Turkish president denounces attacks against Islam

Turkey’s president has denounced attacks on the Muslim world during his visit in Djibouti.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments came during a joint press conference Saturday with Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

“There are serious games being played with the Islamic world and one of them is Islamophobia,” said Erdogan.

Another was the “clash of civilisations,” he said.

He gave as proof “the hundreds and thousands” of deaths in Iraq, deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Syria and Egypt.

“It doesn’t matter what faith a terrorist is, a terrorist is a murderer,” added Erdogan. “If he is a Muslim he is still a killer, if Christian still a killer or if he is a Jew then he is still a killer.”

“Because, after all, innocent people are dying,” he said.

Meanwhile, Erdogan said Turkey was engaging Europe to see if it could tolerate a Muslim-populated country, referring to its EU membership bid.

“There is a theory that ‘the European Union is a Christian entity,'” said Erdogan, adding that should Turkey be accepted in the EU, that theory would have to go.

“Turkey is in NATO, Turkey is in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Turkey is a member of many organizations,” he said. “Why aren’t you accepting Turkey into the European Union? This means there is a different problem.”

Erdogan added that Turkey was now a powerful country that will not “beg to come to your doors.” “If accepted, it will enter the EU, if not, it will draw its own path,” he said

Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Monday 26th January 2015.

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Egyptian forces kill two young women – 17 and 28 years old

History insists but to repeat itself with all the details. Four years ago, on very similar days to the ones we live now, Sayyid Bilal and Khalid Said were killed by the Egyptian security authorities which went on to crack down so brutally on protesters provoking widespread outrage. That was one of the reasons for the 25 January revolution in 2011. Today, on the eve of 25 January 2015, the same perpetrators have killed two young women: Sundus Abu Bakr who is 17 years old and Shaymaa Al-Sabbagh who is 28 years old. The question, however, is: will history also repeat itself so as for another revolution to erupt against the coup in Egypt?

The martyrdom of the two girls stirred up outrage among the Egyptian youth and among those who have been following events including politicians, lawyers and journalists. There was so much rage especially in the aftermath of the circulation of the video clip showing Shaymaa’s last minutes alive in the arms of her husband while several pedestrians stood by watching and doing nothing to help.

A hashtag attached to her name took the lead in the last few hours and surged across the Arab world. Many users shared her picture, the picture of her son and pictures of her in the peaceful rally held in Talaat Harb Square just moment before she was murdered.

Seventeen years old Sundus Abu Bakr was martyred on Friday following Asr prayers. She received a bullet in the head and another in the neck that ended her life. The incident happened after the Egyptian security forces dispersed a demonstration that came out following Friday prayers in Al-Asafrah district of Alexandria. The martyr’s own aunt, Fatmah Abu Bakr, was martyred three months ago, again murdered by the Egyptian security forces.

The last thing Sundus had written on her Facebook page was “you keep walking in Heaven and suddenly you meet the Prophet #together_until_Heaven”.

Martyr Shaymaa Al-Sabbagh was the mother of six years old Bilal. She departed at the age of 28. She was one of the youth leaders within the Socialist Popular Alliance in Alexandria. She held the position of Mass Action Secretary within the party in Alexandria until she passed away. She travelled to Cairo together with her colleagues in order to take part with the party leaders in a symbolic sit in to commemorate the 25 January revolution anniversary. She walked with them from the quarters of the party in Huda Shaarawi Street to Talaat Harb Square where they observed a peaceful sit in. However, within minutes the peacefulness of the event was disrupted and turned upside down upon the attack launched by the security forces. Shaymaa received a fatal gunshot directly in the face from a distance less than two meters away according to eye witnesses from among her colleagues who were with her.

Al-Sabbagh was active in defending the rights of the workers. She stood by many workers who were dismissed from their jobs and struggled on their behalf until many of them were compensated or regained their jobs. She united their ranks and founded several workers syndicates in Alexandria.

The last thing Shaymaa wrote on he Facebook page was “This country is now causing us pain and is devoid of warmth. May its soil be more comfortable and the embrace of its earth more expansive than the sky”. Her life came to an end while she was still shouting the slogan: “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice”.

Four years after the revolution, and like all supporters of the leftist current, Shaymaa found that the revolution had not yet accomplished its goals, especially after Mubarak was declared innocent and the continued insistence on not applying the minimum wage rule let alone the continuation of the workers’ grievances across the country. This state of affairs is what motivated Shaymaa to take part in her party’s rally at Talaat Harb Square in the hope of reviving the spirit of the 25 January revolution.

Activist Muna Sayf has been quoted by an eyewitness journalist speaking to a local news website as saying about the martyrdom of Shaymaa Al-Sabbagh: “I swear by God, the officer shot the girl in front of us from less than two meters away. He could see her very well. He was watching them for a while and he could see them standing doing nothing. All they were carrying in their hands was placards and roses.” She added: “A peaceful rally with nothing but placards and roses in Tahrir Square was fired at with shotguns. People were hit and a girl was martyred. Just placards and roses, you people!”

Sisi kills 11 protestors at revolution anniversary

At least 11 people have been killed across Egypt on Sunday during protests marking the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 25 revolution, which ended the autocracy of longstanding President Hosni Mubarak.

In a statement, the Egyptian Health Ministry said 11 people were killed and 30 other people were injured.

A security source, meanwhile, told Anadolu Agency that 12 people had been killed in events marking the revolution anniversary in a number of Egyptian provinces.

Nevertheless, the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, the main bloc backing ousted President Mohamed Morsi, said ten of its supporters were killed during clashes with policemen.

An alliance source told AA that one protester was killed in the northern coastal city of Alexandria; two in the Nile Delta province of Beheira; three in capital Cairo, and four in Giza province.

Four years to Sunday, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets and eventually descended on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo to protest police brutality.

With many protesters killed and wounded by security forces, the demonstrations soon developed into a full-fledged popular uprising nationwide that demanded regime change.

Mubarak had to step down on Feb. 11 of the same year under public pressure, handing over power to the military.

A transitional phase ended with the election of Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected leader.

Morsi was removed by the military on July 3 of 2013 following mass demonstrations against his one-year rule.

His supporters, however, describe his removal as a military coup while others insist it was a popular military-backed uprising.

Thousands of Morsi supporters have since been killed or jailed amid a massive crackdown on dissent in general

Obama and the Koran — on The Glazov Gang

[Subscribe to the Glazov Gang’s YouTube Channel and LIKE it on Facebook .]

This week’s Glazov Gang was joined by Nonie Darwish, author of The Devil We Don’t Know .

Nonie came on the show to discuss Obama and the Koran, unveiling the curious relationship between the president and Islam’s “holy book.”

Don’t miss this week’s second episode with Superstar Michael Loftus, host of the new comedy tv show, The Flipside With Michael Loftus , which offers a fresh perspective by taking on the flipside of the news, commentary, and pop-culture that America now calls the status quo.

Michael discussed how his show hits back at the powers that be, the challenge of making jokes in a leftist-controlled culture, the risks of making fun of Allah, why he thinks The Glazov Gang should be called The Glazov Game, and much, much more.

Don’t miss it:

To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here.

Subscribe to Jamie Glazov Productions and LIKE Jamie’s Fan Page on Facebook.

NIA clears Liaquat Shah of terror charges

The National Investigation Agency on Saturday filed charge sheet against a fugitive police informer, exonerating a Jammu and Kashmir resident whom the Delhi Police Special Cell had arrested about two years ago on charges of being a Hizb-ul Mujahideen member.

NIA investigations have revealed that the police informer, identified as Sabir Khan Pathan alias Munna, had been living in the Lodhi Colony barracks of the Special Cell in South Delhi for the past eight years. He was allegedly instrumental in planting weapons to implicate Sayyad Liaquat Shah, a resident of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir.

“We will submit a report on the role of Special Cell officers to the Union Home Ministry. It is up to the Ministry to decide further course of action,” said an NIA official, indicating that the agency has gathered evidence indicting some police officers in the matter.

The NIA probe revealed that the Special Cell charges against the accused were not proved and that he was coming into India to obtain the benefit of the surrender policy of the Jammu and Kashmir government. While further investigations into the conspiracy to frame Liaquat is under way, the agency has charge-sheeted the police informer under Sections 25(1-A) and 25(1-B) of the Arms Act, Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Sections 465, 471 and 174-A of Indian Penal Code.

In March 2013, the Special Cell had shown Liaquat’s arrest from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that he was a Hizb member and that he was intercepted when he was trying to sneak into the country through the Nepal border. The unit claimed to have seized an AK-56 rifle, three hand-grenades and some other articles from a guesthouse in the Walled City of Delhi at his instance.

The Special Cell alleged that Liaquat was part of a conspiracy to avenge Afzal Guru’s execution through fidayeen attacks in the Capital.

However, while being taken to court, Liaquat broke down before the media saying he was being framed. Although the then Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar defended the Special Cell operation, days later the Union Home Ministry handed over the case to the NIA after the Jammu and Kashmir Government lodged a protest stating that Liaquat was on his way to surrender under the State’s rehabilitation policy.

The NIA court soon enlarged Liaquat on bail, following which he returned home (Kupwara). He told the media that he had crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 1997. While he was married to two Kashmiri women, he had also married a Pakistani woman at Mansehra. He was crossing the Indo-Nepal border at the Sanauli post along with his wife Akhtar-un-Nissa and a stepdaughter when the Special Cell arrested him on March 20, 2013.

During investigations, the NIA found the person who had planted the AK-56 and hand-grenades in the Old Delhi guesthouse was a Special Cell informer. The agency has already obtained CCTV footage of the guesthouse which shows a man, suspected to be police informer Sabir Khan Pathan, wearing a cap and carrying a backpack. The accused, a permanent resident of Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, vanished from the scene after the NIA took over the case

5,000+ killed in Ukraine: UN concerned, Donetsk rebel leader talks of ‘offensive’

More than 5,000 people have died since April as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, according to the UN. The news came hours after the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said he reject a truce with Kiev and will continue to fight.

The United Nations human rights office made the announcement on Friday saying that 262 people had died in the last nine days alone. This, they noted, is the “most deadly period” since the Minsk agreement in September, which should have paved the way towards a ceasefire.

“The significant escalation in hostilities has taken the toll to 5,086 individuals and we fear the real figure may be considerably higher,” UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing in Geneva.

The UN refugee agency also hit out at the Ukrainian government, with the Geneva based organization saying that government security regulations were making it difficult to deliver aid to those affected in the east of the country and it is making it more difficult for those who have been displaced.

Meanwhile, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, says his anti-government forces aren’t interested in a truce with Kiev and will instead try to push Ukrainian forces back to the borders of the Donetsk region. While talks with Kiev have been ruled out for the moment, Zakharchenko said discussions would continue concerning prisoner exchanges.

“There won’t be a ceasefire. There will only be exchanges of prisoners. Our fighters need to return home,” he said on Friday, as reported by TASS.

Aleksandr Turchynov, who is the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, hit out at the rebel forces in Donetsk for rejecting the ceasefire. He says the situation is being exacerbated in the east because the rebels are continuing their offensive.

Tensions in eastern Ukraine have significantly risen in the past two weeks, Deputy Chief of the OSCE mission in Ukraine Alexander Hug told RT on Thursday. He called for the Minsk documents to be followed especially the ceasefire in east Ukraine.

For More:

http://bit.ly/1C2O3i2

Acklam turn up the heat on rivals Redcar after valuable away win

Acklam turned up the heat in the battle for Durham and North Two promotion as they clinched a 24-7 win at Bishop Auckland.

As the only Teesside outfit in league action yesterday, the pressure was on Acklam to claim a valuable victory on the road to maintain their top two aspirations.

The win keeps the Talbot Park outfit third in the table, but they are now only two points behind rivals Redcar with the second promotion spot still up for grabs.

Forced to field an inexperienced side for the rearranged fixture, which fell victim to the weather before Christmas, Acklam were made to dig deep for the points.

The visitors were boosted by the return of John Morgan, who put in an eyecatching display along with Andrew Cruickshank, Marcus Sudron and Danny Ashton.

The first try of the game came from Ben Pearson, with Acklam’s forward pack standing up to the physical challenge that Bishop Auckland posed.

Danny Ashton also kicked four penalties and one conversion in a tight first half, with Acklam leading 19-0 at the break.

Acklam fielded an inexperienced side, with captain Steve Chambers out for the rest of the season

Only five minutes into the second period, Bishop Auckland were reduced to 14 men after a member of their front row picked up a second yellow card, meaning it was uncontested scrums for the rest of the match.

And with a numerical advantage, Acklam made the hosts pay when Kris Hutchinson scored in the corner.

Bishop Auckland did get on the scoresheet in the 68th minute with a try of their own, but Acklam remained in control and should have added to the scoreline with better execution late on.

The result means there is still everything to play for in the division’s promotion race. Next weekend Acklam travel to South Tyneside College, while Redcar face Ashington at Mackinlay Park.

American-Arab group raps release of anti-Muslim movie

Muslims of the United States are facing a “drastic increase” in anti-Muslim threats following the release of the movie “American Sniper,” says an American-Arab organization.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) wrote letters to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper, censuring the depiction of Muslims and Arabs in the newly-released movie.

“A majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are (a) result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper,” the ADC said.

The group added that it had received hundreds of messages against the Oscar-nominated war film, many of them through social media.

“Your visibility, influence, and connection to the film would be a tremendous force in drawing attention to and lessening the serious dangers facing the respective communities,” read the letters, addressing the two Hollywood stars.

Released earlier this month, the movie, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including best picture, tells the story of an American soldier called Chris Kyle deployed in Iraq.

Kyle, who was shot dead in 2013, is a notorious US navy Seal who has a record for the highest known single kill count in the US military history.

In a book on which the movie was based, Kyle writes of killing 60 Iraqi “savages”.

“Savage, despicable evil. That’s what we were fighting in Iraq,” he writes.

Many other viewers, including combat veterans, have also objected to the release of the movie.

NT/NT

Young India Says ‘Yes’ to Military Rule, ‘No’ to Inter-Religious Mingling: Survey

A survey of high school and college students from 11 cities has revealed that about half of them would prefer military rule over a democracy. But perhaps what is more is that an astonishing 65 percent ‘agree’ that boys and girls from different religions should not mingle.

The survey also threw up other shockers. While more than half of the students surveyed believed that women ‘provoke’ men with the way they dress, close to half of them say women have no choice but to accept violence.

The survey, conducted by Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), a Bengaluru-based NGO, covered about 10,000 high-school and college students from 11 cities across the country

On the question of democracy, 50 per cent of the respondents preferred military rule to democracy. The same number insisted that migrants should go back ‘home’.

“The state the country is in, we need an authoritative leader. We need someone who tells us what to do”, said Soumitra, a student.

However, there were other who held the opposite point of view. “I am disappointed. We will be the future generation, driving the country in different fields. We have to go to our roots and eliminate these things,” said Tejashri, a student at the Welingkar Institute.

The findings of the survey are symptomatic of the times, according to Manjunath Sadashiva, director of CMCA. “This shows that the youth does not have a critical appreciation of the liberties and freedom one enjoys in a democracy. It shows the cynicism and disillusionment with the political scenario, but doesn’t justify the preference for an authoritarian government or military rule,” he says.

“Our society is going to be further fragmented. Social tension is going to increase, and not decrease, if these youngsters are not equipped with necessary skills, attitudes and values to live in a multi-culturual democracy,” Mr Sadashiva added

More than 30 deaths including children in Syrian regime strike

A Syrian government airstrike hit an opposition-held Damascus suburb on Friday, killing more than 30 people, including six children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said the attack hit a public area in the eastern Damascus suburb of Hamouriyeh. It put the death toll at 32, including six children.

Videos posted online by various opposition groups, including the Syrian Media Organisation and the Shaam News Network, showed the aftermath of the blast, including dead bodies and damaged buildings.

The grassroots Local Coordination Committees said on Facebook that the strike hit a public square as people were leaving a mosque after Friday prayers

Eddy Eats: The Dudley Arms, Ingleby Greenhow, Teesside

Mrs Eats and I love a good walk before our scran.

It really sets you up for it - and you feel justified in stuffing your face and that relaxing with a pint is well deserved.

Well, in my humble opinion, there is one walk that is pretty hard to top: getting to the top of Captain Cook’s Monument in Great Ayton, which is a village near Stokesley.

The view across Teesside is breathtaking, and well worth a few mops of the brow.

It makes nearby Roseberry Topping look like a hill in the distance as you take in the wilds of the North York Moors national park.

So, after clearing our lungs on a trek up to the monument, we needed a nearby pub to round off our day.

The Dudley Arms is well known across Teesside - and comedian Roy Chubby Brown counts it as one of his very favourite places to visit.

It is a proper cosy country pub set in the idyllic village of Ingleby Greenhow.

Mrs Eats needed to spend a penny so to speak and noticed that the toilets have undergone a massive revamp. She was very impressed.

But we both agreed that the well-loved look of the pub itself would be a shame to lose. So we hope we don’t return to find it sleek and chic!

We were swiftly taken through to our table and seated. Mrs Eats liked the ‘ambience’ she said, added to by flickering candles.

We were very quickly brought fresh warm bread to placate our grumbling tummies. With a thick spread of the butter it was a simple yet welcome pleasure.

And so on to starters.

Mrs Eats went for the creamy garlic mushrooms and I fancied the homecured gravadlax on a green salad topped with dill mayonnaise.

Well it’s fair to say that the mushrooms didn’t so much as touch the sides. Mrs Eats didn’t even offer one to try.

But she said that they were fresh and the sauce was plentiful and tasty. And not too garlicky.

The gravadlax: I do confess I did have to ask what it was...A rare change for me but a welcome one.

For those as unenlightened as I am the gravadlax is a Nordic dish consisting of raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar and dill.

The salmon was a fresh as it could come and the dill mayo zinged. It wasn’t a dainty serving which can often be the case with salmon. Plenty there - which is how I like it.

The main event.

Mrs Eats took up precious eating time trying to decide what to have, eventually going for the pheasant.

“You won’t like it,” I warned.

But she thought that it “sounded a bit posh” and well worth a try.

I went for the roast loin of pork.

The dishes came and after Mrs Eats tackled the first forkful she looked cautiously up at me.

“Eddy?”

“Fine, I’ll swap.”

No surprise there.

But it was no tragedy. Although it’s (clearly) not everyone’s taste as the ‘hunters style’ pheasant was packed with flavour. It had a slow-braised taste to it.

It came in a deliciously rich gravy which oozed around the mushrooms, onions and white wine.

Mrs Eats, thank God, enjoyed my roast pork. Succulent and lots of it. And all topped off with a sweet apple sauce and a sage and onion stuffing. And not forgetting what we both thought has a starring role - perfectly crisped, mouth-watering pork crackling.

Both meals came with a lovely offering of veg: carrot and swede mash, peas, cripsy roasties, broccoli and mash.

There was also big door-stopper Yorkshire puds and lashings and lashings of thick gravy.

We had no room for afters, but that’s not to say that we weren’t tempted - sticky toffee pud and lemon cheesecake both jumped out at me.

Three courses from the Sunday lunch menu are £13.95.

And so, with stomachs well and truly filled, we decided to leave this lovely part of Yorkshire and head off home, all the happier for our visit to The Dudley.

And perhaps next time we’ll bump into Chubbs...