Israel shipping African refugees to Uganda: Report

Israeli forces arrest an African protester in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) on December 17, 2014.

Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:31AM GMT

The Israeli regime is secretly transferring African refugees to Uganda, a report by an Israeli newspaper says.

Over the past month, dozens of the Africans left for Uganda while some had already departed, a Wednesday report by Haaretz quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

The paper obtained information about a Sudanese inmate of Israel’s Saharonim prison in the Negev Desert, who ended up in Uganda.

“The man called his friends in Israel and said there were six other asylum seekers from Sudan with him on the flight, all of whom had been released from Saharonim,” the report said.

Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority declined to comment on the matter.

In June 2013, an Israeli official told the regime’s supreme court that an agreement had been reached with an unnamed third country ready to take in the African refugees.

African asylum seekers have been protesting against the Israeli regime’s violation of their rights, including implementation of an anti-infiltration law that allows Israel to jail illegal asylum seekers without charge.

Human Right Watch has said that Tel Aviv uses the “threat of prolonged detention” to force the African migrants give up their asylum claims, adding, “Israel should end its unlawful detention policy and release all asylum seekers.”

NT/MHB/SS

Gisborough Priory Project volunteers left devastated after arson attack in grounds

20 Feb 2014 10:15

Storage garage, used to keep tools and equipment for the Gisborough Priory Project was set alight - destroying all its contents

Volunteers Carole Robinson and Jenny Thomas outside the burnt-out container which was used to store tools and equipment that helpers used to maintain and restore the priory gardens

Volunteers who have worked for more than seven years to restore historic gardens in Guisborough have been left devastated after an arson attack in the grounds.

The Gisborough Priory Project was set up seven years ago to restore and improve the gardens surrounding Guisborough’s ancient priory.

However they have now suffered a massive blow after a storage garage, used to keep tools and equipment was set alight - destroying all its contents.

Cleveland Police has confirmed they are treating the fire as arson.

The floor of the container was destroyed as well as all the contents, leaving just pieces of twisted charred metal.

Judith Arber, treasurer of the project, said: “We have been doing work at the gardens for some time now and this is a huge setback for us.

“It was a couple of volunteers who found the container completely destroyed - we were devastated.

“We have collected a lot of tools and equipment over the years so this is just so upsetting.

“At the moment we are begging and pleading for other tools and members are having to use their own from home which isn’t ideal.

“Fortunately it didn’t spread to the gardens, so the work we have done has not been destroyed.”

The fire happened sometime between Monday, February 10, and Thursday, February 13.

The Gisborough Priory Project, which is a registered charity, is still planning to hold its annual open day on Sunday when the Snowdrop Walk takes place between 1pm and 3pm at the gardens.

Cleveland Police confirmed that they are treating the attack as arson.

Witnesses or anybody with information should contact PC Carl Drinkel by calling the non-emergency 101 number or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Pregnant woman and partner who ran amok at Middlesbrough shop and park allowed to keep their freedom

20 Feb 2014 08:40

Gillian Boyle was armed with a hammer and Carl Rankin had a knife at a store on Linthorpe Road before they challenged people in Albert Park

Teesside Crown Court

A pregnant woman and her partner who ran amok at a Teesside shop and park have been given a chance to prove they can raise a child.

Carl Rankin and Gillian Boyle challenged people to fight in Middlesbrough’s Albert Park in a bid for revenge, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

Trouble erupted in the One Stop Shop on Linthorpe Road at about 3.30pm on December 10 last year.

Boyle, 39, was waving a small hammer and carrying an ornamental cat.

Trouble spilled out of the shop and Rankin, 29, was seen in the park holding a kitchen knife and running at another man, said prosecutor Rachel Masters.

A judge watched CCTV of the pair in and out of the shop, with Boyle “in a very angry state”.

A security officer at the park heard the commotion and saw the couple.

He was concerned at what could have happened at a time when young families and elderly people were in the park.

The group dispersed when the police arrived at the scene. The two were arrested nearby.

Boyle said she was using the hammer to fix a door at home when her partner Rankin came home with his head bleeding.

She said they went out to find the people who assaulted him, thought they’d found the culprits in the shop, and got angry that they were laughed at.

Boyle and Rankin, of Ayresome Street, Middlesbrough, each admitted a charge of possessing an offensive weapon.

Both had criminal records, Rankin’s with 67 offences.

Andrew Turton, defending, said they were disappointed in themselves and regretted their impulsive behaviour after Rankin was beaten up.

He said Rankin had a knife because he thought one of his assailants had a knife.

Mr Turton said: “Nobody was injured, no damage was caused to the shop, when that could have happened.

“There’s a lot of posturing and a lot of coming and going between the two factions.

“It’s amongst people who know each other. Nobody came to any harm.”

He said the pair were expecting a baby in June and were both in drug treatment.

“They are out to prove that they are fit and proper persons to be able to parent this child,” added Mr Turton. “They’re worth a further chance.”

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, told them: “In broad daylight, there you are, taking out your argument in the street.

“Your thought was only for your own selfish desire to get revenge.”

But he said he was impressed by the couple’s determination to clean up, and hoped his sentence would make them think about the future.

He gave each a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years with a year’s supervision.

Your Daily Muslim: Abu Umar

Abu Umar and the Mujahideen of Bulgaristan

The Mujahideen of Bulgaristan are a Bulgarian/Russian jihadist group with a real hatred of Elton John. They hate him not because of his music, but because he is, as they put it, a “sodomite.” A Muslim using the kunya (assumed name) of Abu Umar is a “messenger” of the Mujahideen of Bulgaristan, and he issued a statement about John’s upcoming concert in Bulgaria. Of course, like any other statement from the religion of peace about gays, it sure wasn’t peaceful.

Elton John & Paul McCartney, who are probably both too old to not sound like dying frogs when they sing, are set to kick off their tour in Bulgaria on May 17, 2014. When Umar and his jihadi buddies got wind of this, they knew they had to act quickly to prevent the lemonparty (don’t google this) from descending upon Bulgaria. The Mujahideen contacted local imams, who warned their congregations of the upcoming concert. Umar then posted a letter online with thinly-veiled threats against the concert. Of course, the letter rambled on about the usual Islamic subjects, such as Muhammad (pigs be upon him) and demanding the release of justly-imprisoned jihadists. Now, here’s where the fun (read: threat) begins: “If the sodomite Elton dares to appear on the territory of the Emirate, maybe you will encounter some surprises. Meanwhile, in Kazan [Russia], the imams of the Zakabannaya mosque gather daily to condemn the British sodomite Elton John and voice their concerns and warnings if he shows up in the capital of Tatarstan. According to the Russian Rosbalt news agency, during Friday prayers, imam Saidzhagfar Lutfullin urged to cancel the visit of Elton John to Kazan. According to the imam, Elton John is going to call publicly for freedom of sodomy in Tatarstan and will support local pederasts.”

How is allowing gay sex going to enable pedophiles?! I still can’t believe there are idiots out there who conflate homosexuality with pedophilia. And of course, the Muslims mentioned the concert-goers would “encounter some surprises.” Maybe by that, they just mean they’re gonna set up a Dawah booth outside the entrance… *eyeroll* Hopefully the threat is nothing but talk, and the concert happens without any issues.

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Hollande recalls French ‘debt’ to Muslim soldiers

By IINA,

Paris : President Francois Hollande Tuesday said France “owed a debt” to Muslim soldiers who died in World War I and pledged a tough fight against racism and discrimination.

Hollande was speaking at a ceremony in Paris’s main mosque, which he visited for the first time since being elected president in 2012. “France will never forget the price of the bloodshed” by Muslim soldiers, Hollande said in a speech ahead of events planned later this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the war. About 600,000 troops from France’s colonies took part in the 1914-18 war and about 70,000 Muslims lost their lives, according to figures released by the defense ministry in 2010, AFP reported.

France has one of the highest Muslim populations in western Europe, estimated at around five million, but relations are sometimes tense over government moves like the banning of full-face veils in public. Islam is “perfectly compatible with the values of France,” Hollande said. “This homage is a call for respect,” Hollande said, urging a “fierce fight against discrimination, inequality and racism” as well as against “anti-Muslim words and acts.”

Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr calls Al-Maliki a dictator

Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr has criticised Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and his government, calling Al-Maliki a dictator who runs an authoritarian tyranny.

The cleric stated that Al-Maliki’s government violates the rights of the Iraqi people of all sects, as well as oppresses and detains its opponents in the name of Shiites. “The Iraqi government sheds the blood of Iraqis and steals the country’s wealth,” he said. Al-Sadr reiterated his earlier announcement that he will withdraw from political life and dissolve his political movement, but called on his supporters to still participate in the upcoming elections.

Iraq’s Hammurabi news agency quoted sources earlier as saying that Al-Sadr’s decision comes after learning of a conspiracy to oust him and his movement by Al-Maliki and his government.

At least 19 members of the parliamentary bloc affiliated with Al-Sadr have submitted their resignations following his announcement.

A member of the Shia coalition known as the National Iraqi Alliance, Ahmad Masari, told Arabiya news agency that Al-Sadr’s resignation will only serve the other political parties in the National Alliance and boost Al-Maliki’s position, allowing him to return for a third term as prime minister.

A member of the Al-Sadrist parliamentary bloc, MP Thafer El-Ani, noted that while Al-Sadr’s decision is unexpected, his critique of the Al-Maliki government is not a surprise. “We are appealing to the Al-Sadrist movement to convince him to reconsider his decision, which will lead to a significant imbalance within Iraq’s political process,” he said.

Driver who killed Billingham runner as he crossed road in Dubai jailed for just two months

20 Feb 2014 08:20

Driver, reported to have been drunk when he hit Gavin Duffy, also ordered to pay £24,484 'blood money' - compensation to Mr Duffy's family

Gavin Duffy

A driver who killed a Billingham man as he crossed the road in Dubai is reported to have been jailed for just two months.

The driver, who is reported to have been drunk when he hit Gavin Duffy, was also ordered to pay £24,484 “blood money” - compensation to Mr Duffy’s family.

Mr Duffy died on November 23 last year when he was hit by a car in the United Arab Emirates city.

The 29-year-old respected runner and fundraiser was on holiday visiting friends when the tragedy happened.

Reports from The National website state that a 31-year-old Brazilian man appeared at Dubai Traffic Court on Tuesday where he was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, causing a person’s death and fleeing the scene of an accident.

It is reported that he was jailed for two months, had his driving licence suspended for six months and ordered to pay Dh150,000 - £24,484 - “blood money” which is compensation to Mr Duffy’s family.

Prosecutors immediately filed an appeal against the sentence. The first hearing will be on March 6.

The report states that the driver fled the scene after Mr Duffy was hit but a passerby noted down the car licence plate number and informed the police.

The witness, from Lebanon, is reported to have said the driver did not even brake after the accident.

The driver is also reported to have tried to leave the country following the accident.

He went to his workplace in Jumeirah Lake Towers to pick up his passport and then headed to Dubai International Airport.

He was arrested in the duty-free area before he could board a 4.20am flight to Beirut.

Boro fan Mr Duffy, a quantity surveyor, was an accomplished marathon runner and was a member of Marsh House Harriers.

Following his death relatives and friends launched an appeal to repatriate his body back to Teesside.

They raised a staggering £10,000.

The remainder of the money was given to Mr Duffy’s favourite charities - The Butterwick Hospice, The Jo and Mya Fund, Zoe’s Place baby hospice and Dementia UK.

Following Mr Duffy’s death his parents Michael and Susan paid tribute to him describing him as “happy, kind and caring person who liked his independence and loved travelling.”