Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Tuesday 23rd 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.

Yarm man caught with half-kilo of high-purity cocaine in his Volvo in Redcar

A former company director who acted as courier for a £28,500 consignment of cocaine is behind bars today.

Christopher Hobaiter, 32, had never been in trouble before he was caught with the half-kilo of high-purity narcotics in his Volvo.

The cocaine-addicted courier was spotted and followed by police as he was seen on his phone in the car on Kirkleatham Lane, Redcar.

When stopped and asked whether there was anything in the vehicle, he replied: “There may be something in a bag in the boot.”

Officers found a plastic bag in a brown satchel, containing 499g of 84%-pure cocaine, at about 3.50pm on October 17 last year.

The package of Class A drugs was valued at about £28,500, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Hobaiter, of High Street, Yarm, pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, his first conviction.

Uzma Khan, defending, said Hobaiter candidly admitted that he committed the offence because of his drug problem and drug debt at the time.

She said: “There was no financial gain. It was simply to deal with the debt.

“This was isolated and very much out of character.

“He stands before the court incredibly remorseful.

“Save for this offence, he had led an otherwise positive and very much criminal-free lifestyle.

“He comes from a reputable, professional and very supportive family.

“Normally he would act as a conscientious, law-abiding citizen.”

Ms Khan added he “made a poor judgment” acting as a courier knowing what he was carrying but not the amount or purity.

She said he made no comment in police interviews, perhaps concerned about the repercussions.

He accepted he had very small amounts of two other drugs.

But after a house search and the seizure of three phones, no other incriminating evidence was found suggesting he was a dealer, said Ms Khan.

He since strived to tackle his addiction and came to court with several references, supported by friends, family and agencies helping him with his drug problem.

He left his role as a director to prevent association and maintain the reputation of an unnamed company.

Ms Khan said a long prison sentence would devastate his friends and family, and she asked the judge to pass an “exceptional” suspended sentence.

Judge John Walford told Hobaiter: “Your case is in my judgment a classic example of the dangers of Class A drugs and the evils of those who peddle them.

“I’m prepared to accept that you are and always have been an otherwise decent hard-working young man from a good home and background.

“But you fell into the grips of cocaine. You incurred debts to those who supplied you.

“And because of the threats or coercion to which you were made subject, you felt it necessary to commit these serious criminal offences.

“I’m satisfied that you’ve done all that you could have done to change your life.

“You’ve stopped using cocaine. You’ve undertaken voluntary work. I’m satisfied that you’ve showed tangible remorse.”

If deemed to have played a significant role in the drug chain, Hobaiter could have faced a sentence of up to 10 years.

Judge Walford decided he played a lesser role, but said it would be wrong to suspend the inevitable prison term.

He jailed Hobaiter for two-and-a-half years.

Israel destroys 1,000 Arab houses in Negev

In an unprecedented measure, Israeli authorities have destroyed 1,000 Arab houses in Negev throughout 2014, Anadolu news agency has reported.

“Israeli security institutions destroyed Arab houses in order to put pressure on Arabs to leave their lands,” said Usama al-Uqaibi, the head of the Islamic Movement in South Israel. “They destroy the Palestinians and their properties,” he added.

Al-Uqaibi reiterated that the Palestinians in Negev would continue their resistance and remain in their land. “Palestinians will not let the occupation control thousands of dunhams to build settlements,” he said.

Israeli authorities have destroyed complete Arab villages and neighbourhoods across the Negev claiming they were illegal. However, Arabs have been living in those residential compounds since before the occupation started in 1948.

The Islamic Movement is a political party established in 1971. Although it is close in its principles to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to its charter it works within the limits of Israeli law

Cops ‘slap’ UoH student with ‘beard’ after found taking pictures

HYDERABAD: Students of University of Hyderabad (UoH) staged a protest in RC Puram police station against beating up of a research scholar by police for allegedly sporting a beard.

The incident occured on Thursday when two students of UoH, Bidyut Sagar from Assam and Diwakar Upadhyay from Bihar, were apprehended by police for being found “under suspicious circumstances”.

The students said that they were questioned by plain-clothes police officers and asked to show their identity cards after finding one of them clicking pictures using his DSLR camera. The two had gone to a cobbler near Lingampally on personal work when they ran into the police men

“They asked me if I was a Muslim even as my identity card said otherwise. They asked why I was growing a beard if I was not a Muslim. They also asked me if I had any terror links,” Upadyay said.

As he was answering the questions, one of the policemen slapped him, Upadhyay alleged. Over 20 students went to the police station demanding a written apology from the officials who reportedly manhandled them.

“They pushed us out of the police station when we went there the next day. They profiled us,” said Bidyut Sagar. Students alleged that police had indulged in unconstitutional profiling based on religious prejudices.

“Even if we were Muslim should they have treated us like that? What warrants such xenophobic, racial and communal police action?” Sagar wanted to know.

When asked, S Surender Reddy, DSP in charge of RC Puram Police station, said that there was no standing instruction given to personnel to apprehend anyone.

“We have given no such instruction to officials. This is just a communication gap. The students were found outside the police station clicking pictures and police made an inquiry. The students were found in suspicious circumstances,” the DSP said.

He assured that action would be taken against the officials if they were found guilty of religious prejudice. “If they are found guilty action will be taken against them,” the DSP further said.

Students, however, maintained that they were not clicking pictures of the police station. “The assault occured after policemen checked the camera and found no objectionable pictures,” Sagar said.

Protestors left the police station only after they were assured by police that action would be taken against the guilty. Students said that they would continue their protest till the police personnel who assaulted them were brought to book

Will raise Hindu population of country to 100 per cent: VHP’s Pravin Togadia

Asserting that the whole world was once inhabited by Hindus, VHP leader Pravin Togadia Sunday declared that the right-wing organisation will ensure that the population of Hindus in the country increases from 82 per cent to 100 per cent.

Addressing a convention organised in Bhopal as part of the golden jubilee year celebrations of the VHP, Togadia alleged that conversions to Christianity and Islam, by force or by offering allurements, had made Hindus feel unsafe.

“We want to protect Hindus today and 1,000 years from now. We won’t let their population decline from 82 per cent to 42 per cent because then their property and women will not remain safe.’’

Speakers before Togadia made the gathering of thousands to resolve to stop conversion and to bring back to Hindu fold those who have converted. Togadia and other speakers echoed the sentiments of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

“Haj travel gets a subsidy of Rs 22,000. Do you get a subsidy for travelling to Mahakal? What is your value? Zero,’’ Togadia said while asking the gathering to repeat his words. “When one Hindu is converted and one cow is slaughtered it means Hindus have no respect in the country.’’

The VHP leader said “love jihad” was a conspiracy against Hindus. When Sayeed marries Savita she becomes Salma. In 100 marriages involving Hindus and Muslims 50 Savitris become Salmas, why can’t 50 Salmans become Ram,’’ he asked and added “this is not love but jihad’’. He said conversions and instances of love jihad were being reported even from Bhopal “as if it was a Mughal government’’.

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Israel makes mosque a museum, while 10,000 have nowhere to pray

BEERSHEBA (Ma’an) — Authorities in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba have recently converted an historic mosque into an Islamic museum despite the fact that 10,000 local Muslims still have nowhere to pray, locals said.

Locals told Ma’an that an exhibit showcasing a collection of Muslim prayer rugs was recently opened in the building that was formerly the Great Mosque of Beersheba, which was once used regularly as a mosque before the 1948 expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from what became Israel.

The exhibit, which locals say has no Arab or Muslim member on the technical supervisory team, will continue until June 2015.

The move comes after decades of protest from the area’s 10,000-strong Muslim Palestinian community, composed primarily of local Bedouins whose ancestors survived the Israeli expulsions as well as Palestinian citizens of Israel who have moved to the city from other parts of the country.

Representatives of the community have long petitioned Israeli authorities to allow them to open the mosque for daily prayers or at least once a week for Friday prayers.

However, the demands have been repeatedly rejected, and in 2011 the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a request for it to open as well, allowing the building to be transformed into a museum focusing on Islam.

The irony is not lost on local Palestinian Muslims, who have long complained that Israeli authorities neglect Palestinian heritage and frequently appropriate Palestinian symbols and architecture

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Concerns grow for welfare of missing York woman believed to be in the Teesside area

Concerns are growing for a missing York woman who is believed to be in the Redcar or Hartlepool area.

Katie Free, 19, who suffers from a life threatening medical condition, was in the care of a treatment centre in Grimsby and went missing in Cleethorpes on Saturday, December 13.

It is believed she may have travelled initially to the Darlington area, possibly in the company of her boyfriend.

Katie is described as being white and of pale complexion with blue eyes and red hair often worn in a ponytail. She is 5ft 7ins tall and of thin build and wears glasses.

She was last seen wearing wearing black leggings with a burgundy hooded jacket with a white logo on the front. She was also said to be carrying a black tote bag and wearing burgundy shoes.

Anyone with information should contact Humberside Police on 101.

Egypt opens blockaded Gaza border after 2 months

Egypt has reportedly opened its Rafah border crossing with the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip for the first time in two months, providing temporary relief to the Palestinians seeking to leave the impoverished enclave.

The Sunday development came as Maher Abu Sabha, a Palestinian official in charge of the Gaza side of the border, said the Rafah crossing would only remain open for two days.

Nearly 250 Palestinians as well as ambulances carrying medical patients were allowed to cross into Egypt on Sunday.

The Egyptian border post remains the only gateway to the outside world for the estimated 1.7 million residents of the densely-populated Gaza, widely described as the world’s largest prison.

The Israeli regime has imposed a brutal siege on the Palestinian coastal enclave since 2007, when politicians affiliated with the Hamas resistance movement were elected into office and took over the administration of the impoverished territory.

Egypt, in coordination with the Israeli regime, has kept its Rafah border crossing mostly shut, only offering occasional relief for medical and other emergency cases.

Egypt has enforced a total closure of the crossing since an October 24 attack in the Sinai Peninsula that killed 31 Egyptian soldiers. Sinai borders Gaza.

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'Skilled and plausible fraudster' conned 67-year-old Billingham woman out of £2,000

A callous confidence trickster swindled a 67-year-old woman out of almost everything she had after befriending her at a bus stop.

Devious conman Gary Alexander was branded a skilled, plausible and despicable fraudster at Teesside Crown Court today.

He left his victim feeling she could not trust anyone after he ripped up her carpets and made off with £2,000.

He deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman as she waited for her bus home, the court heard.

He went up to her outside the Asda supermarket in Billingham and acted as if he knew her.

She was completely puzzled when the 48-year-old said: “Hi. I haven’t seen you for ages.”

She did not recognise the stranger, who gave a false name of Mike Smith at about 2.15pm on August 16.

Prosecutor David Crook said Alexander persisted in his deception, giving her a “cock and bull story” about his background.

He asked how her husband was, and she told him he had been dead for seven years.

When she mentioned that she needed work done on her home, Alexander said he would do it as he was in the plumbing trade.

He walked her back to her Billingham home, looked around and said he could do the work.

He returned two days later, cut up her carpets and put them in her back garden.

Then he asked her for £2,000 to buy new carpets and fit a new toilet.

The pensioner went to withdraw the money from the bank, leaving Alexander in her house.

She gave him the money and he left saying he would come back to finish the job.

She waited for two days, genuinely believing he would return, but he never did.

She said in a statement: “He sounded so convincing. He has made me look a fool.

“I’m not sure I can trust people ever again. Why do people do these things?”

Once a trusting person, she later said: “It’s completely knocked me for six, physically and emotionally.

“I’ve suffered massive financial loss and I still have to have the work done.

“I don’t have much money in my account and I’m struggling to live.”

She told how she was still without carpets, or means to replace them.

Alexander, of Martinet Court, Thornaby, was caught after his DNA was found on a dust mask he had used in the home.

He confessed to police and admitted fraud.

He had a criminal record stretching back to 1981 including burglary, robberies, theft and fraud.

He was jailed in 2012 after he committed a similar confidence trick on a vulnerable man.

He convinced that victim that he knew him, offered him a computer and tobacco, took him to a cashpoint machine, snatched £300 from him and ran away.

Jim Withyman, defending, said: “He is greatly embarrassed and disgusted with himself for what he did.

“He realises that he will spend some time in custody, probably on the protection wing.

“It’s his intention when he is finally released to move away from this area and make a clean start.

“There’s no excuse for what he did. He was short of money, had some gambling and a drink problem, and he realises he behaved appallingly.

“He apologises for what he did. He tells me he will not do anything like this again.

“He asks your Honour simply to be as merciful as possible.”

Judge Peter Bowers told Alexander: “On any reading these are despicable, despicable crimes.

“You’re a skilled and plausible fraudster.

“You gained your victim’s confidence. You feigned an acquaintance.

“She was clearly targeted because she was vulnerable and elderly. It was nearly all she had.”

He jailed Alexander for 18 months.

Bumper attendances: How Boro have fared in front of the three biggest Riverside league crowds since relegation

Boro look set to be backed by the biggest crowd of the season against Nottingham Forest on Friday with almost 27,000 tickets sold already

The only time Boro have played in front of 28,000 fans at the Riverside since suffering relegation to the Championship they put on a show to go top of the league.

More of the same please.

Boro's Boxing Day clash with Nottingham Forest looks set to better the 28,229 attendance that watched Tony Mowbray's men swat aside Sheffield Wednesday to hit the summit of the Championship two years ago.

Almost 27,000 tickets have been sold for Friday's game already, nearly 5,000 more than the season's best attendance so far for the visit of Bournemouth last month.

Katie Lunn/The Gazette

Boro fans at the Riverside for the game against Bournemouth

By the time those who deliberate until the last minute before deciding they want to spend their afternoon at the Riverside buy their tickets, there's every chance the crowd will top the attendance for that memorable Friday night match with Wednesday.

Crowds of 26,000 and more have been a rarity during the last five years.

The FA cup replay with Sunderland in 2012 attracted 26,707 while the visit of Rafa Benitez's Chelsea was watched by 27,856.

It's been a year of vast improvement on the pitch for Boro. A win over Forest in front of a bumper crowd would cap it off.

Here's how Boro have fared in front of increased Championship crowds at the Riverside since relegation.

Boro 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday - 28,229

Boro blasted to the top of the league and did it in truly impressive fashion.

Tickets priced at just £12 a piece tempted a crowd of 28,000-plus even though Boro were on the box.

It was the biggest crowd at the Riverside since the last time Manchester United had been in town and those who turned up got real value for their money thanks to a vibrant, dominant Boro display.

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Top of the league and judging by this showing alone Boro would be staying there. We now know it didn't quite work out like that.

But in the Friday night clash with Wednesday Mogga's side clicked.

Justin Hoyte fired the home side ahead on 13 minutes and despite the fact Gary Madine threatened to ruin the party with a leveller shortly after the break, Ishmael Miller soon got the Riverside rocking again.

The Juke capped it off. On this display the thousands tempted out of their Riverside retirement would be rushing back.

Boro 1-0 Hull City - 27,794

Merry Christmas! With love, Barry Robson.

With the clock ticking towards the 90-minute mark and the score still goalless, the fiery Scot hit an absolute thunderbolt, worthy of winning any football match.

Barry Robson celebrates with team mates after scoring against Hull

Up to third in the league, level on points with West Ham and just three shy of Southampton. Plenty of reason to spread some festive cheer.

For long periods it was a cagey affair. Seats that had remained empty for the vast majority of the season had bums on them again and it stayed that way throughout most of the 90 minutes in a touch-and-go clash short on chances.

But Robson's unstoppable drive soon had fans leaping out of their seats. Three big points against promotion-chasing rivals.

Boro 2-2 Newcastle United - 27,342

Things hadn't gone to plan for Boro in the second tier.

Now 25 points shy of leaders Newcastle, a win in the Tyne-Tees derby would have at least provided a little consolation.

No ticket offers needed for this one. The prospect of three points against Newcastle was enough to tempt fans back to the Riverside.

Andy Carroll celebrates his equaliser against Boro

They weren't treated to three points but Boro certainly let nobody down on the day.

Barry Robson pegged back the visitors after Peter Lovenkrands had opened the scoring.

Scott McDonald looked to have won it for Boro with a little over quarter of an hour to play before Andy Carroll stuck to ensure spoils were shared.

Sports-mad Lazenby heart transplant teen enjoys special visit from basketball stars

A sports-mad teenager received a special visit to help keep his spirits high as he undergoes long-term hospital treatment.

Lewis Linton, 16, from Lazenby, is recovering from his second heart transplant at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle.

The Redcar College student was shocked but nicely surprised, when stars of the successful Newcastle Eagles basketball team popped into the unit to spread some festive cheer, and enjoyed a lengthy conversation with them.

Mum Sharon said: “Lewis loved speaking to the players from the Eagles and I think they enjoyed talking to him too.

“They’ve invited him to be their special guest at one of their games in the New Year once he’s better.

“I thought it was great of them to visit the unit. They were really interested in Lewis’s recovery.”

The Eagles’ visit was a result of the ongoing partnership between them and the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF).

Mascots for each of the Eagles’ home games are made up of CHUF’s ‘Heart heroes’, former patients who have had heart treatment and operations at the Freeman Hospital.

Chris Gray, head of fundraising at CHUF, said: “We have a very special relationship with the Newcastle Eagles and we were so thrilled that the players gave up their own free time to spend time with the children on the ward.

“It gave everyone - patients, parents and staff - such a tremendous lift.

“The guys have a very busy and important schedule of games coming up, so we’re immensely grateful.”

Lewis hopes to be home for a family Christmas before returning to Newcastle for further treatment in the New Year.

CIA has black sites in 30 countries

Political commentator Anna O’Leary says the Central Intelligence Agency has been using about thirty countries to help with its interrogation program.

“The CIA hired two psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, to design interrogation and detention protocols to be used in what they called black sites, of course, black sites are the concentration camps of today,” O’Leary told Press TV on Sunday.

“Europe has got many of these back black sites, we don’t have them in Ireland, they have been travelling and transiting people through our airports,” she said.

“But countries like Poland, we know from Poland, the manager of the airport there that they were taking people off to a black site in Poland, in other words, a modern day concentration camp,” he explained.

O’Leary went on to say that “about thirty countries in the world have been used as part of this CIA interrogation system that they have set up either transiting people through them, flying weapons through them or having back black sites in the countries.”

“The governments in our countries are colluding with the CIA facilitating them by either allowing them to transit through the airports or by allowing them to have black sites,” she noted.

On December 9, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a summary of its voluminous report on the CIA’s torture program during the George W. Bush administration that continued until April 2006.

According to the Senate report, the CIA misled Congress and the White House about the harsh methods such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation, mock executions and threats that the relatives of the prisoners would be sexually abused.

AT/AT

John Powls: Boro have a few less than festive days to get Ipswich out of their system and to put things right on Boxing Day

From the zenith of the win over Derby last time out, believing their own publicity Boro plunged to a no show nadir we last suffered when they lost out at Molineux in October.

This was the sort of after the Lord Mayor’s show display that Boro's confidently constructed consistency had convinced many was a thing of the past.

Too many in red were well off their game and, with Leadbitter and Clayton both underpowered and overpowered in the engine room and bossed by the talented tyro Bishop, Boro never got their team play going.

Together in The Cobbold, the magnificent travelling parmo army thousand thought their team looked uncharacteristically cobbled together on the field.

Inevitably, then, they succumbed to the Portman Road organisation, passing and power that McCarthy’s men have been delivering there regularly.

An embarrassed and displeased Karanka and his charges have just a few less than festive days to get this out of their systems, put things right and rediscover their punch when the Tricky Trees visit on Boxing Day.

In the first half, for some strange reason, Boro tried to take on The Tractor Boys at their own game on their own ground and deservedly came off a distant second best and two goals down.

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Though the reds weren't themselves in any way, Ipswich were on top of their game and merited their lead.

It was hardly a surprise when Daryl Murphy, the top scorer Boro never got to grips with, notched the first when he picked up the bits after Dimi made a decent block from McGoldrick on 25.

Eyebrows raised all round, though, when Jay Tabb, the smallest player on the pitch, got up highest amongst the hapless reds to nod home a far post header and double the home team’s lead on the stroke of half time.

With a major dressing room challenge, Karanka could have replaced any of his charges at the break as well as delivering a deserved dressing down.

Many thought we might see Kike for Vossen as the first change but it was Tomlin who took the pitch for the second half with Adomah making way and Bamford going wide.

With the next goal vital, Boro started the second half in the way they should have started the game and the match became a more even contest for 10 minutes.

Omeruo – already booked and having a mare – narrowly escaped what should have been a second yellow and was immediately replaced by Veljkovic on 61 with Vossen subbed by Kike at the same time.

Veljkovic brought on a Karankagram for Leadbitter that ordered a Boro shift to 3-5-2 with Gorgeous joining Ayala and the Spurs loaner at the back and Nsue and Reach at wing back.

Ipswich should have put the game further beyond Boro with 20 to go after Leadbitter had blocked the first header and Smith hit the post with the follow up.

With the convincing home side continuing to press, Boro only flickered from time to time.

Kike got closest without forcing a save from a totally underemployed Bialkowksi who had to wait until added time to have to dirty his gloves fielding a meek Tomlin effort.

The Tractor Boys finished the game just as dominant as they had been for the great bulk of the game.

At the final whistle the chalk and cheese reverse was about as stark as it gets and was underscored by results elsewhere that dropped Boro to fourth.

Man falls to his death from ninth floor of Fleet House in Middlesbrough

A man has fallen to his death from a block of flats in Middlesbrough.

Police have confirmed that the 35-year-old fell from a window of the ninth floor of Fleet House, on Cargo Fleet Lane, last night.

Officers were called to Fleet House, the 15-storey block of flats in Thorntree, at 9.30pm.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: “He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.”

More to follow

Prolific car thief Colin Fryett jailed for brazen daylight burglary in Linthorpe

A burglar who stole a sports car then almost collided with a bus in his escape bid has been jailed.

Colin Fryett scaled a drainpipe to break in to the house in Linthorpe before stealing the keys to the Audi S3 parked in the driveaway.

The 27-year-old then jumped in the £9,000 motor and sped off, almost colliding with a bus as it raced out of Linthorpe.

A witness, who had seen Fryett “dangling” half in and half out of a tiny upstairs window, called police. When the homeowner returned minutes later, he discovered officers outside his house and his car missing.

In a statement, the pharmacist said: “It has been my pride and joy since I bought it, but now I do not feel the same way about it.

“I’ve worked hard to have a nice home and possessions, and I’m annoyed someone has thought it ok to enter and take what they want.

“I’m disgusted someone could break into my house and steal my car so brazenly. I feel as though my home has been violated.”

Fryett pleaded guilty to the September 10 burglary, theft, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

The court heard he had 54 offences on a record which was “littered” with motoring convictions.

“He either takes them or allows himself to be carried in vehicles that have been taken,” prosecutor Emma Atkinson told Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC.

Zoe Passfield, defending, said the offence was “compulsive” after Fryett saw an open window.

He added that since his mother became a burglary victim, he now has an understanding of the effects of his crime.

Fryett, of Premier Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 34 months.

Police hunt wanted man Dominic James Stewart in Middlesbrough

Police are hunting a 32-year-old man wanted in connection with a number of thefts and a robbery in Middlesbrough.

Officers are currently searching for Dominic James Stewart and the public is urged not to approach him and instead call 999.

Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency 101 number.

On the whole, you should make it uncool to be Muslims

Belgian Indologist Dr Koenraad Elst’s anti-Islam remarks created a flutter at a Goa conclave Saturday, prompting at least one foreign delegate to walk out while another lodged a complaint with organiser India Foundation whose directors include Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and Shaurya Doval, son of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Former Jordanian prime minister Dr Abdelsalam al-Majali left the meeting while Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, former secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Countries, lodged a protest.

Addressing the session on ‘Religion — Tolerance and Terror’ at the India Ideas Conclave 2014, Elst said: “On the whole, you should make it uncool to be Muslims. That will help them. You do not forcefully need to convert them. Through this, they will themselves outgrow Islam.”

Referring to the row over the ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign, Elst said: “The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is coming under criticism for the one thing that they are doing very well which is ghar wapsi. We need to liberate Muslims from Islam. Every Muslim is an abductee and must be brought back.”

Those present at the session included spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ram Madhav of the BJP and several party MPs including former Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh.

An Indophile who studied at Banaras Hindu University, Elst has authored books opposing the Aryan invasion theory, contending that Aryans were Indians who fanned out — his “Out of India” theory. He has also written on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.

Before he walked out, former Jordanian prime minister Abdelsalam al-Majali told the gathering: “I am appalled at what I heard from the platform about insulting Islam and insulting the Prophet. One can criticize this, that and the other but don’t insult. To try to destroy the whole faith is wrong. We came here to understand each other and try to be peaceful. It is very said to be at such a conference to hear insults on a religion which is followed by over one billion people.”

Ihsanoglu too protested: “We are hearing a speech of hatred. You cannot use your freedom of speech to hurt others. I was very happy being here until I heard this speech of hatred.” Gunnar Stalsett, Bishop Emeritus of Oslo, and others questioned the “demonization” of an entire faith.

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30 Christians ‘convert’ to Hinduism, Kerala govt orders probe

A report about 35 people getting converted to Hinduism Sunday would be probed by a senior police official, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said.

The conversion reportedly took place Sunday morning in Alappuzha and Kollam districts.

In Alappuzha, members of eight Christian families – a total of 30 people – reportedly embraced Hinduism at a temple function organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

In Kollam, there were five people who reportedly became Hindus.

Additional Director General of Police A. Hemachandran has been asked to probe the matter and submit a report, Chennithala told reporters here Sunday.

“He will look into whether any law was violated,” he said.

The VHP, meanwhile, said all those who became Hindus Sunday decided to convert on their own, and all the organisation did was to prepare the stage for it.

Reports said another 300 people in Alappuzha have expressed their desire to embrace Hinduism, and the conversion ceremony was likely to take place on Christmas day.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, who was in the state Saturday, said his party was against forced religious conversion.

Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi to take part in the politburo meeting, alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was behind Sunday`s conversions.

In Kerala, Hindus comprise more than 50 percent of the 32 million population, followed by Muslims with 24 percent while Christians occupy the third place with 22 percent.

Billie Whitelaw dead: Acclaimed actress who starred in Hot Fuzz and The Omen dies aged 82

Acclaimed actress Billie Whitelaw, who found fame in films such as The Omen and Hot Fuzz, has died at the age of 82.

Whitelaw, who was made a CBE in 1991, gained international fame for her chilling portrayal of Mrs. Baylock, the evil guardian of the demon child Damien in The Omen.

She also played the fiercely domineering and protective mother of psychopathic twin murderers in 1990 movie The Krays.

But she could also turn her hand to comedy, playing a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance in Brit flick Hot Fuzz in 2007.

In 1965, Whitelaw took the part of Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier’s Othello from Maggie Smith.

In 1963, the actress met Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and and the pair enjoyed an intense professional relationship until his death in 1989. He described her as “a perfect actress”.

Whitelaw became Beckett’s muse, as he created, reworked and revised each play while she physically, at times to the point of total exhaustion, acted out each movement.

“He used me as a piece of plaster he was moulding until he got just the right shape,” she said.

Whitelaw was married first to the actor Peter Vaughan and, until his death, to the writer and drama critic Robert Muller, with whom she had a son.

Northern League: Positive weekend results set up Boxing Day belters

Teesside's trio of Boxing Day derbies should be full of festive footballing fun after all six participating teams picked up good results in the Northern League.

Marske and Guisborough clash at the GER Stadium on Friday morning (11am) and it should be a belter.

The Seasiders rebounded from their dismal 3-0 defeat at Penrith in midweek with their biggest league win of the season, a totally unexpected 7-0 triumph at Whitley Bay.

They shared the goals around as well with Liam O’Sullivan, Sam Garvie and Reece Kelly netting before the break.

Jamie Owens, Danny Brunskill, Josh MacDonald and Craig Gott all notched in the second half to sink the Seahorses without trace.

Guisborough are only a point and two places behind Marske in fifth after making it six games unbeaten with a 2-1 win at one of the title favourites, Shildon.

The Priorymen fell behind against the run of play when Daniel Moore’s shot beat Town keeper Nick Liversedge.

Guisborough made an express train start to the second half though as Adam Gell slammed in an unstoppable shot.

And top scorer Danny Earl won it for Guisborough with his 20th goal of the season after Railwaymen defender John Brackstone received a straight red card for scything down Gell.

Thornaby against Stokesley and Norton’s home game against Billingham Town (both 11am) should also be as hard-fought as ever on Boxing Day, especially with all four second division sides currently confident.

Thornaby have still only lost once at home after holding title contenders Norton to a 1-1 draw, while Stokesley are coming off rare back-to-back victories after winning 4-2 at basement club Brandon.

Thornaby v Norton was a derby of two halves at Teesdale Park with the home side on top in the opening 45 minutes before Norton went for it with three strikers.

Jamie Clarke gave Thornaby a deserved lead with a 47th minute penalty after Marcus Laing brought down Danny Lofts.

Norton finally got the equaliser they were threatening three minutes from time when Sean Davies turned former Thornaby striker Gary Mitchell’s shot from an angle into his own net.

Thornaby will be without Clarke on Boxing Day, meaning Matthew McQueeney will most likely start up front with Lofts.

Stokesley will be hoping a string of injuries clear in time following what was a bruising win at Brandon.

Goals from Gez Richardson (two), Matty Dunford and debutant Jack Rose gave them their second away win of the week.

But Kristian Kamara, Greg Upton and Nathan Calvert all came off injured and Steven Roberts and Jake Marron got knocks.

Thornaby boss Paul Edwards is expecting another hard game against Stokesley, who they scraped past 8-7 on penalties in the first round of the Ernest Armstrong Cup in October.

He said: “I’ve said to the lads they’ve got to be ready for Boxing Day.

“Stokesley run their hearts out and they battered us for 90 minutes in the cup, but they will have to be good on the day to beat us.”

Billingham Town warmed up for their short trip to Norton with a 1-1 home draw against Chester-le-Street, having taken the lead through fit-again Joel Callender.

Lowly Billingham Synthonia lost 3-1 at home to Bishop Auckland with Chris Dodds scoring a consolation. Their next game on Saturday is a tough one, at home to Jarrow Roofing.

Wearside League: Teesside hotshots enjoy pre-Christmas crackers ahead of cup tie

Stockton Town and Redcar Athletic gave their fans plenty of Christmas cheer as they cracked in 12 goals between them.

The sides play each other next time out in a Shipowners Charity Cup semi-final on January 3 and the game should be a high-scoring one going by their weekend activities in the Wearside League.

Impressive leaders Stockton surged to a 7-0 win at Seaton Carew to ensure they finished the year unbeaten away from home.

Kallum Hannah struck four times to become the first Stockton player to score 100 goals.

Fourth-placed Redcar were almost as lethal at Green Lane as they put Silksworth to the sword in a 5-1 victory which included some top drawer strikes.

Stockton bombarded Seaton but had to wait until the 39th minute for Hannah to put them ahead with a penalty.

Hannah added three more after the break, including a spectacular scissor kick.

Stockton’s other goals came from Matty Garbutt, Max Craggs and Adam Nicholson.

Kieran Stares was first to score for Redcar after six minutes, turning to fire in a dipping shot over the Silksworth keeper from 35 yards out.

Joe Ferguson then powered in a 25-yard free-kick to make it 2-0.

And it was 3-0 when Michael Woodhouse picked up a Stares pass on the halfway line and left the entire Silksworth defence trailing in his wake before firing in a low shot.

Lance Skelton made it 4-0 just before the break with another low drive after James Swann had squared the ball to him.

Substitute Adam Hartnett got a deserved goal when he rounded the keeper with seven minutes remaining after he was put through into the area by Stares.

Six reasons why you should enter the North East Business Awards

Has YOUR firm entered the 2015 North East Business Awards yet?

No? Well, now is the time to put yourself forward!

We are inviting entries for next year's awards - the region’s largest and most prestigious event of its kind.

Organised by The Journal and The Gazette, with support from the North East Chamber of Commerce, NEBA recognises companies of all sizes and sectors that have gone the extra mile in the last 12 months.

And with all that in mind, here are six good reasons to get involved:

1. It’s a chance to show off!

Has your company achieved great things this year?

Entering the awards shows customers and stakeholders - not to mention the entire North-east business world - that you are justifiably proud of its successes.

2. There is a category that will allow your organisation to shine

Are you a start-up that’s just burst onto the scene, or have you made excellent progress in exporting this year?

Perhaps you are a champion of apprenticeships - or a pillar of the local community?

With accolades from Best Newcomer and Small Business to Manufacturing, Heart of the Community, Apprenticeships, and many more, there is a category for your organisation.

And if you’ve entered, or even won an award in past years, there’s no reason why you can’t do so again.

3. The national prestige

Now in their fourth decade, the annual North East Business Awards are well regarded across not only the regional business world, but UK-wide.

Only the cream of the region’s talent makes it through to the hotly-contested finals - and a win is a clear third party endorsement of how great your company is.

4. It can help you get ahead in business

Here's what Paul Colman, factory manager for Nobia Darlington had to say: “Winning the Manufacturer of the year title at the North East Business Awards (2014) has meant a great deal to Nobia.

"It has helped us to widen our networks and further showcase our factory to both local, national and international sectors.”

5. It is an excellent networking opportunity

With three sub-regional heats - including at Teesside University on March 26 and the glittering Regional Final on April 23 at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield - the events are also an excellent opportunity to network with other companies in the North East.

More than 600 people attended the regional final last year.

6. It’s easy to enter!

All you need to do is click here to find out everything you need to know and your business could soon be taking centre stage!

Government does not 'want to get to the truth' about historic child abuse says Labour MP

A campaigning Labour MP has warned that the Government looks as though it does not "want to get to the truth" about historic child abuse after Home Secretary Theresa May indicated that the troubled inquiry panel could be disbanded and replaced.

Simon Danczuk said victims would be dismayed at the lack of progress in the probe, and could not help worrying that the litany of mistakes was "deliberate".

But others welcomed the move, arguing that the current set-up is flawed and must be changed.

Mrs May signalled a potential shift of approach last week when she told MPs that she wanted the wide-ranging inquiry - which is without a chairman following the resignation of two previous appointees - to be given extra powers.

That could mean waiting for a chairman to be appointed for the inquiry panel, who would then request statutory powers, or setting up a new inquiry panel under statutory terms.

The third option of a Royal Commission - which many prefer - would not have the powers of a statutory inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act and would be "legally more risky".

Previous appointments as inquiry chairwomen, Fiona Woolf and Baroness Butler-Sloss, resigned following claims about their perceived closeness to establishment figures.

In a letter to the panel members, reported by the investigative website Exaro News, Mrs May said: "I am currently considering these options and I appreciate this has implications for members of the panel."

In a reply to Mrs May obtained by Exaro, panel member Sharon Evans, of the child safety group Dot Com Children's Foundation, said: "I, like other members of the panel, feel devastated at the prospect of the independent inquiry being halted as it has been made clear to us 'off the record' that the panel will be stood down in the new year."

But Peter Saunders, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said if the inquiry does not have confidence of abuse survivors, it will be "meaningless" and starting the process again should not be a "huge trauma".

"If indeed the decision has been made or is made to disband the panel as it is currently constituted, then I know that that would be supported by the vast majority of survivors or survivor organisations that we are in touch with," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"I have yet to encounter any survivors who have any faith in the process, or in the panel as it is currently constituted.

"We need to have a transparent, open recruitment or a panel with appropriate skills and expertise, all done out in the open, nothing to do with nepotism or connections with people already in the establishment.

"There are some very good people on that panel as it stands at the moment, but there are one or two characters who sadly have association with the past that would make them inappropriate."

Mr Danczuk told Today the situation is a "mess".

"What I suspect will happen, because we are not getting any satisfaction from Government, because we are not moving forward and it has been six months now - documents going missing, chairmen having to stand down and resign, the Wanless whitewash review into lost documents, terms of reference not being appropriate and now the panel being disbanded - I think that people will turn to more direct action and you can hardly blame them.

"What you do need is a mixture of people on that panel who have a whole variety of experiences. I think the Home Secretary had got it broadly right in terms of the people that she appointed.

"Where she got it badly wrong is in terms of the process, the consultation with key stakeholders in this case the survivors of child abuse."

Mr Danczuk said he expected there would be "more and bigger peaceful protests, more challenging of ministers, more challenging of the police to take action".

"I have supported her (Mrs May) on previous occasions ... but it is time and time again, and now this arrangement," he said.

"There is very little faith in Government in terms of delivering this.

"If Government are set on doing this then it can be achieved. But you can't help thinking that they are not intent on getting this right.

"There is a catalogue of mistakes that have been made, some of them fairly basic, and you can't blame the survivors of child abuse for wondering - because of the allegations of high-profile figures involved in the abuse - you can't help thinking that some of this is quite deliberate mistakes.

"They don't want to get to the truth, that would be the allegation."

Former children's minister Tim Loughton said the inquiry would be set back by "yet more weeks and probably months".

"All of the survivors that I have seen on a one-to-one basis or as part of the Home Affairs Select Committee, have said 'Look, we need to get on with this. We need this inquiry to get to the truth'," the Tory MP told Today.

"This panel is not perfect, but there are some very well-qualified, decent people on the panel. They have given up their time, they have started their work.

"They have lost two chairmen, they have got on with their work ...

"So now to say 'Look, sorry, but you are all going to be sent back home again', I think it is very unfortunate and rather disrespectful to the panel members.

"It is just going to set the inquiry back yet more weeks and probably months."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary is determined that appalling cases of child sexual abuse should be exposed so that perpetrators face justice and the vulnerable are protected.

"She is absolutely committed to ensuring the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has the confidence of survivors.

"The Home Secretary is also clear that we have to balance the need to make progress with the need to get this right."

Shadow Home Office minister Diana Johnson said: "The Home Secretary should be utterly ashamed of the process she has overseen.

"We are now in a position where there is no chair and no panel, while no work has been done on examining the horrible crimes of the past or into the flaws in the current child protections system.

"Theresa May needs to take responsibility for the utter failure to get this vital work off the ground over such a long period.

"This is not the first time inquiries have been held on difficult and sensitive issues. Neither the Hillsborough inquiry led by the Bishop of Liverpool nor the Bichard inquiry into child protection was mired in this chaos and confusion.

"The Home Secretary has failed time and time again to set up an inquiry which commands the confidence of the public."

Over the weekend it emerged that Labour MP John Mann has handed Scotland Yard a dossier including allegations about the involvement of 22 politicians - some of them apparently still serving - in paedophile rings. The names are said to include 14 ex-ministers.

Nativity 2014: Sacred Heart School, Middlesbrough

VIEW GALLERY

This was the scene at Sacred Heart School, Middlesbrough, as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here.

Nativity 2014: St Paulinus, Guisborough

This was the scene at St Paulinus, Guisborough, as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here.

Nativity 2014: Marwood Church of England VC School, Great Ayton

VIEW GALLERY

This was the scene at Marwood Church of England VC School, Great Ayton, as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here .

Billingham Juniors FC Under 9s are hoping to score your Wish tokens

A team of young Billingham footballers are hoping to score your tokens in this year’s Wish campaign.

Billingham Juniors FC Under 9s are a team who base all of their training and games on enjoyment. Therefore, they would like help to be able to buy new training essentials.

The club’s aim is to make sure all of the youngsters enjoys the game with fun, friendship and football taking priority.

Youngsters can take up the game at the club from the age of six through to adulthood. Everyone who joins the club is guaranteed to make friends and gain a haealthy interest in sport.

Nicki Gibson, of the club said: “We would like to put any funds towards new equipment for the kids to ensure we can do everything we can to train them.”

Every year The Gazette’s Wish campaign gives away thousands of pounds to not-for-profit groups organisations benefiting the Teesside community.

Each registered group will be guaranteed a share of our £40,000 fund.

The more tokens a group collects, the bigger its share of the prize pot.

Tokens are now appearing daily in The Gazette. The last token will appear on January 21.

Submissions for tokens will close at 5pm on Monday, February 23.

To help Billingham Juniors FC Under 9s, send your tokens to: 19 Tamworth Road, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 2AX.

Nativity 201: Rosedene Nursery, Middlesbrough

VIEW GALLERY

This was the scene at Rosedene Nursery, Middlesbrough, as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here .

Nativity 2014: Park End Primary School, Middlesbrough

VIEW GALLERY

This was the scene at Park End Primary School, Middlesbrough, as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here .

Nativity 2014: Billingham South Primary School

VIEW GALLERY

This was the scene at Billingham South Primary School as the school held its nativity.

Pupils took part in the school's nativity recently and you can see pictures from the occasion in the gallery above.

The Gazette's photographers will be taking pictures at nativities at schools across Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland in the build-up to Christmas.

You can see all the pictures we have taken so far - as well as last year's pictures - by clicking here .

Egypt receives 10 apache helicopters from US

The Egyptian army had received ten apache helicopters as part of U.S. military aid, partly frozen in 2013, Egyptian media reported Saturday.

“The armed forces had received ten apache helicopters from the U.S.,” the state-run news site Al-Ahram Gate quoted a military source as saying.

The source did not, however, mention the date of the apache helicopters’ delivery to Egypt.

The U.S. State Department had promised to deliver the four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopters several times in the past months.

Egypt said it needed these helicopters to cope up with growing militant challenges in the Sinai Peninsula, northeastern Egypt, where the Egyptian army has been engaged in fighting militancy for a year and a half now.

U.S. military aid to Egypt was negatively affected soon after the ouster by the Egyptian army of elected president Mohamed Morsi in July of last year.

In October 2013, the U.S. administration partly suspended military aid to Egypt – which included the ten apache aircrafts.

Washington allocates $1.5 billion annually in aid to Egypt – of which $1.3 billion are for military assistance – since the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in 1979

£10m revamp of Billingham tower blocks lights up town in time for Christmas

A massive £10m revamp of three landmark tower blocks in Billingham has lit up the town in time for Christmas.

Kennedy Gardens in the town centre has been given a completely facelift by Tristar Homes, including structural repairs, new render, solar panels, insulation and new fire alarm systems.

In addition to work on the 225 existing homes, Tristar Homes has also built 12 brand new apartments and provided three new in-demand community rooms.

But the launch had one very special feature – the new interactive lights at the top of each building, which can be programmed into a range of sequences.

The lights were switched on for the first time watched by residents and other invited guests, including Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham.

Dave Pickard, lead executive for Tristar Homes, part of the Thirteen Group, said: “Kennedy Gardens has been given a completely new lease of life with fantastic input from tenants to build a development the whole town can be proud of.

“Our regular meetings with people affected by the project have led to a tailor-made site that includes extended balconies with additional living space and mobility scooter rooms, as well as a major landscaping project and feature lighting on the roof.

“The residents told us what they would want in an ideal living environment and we have worked with them to match those aspirations. This is a development we can all be proud of and one that will make a really positive impact.”

Kennedy Gardens also has barrier controlled residential parking with electric car charging points, new street lighting and an impressive new sculpture, after customers were asked to trace around their fingers to make a ‘Tree of Hands’.

The construction work was carried out by Wates Living Space, working with architects Blake Hopkinson and a regeneration team at Elliott Associates.

Kennedy Gardens resident Carl Wilson, 23, a shop assistant said: “It looks very good, they are very modern. They quite nice inside before, but this is definitely an improvement.”

Leader of Stockton Council, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “I am delighted to see the transformation of Kennedy Gardens is now complete offering smart modern homes within the town centre.”