“They seem to be travelling to different locations in the country operating as a pair," he said

“It’s theft from vulnerable victims involving intimidation or use of force falling short of robbery.”

The duo stood behind two victims watching them type in their PINs at supermarket checkouts, before coming up close to them outside.

They offered money to a 63-year-old woman, claiming she’d dropped it, outside Aldi in Sunderland.

They stole her bank card and £50 from her purse, and took £1,000 from her account within 20 minutes.

They waited for a 90-year-old man in the car park at Asda in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Fuliuta, 42, took out a map and leaned towards the elderly customer, backing him against his car.

Borcoi took his wallet and dropped it before the victim pushed Fuliuta away shouting: “Get off me. You’ve pinched my wallet.”

The wallet was returned, minus a card which was used within minutes to take out £250 cash.

They tried to distract and steal from a 79-year-old man in the Darlington branch of Marks and Spencer and a 37-year-old man in Bishop Auckland Asda on February 23.

Fuliuta asked a 74-year-old man for directions and took his keys and wallet at the same County Durham store.

They were arrested on February 26 at their home on Wicklow Street, Gresham, Middlesbrough.

In Borcoi’s handbag police found £2,720 cash, £1,640 of which has been confiscated as proceeds of crime.

She told officers she left money in the 90-year-old man’s wallet because she had “respect for elderly people”.

They both admitted thefts - three counts in Fuliuta’s case, two for Borcoi - and two counts of attempted theft from December last year and February this year.

Borcoi, 41, also admitted possessing criminal property.

Fuliuta flouted a suspended prison sentence imposed last year for stealing a cash card from an elderly man in Romford, London.

He also had a caution for stealing a wallet from yet another elderly victim’s pocket in Kent.

Defence barristers said the two expressed remorse for their crimes.

They came to Middlesbrough separately after failing to support themselves with legitimate work in London.

Mark Styles, representing Fuliuta, said he was “in a tight situation” trying to provide for four children in Romania.

He added: “He expresses regret that he ever came to this country in the first instance.”

Ben Pegman, for Borcoi who had no previous convictions, said she committed the offences to support herself and was a law-abiding citizen in her own country, a mum of two children, one with health problems.

She too expressed a desire to return to Romania as soon as possible, and she did not want to return to the UK.

Judge Peter Armstrong told the pair, helped in court by an interpreter, that the crimes were extremely serious.

He said: “They involved the deliberate targeting of elderly people in order to deprive them of their bank cards, wallets.”

The judge said there had to be a deterrent for others from coming into the country and committing crime.

He jailed Fuliuta for 23 months, Borcoi 16 months. Borcoi was ordered to pay £1,080 costs.

“You’ll then be deported, I’m sure," said Judge Armstrong.

“I’m quite satisfied the Home Secretary will consider you appropriate for deportation.”

Brother and uncle of Thornaby teenager are going to great heights for rare deletion disorder

Thornaby teenager Michaela Parkinson has a condition so rare that she’s one of just a handful of people worldwide diagnosed with it.

Bubbly Michaela was born with a chromosome deletion - known as 2Q37.1 - which has delayed her development and means that although she turns 13 on Sunday, she is working more at the level of a five-and-a-half-year-old.

Her family don’t know what the future holds, as the condition is so rare and affects every sufferer differently.

There is very little information available on the condition, with only around 100 cases reported worldwide to date.

Now the Abbey Hill School pupil’s brave brother and uncle are going to great heights to help a charity close to all their hearts, and to raise awareness of the condition.

Michaela’s big brother Daniel, 18, is taking on a 12,000ft sky dive - despite being no thrillseeker - for his little sister and for Unique, a charity dedicated to supporting people with rare disorders like Michaela’s.

Daniel, 18, will be joined by uncle Stephen Warrior, 30, of Redcar, for the tandem sky dive on October 4.

Stephen said: “At three months, Michaela required an operation to repair her heart; she has poor muscle tone and is globally delayed.

“It was a frightening time and through the help of the charity we were able to connect with others who had the same condition, which at the time was only 14 other families.

“I hope that by doing the sky dive in aid of Unique, I can raise awareness on rare chromosome disorders and help other families get the support they need.

“I’m excited about it, but nervous. It’s something I’ve sort of always wanted to do but it’s taken this to give me a reason to do it.”

Michaela and Daniel’s mum Tracy, a nurse at James Cook University Hospital, who also lives with husband Paul and their other two children Kieran, 14, and Eleanor, 10, said: “When Michaela was born everything seemed totally normal, but she kept losing weight and they didn’t know why.

“Eventually she was found to have a coarctation - a narrowing of the arteries and she had heart surgery at the Freemans. At the same time, they tested her and we found out about the 2Q37 deletion.”

Stephen and Daniel have funded the sky dive themselves, meaning any money raised through donations will go directly to the charity.

Daniel said he’s not looking forward to the jump as he’s “a chicken”, but said: “Michaela’s condition is rare and not many people know about it, so that’s why I wanted to do it really.”

Daniel and Michaela’s auntie Tina Warrior said: “The support they’ve had so far has been brilliant. Complete strangers have donated £50.

“The condition is so rare, so as well as raising money we want more people to know about the condition. Unique is only a small charity.

“It’s a big challenge for Daniel - he hates anything like rollercoasters, so to do this for his sister is so brave. He said he’ll just get someone to push him out of the plane and he’ll have no choice!”

To find out more or help, visit http://ift.tt/Xv01hO . You can also visit www.rarechromo.org .

No change to Gaza blockade since ceasefire

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — There have been no changes to restrictions on Gaza’s crossings since a ceasefire agreement went into effect at the end of August, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Maher al-Tabba, director of public and media relations at Gaza’s chamber of commerce, said the Kerem Shalom operates with the same restrictions as before Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

Around 3,700 trucks have entered the besieged enclave between Aug 28. and Sept. 15, almost a third of which were aid trucks.

Over 1,400 tons of cement entered Gaza between Sept. 2 – 15 to be used in internationally funded projects initiated before the conflict.

Unemployment rates are expected to surpass 55 percent in the near future, al-Tabba added.

In early September, Maria Jose Torres, deputy head of office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said no changes had been made at the Erez or Kerem Shalom crossings.

“We were expecting that the agreement of the ceasefire would have some kind of timeline for easing and lifting the blockade but so far we have nothing publicly. There might be something we are not aware of,” she added.

Following weeks of Egyptian-brokered negotiations, Israel and Hamas agreed to halt their fire in Gaza on Aug. 26 after 50 days, their deadliest confrontation in years.

The indirect talks are set to resume mid-September to discuss longer-term issues

Source: MAAN News