Abandoned as a child bride, wife of Narendra Modi hopes he calls

By Annie Gowen

NEW DELHI — She’s waiting for him, as she has been all her life. But when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dined with Barack and Michelle Obama at a glittering banquet Sunday night, his wife wasn’t by his side.

Modi, 64, kept his teenage marriage a secret for decades during his political ascent and only last year admitted that his wife exists.

The wife, Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi, is a retired teacher who lives in a small town in Modi’s home state of Gujarat. Although she had not heard from her husband in years, she says she still hopes to join him one day in the capital as his spouse.

“If he calls me, I will go,” she said in an interview. “I hear all his speeches on TV. I feel very good when I hear him speak. I want him to fulfill all his promises to the people. That’s my prayer to God.”

Narendra Modi, the son of a man who sold tea in a railway station, comes from a lower caste called Ghanchi. He and his wife were promised to each other as young adolescents in keeping with the traditions of their community. They were then married in a small ceremony when she was 17 and he was 18.

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Live: Breaking news, traffic and travel across Teesside

The Evening Gazette's live breaking news blog brings you regular updates, pictures, video, tweets and comments covering the latest Teesside and North Yorkshire traffic, travel, weather, crime and council news for today, Tuesday 27th 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.

To Joke or Not to Joke About Allah — 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 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 To Joke or Not to Joke About Allah, sharing the challenge and danger of poking fun at the “Religion of Peace.” The discussion occurred within the context of the trials and tribulations of being a conservative comedian in a leftist-controlled culture and how The Flipside is hitting back at the powers that be.

Don’t miss it:

Don’t miss this week’s second episode with Nonie Darwish, author of The Devil We Don’t Know .

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

To watch previous Glazov Gang episodes, Click Here.

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

Boro's Lee Tomlin heaps praise on boss Aitor Karanka

Boro spin king Lee Tomlin has hailed Aitor Karanka for shaping his squad into genuine promotion contenders.

The schemer put in an eye-catching show in Boro’s 2-0 FA Cup win at Manchester City, a game he says shows exactly how Karanka has transformed the team.

“I would say that for the half of last season the gaffer was in charge he didn’t have the players for how he wanted to play,” said Tomlin, a £1.5m buy from Peterborough last January.

“But now he has the right players to play the system he wants and you can see the results he’s getting.

“The manager has done everything. From the training to everything upstairs and behind the scenes I think the chairman has allowed him to do. He is unbelievable and all of the lads love him.

“Every single one of our players, even the ones on the bench, they could get in any Championship side they want.

“For a team like Middlesbrough to have a squad like that, 22 players, it is unbelievable.”

The squad size has left some players kicking their heels at times but Tomlin insists everyone buys into Karanka’s rotation policy.

“You’d probably think it would be hard to keep everyone happy, and there are players who aren’t playing who will not be happy,” he said.

“But the way the gaffer is, the way he makes you think, there’s no point in being unhappy.

“It won’t be very good for your career if you sulk or whatever. The best way is to move on together, there’s only one way to go that way and that’s up.

“Dean Whitehead and Jonathan Woodgate, two very experienced lads, have both said they wished they could have played with the gaffer ten years ago. That’s how well he is liked in the dressing room.

“I hope I’ll be playing under him for as long as he is here, I’m just happy and I really hope we go up this season.”

Egypt police arrests 16-year old son of a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader

The son of a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader was arrested by police, the leader’s family has said.

The family of Mohamed Al-Beltagi, who used to be the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s party’s office in Egyptian capital Cairo, said in a statement on Saturday that his son, Khaled, was arrested by policemen.

It added that police had raided Al-Beltagi’s house in Cairo on Friday and arrested Khaled, who is 16 years old.

“This is a vengeful act against the rest of the family,” the family said in the statement.

Al-Beltagi himself has been in jail for more than a year now, facing charges of inciting violence. His elder son Anas is also in jail.

Al-Beltagi’s daughter, Asma, was killed in August of 2013 when Egyptian police violently evicted an eastern Cairo protest camp in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

A judicial source, meanwhile, said that Khaled faced multiple charges, including inciting riots, theft, and joining a terrorist organisation.

“He was arrested during a protest by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organisation,” the source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

He noted that a laptop was found with Khaled at the time of his arrest along with fliers calling for staging protests during the January 25 revolution anniversary on Sunday.

Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president, was ousted by the military in July of 2013 following massive opposition protests.

While Morsi’s supporters describe his overthrow as a “military coup,” opponents term it a “military-backed revolution.”

Ever since Morsi’s overthrow, Egyptian authorities have maintained a harsh crackdown on his supporters, detaining thousands and killing hundreds.

In December of 2013, Egyptian authorities branded the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Morsi hails, a “terrorist” group

Source: MEMO

35 suspected terrorists killed in Pakistan air strikes

At least 35 suspected terrorists were killed when military planes shelled their hideouts in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency Sunday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the air strikes were conducted in Dattakhel tehsil, Dawn reported.

The conflict zone is off-limits to journalists, so there is no way to independently verify the number and identity of those killed.

Officials said that over 1,200 suspected militants had been killed since the army launched Operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan in June 2014.

The administration lifted curfew from the area after 20 days Friday.

–IANS

Boro drawn against Arsenal in FA Cup fifth round

Boro will have to overcome Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium if they’re to reach the sixth round of this season’s FA Cup.

Aitor Karanka’s side earned their place in last night’s fifth round draw after beating Champions Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Boro haven’t played current holders Arsenal since relegation from the Premier League in May 2009.

In three previous visits to the Emirates, Boro have drawn twice and lost once though the teams have never met in the FA Cup at the Gunners’ new stadium.

The last FA Cup tie the two teams contested was a fourth round match in January 2004, which Arsenal won 4-1.

The Emirates has a capacity of slightly more than 60,000 so if Boro manage to negotiate the maximum 15% allocation, the team could be backed by up to 9,000 fans.

Arsenal won last year’s final at Wembley after coming from 2-0 behind to beat Hull City 3-2 after extra time.

The fifth round ties will be played on the weekend of February 14 and 15.

The day Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore his name on his suit

That Prime Minister Narendra Modi loves to pack a punch with his sharp taste in clothing and his love for colours is well known. On Sunday, there were more stories about the PM’s attire than even First Lady Michelle Obama, who is otherwise considered a fashion icon in her own right.

However, Modi outdid himself on Sunday evening during his famous Hyderabad House interaction with US President Barack Obama when he sported a dark blue pin stripe suite with, hold your breath, his name stitched a thousand times across the fabric.

Zoomed images of the suit, claimed to be worth 4000 pounds on Twitter, were being shared widely on the microblogging site. Have a look:

But the Indian prime minister is not the first one to don his own name on the fabric of his suit. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had already accomplished the feat as per this photo.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/1DbermZ

One of Teesside's most famous nightclubs bought by Stockton Council

A famous former Teesside nightclub has been bought by Stockton Council along with an adjoining post office for around £600,000.

Glam, in Stockton town centre, shut its doors in June 2013 after suffering a slump in trading.

The High Street venue has a long history as a popular nightspot, previously known as Zanzibar and The Mall.

The freehold of the club was being offered for sale for £500,000 in January by Christie & Co, who described the sale as a “redevelopment opportunity”.

Stockton Council have today confirmed the purchase of the club and the empty former post office building for a price for around £600,000.

The authority has made the move as part of its £38m regeneration of the High Street, but as yet no decision has been made as to the future of the buildings - including whether they will be demolished.

The club was the town’s Odeon cinema in the 1970s. The cinema closed in 1981 and the building stood empty for several years.

It then turned in popular venue The Mall before becoming Visage, Zanzibar and then later Glam.

A galaxy of stars and popular DJs have performed at the popular nightspot which has seen many transformations in its history.

Take That caused hysteria at the club in 1992, when it was known as The Mall, performing their single, It Only Takes a Minute. At the time the single was number nine in the charts.

X Factor stars including Rebecca Ferguson, The Risk, Kitty Brucknell, as well as famous DJs including Judge Jules and Lisa Lashes, have all graced the stage of the nightclub.

PJ and Duncan - better known as Ant and Dec - came to the club back in 1994 as part of a roadshow.

It first opened as a nightclub in 1987 when original owner, Jarved Ahmed, bought the property for £50,000 from the Rank Organisation.

After six years of work and planning, the first phase of the £3-£4m transformation was unveiled in the spring of 1987.

South Bank man attacks pregnant girlfriend with bottle jailed for seven months

A South Bank man who attacked his pregnant girlfriend in the street with a bottle has been jailed.

Stephen Gibson, 22, breached a suspended prison sentence for previously harassing Natalia Watson at the end of their two-year relationship.

Police heard his threats by putting her phone on Speaker as they were taking her statement about how he had held a knife to her throat and threatened to slit it.

Then eight months later on November 10 when she was 35 weeks pregnant with his baby he chased her through the streets in central MIddlesbrough telling her: “I’ve got you now. I’m not going to let it drop for you telling the police”. Gibson flung a bottle of cooking oil at her head, covering the back of her head and clothing in oil.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh told Teesside Crown Court that his ex, who was out with her two-year-old boy, felt like a prisoner in her own home because of his actions.

She said in a victim impact statement: “I am in fear for my own personal safety, the safety of my son and my unborn child.

“I fear that I am a prisoner in my own home.”

Gibson had 10 convictions for 21 offences for disorderly behaviour, criminal damage and violent disorder, and there had been a history of domestic violence throughout the couple’s relationship. Last March he was given a six months jail sentence suspended for two years for harassing her.

Graham Brown, defending, said that Gibson felt that she had made false allegations to the police about him, and he claimed that he encountered her by accident in November after his mother had asked him to do some shopping for cooking oil.

Mr Brown added: “There has been no incident since November and, although the baby has now been born he has had no contact with the child, which has been his loss.

“He would say that there is a difference now in that he has come to a full stop in wanting to have contact with the complainant.”

The judge told Gibson that he knew exactly what he was doing when he carried out the attack.

The judge Recorder Ray Singh said: “At the time of committing that offence you were certainly aware that she was pregnant with your child.

“Your real difficulty is that you are a person of bad character particularly for violence.”

Gibson, of Upper Napier Street, South Bank, Middlesbrough, was jailed for seven months with £100 Victim Surcharge and given a five year restraining order banning him from contacting her after he pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm assault.

Four Hindu spiritual leaders conferred Padma award

News Delhi : Jagat Guru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya and three other spiritual leaders, including a NRI in Portugal, were Sunday conferred with Padma awards.

Swami Rambhadracharya, from Uttar Pradesh, was among the nine awarded India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padam Vibhushan.

Swami Satyamitranand Giri from Uttar Pradesh, and Shivakumara Swami from Karnataka were among the 20 recipients of the Padma Bhushan, a home ministry release said.

Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja, who is based in Portugal, was among the 75 recipients of the Padma Shri award.

Man escapes jail for serious sexual assault on woman after handing himself in to police

A man who carried out a serious sexual assault on a woman has avoided jail - after a judge was told he handed himself in to police.

Darren Gordon went to his victim’s house on November 6 last year for breakfast, but after asking for a “kiss and a cuddle” which was refused, he began to grope her.

Gordon, from Billingham, then sexually assaulted the woman despite her pleas for him to stop and said “oh it is nice isn’t it?”.

He only stopped when his victim began to cry, apologised and left before returning later in the day to apologise again before admitting his crime to police.

Recorder Eric Elliott QC said that in his 40-year legal career, he had never came across a case where an abuser had handed himself in to police and suspended Gordon’s two-year prison sentence for two years.

The victim had not made a complaint to police before Gordon handed himself in.

But the head of a Middlesbrough charity supporting the victims of rape and sexual abuse questioned the “leniency of the sentence”.

Dylis Davey, chief executive of Arch Middlesbrough, said: “What kind of a message does it send out to the victims of these kinds of crimes, and the perpetrators, that if you say sorry and hand yourself in, then you can escape prison.

“These are serious offences.”

A victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Rupert Doswell said: “She used to be out and about all the time, now she barely goes out and only leaves the house when she really needs to.

“The assault has affected her mood with her children. She finds herself shouting at them.

“It has had some affect on her day-to-day life.”

Defence solicitor Peter Wishlade said: “He accepts that he misinterpreted the situation.

“When she started to cry he realised it was not what she wanted. He said sorry. He went around again to apologise.

“He felt so remorseful and ashamed at what he did that he went to the police station and made full and frank admissions.

“It is unknown whether the victim would have went to the police herself.

“Previously, he is of entirely exemplary character.”

The court heard that Gordon, a 38-year-old fork-lift driver of Axbridge Court, Billingham, had no previous offences.

He pleaded guilty to a sexual assault at an earlier hearing.

Recorder Elliott said: “I have never seen in 40 years of law, a man in a case of this nature going into a police station to confess his crime.

“I believe that you are no threat to the public or females.

“I am taking an exceptional course but this is an exceptional case.”

Gordon was handed a 10-year sexual offenders prevention order.

Escaped prisoner who hitched hundreds of miles back to Grangetown home given longer sentence

An escaped prisoner who made it back to Teesside by hitching lifts hundreds of miles has been given a longer sentence.

Gary Burgess, 50, a burglar from Grangetown, who was serving his 10-year sentence in an open prison, will now go to a tougher lock-up.

He was given double figures at Teesside Crown Court on 14 October 2011 when he asked for 55 burglaries to be taken into consideration.

But he became a trusted prisoner and he was moved to an open prison HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire and his earliest release date was April 18 next year.

Prosecuter Jenny Haigh told Teesside Crown Court today that Burgess walked out on December 18 and he was reported as an escaper.

Two days later he was found in the garden of a house on Grisedale Crescent, Grangetown, by a police officer.

Burgess, who was from Grangetown, told police that the reason for his escape was that he owed £150 for a drug debt to other inmates.

Mrs Haigh added: “He said that they had asked him to collect a parcel containing alcohol from a man the following day, and if he did that the debt would be written-off.

“He said that he had become addicted to a legal high Black Mamba in prison. He said that if he had not been caught he would have handed himself in in the next few days.

“He said that he thumbed a lift back to his home area the North-east.”

Burgess had 30 convictions for 111 offences of violence, dishonesty and burglaries.

Julian Gaskin, defending, said that Burgess knew that he had lost his prison benefits and that he would be getting a consecutive sentence for the escape.

The judge Recorder Ray Singh told Burgess: “The courts have said that it has to be a consecutive sentence.

“You were only at large for for a very short period of time.

“The real punishment for you is that you have lost all privileges for all the good work you have done, and it is highly likely that you will now remain in a more strict regime than you were.”

Burgess was given a consecutive three months jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to escape.

Costa Concordia captain sentence plea

Prosecutor Maria Navarro also asked the court to detain Capt. Francesco Schettino again and seize his passport and navigation licence, saying he is a flight risk.

The prosecutors have asked a court to convict the captain of the Costa Concordia and sentence him to 26 years in prison for the 2012 shipwreck off Tuscany that killed 32 people, saying the term is hardly excessive given the death toll.

She said the trial had proved that Schettino "thought only and always about himself".

Schettino is being tried for manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning the Concordia while many passengers and crew members were still aboard.

Survivors of the January 13, 2012, wreck described a chaotic and delayed evacuation, with lifeboats unable to lower because the ship was already listing so much.

Schettino has said he saved lives by steering the liner toward shore after it hit rocks that were not on his charts. He has accused his crew of botching his orders and blamed faulty generators aboard the ship for contributing to the disaster.

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 23, 2013 file photo, Captain Francesco Schettino leaves the court room of the converted Teatro Moderno theater at the end of a hearing of his trial, in Grosseto, Italy

In scathing closing statements in the makeshift courthouse in Grossetto, Ms Navarro accused Schettino of lying from the start, of never apologising to the victims and saving his own life "without even getting his shoes wet".

She said the requested sentence, beyond the 20-year maximum speculated, was not "exaggerated" considering Italy's high court recently confirmed a 10-year prison sentence for a car accident that killed four people.

The defence is expected to respond in court starting February 9, with a verdict expected thereafter.

Defence attorney Donato Laino was incredulous at the prosecutors' request to re-arrest Schettino, saying the flight risk was "non-existent".

Schettino was granted house arrest soon after the wreck - and later was allowed to remain in his hometown near Naples during the course of the trial. He has attended most court sessions, though he was absent on Monday.

Five other Costa Crociere employees indicted in the case were allowed to enter plea bargains and none is serving prison time.

Greek singing star Demis Roussos dies aged 68

Greek singing star Demis Roussos, who had a string of hits in the 1970s and whose flamboyant style inspired satirists, has died aged 68.

Roussos, with his flowing locks and a trademark kaftan covering a generous waistband, had six Top 40 hits in two years in the 1970s including a number one with an EP featuring his most famous track Forever And Ever.

He was a regular target for parody, with comics including Freddie Starr and The Grumbleweeds taking aim at him, but was immortalised for many in the Mike Leigh TV play Abigail's Party.

The scene where Alison Steadman's character's expressed her devotion to Roussos who she says "doesn't sound" fat is regularly replayed.

Roussos, who died in Athens, said his success in the UK was down to the rise of foreign holidays.

He told The Scotsman: "The reason for my big success in England was the Brits - they started wanting to go on holidays, like Spain and Greece. My music came right on time. It was romantic Mediterranean music addressed to all the people who wanted to go on holiday. My music was liked by the people."

Fans of Roussos, who also played with Vangelis in the prog-rock band Aphrodite's Child, paid tribute online, with many posting clips and quotes from Abigail's Party.

Appeal to trace woman following altercation at Middlesbrough town centre nightclub

A woman who may have been involved in an altercation with a man in a Middlesbrough nightclub is being traced by police.

The incident took place at around 3am on Saturday, January 10, at the Empire nightclub on Corporation Road.

The woman, who is described as short in height, with dyed red hair and was wearing a black dress, is believed to have been involved in an altercation with a man.

This man is described as having long hair and was wearing a black vest.

Following the incident, a further attack on a 22-year-old man took place.

He was punched by another man and suffered a broken leg.

He was taken to Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital for treatment.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of GBH and was bailed pending further inquiries.

Anyone who may know the identity of the woman, or anyone who may have witnessed the incident, is asked to contact DC Paul Whitehouse from Middlesbrough Volume Crime Team on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Four bomb blasts in Imphal during Republic Day celebrations

Four powerful bombs exploded today morning in Manipur’s capital, Imphal during the Republic Day celebrations. No casualities have been reported yet.

The first explosion was reported at around 8 am near the Deputy Commissioner’s office in East Imphal. The area is close to the chief minister’s residence. The second blast took place just 80 metres away from the first, near a public playground at 9 am.

The third blast took place at Sangakpham around 10 am and the fourth near Singjamei.

Paramilitary and police forces have been deployed in large numbers around the area.

Police sources said bomb experts of the police were checking various areas in the city for explosives that may have been planted by the militants.

–PTI

Dresden braces for anti-Islam protest

DRESDEN: A group that has staged regular anti-Islam protests in Germany’s eastern city of Dresden is holding its first march since canceling its previous demonstration over a terror threat.

The group calling itself Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, or PEGIDA, was mentioned as a possible target in an online posting. Dresden authorities last Monday in response banned all protests for security reasons.

The threat identified PEGIDA’s co-founder Lutz Bachmann. He since has resigned after German media published Facebook messages in which he called refugees “dirty” and posed as Adolf Hitler.

On Saturday night, about 1,000 people from a group calling itself Patriotic Europeans Against the Americanization of the West, or PEGADA, clashed with 600 counter-protesters in the nearby city of Erfurt

Hunt for man who sexually assaulted two women in Linthorpe

A man who sexually assaulted two women in Linthorpe is being hunted by police.

The two women were attacked as they walked along Devonshire Road.

Cleveland Police said the man approached them and then sexually assaulted them.

The women, aged 19 and 21, chased the man but he made off in the direction of Linthorpe Road.

The suspect is described as of Middle Eastern appearance, possibly Kurdish, of chubby build, around 5ft 2” – 5ft 4” tall with long, dark stubble.

He was wearing a black coloured jacket and dark coloured jeans.

The incident took place at around 9.20pm last Wednesday.

Any witnesses are asked to contact PC Richard Davison on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Watch: Daniel Ayala IN TEARS in the tunnel after Boro dump City out of the cup

This is the moment Boro's victorious players returned to the dressing room after dumping Manchester City out of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The video - which was caught on the Tunnel Cam and published on City's YouTube page.

Boro defender Ayala initially appears in the tunnel as the home side leave the pitch before going back out.

Boro's victorious players then applauded the 5,400 travelling fans before re-entering the tunnel - complete with an apparently tearful Ayala.

You can read all of our coverage of Boro's cup win here.

Want all the latest Teesside news direct to your mobile? Download our app HERE!

Mental health nurse struck off for 'wide-ranging failures' over a number of years

A mental health nurse has been struck off after “wide-ranging failures” over a number of years.

William Desmond Garner, who worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, has been issued with a striking off order from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

“The panel considered that Mr Garner’s wide-ranging failures, lack of clinical knowledge and skills and lack of remediation were fundamentally incompatible with his remaining on the register,” reads the NMC hearing outcome document.

“The failings in Mr Garner’s nursing practice were extensive and had occurred despite being provided support and supervision,” it adds.

The Conduct and Competence Committee Substantive Order Review Meeting to discuss Mr Garner’s competence took place on January 12.

It was the fourth substantive order review of a suspension order initially imposed on Mr Garner’s registration in March 2011.

At panel heard that Mr Garner “failed to demonstrate the standards of knowledge, skill and judgement required to practise without supervision as a Band 5 nurse, from 26 February 2006 to 6 August 2008.”

Incidents included mistakenly giving sedatives and anti-depressants to elderly patients.

The suspension order was then reviewed and extended by 12 months in March 2012, April 2013 and March 2014.

But last week, the panel heard that “the failings in Mr Garner’s nursing practice were extensive and had occurred despite being provided support and supervision.”

And “despite the recommendations of previous review panels, Mr Garner has not demonstrated any remediation or insight into his failings during this time and the panel concluded that he remains a significant risk to patients.”

Mr Garner, who worked on the Wingfield Ward, at Sandwell Park Hospital, Hartlepool, left the trust in October 2013. By this time he was working as a support worker.

He is now not allowed to work as a nurse or midwife in the UK. He would have to make an application to be restored to the register.

A spokesperson for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We referred Mr Garnen to the NMC in 2008 because of the issues detailed in their report.

“Although he continued to work for the trust this was no longer in a registered mental health nurse role. Mr Garnen left the trust in 2013.”

FA Cup draw: Watch who Boro were paired with in our fifth round rehearsal

Cup fever is still sweeping Teesside after Boro's magnificent win at the home of Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.

Boro booked their place in the fifth round thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike.

To build up to the draw for the next round, our Boro writers performed a dress rehearsal around the sports desk earlier. They even had an FA Cup backdrop.

Philip Tallentire picked out the home teams, while Anthony Vickers drew the away sides.

Jonathon Taylor was our Mark Chapman, keeping order and revealing the ties.

Everyone was left feeling slightly disappointed.

You can watch the actual draw tonight on BBC One at around 7.20pm.

Girls charged with murder get date for trial

A date has been set for the trial of two teenage girls aged 13 and 14 who are charged with murdering a Angela Wrightson, a 39-year-old woman from Hartlepool in December.

Angela Wrightson's body was found at her home in Stephen Street, Hartlepool, in December. A post mortem revealed she died from blood loss and had suffered substantial injuries.

At a brief hearing at Teesside Crown Court, a trial date for either June 24 or June 29 was agreed. Mr Justice Glove will be the judge.

A plea and case management hearing will take place on March 3.

Neither of the defendants, who cannot be identified, were brought to court for the short hearing.

Stockton's Nuffield hospital provides 'safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led' care

A Stockton hospital is performing well, according to health watchdog the Care Quality Commission.

The Nuffield Health Tees Hospital, on Junction Road in Norton, was found to provide “safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led” care and treatment following its most recent inspection.

Patients were also found to be “happy with the care they received and found the service to be caring and compassionate.” The report states: “On the whole, the services offered were delivered in an innovative way to respond to patients’ needs and ensure departments worked effectively and efficiently.”

The CQC team visited the hospital on November 11 and 12 last year. They also undertook an unannounced inspection on November 19.

They inspected the two core services - surgery and outpatient and diagnostic imaging.

Professor Sir Mike Richards, the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, noted the key findings include adequate staffing levels, arrangements to manage and monitor the prevention and control of infection were in place, and that there was sufficient equipment to ensure staff could carry out their duties.

The CQC inspection team also found that records and documents were well maintained and completed, staff understood to raise concerns and record patient safety incidents, and that medicines were stored securely and staff were competent to administer them.

The hospital, which was also praised for its management, employs 205 members of staff and 135 consultants.

Actions it was told it should take to improve are to ensure all staff “follow the hospital’s infection prevention and control policies and procedures”.

The CQC also recommended that staff should “receive training and are aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and apply these in practice where appropriate.”

Hospital director David Richardson said: “As one of the first independent hospitals to be inspected under the new CQC guidelines, we are extremely pleased with the findings.”

He added: “We work very hard at Nuffield Health Tees to maintain the high standards our patients deserve, and we are happy with the feedback and the opportunity to be measured against the same criteria that is used for all NHS trusts.”

Match preview: Brighton v Boro U21s

Boro Under-21s could cap off a remarkable weekend for the club with victory at Brighton this afternoon.

On Saturday lunchtime Boro Under-18s extended their lead at the top of the division with a 5-1 hammering of Sunderland.

That was followed by the first-team’s glorious victory at the Etihad Stadium, with goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike booking Boro’s place in the FA Cup fifth round. The draw takes place later this evening.

This afternoon Paul Jenkins’ young guns will go top of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Second Division with a point against the Seagulls.

The match will take place at Brighton’s training ground, the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre (kick-off 2pm).

Jenkins’ side will be full of confidence as they look to bag the perfect hat-trick for Boro, following last week’s remarkable 4-3 win over Scunthorpe.

Mustapha Carayol

Yanic Wildschut was the star in Lincolnshire that day, but all eyes will be on another first-team winger this afternoon.

Mustapha Carayol, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during Boro’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth in March, is in line to make his long-awaited comeback.

Captain Jonny Burn is likely to return alongside David Atkinson in defence, with Bryn Morris, Ryan Brobbel and Jordan Jones all expected to start.

Meanwhile Bradley Fewster could lead the line again after towering striker Charlie Wyke signed an 18-month contract with League Two side Carlisle United last week.

Boro’s youngsters are currently second in the table, behind Newcastle on goal difference. A point will see them rise to the summit for the first time since October.

Erdogan: The hero of Somalia

There was never any doubt that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would receive a hero’s welcome in Somalia. On Thursday, he vowed to go ahead with the trip despite a bomb attack at a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on the eve of his planned visit. Later his office announced he would delay it by a couple of days in order to attend the funeral of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Still, Erdogan’s resolve to visit the Horn of Africa nation so soon after the deadly attack has only heightened his popularity. He landed at Mogadishu airport on Sunday morning and was greeted warmly by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

But how does someone currently facing a barrage of allegations – on account of corruption, delusions of grandeur, dictatorial tendencies, and polarising rhetoric – by both Turkish and western media, earn such an enviable stature in Somalia?

The fact is, Erdogan has done for Somalia what no other world leader has done in decades.

In August 2011, when Erdogan was still prime minister, he ignored the prevalent narrative of Mogadishu as a no-go zone and flew in with his family, senior cabinet members, and representatives from non-governmental organisations and the business sector.

His visit was the first by a non-African leader to the famine-hit Somali capital in two decades and came during the holy month of Ramadan to stress that Ankara was not going to abandon “their Muslim brothers and sisters”.

New paradigm

Defying pressure from the international community, Erdogan resisted Nairobi’s magnetic field of international corruption.

From 1991 to 2011, the UN and its affiliated international institutions – mostly based in neighbouring Kenya – collected an estimated $55bn on behalf of Somalia. Dubiously, the nation in whose name this hefty sum was collected, has not gained any substantive infrastructure-related or any other sustainable project

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Teesmouth Field Centre hopes for your token support in this year's Wish campaign

An educational site is hoping for token success in this year’s Wish campaign.

The Teesmouth Field Centre, in Hartlepool, which caters for all age groups - from foundation stage through to undergraduate level and beyond - aims to bring learning to life for children across the region. The centre has been using the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve and the North Tees area since 1970 and currently offers a range of visits for educational and recreational groups.

After entering The Gazette’s Wish campaign last year, the group used the support they received from readers to help buy a digital camera for visiting schoolchildren.

This year, the centre’s Ann Oxley said: “We would like to purchase some more digital thermometers that are used by the children to measure the soil and air temperature during outdoor activities.”

Every year, Wish gives away thousands of pounds to not-for-profit groups and organisations benefiting the Teesside community. Each registered group will be guaranteed a share of our £40,000 fund.

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

Although there are no more tokens to collect, there is still time to send your tokens to groups, which must submit them by 5pm on February 27.

To help the Teesmouth Field Centre, send your tokens to: c/o Hartlepool Power Station, Tees Road, Hartlepool, TS25 2BZ.

Pictures: Boro fans at The Etihad for famous FA Cup win over Manchester City

Have you come back down to earth yet?

Teesside has been on a high since Boro's incredible 2-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.

There were goosebumps all round as Aitor Karanka and his players celebrated with the 5,500 ecstatic Boro fans at full time.

We've put together a collection of pictures taken inside The Etihad during the game.

See who you can spot.

Did you take any video of Boro fans during the match? We'd love to see it. Email pictures@gazettemedia.co.uk

Fire that destroyed classroom at Norton school was arson, police confirm

A major fire at a Stockton school which destroyed a classroom was started deliberately, it has been confirmed.

The blaze at King Edwin School in Norton, near Stockton, happened in December during a 24-hour Fire Brigade strike.

Firefighters did respond however and five engines were sent to the scene.

Flames had taken hold in the art classroom and an adjoining storage area at 10.32am on December 9 and the first firefighters on the scene from Stockton were forced to call for back-up from Thornaby and Middlesbrough.

The fire was eventually brought under control by 12.15pm. Everybody in the Mill Lane school was evacuated safety and no-one was hurt.

But the classroom and the storage area were completely destroyed by fire and the remaining building sustained smoke damage.

The school, which re-opened last year after being derelict for several years, specialises in helping children with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

A Freedom of Information request was made over the cause of the fire.

Cleveland Fire Brigade responded by stating: “This was caused by combustible materials deliberately brought together with a source of ignition.”

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said two young people had been interviewed in connection with the arson but no-one had been arrested or charged.

A spokesman for Stockton Council said children are currently being taught in an unaffected area of the school.

'My dad would be turning in his grave', says deselected Labour councillor after appeal defeat

The chairman of Cleveland Fire Authority says he has been left “hurt” and “angry” by his deselection as a Labour candidate in the May council elections.

Skelton councillor Brian Briggs has lost his appeal over Labour Party North’s decision to deselect him.

Cllr Briggs, who has been a parish councillor for 15 years and a Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor for nearly 12, now intends to stand as an independent in the May elections alongside wife Margaret.

He also wants to remain fire authority chairman.

“It’s totally unjust and I don’t think I’ve been treated fairly," he said.

"I used to help my dad, Jimmy Briggs, when I was at school, taking the numbers to the office in Cromwell Road.

"Now I’ve been forced into a corner by people closing ranks and I feel like my dad would be turning in his grave if he could see what’s been done.”

Cllr Briggs, 75, says Labour North will write to explain his deselection, but he suspects a perceived lack of support for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop is one of the key reasons.

Labour councillors Steve Goldswain and Norman Pickthall have also been deselected.

However, Redcar and Cleveland’s mayor, Councillor Carole Simms, won her appeal and can seek to apply for reselection as a Labour candidate.

Morning news headlines: David Cameron warning after Syriza win in Greece, Australian PM defends Prince Philip knighthood

CAMERON WARNING AFTER SYRIZA WIN

The victory of anti-austerity party Syriza in Greece's election will "increase economic uncertainty across Europe", David Cameron has warned.

The Prime Minister's intervention came amid fears the victory for Alexis Tsipras's party will trigger a fresh crisis in the eurozone.

Mr Tsipras has pledged to renegotiate Greece's 240 billion euro (£179 billion) international bailout deal.

MURDER SUSPECT FOUND DEAD IN CELL

An alleged killer accused of murdering two pensioners has been found dead in his prison cell in a suspected suicide.

Leo Barnes from Balsall Heath was on trial for the murders of Cynthia Beamond and Philip Silverstone.

The 33-year-old was found dead in his cell at HMP Hewell in Redditch yesterday morning, West Midlands police said.

ABBOTT DEFENDS PHILIP KNIGHTHOOD

The Australian prime minister has defended his decision to honour the Duke of Edinburgh with a knighthood, despite a social media backlash in which many said they thought the news was a joke.

Tony Abbott faced a barrage of questions on Australia Day, and has been accused of creating a "time warp" by awarding a member of Britain's royal family the country's highest honour.

The 93-year-old Duke has been granted the Knight of the Order of Australia award for a long life of duty and service, Mr Abbott said.

HOAX CALLS TARGET PM AND GCHQ BOSS

A hoax caller who rang GCHQ just hours before a prank call was put through to the Prime Minister has claimed he was high on drink and drugs at the time, described the situation as "hilarious" and said he was going to do it again.

The call to Britain's eavesdropping agency, during which a number for director Robert Hannigan was disclosed, was followed by a hoax call to Downing Street which saw the caller connected to David Cameron.

It is not known if the same person was behind both hoaxes, but the man claiming responsibility for the call to GCHQ rang the Sun newspaper to confess his actions.

ABUSE LEVEL REVEALED BY CLARE'S LAW

The abusive pasts of more than 1,300 violent partners have been revealed under a scheme rolled out nationally less than a year ago, figures obtained by the Press Association have shown.

Clare's Law, named after Clare Wood - who was murdered in 2009 by her ex-boyfriend, allows the police to disclose information about a partner's previous history of domestic violence or violent acts.

Using Freedom of Information laws, the Press Association discovered at least 1,335 disclosures have been made across England and Wales under the law following 3,760 applications for disclosure.

CAMERON PUSHES TAX CUTS AS 'REWARD'

The British people "deserve a reward" after enduring years of austerity, David Cameron will say today as he attempts to woo voters with his promise of tax cuts after the election.

The Conservatives have already announced £7 billion of tax cuts and the Prime Minister will suggest people should be able to keep more of what they earn to spend on a holiday, clothes for their children or a "nice meal out".

He will warn that Labour and the Liberal Democrats are the "enemies of aspiration" because their plans for the next parliament would involve tax rises.

'MORATORIUM NEEDED' OVER FRACKING

A moratorium on fracking is needed amid concerns over local environmental risks and climate change, a committee of MPs has demanded.

The cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warned extensive production of unconventional shale gas, which is extracted through the controversial process of fracking, is not compatible with the UK's goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The committee also called for fracking to be "prohibited outright" in protected areas such as national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and ancient woodlands, and banned in all water source protection zones, which feed drinking water aquifers.

£10M PLAN AIMS TO RECRUIT MORE GPS

Health leaders have announced a £10 million investment as part of a plan to recruit and retain more doctors.

The NHS England funding will be used to develop a range of initiatives to boost GP numbers and develop the role of other primary care staff such as nurses and pharmacists.

Newly trained doctors will be offered incentives to work in sectors that are struggling to recruit by offering them a further year of training in areas such as paediatrics, psychiatry, dermatology, emergency medicine and public health.

HEALTH TALKS RESUME TO AVERT STRIKE

Talks aimed at averting a strike by health workers over pay are to resume, just days before the walkout is due to go ahead.

Union leaders will meet with officials from the Health Department following a series of talks last week, with little sign of a breakthrough in the bitter dispute over the Government's refusal to pay a recommended 1% wage rise to all NHS staff.

Ambulance members of the GMB union in England and Northern Ireland are set to strike for 24 hours from 0001 on Thursday, while other health workers will take action for 12 hours from midday.

JAPAN SHOCKED BY NEW 'IS VIDEO'

From the prime minister to ordinary people, Japanese were shocked at a video purportedly showing one of two Japanese hostages of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group had been killed.

With attention focused on efforts to save the other hostage, some also criticised Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive for a more assertive Japan as responsible for the crisis.

A sombre Mr Abe appeared on public broadcaster NHK early yesterday demanding the militants release 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto unharmed.