Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Friday 23rd January 2015.

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.

Government needs to back carbon capture for Teesside, says industry expert

Government needs to back big infrastructure projects like Teesside’s bid for industrial carbon capture and storage (CCS) if the UK is to lead the way, a process sector expert has claimed.

Teesside took its bid to become a Euro trailblazer for industrial CCS to Westminster this week, with the area’s heaviest polluters driving the scheme to mitigate rising green taxes by storing emissions under the North Sea.

The network - Teesside Collective - could create and safeguard thousands of jobs. Local enterprise partnership Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) will present the business case for Europe’s first CCS equipped industrial zone this summer, and has appointed investment bank Societe Générale to make sure the project is financially viable and competitive.

But Stan Higgins, chief executive of NEPIC (North East Process Industry Cluster) says the government needs to take a ‘much bigger role’ in the financing of large schemes instead of leaving it to the private sector - or other countries will steal a march.

He said: “Other countries get on with it and pay for their infrastructure. We don’t do that.

“We need integration of industry to be competitive in engineering terms, but we have this idea that the private sector can do everything. These projects are so big, that sometimes government needs to step in.

“There are unknowns, and that’s why we have to do this study on CCS; then there will be consulting with government and regulators, which is why we should have been doing this study two or three years ago.”

Steelmaker SSI UK, BOC, Lotte Chemical and GrowHow are the four anchor projects, and more companies would plug into a shared pipeline to transport carbon. Europe’s first network could attract more companies to Teesside as green taxes increase; but there are concerns other countries will nudge ahead in the race.

Sarah Tennison, TVU’s low-carbon economy manager, said: “We are ahead of the game, but Rotterdam was focused on a very similar demo project. That’s why we need to keep going with this; because of competitors.”

Dr Higgins added: “The questions are - is it affordable, how would it work commercially and what is the regulatory environment around carbon and emissions taxation?

“The whole thing is dependent on understanding what that’s like going forward. Is government going to make emissions so expensive that companies have to put their gas in these systems? All these things have to stack up before any project would be financially worthwhile.

“But Britain is building a branch economy, no big corporations that are big enough to carry such things on their balance sheets.”

The House of Commons launch event heard from the CCS Association, TVU chair Sandy Anderson OBE and Dan Osgood from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Sarah added: “Dan Osgood didn’t say government would definitely put money into the project, but he was positive; claiming it was an important project for the UK. Government can support by making sure the policy regime is as stable as it can be, so projects can attract bank funding.”

MP Tom Blenkinsop, who sponsored the event, said: “For long-term sustainability of our industry and inward investment, this scheme is a no-brainer. We are an ideal location, and we need to keep banging the drum.”

The launch comes as the Centre for Cities’ report Cities Outlook 2015 report reveals Middlesbrough has the biggest carbon footprint for any city or major town in the UK; in 2012 - the latest year for which figures are available - the area emitted 25.6 tonnes of CO2 per head of population.

Aitor Karanka hopeful of FA Cup glory and claims Boro must forget 'underdogs' tag

Aitor Karanka has dismissed claims that the pressure is off Boro when they travel to Manchester City tomorrow.

It has been a week to remember on Teesside with back-to-back home wins helping Boro climb to second in the Championship.

The chance of FA Cup glory now awaits against the Premier League champions, and Karanka has reminded his players they will not just be making up the numbers at the Etihad Stadium.

“If football has one good thing it’s that the budget on the pitch sometimes doesn’t count for everything,” Karanka said.

“If the richest teams won all the time that wouldn’t be football. We’re all excited for the game but we know the surprises football can spring.

“When you have more media interest it’s because you’re doing very well and I’m pleased by that, but we have to keep working in the same way.

“We’re going to play against one of the best squads in the world. The pressure is off us? If you think that, you’re going to concede five or six or seven or eight goals.

“They’ll be thoroughly prepared because they don’t want to lose to a Championship team - but they might have more problems scouting us than we do them.”

Karanka’s men will take heart from their heroic performance at Liverpool earlier this season when they gave Brendan Rodgers’ side a huge scare in the Capital One Cup,

Boro went on to suffer penalty shoot-out heartbreak at Anfield, but that setback has since sparked a scintillating run that has seen them lose only twice in 20 matches.

Karanka insists Boro have a great chance of winning promotion back to the Premier League this season, but says the hard work starts now.

“It’s a big chance. We’re more than halfway through the season and we’re in a high position in the league,” Karanka said.

“We can’t afford to feel like everything is done. The day we think that, we’ll be making a very big mistake.

“Who could have expected that Brighton would beat Ipswich or Leeds would beat Bournemouth? Every single fixture in this league can spring a shock.

“I’ve only been a manager for the last 14 months but I’ve been in football more than 20 years and every single day brings something different.

“Three years at Real Madrid with Jose (Mourinho) taught me to always think just about the next game.”

Quorn goes stateside to achieve strongest year yet

Quorn Foods has achieved its strongest ever growth in 2014 - due to soaring US sales.

The Stokesley-based manufacturer of meat-alternative foods attracting almost two million more customers than the previous year and saw a 7% growth in total sales - at a time when most manufacturers are seeing flat sales.

Last year the company, which employs around announced it was investing £30m to double capacity at its Billingham production site - creating up to 400 new jobs. Quorn’s core ingredient is Mycoprotein, a naturally occurring fungus similar to a truffle.

Quorn is now planning to expand into at least one new international market in 2015 as it builds on its current momentum, in line with ambitions to become a $1bn dollar business within ten years.

Like-for-like sales in the US were up 25%, rising to 48% in the final quarter, and the company has seen a surge in sales in all the 15 countries it directly supplies as more non-vegetarians than ever before (75%) are buying its products.

Much of the growth, the company claims, is down to a dedicated stateside team at the beginning of 2014 to improve access to the major distributors. Quorn ended the year with 30% more distribution than it started with. After an initial trial with Wal-Mart, the company has now quadrupled its distribution with the retail giant to the point where its products are now available in 2,300 stores across the country. The company has also seen double-digit distribution growth over the last 12 months in other major US retailers, including Kroger and Meijer.

Quorn now expects its US business to grow by 30% annually.

In the last year the company:

* Grew UK sales by 10%, with each quarter outperforming the last throughout the year showing sustained momentum.

* Achieved a record year for sales in Germany, with a like-for-like increase of 49.5%, and a 8.4% increase in like-for-like sales in Switzerland

* Sustained strong growth in the Nordics for the third year running, with sales volumes increasing by 5.5% over 2014

Exports now account for 19% of Quorn’s overall revenue.

Chief executive Kevin Brennan said: “2014 was the year when we really started to realise Quorn’s potential for growth all over the world. For the first time in the company’s history, we achieved sales of over £150m, with sustained growth in all of the 15 countries we directly export to.

“What’s more, an increasing number of carnivores are buying into our brand with non-vegetarians now accounting for three-quarters of our customer base.

“Over the last two years we’ve seen sales grow in the UK by 20% and we expect to sustain this momentum as people rethink their meat eating habits and explore healthy and sustainable protein alternatives such as Quorn.

“Clearly the US is a market that offers massive potential for growth and, on the back of an extremely positive 2014 which culminated in like-for-like sales growth of 88% in December, we’re aiming to create a stateside operation four times its current size by 2019.

“Following successful launches in Germany, Finland and Denmark last year, we’re also looking to expand as we strive to create a $1bn business, four to five times its current size. After last year, we really are generating momentum towards this goal.”

The company is also continuing to invest millions of pounds into new product development, to ‘meet the needs and tastes of a global audience’.

George Galloway Calls Charlie Hebdo A ‘Racist, Islamophobic, Hypocritical Rag’ At Freedom Of Speech Rally

Footage has emerged showing firebrand MP George Galloway condemning the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for producing “pornographic, obscene insults” against the Prophet Muhammad.

The Respect MP for Bradford West was speaking at a freedom of speech demonstration outside Bradford City Hall on Saturday.

Referencing the bloody France attacks which saw 17 people killed, Galloway said: “No person, no human being should be subjected to violence, still less death for anything that they have said, written or drawn.

“So we condemn utterly the murder of 17 people in the events in Paris. But we will not allow this Charlie Hebdo magazine to be described as a king of loveable, anarchic, fun book of cartoons.

“These are not cartoons, these are not depictions of the Prophet, these are pornographic, obscene insults to the Prophet and by extension, 1.7billion human beings on this earth and there are limits.

“There are limits. There limits to free speech and free expression especially in France.”

Galloway described the newspaper’s purpose as “to further marginalize, further alienate and further endanger exactly those parts of the community who are already alienated, already endangered. It is a racist, Islamophobic, hypocritical rag.”

Pope Francis said there was a duty to speak one’s mind for the sake of the common good, but added there were “limits.”

During his speech, Galloway went on to decry France’s ban on the public use of veils, both face-covering niqabs and full-body burqas, pointing out: “They can wear as little as they like, but they cannot wear as much as they like.”

Referencing the rampage carried out by Anders Breivik which saw 77 lost their lives, Galloway added: “Nobody blamed all Christians. Nobody demanded that Christians get down on their knees and apologise for the actions of a fascist murdering criminal and neither should they be doing so to the millions of Muslims in Britain.

“Crimes are carried out by criminals, not by their co-religionists or people of the same colour or nation as them.”

Christine died in 2012, but daughters are throwing 50th birthday party in Thornaby

Friends and family will be raising a glass to raise a toast to the wonderful mum on what would have been her 50th birthday.

Sisters Katie Peel, 23, and Lora Welsh, 30, will be holding a very special birthday party for their mum Christine who died in 2012 but would have turned 50 tomorrow.

Christine Peel had suffered from diabetes for most of her life. But tragically aged just 47, she died in 2012 after falling into a coma.

In honour of their “amazing” mum Katie and Lora decided that although their mum couldn’t be there to celebrate with them, they would throw her the party she deserves at the Thornaby Village Club.

Katie, a Teesside University student who lives in central Middlesbrough, said: “My mum always said she wanted a big party for her 50th.

“She was such a brilliant person - she would do anything for anyone and used to do a lot for charity

“My mum worked as a care assistant at St Mark’s Care Home in Stockton which looks after people with dementia.

“She used to get so attached to all the residents that she would make a cake for anyone who had a birthday and she went to every funeral when anybody died - she took the time off work.

“She was a really lovely woman.”

In memory of their mum, Katie and Lora have organised a night of singing, dancing, magic, face painting and prizes as they remember Christine and raise money for charity.

Highlights of the night will include Katie playing the ukelele, mind-reading from Chris Wall and singing from Faye Hall.

“My mum suffered with diabetes for most of her life and, as a result, all the proceeds from this event will be going to Diabetes UK,” said Katie who will be shaving her entire head on the night to raise money for the charity.

Tickets for Christine’s 50th Charity Memorial Fundraiser, from 7pm-11pm, are £5 for adults and £2.50 for children under the age of 16. Family tickets (Two adults, two children) are £12.

To book visit Christine’s 50th Charity Memorial Fundraiser on Facebook, donate the specified amount for the tickets you would like to purchase and write in the comment box the amount of tickets purchased along with your name - tickets will be ready on the door when you arrive.

Tickets are available to buy on the door, but will be at the increased price of £6.

Charlie Hebdo: Publishing cartoon of prophet Mohammed was an act of provocation, says ex head of MI6

In his first public appearance since standing down from the post of ‘C’ Sir John Sawers declared his support for Pope Francis who had spoken out against “provocateurs” on religious matters and warned that they can expect violence in return.

Sir John wanted to stress that the 12 murders which resulted from the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine “cannot be justified on any basis whatsoever”. But he argued: “there is a requirement for some restraint on the side of those of us in the West. I rather agree with the Pope…. that respect for others peoples’ religion is an important part of this. If you show disrespect of others’ core values then you are going to provoke an angry response.”

Acts inflaming some sections of the Muslim population came at a time when attacks on the West were highly likely mainly due to the sheer numbers of young Muslims from the West who had gone to take part in jihad in Syria and Iraq.

“The formal threat level has gone up which says a terrorist attack is highly. That is not saying an attempted terrorist attack is likely, it is saying a terrorist attack is getting through is highly likely”, said Sir John.

“If I was to sit here and say, will the goalkeepers of the security services and the police keep every single attempt to get the ball into the net out? No, at some point these threats will get through and there will be another terrorist attack in this country.”

Speaking at the launch of a survey of international attitudes on trust at the offices of the PR firm Edelman in London, Sir John warned about how public confidence in intelligence services depended on the actions they undertook.

According to research by the company, MI5 and MI6 scored 72 per cent and 64 per cent respectively from the public on trust. The FBI and the CIA, on the other hand, were rated around 40 per cent by the British public. Sir John held that the CIA’s involvement in targeted killings had counted against the organisation.

“One of the problems for the CIA has been that it has become involved in lethal operations and that has muddied some of the work of the intelligence agencies,” said the former MI6 chief.

“We have been very clear that our role was to produce intelligence. Of course we support the military. If there is any kinetic operation to be done, it is done by the military under military authorisation, not done within the intelligence world. I think people understand and respect that …”

However, there is also public apprehension about “snooping” by the government. Sir John acknowledged the concern and called for a new compact between the Internet companies and the security agencies which would reassure the public but also allow surveillance to combat terrorism.

“Of course there is a dilemma here because the general public and politicians and the technology companies … they want us to be able to monitor the activities of terrorists and other evildoers but they do not want their own activities to be open to any such monitoring.

“We have to find a way as a society whereby the technology companies and those responsible for the security of our society can work together so that the interests of both can be met with limited compromise. I don’t this is a trade-off between security and privacy, I think they go together.

For More:

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Injured captain vows to help Acklam teammates seize initiative in promotion race

Injured captain Steve Chambers has vowed to do everything in his power to ensure his Acklam team-mates seize the initiative in the Durham and North Two promotion race.

Third-placed Acklam are the only Teesside club in first-team action this weekend, as they travel to Bishop Auckland in a rearranged game that fell victim to the weather before Christmas.

Last weekend saw Acklam close the gap on promotion rivals Redcar to six points, and a win on the road tomorrow could see the Teesside duo separated by only one point.

Despite Chambers missing the rest of the season with a hand injury, he still hopes to be a positive influence and swing the promotion pendulum back in Acklam’s favour.

“This will be the longest I’ve ever been out through injury,” Chambers said. “I’ve had a few frustrating knocks but this will be the longest.

“I’m still coming to terms with that but I want to do the best I can to help the lads in training and in the changing room.

“I think everyone is now stepping up and taking on that leadership responsibility.”

Acklam picked up a valuable victory at Barnard Castle last weekend on the same day that Redcar, who are in pole position for promotion alongside runaway leaders Ponteland, slipped to a shock defeat.

That means Acklam could crank up the pressure on the Seasiders with a win at Bishop Auckland - but Chambers admitted the team are focusing on one match at a time.

“Last week was a bit of a double-edged sword. We didn’t play too well but won ugly, and none of us were thinking about promotion at that stage”, he said.

“It was only when we got back into the changing room when we saw the other results and realised that Redcar had lost.

“But we just need to focus on ourselves. We’re missing quite a few players tomorrow due to it being a rearranged fixture, and Bishop Auckland have been picking up some good results recently.

“There’s plenty to play for and we need to go and do the best we can tomorrow. Then everything else between now and the end of the season will unfold.”

Acklam have passed on their thoughts and best wishes to Redcar after a fire ripped through their Mackinlay Park changing rooms on Tuesday evening.

Four changing rooms, plus the bath and shower areas, were badly damaged after the electric mains cupboard caught fire. A clear-up operation is being carried out by the club’s supporters.

Visa issues won't affect Redcar Bears as Aussie ace Hugh Skidmore signs up

Redcar Bears won’t be affected by visa issues which threaten to disrupt the coming season.

Many riders from non-EU countries face the prospect of being denied a visa to race in the UK this year despite having signed deals with British clubs.

Australian twice Ecco Finishing Bears Rider of the Year Hugh Skidmore, however, is free to take his place in the side when tapes go up on the season in March.

Promoter Brian Havelock explained: “Hugh rides on a foreign licence so he won’t be affected.”

BSPA chairman Alex Harkess has said he still hopes the situation can be resloved.

A BSPA statement read: “A number of speedway clubs who employ migrant riders (non EU) were asked to attend a meeting with UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) this week.

“This meeting was a result of a number of regular compliance visits to individual clubs as the employers.

“There are administrative issues which all parties are keen to resolve before the start of the 2015 British Speedway season.

“The UKVI have offered to hold an operational workshop for club officials to assist them in this complex process.

“In the meantime, the BSPA (British Speedway Promoters’ Assocaition) and UKVI remain committed to work towards a satisfactory outcome.”

Meanwhile the Bears have confirmed that former skipper Aaron Summers has joined Glasgow Tigers on a full transfer.

Summers handed in a transfer request during the winter and Bears boss Havelock said: “It’s all gone through now and I got virtually what I wanted for him.”

A racenight to raise funds for Skidmore’s expenses takes place in the Bears Bar on Thursday, March 12.

5ive: 90s chart-toppers set to play all their hits at Middlesbrough gig

There may be only three of them nowadays - but boyband 5ive are back on the road and heading to Middlesbrough.

As part of their eight date Loud and Intimate Tour, the trio - Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon - will play The Venue on Friday, April 17.

Formed in 1997 as, appropriately enough, a five-piece, the band was one of the hottest boybands around and enjoyed a string of hit singles, including the number ones Keep on Movin', We Will Rock You (with Queen) and Let’s Dance.

Since then, they have disbanded and reformed a couple of times, with various members staying and leaving.

After reforming as a four-piece in 2012 - and featuring in ITV2 show The Big Reunion - interest in the band reignited.

They are now touring as a trio after founder member Abz Love left last year, just weeks after 5ive supported McBusted on an arena tour.

General standing tickets, at £27.50 plus a £3 booking fee, are available now for the Middlesbrough gig, which is set to feature all the number ones and other hits like Slam Dunk (Da Funk) and Everybody Get Up.

The tour starts at Bristol’s O2 Academy on April 16 and includes shows in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

The Venue, on Linthorpe Road, recently hosted a gig by former UB40 stars Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey, which led to complaints of overcrowding.

The claims were denied by organisers Loose Cannon, who are also organising the 5ive show.

Tickets are available now here.

Alcohol banned on board trains back from London after Boro's game at Brentford

Boro fans travelling on trains back from London after the club’s game with Brentford will not be allowed to take booze on board.

Dry trains are being implemented by rail operator East Coast after the clash at Griffin Park on Saturday January 31.

Anybody found taking alcohol, or consuming it on board a train, will be deemed to be in breach of railway byelaws.

In addition, booze will not be on sale on the train.

The restriction will be applied to all East Coast services which depart King’s Cross station from 4pm, and include each service heading to Newcastle every half hour until 7.48pm.

The dry trains restriction also applies to the 7.11pm Grand Central service.

Security staff will inspect passengers at King’s Cross.

Just short of 1,600 Boro fans will make the journey to London for the match, which will also be shown live on Sky and kicks off at 12.15pm.

Man taken to hospital after collision with taxi outside Cleveland Centre

A man was taken to hospital after a collision involving a taxi in Middlesbrough.

Emergency services were on the scene at Grange Road, near to McDonald’s and the Cleveland Centre in Middlesbrough town centre, at around 1.50pm.

Police say that a male pedestrian was involved in a collision with a grey Skoda taxi.

He was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by ambulance complaining of back pains.

The road remained open during the incident.

Shortly after that collision, another taxi was involved in a minor road traffic collision with a red van, yards away on Linthorpe Road.

German anti-Islam leader Lutz Bachmann resigns after Hitler, refugee posts

BERLIN: The leader of a German organization against the perceived “Islamization” of Europe stepped down on Wednesday after online posts surfaced in which he used derogatory language to refer to refugees and posed looking like Adolf Hitler.

Lutz Bachmann, co-founder of the Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, or PEGIDA, announced his departure on Facebook after German media published the comments where he called refugees “cattle” and “filthy,” and a photo showing him with a Hitler mustache and hair combed over like the Nazi Fuehrer.

Bachmann didn’t comment directly on the picture, but apologized for the anti-refugee comments, which he made online in September, a month before the group staged its first protest.

“I earnestly apologize to all citizens, who felt attacked by my postings,” Bachmann said in a statement on the group’s Facebook page.

“They were ill-considered comments that I wouldn’t make in this way today,” he said, expressing regret for harming the movement, which has taken pains to distance itself from neo-Nazi groups.

The group has staged weekly demonstrations in the eastern city of Dresden that reached their peak last week, drawing 25,000 people. This week’s planned rally was canceled after police said authorities had monitored a Tweet calling for one of the organizers to be killed.

Pictures: Meet Ralph - could he be Teesside's naughtiest dog?

Meet Ralph.

He’s munched on bricks, he’s chowed down on cables and, rather naughtily, recently made a snack of his owner’s kitchen floor...

The eight-month-old sprocker spaniel puppy has brought plenty of laughs and cuddles into the Yates’ home.

And he’d be the perfect pup - if he could only stop eating.

Owner Dean, 27, said: “We’d never had a family dog before - it’s certainly been an experience.

“He’s a lovely, lovely-natured dog.

“He’s not a bad dog at all really - apart from eating anything and everything!

Teesside's naughty dog?

As well as the kitchen floor, the marine engineer from Guisborough along with wife Diane, 28, a beautician and daughter Abi, eight, have caught Ralph eating through an aquarium power cable and the solar lights from their back garden.

The family have had the chocolate brown pooch since being ten weeks old.

Teesside's naughty dog?

Teesside's naughty dog?

“It’s hard to shout at him as he’s so bloody cute,” says Dean who is expecting a new baby with wife Diane in April.

“With the new baby due soon, the next room we were going to decorate was supposed to be the nursery - but now it’s going to have to be the kitchen!

“He’s full of beans despite being walked once on a morning and twice on a night.

Teesside's naughty dog?

“We’ve also had him neutered in a bid to calm him down but I don’t think it’s worked!

Dean added: “But he’s absolutely lovely - an absolute little beaut.”

Is your pet naughtier than Ralph? Let me know by emailing mieka.smiles@trinitymirror.com

Motorist caught behind the wheel - despite having THREE driving bans on the go

A motorist who had three driving bans running when he was caught again by the police has been jailed and handed another disqualification.

The judge told Izraar Malik that his jail sentences would get longer and longer if he continued to get behind the wheel during his bans.

The 28-year-old’s third disqualification was just a fortnight before he was spotted back driving in central Middlesbrough.

Prosecutor Emma Atkinson told Teesside Crown Court that a police officer recognised him as a rogue driver on November 19 when he drove a VW Passat to a house in Gresham Road, Gresham.

He came out with another man and he denied he had been driving, but he was caught as he attempted to flee.

Father-of-two Malik spent the next two months in custody waiting to be sentenced.

Miss Atkinson said that he had four convictions for driving while disqualified, he had been disqualified on a number of occasions, and he had three driving bans which were still active.

He was banned in September 2010 for dangerous driving, and in September 2013 he was disqualified for two charges of dangerous driving, and on November 5 last year he was given a suspended 12-week jail sentence and a ban by Teesside Magistrates for driving while disqualified.

He had 13 convictions for 28 offences.

Scott Taylor, defending, said that on the latest occasion Malik had driven about one mile through the streets of Middlesbrough.

A friend had asked him to pick up a parcel and he had foolishly agreed.

Mr Taylor said: “He has a girlfriend and two children, and it is clearly a question in court today of how long his custody will be.”

The judge Recorder Robert Spragg told Malik: “You have a bad record for driving-related offences.

“You clearly took absolutely no notice of what the court did when they imposed the sentence on the 5th of November.

“I take the view that neither a community sentence or a suspended sentence is appropriate.

“I hope you understand now that if you drive while disqualified you are more likely to go into custody, and the more often you do it the longer the sentences will get.”

Malik, of Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 18 weeks and banned for a year starting from yesterday after he pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance, and a breach of a suspended jail sentence.

Lord Leon Brittan dies of cancer

Lord Brittan, who was recently caught up in a row over allegations that he failed to act on evidence of child abuse by senior figures in Westminster in the 1980s, died at his home in London.

His family statement said: "As a family, we should like to pay tribute to him as a beloved husband to Diana and brother to Samuel, and a supportive and loving stepfather to Katharine and Victoria, and step-grandfather to their children.

"We also salute his extraordinary commitment to British public life as a Member of Parliament, Minister, Cabinet Minister, European Commissioner and Peer - together with a distinguished career in law, and latterly in business.

"Leon passed away last night at his home in London after a long battle with cancer. We shall miss him enormously."

Lord Brittan, 75, served as home secretary from 1983 to 1985 and president of the Board of Trade in 1985/86, before spending a decade in Brussels from 1989 to 1999 one of the UK's European commissioners, and as vice-president of the Commission from 1989 to 1993.

He was MP for Cleveland & Whitby from 1974 to 1983 and for Richmond, Yorkshire, from 1983 to 1988.

His family said there will be a private funeral service for family only, and a memorial service will be announced.

Lord Deben - who served alongside Lord Brittan in Margaret Thatcher's administration as John Gummer - said: "Very sad to see Leon Brittan has died. A good and honourable servant of his country. A decent and lasting friend. He will be sorely missed."

Israel carries out 3rd East Jerusalem home demolition in 2 days

Israeli authorities on Wednesday destroyed a Palestinian building in the Shufat neighborhood of East Jerusalem, the third such home demolition in the occupied city in the last two days.

Locals told Ma’an that Israeli special forces accompanied by bulldozers raided the neighborhood and surrounded a building before almost immediately beginning to demolish it.

At the same time, local residents and journalists on the scene were prevented from approaching the area.

Sources told Ma’an that the Israeli authorities claimed the demolition was related to “security purposes” and was carried out because the structure was constructed without a license.

Local Walid Bishara told Ma’an that the building belonged to the Bishara, Mukheimar and al-Mashni families and that it was built a year and a half ago.

Bishara added that after the building was completed, Israel prevented the families from moving into it and then issued the demolition order.

“They ordered us to seal the building until we get a license in order to make sure it did not get demolished.”

“We sealed the building and did not use it for any purpose,” he told Ma’an. “We worked on getting a license issued but we did get initial approval, but several Israeli courts ruled to demolish the building because of security reasons and the latest ruling was issued by the Israeli central court.”

The building consisted of two floors with four apartments in total and it cost 500,000 shekels to build ($127,000), in addition to more than $40,000 (158,000 shekels) that the families paid to get the licenses and to delay the demolition orders

£500m biomass plant: European backing for plan which would create 900 jobs

Plans for a long-awaited £500m biomass power plant on Teesside set to create close to 1,000 jobs have moved a major step forward.

The European Commission today approved Government support for MGT Power’s 299MW renewable energy facility planned for Teesport.

The Tees Renewable Energy Plant (Tees REP) was one of eight given an early contract under the Government’s Contracts for Difference scheme.

The scheme guarantees a fixed price for energy and The European Commission has now announced the state aid is in line with EU rules.

A commission spokesman said: “The commission concluded in particular that the project would further EU energy and environmental objectives without unduly distorting competition in the single market.

Tees REP received full planning consent in 2009, but bosses have struggled to reach financial closure amid changing UK regulations on biomass power schemes.

It is expected to cut 32 millions tonnes of carbon emissions over its 30-year life span.

The plant, expected to start operations in July 2018, will be able to generate enough energy to power 600,000 homes running exclusively on biomass.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: “Our renewable energy plans are driving new green jobs and green growth.

"By bringing together combined heat and power and biomass plant, MGT estimates that this plant will create 750 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs on Teesside, as well as cutting Britain’s carbon emissions.

“Renewable electricity generation has been booming across the UK, and we are seeing record levels of renewable investment. Teesside is now well placed to be a major hub in this future green economy.’

Last October, Government support for the eight projects was strongly criticised by MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee said consumers had been left to pick up the bill for “poorly conceived and managed” contracts worth £16.6bn.

MPs said the Department of Energy and Climate Change had let down consumers by awarding contracts to five offshore wind projects and three biomass schemes early without competition.

Watch: CCTV shows drug addict David McCabe before he burgled disabled mum's home

CCTV footage has been released showing drug addict David McCabe prowling the streets of North Ormesby before he burgled the home of a disabled mum who later died in a house fire.

McCabe, of Barrington Crescent, Thorntree, Middlesbrough, has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after admitting burgling the 50-year-old's house on Warton Street.

He was cleared of murder and manslaughter by a jury at Teesside Crown Court earlier.

The 32-year-old raided Ms Ryan's home on Warton Street the day before and the day of her death, but denied murder.

Ms Ryan died hours after she celebrated her 50th birthday with her sons in a Middlesbrough restaurant .

Hindu widow saved 10 Muslims in Bihar riots

By Imran Khan,

Azizpur (Bihar) : A Hindu woman who saved lives of 10 Muslims in this village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district during the recent clashes in which five people died is being hailed as a hero, officials said.

Shail Devi, a frail widow in her early 50s, risking her own life, gave shelter to her Muslim neighbours when a mob of more than 5,000 people attacked Azizpur Bahilwara village after a 20-year-old Hindu boy’s body was found Sunday.

He was allegedly abducted and killed over his love affair with a Muslim girl.

“I provided shelter to my Muslim neighbours to save their lives because the mob could have killed them,” Shail said Wednesday morning.

Shail, a poor woman fighting for her survival like many others in this village, told IANS that she along with her two daughters stood guard outside her house when a mob was targeting Muslims in the village. She told them that it was a house of a ‘Mallah’ (fisherman).

“I lied to rioters that I had not given shelter to Muslims in my house. Though some people tried to enter my house but I stopped them and they returned,” she said.

Shail, widow of late Jaglal Sahni, has become a household name in the village and neighbouring villages for her rare example of communal harmony.

“She has proved again that humanity is still alive, we are proud of her,” Arvind Kumar, a villager, said.

Ash Mohammad, a man in his 60s, who was one of the ten Muslims whose lives were saved by Shail, told IANS that she is like ‘farishta’ (angel) to them.

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Man on bike attempts to snatch woman's bag - but fails when she resists

A man riding a bike who tried to snatch a woman’s handbag in Middlesbrough is being hunted by police.

Two women were walking along Grange Road in the town centre, from McDonald’s towards C&S Tyres, at around 5.50pm on Monday.

A man followed them on a bicycle and attempted to steal one of the women’s handbags - but she resisted and he got away with nothing.

The suspect is described as white, aged in his early to mid-twenties, around five feet six inches to five feet ten inches in height and riding a dark coloured pedal bike.

He had a pale complexion and short, dark hair which is shaved at the back and sides and was wearing a high-visibility jacket with dark coloured bottoms.

Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Darren Guest on the non-emergency 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Cause of early-hours fire that destroyed part of Pizza Station under investigation

A section of a Saltburn takeaway was destroyed by fire in the early hours of today.

Firefighters tacked a blaze at Pizza Station, on Station Square in Saltburn.

Appliances from Saltburn, Guisborough and Redcar attended the incident, which broke out in the shop’s preparation area at around 2.30am.

Nobody was injured in the blaze, but firefighters described complete damage to an extractor fan and a cold storage refrigerator in the kitchen of the property.

The rest of the kitchen suffered serious fire and smoke damage, while smoke and heat also caused damage to the customer area.

Broken windows and thick black smoke marks could be seen on the outside of the building from Saltburn Railway Station.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze, before leaving at 3.12am.

A spokeswoman for the brigade said that the cause of the fire was being investigated.

Total recorded crime across Cleveland Police force area falls 4%

The total number of crimes recorded in the Cleveland force area dropped by 4% last year - but reports of sexual offences rose dramatically.

Cleveland Police recorded 38,045 crimes during the year ending September 2014.

Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics show that crimes such as burglary and theft, vehicle offences, criminal damage and arson have dropped.

The number of times that a possession of weapons offence has been recorded in Cleveland dropped by 15% in that period.

But the number of sexual offences crimes recorded, 665, rose by 14%.

Fraud offences have been taken out of the force’s statistics completely, after new agency Action Fraud took over recording these crimes from individual forces in March 2013.

Robberies are up by 2% - while reports of violence with injury are up by the same amount.

In the nearby Durham force area, the total crime figure increased by 9%.

However, of every 1,000 people living in the Cleveland force area during the year, 68 crimes were reported - almost 15 higher than Durham’s rate.

Dream Home: £535k five-bedroom property has size AND quality

What more could anyone want than an immaculate home set in the ideal location?

Nothing if you’re anything like the owner of this week’s Dream Home, which provides exactly that, with more than a bit of style.

The property, situated in The Rings area of Ingleby Barwick, has been owned by its current occupant since it was built six years ago and has been kept in pristine condition.

“The home is very nice, has lots of room and is almost as new,” says the owner.

Ready to move in to, the home provides the best of everything you would expect from a modern build and it has been neutrally decorated to provide a blank canvas for anyone wanting to add their own touch.

Everything about The Rings property showcases size and quality which is perfectly laid out to maximise the space.

And though the home was bought from new and required no improvement, the one addition of an orangery has created an excellent, light space where you can feel in touch with the outdoors while maintaining the comfort of being indoors.

One of the showcase features downstairs is the kitchen/breakfast area, which provides the perfect blend of decoration complemented by dark modern wall and base units.

Elsewhere on the ground floor is an entrance hallway, dining room, family room, breakfast, study and large lounge which is ideal space for the whole family to enjoy, while the link to the orangery adds an extra dimension.

There’s an attached double garage which allows for plenty of parking, there’s access from the utility room from here too - with the luxury of not having to go outside to reach the car in bad weather.

Upstairs offers five bedrooms, including spacious master with en suite, second Jack & Jill en suite and family bathroom.

Outside you’ll find a garden that boasts a patio at the back and there’s a large driveway flanked by electric gates.

One of the highlights of the owner’s time at the property, he says, has been the neighbours - though another benefit of The Rings area is the space it affords.

Its location is also ideal for easy access to road links, something which was a major attraction to the owner when he was looking to buy.

“If you want to live in Ingleby Barwick this is the ideal location,” he said.

However, the owner is now looking to downsize and move back to his country roots.

“It’s a lovely home but too big for me. I’m originally from the country and I’m looking to move somewhere smaller with a bit of land.”

• The Ingleby Barwick home is for sale for £535,000. For more information, contact the Stockton branch of estate agent Reeds Rains on 01642 601601.

Take a look round more Gazette Dream Homes by clicking here

Wish: Overfields Primary School pupils get to pick new playground equipment - thanks to Wish

Primary school pupils are looking forward to choosing their own new playground equipment - with the aid of the Wish campaign.

Pupils at Overfields Primary School in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, have set about collecting this year’s tokens with a keen eye on all the different playground equipment they could buy with their share of the Wish Campaign fund.

And they are hoping Gazette readers will help their cause by sending them their tokens.

Every year, The Gazette’s Wish campaign gives away thousands of pounds to not-for-profit groups and organisations benefiting the Teesside community and each registered group is guaranteed a share of our £40,000 fund.

Overfields Primary School has taken part in the Gazette Wish campaign for a number of years and in the past has used the money raised to help encourage new people into sport.

But this year the emphasis is on giving pupils a say on the new playground equipment the school buys with this year’s tokens.

Headteacher Tracy Watson said: “Ideally we want to get some portable games and sporting equipment that the children can easily access at playtimes.”

“We will be holding a school council to help decide and every child will get to have their say on what equipment we decide to get.”

The more tokens a group collects, the bigger its share of the prize pot. The last token appeared in yesterday’s Gazette and submissions for tokens will close at 5pm on Friday, February 27.

Tokens can be sent to Overfields Primary School, Allendale Road, Ormesby, Middlesbrough TS7 9LF.

Manuel Pellegrini: 'We must play with 100% intensity if we are to beat Boro'

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has warned his side that they must play with “100% intensity and concentration” if they are to hold off an in-form Boro side on Saturday.

The Premier League champions go into the FA Cup fourth round tie wounded after a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal last time out, and with a history of struggling against Championship sides.

City toiled to a late 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the last round, while last year Watford soared into a 2-0 lead at the Etihad Stadium before Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick spared the hosts’ blushes.

Add last season’s FA Cup defeat to Wigan Athletic to that list, and Boro will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds this weekend, having soared to second in the Championship.

And Pellegrini certainly won’t be taking Aitor Karanka’s promotion-chasing side lightly.

Action Images / Ed Sykes

“They are in a very good position in the Championship, they have a good manager in Karanka who I know, and I’ll be sure if we don’t play with 100% intensity and concentration we will have problems to qualify for the next stage of the FA Cup,” Pellegrini said.

“We need to play a very good game against a good team. Maybe (Boro)are not in the Premier League but they are fighting to be promoted.”

Boro head to the Etihad Stadium without fear and on the back of an impressive recent run, having lost one of their last 14 Championship matches.

Meanwhile City’s resurgence in recent weeks was ended by their loss to the Gunners last time out, and with a massive match against Chelsea coming up next weekend, Boro could catch the champions off guard.

Frank Lampard is a doubt after limping out of City’s friendly win over Hamburg yesterday, while Samir Nasri is definitely out and both Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony are away at the African Cup of Nations.

Drug addict cleared of murdering disabled mum hours after she'd celebrated birthday

A drug addict has been found not guilty of murdering a disabled mum in her North Ormesby home.

David McCabe was cleared of murdering Teresa Ryan on her 50th birthday. He was also found not guilty of manslaughter.

McCabe, of Barrington Crescent, Thorntree, Middlesbrough, admitted two counts of burgling the home of Ms Ryan, a vulnerable woman who had Huntington’s disease.

The 32-year-old raided her home on Warton Street the day before and the day of her death, but denied murder.

Ms Ryan died hours after she celebrated her 50th birthday with her sons in a Middlesbrough restaurant.

She died from smoke inhalation in a fire at her home on the night of July 9 last year.

The prosecution said McCabe entered the house and robbed her handbag, snapping its strap, after a struggle in which she was rendered unconscious.

It was alleged he set fire to her bed in the dining room to destroy evidence and left her helpless, knowing she would die in the fire.

McCabe claimed the fire must have started accidentally after he left the home, jurors were told.

A heroin addict for 15 years, he admitted he sneaked into her home to steal when he had no drugs or money, and took her handbag from her kitchen door.

McCabe said he heard a toilet flush, panicked and fled, and there was no confrontation with Ms Ryan.

He denied setting any fire or causing Ms Ryan to fall.

He took from the bag three packets of cigarettes, two of which he sold, £110 cash and a phone which he used to buy drugs.

McCabe said he was shocked to hear about the fire the following morning.

He admitted burgling her home the day before the fire, stealing her television which he sold for £25 before overdosing on diazepam tablets.

Giving evidence, he agreed that he saw Ms Ryan as a source of money for his drugs but denied “constantly preying” on her as a “soft touch”.

He denied witness reports that he talked of setting a fire or Ms Ryan falling or hurting herself, or that he had hung around her home and once barged in.

But McCabe said he had known her for five or six weeks, helped her with shopping and fixed her door after another burglary.

In one agreed statement, a witness said she had seen McCabe obviously harassing Ms Ryan for money in the street.

Fire investigators disagreed over the cause of the fire, which started near the foot of Ms Ryan’s bed, away from where she was found on the sofa.

It started by a “human act”, not an electrical cause, it was said.

One investigator believed it was most likely “deliberate ignition”, another said it was not possible to say whether it was started deliberately or accidentally.

The court heard how Ms Ryan fell asleep in bed while smoking, started a fire at a previous home and was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation in 2003. A friend said she regularly dropped cigarettes and had burn marks on her bed, quilt, clothes and chest.

Following her death Ms Ryan’s devastated family told how she was “extremely proud” of her two sons, Steven and David, and how, when she was younger, she enjoyed clubbing, music and dancing and loved to socialise.

In a statement, the family said that, despite illness, Teresa had been “determined to keep her independence and live life to the full.”

It added: “We are all deeply traumatised by what has happened. On the night she died, we had been out for a meal as a family to celebrate her 50th birthday.

“What was a happy celebration of a key milestone in her life has now turned out to be catastrophic and we are left wondering how and why this has happened.”

Enforcing of standardised tobacco packaging takes encouraging step

The enforcing of standardised tobacco packaging will offer the chance of a "momentous step" in creating a smoke-free generation in Britain, health groups have said after plans to hold a pre-election Commons vote have been revealed.

In an unusual move, Public Health Minister Jane Ellison revealed in a Commons adjournment debate that the Government would table regulations to enforce standardised packaging in England by May 2016.

The measures are expected to pass despite Conservative objections after MPs were granted a free vote on the issue.

Further regulations banning smoking in private cars carrying children will be enforced from October this year if signed off by Parliament.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "The benefits of standardised packaging were comprehensively laid out, and the alleged risks comprehensively dismissed, in last year's independent review commissioned by the Government.

"Doing so would mark a huge victory for public health, and a momentous step towards saving some of the 200,000 young people who currently take up this deadly habit each year."

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "We applaud the Government for taking this big step towards getting plain, standardised cigarette packs on the shelves and protecting children from tobacco marketing.

"Two-thirds of smokers start before the age 18, beginning an addiction which will kill half of them if they become long-term smokers. By stripping cigarette packs of their marketing features, we can reduce the number of young people lured into an addiction, the products of which are death and disease."

But the move was immediately criticised by business groups.

Christopher Snowdon, director of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: "This is a gross infringement of the right of companies to use their trademarks and design their own packaging.

"There is no need to wonder what will happen next - we need only look at Australia ,where the black market has grown and youth smoking has risen. To pursue this grandstanding policy in spite of the Australian experience is sheer negligence."

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This legislation could end up being remembered as a Smugglers' Charter."

Ms Ellison told MPs yesterday: "This Government is completely committed to protecting children from the harm that tobacco causes. That's why I'm announcing today that we will be bringing forward legislation for standardised packaging before the end of this Parliament.

"I would like to reassure the House I will provide further details about the introduction of this policy in due course."

On smoking in private cars carrying children, Ms Ellison added: "The regulations have been considered by the scrutiny committees and I expect we will have a date for the debate soon.

"It is not my desire people should be fined as a result of ignorance and I want to make sure as many people as possible are aware of the new policy."

The Public Health Minister added: "Legislation or even new laws on packaging will not solve all of the problems relating to tobacco.

"We will bring regulations before Parliament in this Parliament and, should Parliament support this measure, we will be bringing the prospect of this country's first smoke-free generation one decisive step closer."

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "I have reviewed all the evidence, and agree that standardised packaging would be a positive move for public health, particularly the role it could play in helping to prevent the uptake of smoking by children.

"We have seen smoking rates decline, but smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable mortality ... we need to keep up our efforts on tobacco control and standardised packaging is an important part of that."

Shadow public health minister Luciana Berger said: "We welcome the announcement that the Government will finally bring forward regulations on standardised packaging of tobacco.

"However, it was almost a year ago that MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of this measure and the delay is inexcusable."

Senior Conservative MP Dame Angela Watkinson highlighted the dissent likely to feature on the Tory benches when the motion is brought to the Commons.

Speaking in the same adjournment debate where Ms Ellison announced the vote, Dame Angela said: "I'm a life-long non-smoker. That is my choice and it's a choice that is open to everybody.

"There can't be anyone in this country, young or old, who does not know about the health risks of tobacco. Nobody smokes in ignorance."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said there were not yet specific dates for debates and votes on the regulations and she said the adjournment debate was simply an opportune moment to announce the policy once the subject had been set.

The regulations only apply in England and devolved administrations will need to introduce parallel rules to make them operate nationwide.

The standardised packaging will specify mandatory colours for retail packaging, insisting they must be dull brown outside and white inside.

Only specific text, such as a brand or variant name, will be allowed subject to particular requirement. Health warnings and marks to prevent counterfeits will continue to be allowed.

The European Tobacco Products Directive will bring in a wider range of measures, including larger picture health warnings and a ban on flavourings.

Sir Cyril Chantler, who led a review into standardised packaging for the Department of Health, said: "I am delighted by this news and think that standardised packaging will be of significant benefit to children's health."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg backed plain packaging, telling LBC Radio: "It's not a crime but it's very bad for you, and we should be taking sensible steps to discourage people - particularly kids - from taking up smoking.

"There is evidence, and I think it's been borne out by the latest facts in Australia, that it does help minimise the marketing appeal."

Manchester City fan Adam Clayton aiming to upset his mum by causing FA Cup shock

Boyhood Manchester City fan Adam Clayton aims to cause a domestic dispute when Boro go to the big boys on Saturday.

If he can help engineer an FA Cup fourth round giant-killing at the Etihad Stadium he knows it will ruffle family feathers.

“My mum is a massive, massive City fan,” he explained. “I come from a Manchester mixed marriage: My dad’s a red, a United fan, but my mum’s a big, big City fan.

“I grew up as a City fan too but you have to put all that aside and I’ll be hoping to go there and get a result for Boro.”

For Clayton it is an emotional return to the club he watched as a schoolboy and signed for when he was just seven.

“The house I grew up in was 10 minutes from Maine Road and it’s no secret I grew up supporting them,” he explained.

“I signed for City quite early. I was only seven years old when I joined the Academy so my allegiance went that way, much to my dad’s disappointment. I went to watch them every week. I think I went eight or nine years without missing a single home game.”

They were dark times for City. In his first few seasons the troubled club got through five managers and suffered a traumatic relegation to the third tier.

But while working his way through the City Academy he also saw his club climb back to the summit and move to the smart new stadium in 2003.

Since then there has been a huge transformation with the big money takeover by Sheikh Mansour that has funded two titles, and the FA Cup and League Cup in the last four seasons.

“It’s a completely different club now to the one I joined as a kid,” he said. “There’s no-one there I know player-wise except maybe Joe Hart.

“And City’s whole profile has changed. They are a massive, club now. They’ve spent millions and millions of pounds and they’ve just bought another player there in Wilfried Bony for £30m or whatever. They play in the Champions League!

“And we are going to go there to play in a great stadium on a great pitch and try and enjoy ourselves and give a good account of ourselves like we did at Liverpool and try our very best to get a result.

“I’m really looking forward to it. It will be nice to go back and play a competitive game there.

“I’ve played in the stadium loads of times for the youths and the reserves but to play in a top class game in front of 40,000 or whatever will be special.

“And not just for me as a City fan but for Boro as a club and for all the lads and the fans too. It will be a great challenge.

“It will be fantastic for us to test ourselves against the reigning champions. That’s what you want to do as a footballer, you want to play against the best and prove yourselves.”

City warmed up for the tie with a 2-0 win over Hamburg in Abu Dhabi yesterday but Frank Lampard came off after only 20 minutes, sparking injury fears.

Teresa Ryan murder trial jury set to resume deliberations

Jurors in the murder trial of David McCabe were sent home this afternoon after their first day considering verdicts.

The jury retired to begin its deliberations this morning and will continue its discussions tomorrow at Teesside Crown Court.

McCabe, 32, denies the murder of disabled mum-of-two Teresa Ryan on the night of July 9 last year.

He is accused of setting a fatal fire in her home on Warton Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough moments after he burgled the property.

Ms Ryan, who had Huntington’s disease, died from smoke inhalation in the fire hours after she celebrated her 50th birthday.

McCabe, of Barrington Crescent, Thorntree, Middlesbrough, has admitted burgling her home the day before and the day of her death.

The prosecution said McCabe entered the house on July 9 and robbed her handbag, snapping its strap in a struggle.

It was alleged he set fire to her bed in the dining room to destroy evidence and left her unconscious and helpless, knowing she would die in the fire.

McCabe claimed the fire must have started accidentally after he left the home, the jury was told.

He denied setting any fire, causing Ms Ryan to fall or having any confrontation with her.

A heroin addict for about 15 years, he admitted he went into her home to steal when he had no drugs or money.

He said he heard a toilet flush, panicked, grabbed her handbag from a kitchen door and fled.

McCabe took from the bag three packets of cigarettes, two of which he sold, £110 cash and a phone which he used to buy drugs.

He admitted burgling her home the day before the fire, stealing her television which he sold for £25 before overdosing on diazepam tablets.

The defendant denied “constantly preying” on Ms Ryan as a “soft touch”, hanging around her home or once barging in.

He also denied that he had talked of setting a fire or of Ms Ryan falling or hurting herself.

Fire investigators disagreed over the cause of the fire, which started near the foot of Ms Ryan’s bed, away from where she was found on the sofa.

It started by a “human act”, not an electrical cause, it was said.

One investigator believed it was most likely “deliberate ignition”, while another said it was not possible to say whether it was started deliberately or accidentally.

Proceeding

Tutankhamun burial mask damaged during cleaning

The burial mask of famed pharaoh Tutankhamun was damaged after it was knocked during cleaning. The blue and gold braided beard on the mask was hastily glued back on.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is one of the city's main tourist sites, but in some areas, ancient wooden sarcophagi lay unprotected from the public, while pharaonic burial shrouds, mounted on walls, crumble from behind open panels of glass.

Tutankhamun's mask, over 3,300 years old, and other contents of his tomb are its most treasured exhibits.

Three of the museum's conservators gave differing accounts of when the incident occurred last year.

They agree however that orders came from above to fix it quickly and that an inappropriate adhesive was used.

"Unfortunately he used a very irreversible material - epoxy has a very high property for attaching and is used on metal or stone but I think it wasn't suitable for an outstanding object like Tutankhamun's golden mask," one conservator said.

"The mask should have been taken to the conservation lab but they were in a rush to get it displayed quickly again and used this quick drying, irreversible material."

The conservator said that the mask now shows a gap between the face and the beard, whereas before it was directly attached: "Now you can see a layer of transparent yellow."

Another museum conservator, who was present at the time of the repair, said that epoxy had dried on the face of the boy king's mask and a colleague used a spatula to remove it, leaving scratches.

The first conservator, who inspects the artefact regularly, confirmed the scratches and said it was clear that they had been made by a tool used to scrape off the epoxy.

Egypt's tourist industry, once a pillar of the economy, has yet to recover from three years of tumult following a 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Museums and the opening of new tombs are part of plans to revive the industry. But authorities have made no significant improvements to the Egyptian Museum since its construction in 1902, and plans to move the Tutankhamun exhibit to its new home in the Grand Egyptian Museum scheduled to open in 2018 have yet to be divulged.

The burial mask, discovered by British archeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert in 1922, sparked worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt when it was unearthed along with Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb.

"From the photos circulating among restorers I can see that the mask has been repaired, but you can't tell with what," Egyptologist Tom Hardwick said.

"Everything of that age needs a bit more attention, so such a repair will be highly scrutinised."

Huge protests against Charlie Hebdo in Chechnya, as angry worldwide reaction grows

In Chechnya, extraordinary images showed hundreds of thousands taking to the streets after the Kremlin-backed regional government declared a holiday for people to attend the demonstration.

Those present at the so-called “Love to Prophet Mohamed” protest combined pro-Islamic and anti-Western chants, and some carried signs in English in an overt appeal to international coverage.

There were suggestions that the protest, held in the Chechen capital of Grozny, was supported by Vladimir Putin as an outlet for the expression of outrage at Charlie Hebdo at a remove from the Kremlin itself

A similar protest was banned in Moscow, but Russian state TV broadcast extensively from the Chechnya masses and a Russian government official claimed 800,000 people attended – likely an overestimate.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, issued an emotional on-stage address to chants of “Allahu Akbar. Chechnya, a federal state in the Russian republic, has a population of around 1.25 million – the vast majority of whom are Muslim.

“If needed, we are ready to die to stop anyone who thinks that you can irresponsibly defile the name of the prophet,” Kadyrov said.

“You and I see how European journalists and politicians under false slogans about free speech and democracy proclaim the freedom to be vulgar, rude and insult the religious feelings of hundreds of millions of believers,” he said.

In Gaza, protesters burned French flags and held banners outside the French Cultural Centre, empty at the time

Across Iran, demonstrations against France, the US and Israel were held in a number of cities, state media reported. Hundreds gathered outside the French embassy in Tehran, calling for the ambassador to be expelled, while conservative politician Ahmad Tavakoli said the Charlie Hebdo shootings were “the fruit of your own action”.

Sunday saw the fourth day of protests by both Muslim and Christian groups in Pakistan, the biggest of which draw over 10,000 supporters in Lahore

Read the latest edition of The Gazette's Homemaker

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

No justification for abuse of Islam: KSA

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denounced the Paris-based Charlie Hebdo magazine for publishing blasphemous material about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

“The Kingdom condemns the magazine for mocking Islam and the personality of Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of guidance and compassion,” a Foreign Ministry official said, adding “there is no justification for this deliberate abuse of Islam, hurting the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.”

The Kingdom emphasized that freedom of expression does not approve insulting religious faith. “We call upon everybody to keep away from creating hatred against Islam and Muslims,” the official said, while reiterating Riyadh’s condemnation of the terrorist attack on the magazine’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, a leading Islamic organization has called on the United Nations to make “contempt of religions” illegal and urged the West to protect Muslim communities following the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

The Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, headed by Yusuf Al-Qardawi, appealed to Muslims to continue peaceful protests against images of the Prophet Muhammad but “not to resort to any violence.”

In a statement released Tuesday, the union urged Islamic countries to submit a draft law to the UN calling for defamation of religions to be outlawed. The union said the UN should then issue a “law criminalizing contempt of religions and the prophets and all the holy sites.” It also called for the West “to protect Muslim communities from attacks, whether they are citizens or residents or visitors.”

The union has condemned the publication of offensive material by the magazine.

It said that the new drawing would give “credibility” to the idea that “the West is against Islam” and warned the image would incite further hatred

Source: Arab News

Drivers face long delays on A66 and A19 due to broken down vehicle

Traffic was brought to a standstill this morning due to a broken down vehicle on the A66.

Motorists waited for up to 40 minutes to get from the A19 onto the A66 due to the break down at around 7.30am.

The grey Vauxhall Zafira was stuck on the A66 eastbound between the Hartington interchange and Marton Road interchange towards South Bank.

One lane was closed on the A66 near the Cineworld cinema but reopened at 8.15am.

The car was pushed from the carriageway and police helped manage traffic.

Congested traffic backed up on the A66 to the Surtees Bridge at Thornaby, with drivers also getting stuck on the A19 back to the A1130 Acklam turn-off.

Another broken down vehicle on the A1027 close to the slip road with the A19 was also reported.

Grove Hill house burgled after owner left door open to let cats in and out during night

A house in Grove Hill was burgled after its owner left the back door open to let her cats in and out.

Tracey Gray, 46, is warning other residents not to make the same mistake after burglars stole £350 from her house in York Road.

Ms Gray’s house is one of a number of burglaries which police are investigating in the Grove Hill area.

Her house was burgled in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

She said: “I had left the door slightly open so the cats could get in and out.

“They refuse to use the litter tray and they make such a racket during the night. It’s not fair to the neighbours. So I left the door slightly open. Not a lot, just enough for them to get in and out. I used a bottle to keep it ajar and the cats just jumped over it. It did get cold, but that was the only thing I could do. The front door is always locked and you couldn’t see from the gate in the garden that the back door was open.”

The thief stole £150 from Ms Gray’s purse and £120 from a money box.

Ms Gray said she takes “full responsibility” and said she will not make the same mistake again.

She said: “I will definitely be getting a cat flap now. I have felt quite frightened since.

“Please anyone else who has done this before - don’t do it again.”

Police say there has been a number of house burglaries in Grove Hill in the last month.

A house in Windsor Road was also targeted in the early hours of Tuesday.

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said the back door on that occasion was closed but unlocked.

The spokesman said: “The majority of burglaries are opportunist thefts where property is left insecure.

“Double check doors and windows before bed and look after your neighbours. If their windows are open let them know.”

Anyone with information about the burglaries should contact Cleveland Police on 101.

Redcar art teacher displaying her work at The Baltic in Gateshead

Teesside art teacher Mo Coade is showing off her work on the banks of the Tyne after winning a prestigious prize.

Mo, the head of art at Redcar’s Rye Hills School, has won the annual Baltic Artist Teacher Award for 2015 while doing a Fine Art masters degree at Northumbria University.

As part of her prize, she has been invited to stage an exhibition of her work at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art on South Shore Road, Gateshead.

And fittingly, among the first to see it in place were her own Y11 GSCE students, who travelled from Redcar to a special preview event yesterday.

The exhibition, Fract, features imagery “that reflects and reconstructs fractured memories of the North-East’s industrial heritage.”

It is being shown as part of the annual Artist Teacher Award, delivered by Northumbria University in partnership with the Baltic.

The winner was chosen by Baltic director Godfrey Worsdale - the founder of Middlesbrough’s mima gallery.

A Baltic spokesman said: “This award indicates the value and status we place on artist teachers at every level of education.”

* See Fract at The Baltic Quay Gallery until March 1.

Islamic Murder By Ritual Purification — on The Glazov Gang

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This week’s Glazov Gang was joined by Dawn Perlmutter, the Director of the Symbol Intelligence Group and one of the leading subject matter experts (SME) in symbols, symbolic methodologies, unfamiliar customs and ritualistic crimes. She designed and developed Jihad-ID, a symbolic database of the signs, symbols and identifiers of global jihad.

Dawn discussed Islamic Murder By Ritual Purification, taking us behind the scenes of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. The discussion occurred within the context of how Jihadists view blasphemy against Islam.

Don’t miss the week’s second episode with Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch and author of the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We’re In.

Robert discussed How Islam Inspired the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, analyzing what drove the murderers – and what drives the deniers.

To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here.

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