Israeli forces injure 5 during Prisoner’s Day marches across West Bank

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Five Palestinians were shot and dozens suffered excessive tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces violently suppressed protests marking Palestinian Prisoner’s Day across the West Bank on Friday.

In Nilin village, west of Ramallah, three Palestinians were shot with live rounds and a teenager was hit in the mouth with a rubber-coated steel bullet, witnesses said.

Dozens of locals and activists participated in the march before Israeli forces dispersed it by firing tear gas canisters and live and rubber-coated steel bullets.

In Bilin village, west of Ramallah, two Palestinians were shot, one with live fire, and up to 60 protesters suffered tear gas inhalation.

Ahmad Mohammad Mansour, 17, was shot in the chest with a live bullet and was taken to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, while Munther Ameera was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the lower extremities and treated on the scene.

Among those who suffered excessive tear gas inhalation were Palestinian Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs Issa Qarage, Minister of Agriculture Walid Assaf, lawmaker Mustafa al-Barghouthi, and Palestinian journalist Linda Shalash.

Israeli forces also violently dispersed a protest in al-Masara village south of Bethlehem, injuring several with bruises.

Israeli forces deployed at the village entrance reportedly prevented the protesters from reaching confiscated lands and assaulted them.

‘Willful breach of Palestinian rights’

The clashes across the West Bank broke out as protesters marked Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, honoring more than 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi on Friday marked Prisoner’s Day by demanding that Israel end its “captivity” of the Palestinian people under occupation.

“Today, we honor and express our solidarity with all Palestinians who have been and continue to be imprisoned in Israeli jails,” she said in a statement.

“We commend their steadfastness, courage and determination in defiance of Israel’s military occupation and system of enslavement and apartheid.”

Since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel’s military, while over 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli jails, the PLO says.

Over 70 percent of Palestinian families have had at least one relative detained at some point, according to the UN.

Fourteen Palestinian MPs and 20 journalists are currently imprisoned by Israel, with over 450 Palestinians held without trial for indeterminate periods under administrative detention.

“We call on all members of the international community to act on the basis of justice and human rights and bring Israel to compliance for its willful breach of the rights and lives of Palestinian political prisoners,” Ashrawi added.

Late Thursday, President Mahmoud Abbas marked Palestinian Prisoner’s Day by saying that any future peace agreement must free all Palestinian prisoners.

During a televised speech, Abbas emphasized that continued Israeli policy regarding frequent detention of Palestinians is not conducive for creating a plausible environment for future peace.

“It is time for decision holders in Israel to realize that jails, settlement, confiscating lands and withholding holding PA tax funds will only lead to more extremism and keep us from reaching what we seek, which is a just peace based on ending occupation.”

Eddy Eats: The Dunsforth in Lower Dunsforth, North Yorkshire

“I want to go for a drive to the country,” announced She Who Must Be Fed.

The gauntlet had been thrown down so we ran the Eatsmobile out to North Yorkshire.

The Dunsforth is a 19th century inn set in the picturesque hamlet of Lower Dunsforth, just a few miles from the market town of Boroughbridge.

Good things had been heard at Eats Towers about the venue - whose Chef Patron Paul Cunliffe is a former head chef of Harvey Nichols - and we were not disappointed.

The bar was warm and welcoming with two open coal fireplaces and an array of cosy furniture, Chesterfields alongside heavy wooden farmhouse chairs.

There were two Theakstons on offer and Adnam’s Ghost Ship, so we settled in for lunch.

A friendly chap got us started with a still-warm chorizo bread roll with a pepper and thyme and a truffle butter. A spectacularly good start to a meal.

I chose potted ham to start. It arrived in a small glass jar with a helping of fruit chutney, a baby brioche and straw potatoes.

Mrs Eats opted for the mackerel served with sweetcorn fritters and chowder. Both were presented beautifully and were delicious.

We both chose the roast lamb for main course and an excellent choice it was.

The lamb melted in the mouth and was served with a giant Yorkshire pudding, crisp roasties (I’m sure I overheard they were cooked in beef fat), and an abundance of fresh veg including cauliflower cheese, mange tout, red cabbage and a deliciously smooth carrot and swede mash.

The additional jug of extra gravy was the best I have ever tasted, rich thick and sweet.

Despite being stuffed we decided we couldn’t forego a dessert. I couldn’t resist the sound of the Old Peculiar sticky toffee pudding served with toffee sauce, ale ice cream (yes, really) and honeycomb. It was simply delightful.

Mrs Eats chose the rhubarb trifle – a Martini glass filled with sumptuous layers of rhubarb compote, ginger Parkin, rhubarb custard and cream. Marvellous.

A Sunday lunch offer of three courses for £20 offered exceptional value for money for a meal of this quality.

Nunthorpe man to complete skydive in memory of former teacher

A Nunthorpe teacher who died in a road accident in Thailand has inspired his close friend to brave a charity skydive.

Chris Chatterje, 24, also from Nunthorpe, will complete the daring feat on May 2, in memory of his good mate Paul Thurlow, who was 24 when he died in May 2011.

Chris, who developed a close friendship with Paul over five years living on the same street and nights on the town together, has already raised £300 in his memory.

The money will be donated to Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice in Normanby, Middlesbrough.

But Chris now hopes to add even more to the fundraising pot following the skydive.

The instrument commissioning technician said: “It’s not something I’ve done before but I’m not nervous. I’m quite excited to be honest.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and this has given me a reason to do it.

“Paul was a bit of a wild person, so I thought I would do something a bit extreme on his behalf.”

Paul was a popular former Nunthorpe Primary School and Nunthorpe School pupil who also studied at Redcar and Cleveland College and Middlesbrough College.

In 2007 he completed an apprenticeship in childcare at the Rainbow Training Centre, in Middlesbrough, before starting a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in 2009.

He then moved to Thailand and got a job teaching English when his life was tragically cut short.

He suffered multiple injuries when the motorbike he was riding hit a parked tuk-tuk - a small vehicle used as a taxi - in Phuket on May 12 2011.

An inquest later ruled his death was as a result of an accident.

Every year since Paul’s death, a football tournament has been held to raise funds for charity in his memory.

The skydive will take place at Peterlee Airfield.

Coulby Newham shoppers' delight as birds of prey descend on shopping centre

Majestic birds popped into a Middlesbrough shopping centre much to the delight of onlookers.

One in particular was Craig Isherwood, a member of Teesside Stroke Club, whose love of animals and birds brought him to the event.

North Yorkshire Moors Birds of Prey held a static display at the Parkway Centre in Coulby Newham near Tesco.

Several birds of prey - including owls, falcons and hawks - were there and thrilled shoppers were given the opportunity to hold one.

The event was held to raise money for the Teesside Stroke Club.

Craig Isherwood who is recovering from a stroke, pictured with Eagle Owl, Mrs Robinson

Craig suffered two strokes within four days in November 2012 and is partially sighted and lost the use of his left hand as a result.

He heard about the event as a member of Teesside Stroke Club.

“You have to use your left hand to wear the glove and hold the birds but that is my bad hand,” said Craig, 43, a dad-of-one and stepdad-of-one who lives in Saltersgill in Middlesbrough with his wife Michelle.

“It took about 40 minutes and three people to get the glove onto my hand but I was determined I was going to get it on.

“And it was definitely worth it.

“I love my animals - I have a couple of female ferrets.”

Craig and Michelle both had a hold of the birds including a barn owl, eagle owl and a rare type of falcon, gyr-saker.

Stockton's Sound it Out Records celebrates Record Store Day

Music lovers rejoiced when an independent Teesside record store took part in a major national event.

Sound it Out Records, on Yarm Street in Stockton, joined in the celebrations of Record Store Day.

The annual event, now in its eighth year, celebrates the culture of the independently owned record store.

Tom Butchart, owner of the store, said: “Record Store Day is a celebration of music and is a day when lots of exclusives are released that you can only buy from independent shops.

Queues at Sound it out Records, Yarm Street, Stockton, Teesside

“There is a lot of interest in this area. The first person started queuing at 3.20pm on Friday and overnight, that continued to build.

“By the time we opened at 8am, the queue was around the block.

“People are trying to get their hands on limited editions. Today we have had these from artists such as The Black Keys, U2, the Sex Pistols and George Ezra.

“You get a great mix of small and the bigger labels.”

Manager of Sound it Out Records, Chris Smith added: “For us, Record Store Day is a way for new customers and record buyers to find out about us, and it is also great for our existing customers as we love seeing how excited they get in the run up to the day.

Sound it out Records owner Tom Butchart

“All of our regular customers coming together in one day gives them a chance to catch up with each other and there’s a real community feel to the whole day.”

Celebrations were set to continue tonight when Sound it Out Records hosts a gig at the Georgian Theatre in Stockton.

Acts to play include Hyde & Beast, Be Quiet. Shout Loud!, Interrbang and Figment.

Tickets will be available from the store for free or will be £2 on the door from 8pm.

“It is about giving something back and carrying on the celebrations,” said Tom.

Sita denies low pay claims as protestors gather in Redcar

Hundreds of protestors gathered in Redcar to voice concerns over jobs at a major new power plant.

Representatives from the Unite, GMB and UCATT unions protested in Redcar town centre today.

It followed previous protests at the Wilton International Site near Redcar over the rate of pay given to foreign workers at the new £250m Sita facility.

Concerns have also been raised that the company was recruiting predominantly from overseas and was not adhering to nationally agreed terms and conditions.

Michael Blench, an officer for the GMB, said: “The main reason for today is to keep up the pressure on Sita and Sembcorp, who are the landlords of the site.”

Protest march through Redcar against Sita's employment policies at it's new Wilton site

He added: “The ideal outcome from my point of view is that the site will be finished with the workforce that is there and that what we are doing sends a message.

“This situation hasn’t happened in the way we would have liked but the important thing is that if Sita ever came back to this area, they know our position from the start.

“This is a message for the future.”

Steve Cason, North-east regional officer for construction at Unite, added: “All we want to see is equality and fairness across the board.”

But Sita has denied claims made by the protestors and says it is paying the correct, nationally agreed rates to its employees.

A spokesman for the company said: “Allegations continue to be made about the employment of foreign workers at the Wilton 11 construction site, including claims about low rates of pay and accommodation allowances.

Protest march through Redcar against Sita's employment policies at its new Wilton site

“We continue to refute all of these allegations and there’s no evidence to support any of these claims.”

He added: “Since construction began, a significant proportion of workers on site have been from the local area and we have made significant efforts to try and promote job opportunities to local workers. This included the organisation of a jobs fair at Redcar and Cleveland College on Thursday 19 February, to which 774 people attended.

“However, it is still necessary for a proportion of workers on site to be from wider European Union member states and it would be difficult to deliver a project of this nature without them.

“Energy-from-waste facilities require a great deal of specialist equipment which has had to be sourced from within the wider European Union. These elements are of a bespoke and sophisticated nature, meaning that some of our suppliers choose to use their own specialist and experienced workforce when they are fitted.

“All workers on site, regardless of their nationality, are employed because of their individual skills and abilities. They have a legal entitlement to work in the UK and contribute to the local economy while they are here, furthermore there is no substance to allegations that they are employed on site as a means of sourcing cheap labour.”

Most youngsters in Redcar and Cleveland get first primary school of choice

The majority of youngsters in Redcar and Cleveland will be going to their primary school of choice this September.

Figures from Redcar and Cleveland Council for the Reception Allocations for pupils living in the area show 1,536 were granted their first preference.

Among the remaining pupils 38 were granted their second preference and just six will be going to their third school of choice in September.

A total of 40 children have not been allocated one of their preferred schools, but the council say of these, 31 only put one preference on the form, seven put two preferences and two put three.

Where the authority was unable to offer a school preference an alternative school has been offered.

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council said: “The council is pleased that the majority of children in the borough will be able to attend their first choice school in September and that no pupils were left without a place in primary school.

“All parents are encouraged to express three school preferences, which greatly increases the likelihood of them being allocated one of their preferred schools.

“It is impossible to guarantee that every child will get their place at their chosen school, but parents have the right to appeal the decision and the panel will consider every case on an individual basis.”

As reported, youngsters and their parents have also been finding out which school their children have been allocated in Stockton and Middlesbrough.

More than nine out of 10 in the two Teesside boroughs were given their first choice school.

In Middlesbrough, almost 93% - 1,897 pupils - got their first choice school, in Stockton it was just over 93%, or 2,332 youngsters.

In both Middlesbrough and Stockton fewer than 4% of pupils got their second place, and fewer than 1% their third choice.

Jeweller's hit by two armed robberies received special award from Middlesbrough Mayor

A Jeweller's hit by two armed robberies has received special recognition this week from Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon

The owners and staff of Market Cross Jewellers - which has 18 shops including Middlesbrough and Yarm - were presented with a Borough Award at a ceremony in the Town Hall on Thursday.

The award is a celebration of the contribution of Market Cross to Middlesbrough town centre, and to the economy of the wider region.

Founded by partners Roy Welsh and Fiona Turner, the first store opened in 1980 in Bakehouse Square in Guisborough, taking its name from the town’s nearby market cross and retaining the brand ever since.

Roy continues to manage the overall business, supported by company manager Dawn Welsh and area manager Stephen McHale.

The business has grown steadily and now includes 18 shops employing 103 staff, 26 of whom are based in the Middlesbrough town centre store and seven in the Middlesbrough head office.

Millions of pounds of investment have seen key relationships developed with major watch houses including Cartier, Breitling, Omega and Gucci.

Doug Moody Photography

Mayor Ray Mallon (front centre) with staff and management

Latest upgrades to the Middlesbrough town centre store include the creation of a £400,000 luxury watch room that houses shop-in-shops with Cartier, Breitling and Omega.

The business has been hit by two recent robberies, one at its Yarm store in November, and a second in January at the Linthorpe Road store in Middlesbrough.

Dawn Welsh said: “It took us many years of applications, meetings and hard work to be granted agencies by the major Swiss watch houses, but the business has gone on to be a great success.

“Over the years we have learned to move with the times and the business is constantly evolving.

“There is a great team mentality and a feeling of family which I think the customers really appreciate, and that spirit was also reflected in the staff’s fantastic response to the recent robberies.

“We are extremely proud of all the staff throughout the company and we have very little staff turnover.

“We are also really proud of what we’ve achieved in Middlesbrough - I recently heard someone in the store say ‘this shop’s too good for Middlesbrough’, but it’s not, nothing is too good for Middlesbrough and the people who live here.

“We have thousands of customers and we have many who have grown to become friends, many of whom are attending the ceremony - we have been quite taken aback by the positive feedback that we have received.”

Mr Mallon said: “Roy, Fiona and Dawn have worked hard to attract prestige brands to their business, and their hard work and dedication have played an important role in helping Middlesbrough to survive and grow as a vibrant and diverse shopping destination.

“However, I know that they would acknowledge the significant contribution by all of the staff who have worked so hard over many years to ensure the company has grown as it has.

“Market Cross sells high quality products, has high quality premises and has the very highest quality of staff and management. They are all a credit to their profession.”

US drone strike kills 4 in E Afghanistan

At least four people have been killed in a US drone strike in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia.

According to Col. Mohammad Zama, a senior Afghan police official, the drone attack targeted a car carrying Taliban terrorists at the Sahako locality of Paktia’s Zurmat district Friday morning.

Two Taliban commanders are among the dead, he added.

This is while both the terrorist group and the US army have declined to comment on the incident so far.

While Washington claims the targets of the drone attacks are Taliban militants, local officials and witnesses maintain that, in most cases, civilians have been the victims of the attacks over the past few years.

The United States carries out killings through drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity remains across the war-torn country.

The US-led combat mission in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. However, at least 13,500 foreign forces, mainly from the United States, will remain in Afghanistan in what is said to be a support mission.

NATO says the forces will focus more narrowly on counterterrorism and on training Afghan soldiers and policemen.

FNR/AS/MHB

Mexican engineers find way to recover waste water in 2.5 minutes

A group of Mexican engineers have devised a technique for recovering and purifying sea and waste water in just 2.5 minutes, researchers say.

The system, called PQUA, has been developed in Jhostoblak Corporate and is capable of separating and removing all kinds of contaminants, as well as organic and inorganic pollutants and is most suitable to recover wastewater from households, hotels, hospitals, commercial, and industrial facilities.

“The methodology is founded on molecularly dissociating water pollutants to recover the minerals necessary and sufficient in order for the human body to function properly nourished,” an engineer from Jhostoblak said.

Through conducting numerous tests on different types of contaminated water, researchers finally managed to develop a methodology that indicate what types of predetermined combinations should be made to recover and purify water.

Solid, organic, and inorganic materials, as well as heavy metals, are eliminated by precipitation and gravity through pumping the residual water of the pilot plant in the reactor tank. There, the water is subject to molecular dissociation and is conducted to a clarifier tank to make any excess charge of dissolved elements sediment.

Sludge settled at the bottom of the reactor is removed and tested to determine if it is suitable for use as fertilizer or construction material.

To remove turbidity, the liquid, then, reaches a filter and is ultimately passed through a polishing tank that removes flavors, colors, and odors. As the final phase, ozone is added to the treated water to ensure its purity and make it ready for drinking. The resulting water should be fresh, clean, and odorless with a neutral taste.

“During the purification process no gases, odors, nor toxic elements that may damage or alter the environment, human health or quality of life are generated… We have done over 50 tests on different types of wastewater and all have been certified and authorized by the laboratories of the Mexican Accreditation Agency,” said Jhostoblak Corporate in a statement.

RS/AS/MHB

Boy killed in CRPF firing in Srinagar

A 17-year-old Kashmiri boy was killed and two others were wounded on Saturday morning in CRPF firing on protestors in Narbal area of Srinagar.

There were sporadic protests at several places on Saturday over the re-arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam and killing of another youth in Tral in south Kashmir.

Sources said that the CRPF opened fire on the protestors, who pelted stones on the security forces, killing Suhail Ahmad Sofi, a class X student and wounding two others.

Sofi, according to doctors, was brought dead to the JVC Bemina hospital.