Israel navy shoots at Gaza fishing boats

Israel’s navy on Saturday opened its fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a man speaking for the blockaded enclave’s fishermen said.

“There have been, however, no casualties from the shooting,” Nizar Ayyash, the head of Gaza’s fishermen’s union, told Anadolu Agency.

He said in shooting at the boats, the Israeli navy claimed that they had gone beyond six nautical miles specified for fishing activities by the Palestinians off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli navy routinely shoots at Palestinian fishing boats under the pretext that they go beyond fishing space specified for them, Ayyash said, noting that Israeli attacks usually sabotage the business of Palestinian fishermen.

In late August, Israel allowed Palestinian fishermen to ply their trade up to six nautical miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip – as opposed to three miles previously.

A cease-fire reached between Israel and Palestinian factions on August 26 ended 51 days of relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip – attacks that killed over 2,160 Palestinians – and also increased fishing space for Gaza’s fishermen off the coast of Gaza.

Some 50,000 people earn their living in Gaza by fishing, Ayyash said.

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 1st December, 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.

Middlesbrough man Owen Ellis jailed after four hour rooftop siege

A man who was high on drugs when he staged a four hour rooftop siege hurling slates at police and cars has been jailed.

Cleveland Police sent their helicopter and a negotiator and cordoned off the area when Owen Ellis, 21, from Middlesbrough, smashed his way into the town centre house at lunchtime and climbed up to his perch to avoid capture.

Prosecutor Paul Lee said that Ellis demanded a cigarette to end the siege but officers refused to give him one until he returned to earth.

He ripped up slates and pieces from chimney stacks and he damaged seven houses at the scene on Costa Street and also a car whose driver had popped into a barber’s for a haircut.

At one stage he removed something from his pocket and he put it into his mouth. Asked what it was he said that it was the drug MDMA.

He also hurled racial abuse at one worried resident, Teesside Crown Court was told on Friday.

Mr Lee said that the August 29 siege ended at 5.30pm when Ellis eventually climbed down. Police recovered from him a wrap of Amphetamines, and he was arrested and taken to hospital. Later he made no reply to questions.

The list of damage included chimney pots, guttering and lead flashing but police could not produce a total bill despite doing a leaflet drop to houses in the street.

Ellis, who had convictions for 77 offences, was in breach of a suspended prison sentence for aggravated vehicle taking.

Scott Taylor, defending, said despite Ellis’s young age he was already in danger of being institutionalised.

He had been in custody since his arrest and he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Judge Deborah Sherwin told Ellis: “It comes to a very sad thing when your own counsel describes you as institutionalised, and your list of previous convictions makes depressive reading.

“Looking at your background and all the circumstances of what happened on this day these matters are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

Ellis, of Ross Street, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to eight charges of criminal damage, affray and possession of Amphetamines.

45 days of fighting in Benghazi leave 450 dead: Source

Around 450 people were killed in a month and a half of fighting in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi between the Libyan army and the city’s Islamist militias, a Health Ministry official said Saturday.

The official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that three Benghazi hospitals had been receiving the bodies of the victims of the clashes since October 15.

He said some of the victims were directly killed in the clashes, others were kidnapped and then killed while a third group of others killed a result of the shelling of residential areas in the eastern city.

The official added that the victims included 200 troops allied to retired general Khalifa Haftar, who has been leading the army’s campaign against Libya’s Islamists.

He noted that the victims also included children and women.

Haftar’s troops fight against the Islamist Ansar Al-Sharia militia and the Benghazi Revolutionaries’ Shura Council.

The Health Ministry official said Libya’s militia’s rarely take their wounded or dead members to hospitals.

He added that the members of these militias, who were brought to the hospitals within the past month and a half, were brought by the Libyan Red Crescent.

Clashes have been raging between the two sides since mid-October, but Libya’s internationally-recognised House of Representatives declared its support for Haftar’s operation against the Islamist militias only earlier this month.

Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 ouster and death of long-ruling strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Ever since, rival militias have frequently locked horns, often bringing violence to the country’s main cities, especially Benghazi and capital Tripoli.

Putin confirms support for Palestinian statehood

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged continued support for Palestinians’ legitimate right to establish an independent state.

“Russia has consistently advocated in favor of the earliest execution of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians for establishment of an independent, contiguous and viable state,” Putin said in a letter sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Saturday.

“We believe that Palestine’s acquisition of national sovereignty on the common international legal base will be an important factor in ensuring comprehensive, just settlement in the Middle East,” he added.

Russian Ambassador to Palestine Alexander Rudakov delivered the letter to Secretary-General of the Palestinian Presidency Al-Tayeb Abdul Rahim.

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually on November 29 since 1977.

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

In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US.

The upgrade allows the Palestinians to participate in debates at the UN General Assembly and improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court where they could file complaints against Israel.

MSM/NN/AS

Myanmar government seeks to drive Rohingya out

Myanmar’s government is forcing the minority Rohingya Muslims to leave the country, says a rights activist.

“They want to drive all the Rohingya out of the country,” Saifullah Muhammad, a Rohingya activist, said on Saturday.

The United Nations says the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The Muslims have been displaced by violence which has forced them to flee to neighboring countries.

Muhammad added that human traffickers harass Rohingya refugees during their journey to countries such as Malaysia and Thailand.

Bibijan Rahimullah, a Rohingya Muslim who fled from Myanmar to Malaysia by boat in October, said that the people-smugglers did not “do anything to us,” however, she added, “we heard women are being harassed.”

I myself saw women being taken away, she stated. The human traffickers “use women like slaves.”

“I didn’t expect the tragedy we faced on the way to come here (Malaysia). If I had known, I would never have come. I would rather die in my home,” said the 27-year-old refugee. Bibijan says she paid smugglers USD 2,500.

Myanmar denies citizenship to most of the 1.3 million Rohingyas, placing restrictions on their movement, marriages and economic opportunities.

Thailand and Malaysia have come under fire by human rights groups for mistreating the Rohingya refugees.

“Both Malaysia and Thailand have failed in their international obligation to provide protection to Rohingya. Even young able-bodied men sometimes don’t survive the journey,” said Dimitrina Petrova of the London-based group Equal Rights Trust.

The UN recently approved a resolution calling on the government in Myanmar to grant full citizenship to the persecuted Muslim minority, piling up pressure on the country to cancel a controversial identity plan.

DB/HSN/KA

Zionists torch Hebrew-Arabic school in al-Quds

A bilingual school in al-Quds (Jerusalem) has been torched and vandalized in a suspected arson and hate crime attack.

The Hebrew-Arabic Max Rayne Hand in Hand school’s kindergarten in southwestern al-Quds was set ablaze and vandalized with hateful anti-Arab graffiti on Saturday night.

Police say initial investigations show that the fire was started from inside the school.

No injuries were reported in the incident but several parts of the school were seriously damaged by the fire.

Police went on to say the arson attack is probably the latest so-called price tag incident.

Price tag attacks are acts of vandalism and violence against Palestinians and their property as well as Islamic holy sites.

Over the last few months the school has been repeatedly targeted by similar attacks.

SRK/NN/AS

Burglar Anthony Hall jailed after violent confrontation in man's Redcar home

An irate householder has told how he warned a burglar “you’re not going anywhere” when he caught him trying to steal from his Redcar home.

Anthony Hall was left bloodied and bruised after Steve Waterfield dished out his own justice when he caught the burglar creeping around in his living room after midnight.

Former rugby player Mr Waterfield, 48, said: “I was brought up on the Lakes estate, and when you don’t have much you look after things - I was determined he wasn’t going to steal my stuff.

“He said ‘I’m in the wrong house, I shouldn’t be here’.

“I said ‘you’re not going anywhere’. He hit me, so I grabbed hold of him and I gave him what he deserved. It enraged me that he thought he could just come into my house and take my possessions.”

Strapping six-footer Steve played rugby for Redcar alongside his brother Geoff, the union boss known as Teesside’s Man of Steel for his work in getting iron and steel making back to the area.

Burglar Hall, 22, was jailed for three years and four months at Teesside Crown Court last week.

Photographs of Hall’s injuries were shown to Judge Howard Crowson, but he was unmoved and said: “The police are never able to encourage members of the public to act in this way.

“But I’m afraid it’s inevitable that if someone like him finds you in his home and is confronted by you, something like this might happen.

“That’s the risk you take when you go into people’s homes like that.

“You might come across someone who is not prepared to simply lie down and let it happen.”

Mr Waterfield welcomed Judge Crowson’s comments: “I was very pleased with what he said. He got what he deserved. I was worried that he would give a judge a sob story and get a light sentence, but I think this proves that you cannot just walk into someone’s home and expect to steal. An Englishman’s home is his castle.

“I also didn’t know if I would get into trouble.”

Police caught Hall the day after the burglary, which took place in September this year.

Mr Waterfield said he had Hall pinned down by the throat, and caused cuts and bruises by punching him during the scuffle.

But as he looked for his phone to call police, Hall kicked him in the face.

He managed to wriggle free, before a final blow from Mr Waterfield knocked him out of his hallway and into the street.

When police arrived, Mr Waterfield said he thought they would catch up with him by following the trail of blood.

“He was quite worse for wear,” he continued. “He was staggering really badly and couldn’t really run. I thought that he would probably collapse before he got too far away. It took me two weeks to clean his blood out of the carpet.”

Hall, of Tynefield Place, Newcastle, was left with two gashes to his head, a blackened and bruised left eye, a swollen cheekbone and marks to his chin and neck.

Land swap proposal could pave way for new community centre in Ingleby Barwick

A new community centre and Youth Cafe could soon be built in Ingleby Barwick.

Councillors will consider a land deal aimed at creating a site for a new community centre when they meet next week.

Stockton Council and Ingleby Barwick Town Council have been drawing up plans for a new centre with youth café on The Rings - but do not yet have an agreed site for it.

A proposal to secure a site from the developer Persimmon will go before Stockton Council’s Cabinet on Thursday.

Stockton Council Leader, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “Ingleby Barwick is a thriving town with a growing population and with it, growing demand for community facilities and services.

“The existing community centre at Beckfields is heavily used, which is why plans for a new one are being drawn up.”

The council say the area originally allocated for a new community centre was along Barwick Green Lane, but over time it has become clear that it is not the ideal location.

“The proposal is that we assist by acquiring an alternative site south of Barwick Lane in exchange for an equivalent area of land nearby,” Cllr Cook said.

“We would then transfer the land to Ingleby Barwick Town Council to enable a community centre to be built there, subject to the Town Council gaining planning permission and raising the funds to build it of course.”

Cabinet will also be asked to make up to £50,000 available for the provision of a youth café within the proposed community centre.

Missing 77-year-old Billingham woman Agnes Tindale found safe and well

A 77-year-old Billingham woman who went missing on Saturday lunchtime has now been found.

Agnes Tindale was located in the Hartlepool area today at around 3.30pm.

Agnes is now believed to be safe and well.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “We would like to thank the many members of the public and the media who have helped in the search for Agnes – your assistance has been invaluable.”

50 rabbis call for storming the Aqsa platform

A group of 50 rabbis affiliated with an extremely right-wing Zionist movement have signed a petition calling for the storming of Al-Aqsa the day after tomorrow.

A number of right-wing groups published statements on their websites yesterday evening claiming that this petition comes in the wake of what they described as “terrorist events in Jerusalem and pointing the finger of blame on those who ascend to the Temple Mount [Al-Aqsa]”.

The petition signed by the rabbis said: “One of the important ways in which we can demand our right to the Temple Mount is to ascend the Temple Mount. We believe that our presence in the Temple Mount is guided by pure and traditional Jewish teachings and laws and we are proud to uphold these values as we ascend to the mountain of purity.”

The most prominent rabbis to sign the petition are Dov Lior, Nahum Rabinovitch and Ram Hacohen. Some of these religious figures have issued religious rulings ordering the killing of Arabs. The petition considered the murder of right-wing Jewish activist Yehuda Glick “a catalyst that will continue to promote Jewish ascension to the Temple Mount”.

Many other rabbis and politicians have vocalised their support for Jewish extremists who participate in storming Al-Aqsa and its courtyards

Huge gas deal between Israel and Egypt

Israeli and US companies are in talks with Egypt over a gas contract said to be worth billions of dollars. Israel’s Delek Company and America’s Noble Energy are reported to be the two companies involved.

According to Israeli website New One, the goal of the talks is to reach a deal whereby gas would be pumped from Israel’s Leviathan Gas Field and the Cyprus-controlled Block 12 field. Delek and Noble Energy are shareholders in the Cypriot field.

News One said that this is not the first gas deal with the Egyptians. Israeli gas company Tamar has a memorandum for exporting gas to the Spanish Union Venosa Company for gas liquefaction in the Egyptian city of Damietta.

In addition, the website said that the Israelis have contacted British Gas over exporting seven billion cubic metres of natural gas for liquefaction in its plants in Sinai.

Read our previous report on the Egypt-Israel Gas negotiations.

Brit band Embrace aiming for a parmo-powered night on Teesside

Fans of rock band Embrace can expect a parmo-powered gig when they hit the stage on Teesside tonight.

The Yorkshire quintet are set to perform at the Middlesbrough Empire and lead singer Danny McNamara knows just how to get the crowd on his side.

On a previous visit to the town, he was advised to mention the ‘P’ word and was rewarded with an ecstatic reaction.

“We did the Town Hall the last time we were in Middlesbrough,” explained the vocalist.

“A friend had told me about parmos and I remember when we played there I asked on stage if anybody fancied one after the show – the place went mad!

“I think people were really pleased that I had heard of them.”

McNamara doesn’t just talk a good game, though, because he made a point of tasting Teesside’s native culinary treasure.

Asked by the Gazette if took the opportunity to sample a parmo the last time he was in town, he answered: “I did in the end, when you’ve had a few pints it really soaks it up!”

Embrace have had six top 10 albums, including three chart-toppers, as well as 16 top 30 singles, including Ashes, Gravity, Nature’s Law and World At Your Feet.

Now, after a seven year break, the band have released a new, self-titled CD and have been touring extensively.

Earlier this year they played in Newcastle and are now looking forward to playing to their loyal Teesside fanbase.

“We’ve been away for seven years,” explained Danny, “we didn’t do any gigs, but now we’ve got a new album that we’re really proud of.

“It’s been a great year, the first gigs sold out in just a few days and the album went top five. On this tour we’re going to play a lot of old stuff that we haven’t played live for at least eight years.

“We’ve got a big back catalogue so we want to play some old favourites.”

“You do get nervous before a show,” he added, “but when it’s going well, on stage is the best place to be, with the crowd singing along to your songs, it’s the best job in the world.”

Tickets are available from http://www.themiddlesbroughempire.co.uk

Concern grows for missing 77-year-old Billingham woman Agnes Tindale

A 77-year-old Billingham woman who went missing on Saturday lunchtime has still not been found.

Agnes Tindale left her home address in Bielby Avenue in Billingham at 1pm on Saturday, and was due to return around 4pm.

However she suffers from Alzheimer’s and may have become confused, though she regularly travels to Stockton and Hartlepool.

She is five feet three inches tall, with grey hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a blue/green anorak with a hood, light grey trousers and shiny black boots along with a beige cardigan.

She was also carrying a worn brown handbag.

Anyone who sees Agnes or knows where she is is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101.

Gardener in Billingham cannabis farm worth hundreds of thousands of pounds facing deportation

A gardener in a professional cannabis farm worth hundreds of thousands of pounds is in prison facing deportation.

Reports of the whiff of cannabis led police to a home on Balmoral Avenue, Billingham.

Officers smelled the drug through the door and saw high-powered lights on May 16.

They forced their way in and found 210 plants in three growing areas in the house.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh said it was a professional set-up and a “substantial commercial enterprise” with blacked-out windows, extraction ducting, filters and time switches.

The electricity supply had been tampered with to power the farm, Teesside Crown Court was told on Friday.

The crop could have yielded between £58,800 and £176,400 worth of the Class B drug, probably towards the higher amount.

If restocked, it could have produced cannabis worth up to £529,200 in three crops, the court was told.

Vietnamese man Than Va Ha was arrested at the home and confessed to looking after the plants.

The illegal immigrant said he thought it was legal and it was accepted he played a “lesser role”.

Ms Haigh said he would be subject to automatic deportation.

Ha pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and abstracting electricity.

He claimed he was 17 and provided a false identification document to prove it. The Home Office checked it and the fingerprint given on the document was found not to be his.

Assisted by an interpreter, he was in court to be sentenced as an adult, though he still insisted he was 17.

Zoe Passfield, defending, said Ha was exploited and naive and had limited understanding of English.

She said he was free to come and go while at the Billingham house, but had nowhere else to go, no support network and no other source of income.

She added: “His involvement was limited to watering and feeding the plants. He received some payment for his services.”

She told how Ha’s problem was accepting that ignorance of the law was not a defence.

She said: “He maintained throughout that he had been told and he believed that what he was doing was allowed in the UK.”

On the day of a scheduled trial, he finally accepted that this would inevitably fail in front of a jury.

Judge Deborah Sherwin said: “It was clearly a substantial affair.

“The likely yield from the plants could have been into hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

She jailed Ha for 10 months.

The court heard he had already served more than the equivalent of that prison term remanded in custody.

He will be held until the UK Border Agency deports him.

Portugal supports Palestinian rights

The Portuguese parliament has confirmed its support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinians, including the right for self-determination. According to Quds.net, which reported the news, a parliamentary statement called on Israel to comply with international law for a solution based on two states and relevant UN resolutions.

In its statement issued on the occasion of the global day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the Portuguese parliament said that it supported the peace process in the Middle East, leading to the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and reaching just solutions for all final status issues.

The parliament welcomed the announcement by the UN that 2014 is the year of solidarity with the Palestinians. Its members stressed the importance of implementing international law and General Assembly resolutions regarding Palestine

Statement of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

Oh liberals of Egypt! With your creative movement and wide participation with people in all provinces, you have demonstrated that intimidation and the mass movement of soldiers from the coup army and its arsenal could not beat the rebels or shake the revolutionary movement. This won new gains by revealing the false capability of the military as it tried to stop the growing revolutionary tide in its eighteenth month.

Congratulations to the liberals, who took to the streets to complete their revolution and maintain their identity, deriving their power and faith from God, as well as from the defence of their rights to life, freedom, human dignity and social justice.

The military coup has caused billions to be lost by Egypt as it mobilises weapons and armies in defiance of the severe financial crisis, the loss of investment and the millions of unemployed. In an unprecedented terrorist and military campaign, the coup government now directs the weapons of the army against the revolution of the free nation.

With their peaceful approach around the provinces of Egypt, the rebels have proved that the revolution is heading towards victory and the coup is heading towards defeat. This has pushed the coup authorities to clash with the demonstrators in the heart of Cairo before the eyes of the entire world.

The Muslim Brotherhood stresses that the revolutionary movement calls upon all national partners to come under the umbrella of the national interest; this is enough for everyone working for the achievement of the goals of the blessed Egyptian revolution.

To the champion rebels we say this: your struggle, sacrifice and courage have crashed all the restrictions imposed by the coup. You have to go ahead with your revolutionary way.

We are waiting for what will happen with the ousted Hosni Mubarak and his aides. [They were acquitted of all murder and corruption charges after this statement was released.] All the rebels of the January Revolution have to stand together against the conspirators who are plotting to steal the revolution and get rid of it.

Congratulations to the souls of the martyrs; we ask Allah to accept them; we pray for the wounded; we have faith that Allah will grant victory to us and that the oppressors will be beaten.

“And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.” (Qur’an, 26:227)

Allah is Great and all Praise is to Him.

Friday, 5 Safer, 1436 Hijri / 28 November, 2014

Six-try Billingham claim overdue win over Huddersfield YMCA

A resurgent Billingham ended their three-match losing run in National Three North by seeing off Huddersfield YMCA 36-34 at Greenwood Road.

Tries from Dan Burns, Peter Evans, Anth Jackson, Chris Hopkins, Shaun Wallace and Craig Shepherd earned the hosts a valuable bonus point victory - but the result should have been more one-sided.

Cruising in the final 10 minutes at 36-20, Billingham conceded two late tries to hand the visitors two losing bonus points and draw to within a single score.

Returning to winning ways was the priority for Chris Hyndman’s side after back-to-back disappointments at Rossendale and Cleckheaton - and they got off to a good start on home soil.

Gavin Stead gave Huddersfield an early lead with a penalty, but on 18 minutes Burns charged over to hand Billingham the advantage.

On an afternoon when flowing rugby was in constant supply, the visitors hit back almost instantly when winger Tom Bullock touched down - before Billingham full-back Peter Evans’ wonderful solo effort left the score at 14-10.

Another Stead penalty drew Huddersfield to within one point, but a superb break from Hyndman saw him offload to Jackson who ran unchallenged under the posts.

But Billingham’s Achilles heel came back to haunt them again before half-time, conceding a try moments after they had scored one of their own - this time Huddersfield lock Jamie Bell finishing from close range.

With the scoreline at 21-20, the second half looked to be a tight affair - but three quick-fire Billingham tries wrapped up the win. Hopkins, Wallace and Shepherd all struck within 15 minutes to hand the hosts an unassailable lead.

But a late collapse saw Billingham give away two cheap scores - one a penalty try after an infringement at the scrum - to leave the scoreline too close for comfort.

In Yorkshire One Boro’s away day blues continued as they slumped to a 28-13 defeat at Yarnbury.

Ian Heslehurst’s side have now lost two of their last three matches away from Acklam Park - and Saturday’s setback saw them drop to fourth in the league.

Iain Bradford (with ball) in action for Middlesbrough

Things couldn’t be more different at Belmangate as Guisborough kept the pressure on leaders Morpeth by hammering Blyth 89-0 in Durham and North One.

Trevor Edwards’ promotion-chasing side have now won eight of their last nine matches.

In the same division Stockton slipped to only their second home defeat of the season, losing 29-25 to Gosforth. Station Road has been something of a fortress for Stockton, who beat Morpeth on home soil last month, but it was disappointment as they lost ground in the promotion battle.

Redcar injected fresh life into their Durham and North Two promotion push as they eased to a 24-13 win over Whitley Bay Rockliff at Mackinlay Park.

It’s two wins from two for the Seasiders under coach Richie Young, as tries from Brian Foreman, Dan Addison and Josh Dixon helped them to success.

Their promotion hopes were further boosted after Acklam suffered a setback at Barnard Castle, losing 25-21 on the road. With a poor performance coming out of the blue, Acklam still looked set to claim the win after Tim Savage’s try gave his side a 21-19 lead with 10 minutes remaining.

But a penalty and a last minute drop goal sealed the win for Barnard Castle, with Acklam slipping to a first defeat in seven games.