Archive
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Herbal aid for smokers backed
CHINESE herbal medicine patches could help millions of UK smokers to quit, says a North-East scientist. Dr Philip Cheung, of Durham University, has investigated claims that a herbal patch has helped more than a million Chinese give up smoking. In a separate
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Battle for £2m is won but row over interest rumbles on
DURHAM County Council was accused last night of wasting up to £1m in public money after losing a six-year legal battle. But the dispute now looks likely to return to the courts - meaning the cost to taxpayers will soar yet again. The Northern Echo can
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Selby crash driver gets date for fresh appeal
SELBY death crash driver Gary Hart could be free within weeks, it was revealed yesterday. Hart has been given a date next month for a second appeal against his sentence and conviction for causing the Selby rail crash in February 2001. GNER chef Paul Taylor
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Take a stroll where the ghost hounds roamed
SPOOKY. No other word will do. Harewood Grove is one of Darlington's spookiest corners. A hulking, forbidding terrace, unlike anything else in town, rears up out of nowhere. In its heyday, it was the home of the wealthy with cast iron balconies for them
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Fans vote with their feet adding to Quakers' woes
Cambridge United inflicted more misery on Darlington with a 2-1 win at Feethams last night. Just 2,076 turned up to witness an Omar Riza double sink a Quakers side who are now fighting for their league status after a miserable defeat which also saw Barry
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Fitting result for sponsor
SEDGEFIELD racecourse owes a debt of gratitude to regular sponsor John Wade, so it was a fitting result when Devil's Run claimed the feature event at the track yesterday, the £7,000 Tote Exacta Handicap Chase, writes Colin Woods. Owned and trained by
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News in brief: Boost for schools
SEVERAL primary and junior schools in Scarborough are to benefit from a £250,000 scheme to improve education standards. A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Education Authority said the money would be used to provide homework clubs and breakfasts at
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Report reveals defiance of planning orders
PEOPLE have lodged almost 500 complaints about alleged defiance of planning controls in the Harrogate district during the past year. The figures are revealed in Harrogate Borough Council's annual planning enforcement and appeals department report. Twenty-seven
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Young writers' work staged
THE opening performances of the world's largest youth theatre celebration are being staged in the region. Newcastle's Theatre Royal will host the first performances of Shell Connections, from March 28 to 30. This year's programme involves 200 groups from
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Clairvoyant's tour dates
A renowned clairvoyant who writes a regular column for The Northern Echo's website will be appearing at venues throughout the region. John Bland will be appearing at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, on Wednesday, April 9, at 6.30pm, as part of the tour
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Butcher wins more awards for sausages
A BUTCHER is celebrating after picking up more awards for his sizzling sausages. Harry Coates, who has shops at Framwellgate Moor, Coxhoe and Trimdon Village, all County Durham, won gold in a national competition run by the Federation of Meat and Food
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Judge's decision could cast shadow over plant's future
Steelmaker Corus could be about to enter its worst 72 hours of business as it fights the Dutch legal system in an effort to safeguard its future. Business Editor Mike Parker looks at the problems the firm faces. THURSDAY, March 13, was always going to
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School receives glowing report
A SCHOOL will not be making any improvements this year, after inspectors judged that it could not do any better. Government inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) have given St Godric's Catholic Primary School, in Framwellgate
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News in brief: Drug smuggler sent to prison
A MAN who passed on cannabis resin mouth-to-mouth while kissing a prisoner during a visit to Durham Jail's female wing was yesterday jailed for three months. David Campbell, 40, of Exeter Place, Sheffield, admitted supplying a class B drug while visiting
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Views sought on open country maps
A PUBLIC consultation starts this week on the creation of a map that will show new sections of open country in the region. The process, to consider the Countryside Agency's regional draft map, begins tomorrow. The map covers parts of County Durham, Tyneside
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First Sikh joins force's biggest intake
A NORTH police force welcomed its first Sikh recruit yesterday as part of its largest intake of officers to date. Jagjeet Bura was among the 51 new North Yorkshire probationary constables sworn in at the Attestation Ceremony in County Hall, Northallerton
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Echo appeal helps bring loco to town
TOURISM chiefs were celebrating last night after succeeding in a campaign to raise the profile of the birthplace of the railways. It has been confirmed that the Blue Peter, one of the country's most famous locomotives, will visit Darlington to form a
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Work on club for over-25s begins
WORK has begun to transform the former RAFA Club in Darlington town centre into an exclusive private members club for the over 25s. The building in Duke Street is being gutted as part of a six-week project to create a drinks and dance club. The club will
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Watson's long road to fitness
CROWD favourite Gordon Watson takes another step on the long road back to full fitness this afternoon. Watson, who made a brief substitute appearance in Hartlepool United's draw with Bury last Friday, will start for the second string today. Kevin Sheedy's
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Poet Julia picked as winner of £60,000 writing competition
PLAYWRIGHT, poet and novelist Julia Darling has won the Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award - Britain's biggest literary prize. Ms Darling, who will receive £60,000 over three years, picked up the first cheque, for £20,000, at a ceremony at Newcastle
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Need someone to wash up? Better ask a Yorkshireman
YORKSHIRE men are increasingly chained to the kitchen sink, while their North-East counterparts are in no danger of losing their hardman image, according to a survey. The results show that men from Yorkshire spend twice as long on the housework as North-East
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Mighty Quinn hails Mick as Sunderland saviour
NIALL QUINN hailed Mick McCarthy as the perfect replacement for Howard Wilkinson last night and backed his former Republic of Ireland coach to revive Sunderland's fading survival hopes. As McCarthy steeled himself for the task of masterminding what would
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Youths warned to stay away from park
YOUTHS have been warned to stay away from a play area on a village field until refurbishment work is complete. Equipment on the playground in the centre of Middleton St George is being replaced and contractors are working to make the area safe. But there
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Comment - Compromise: our only hope
IN these dark days before the seemingly inevitable outbreak of war, hope becomes increasingly hard to find. We, like Tony Blair, have to hope that the United Nations as a whole can pass a second resolution which authorises war. In fact, it must pass that
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Blind woman charged for work not done
A BLIND woman was burgled by two bogus builders - who also charged her for work they had not done. She paid them believing they had fixed her aerial after they knocked on her door offering help, and they then stole her purse which contained a large amount
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University raid nets £100,000 drugs haul
A UNIVERSITY employee has been arrested after a sawn-off shotgun and £100,000 worth of cocaine and heroin were discovered on campus. Students told of their shock after police raided a building at the University of Teesside, in Middlesbrough, on Monday
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Echo Memories: Miss Fenby and her marching girls
A FORTIETH anniversary reunion is being organised this summer for the September 1959 intake at Eastbourne Secondary Modern Girls School in Darlington. These young ladies were unleashed on to an unprepared world in December 1962 and the Easter and July
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Does Ringtons Tea make you pee?
THE Oldie, the magazine for the not yet Punch drunk, carries a piece this month by Edna Wallace on her 1930s childhood in a North-East pit village. There are memories of middens and of standard green house paint, of blinded pit ponies, colliers on their
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Driving for quality
THE automotive division of NSK Bearings has become one of the first businesses to win a global quality standard. NSK Europe, which employs 640 staff in Peterlee, east Durham, has achieved the sought-after TS16949 quality specification. NSK manufactures
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Taxi drivers furious over licence fees increase
TAXI drivers reacted angrily last night after councillors voted to increase licence fees. A meeting of Darlington Borough Council's cabinet agreed to raise the fee for drivers' licences by nine per cent and the fee for Hackney and private hire vehicle
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Top praise for school work
A DARLINGTON school has been praised by Prime Minister Tony Blair for excellence in special needs education. Dame Della Smith, headteacher at Beaumont Hill Special School, in Darlington, attended a reception at Downing Street where Mr Blair thanked schools
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Pipe pins hopes on a double
MARTIN PIPE has a big-race double in his sights with It Takes Time (2.35) and Tiutchev (3.15) on day two of the Cheltenham Festival, but stable jockey Tony McCoy may not be able to ride after yesterday aggravating an old injury in successive falls from
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Thieves targeting rubbish sacks
THIEVES are targeting refuse bags to steal discarded financial papers in order to plunder people's bank accounts, police have warned. Refuse bags left on the kerbside for collection are being stolen in Darlington and Middleton St George. A youth has been
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Search and rescue team receive royal awards
MEMBERS of a search and rescue team have received royal accolades for helping the region's emergency services. To mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee, volunteers attached to the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue team have been given commemorative medals
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Search and rescue team receive royal awards
MEMBERS of a search and rescue team have received royal accolades for helping the region's emergency services. To mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee, volunteers attached to the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue team have been given commemorative medals
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Villages get bus link to hospital
A BUS service linking people in Teesdale communities with Darlington Memorial Hospital will be launched by Health Secretary and Darlington MP Alan Milburn this week. The 70 service will make its first journey from Galgate, in Barnard Castle, at 8.45am
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Anxious wait for hospice centre ruling
CHARITY officials will find out tomorrow if enough money has been raised to open a full-time care unit at St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington. The Darlington NHS Primary Care Trust will discuss the allocation of extra funds to the hospice's Giving To Life
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Respite as index noses into positive territory
LONDON's benchmark FTSE 100 Index finished ahead for the first time in six sessions after being dogged by uncertainty and fears that the Iraq crisis will develop into full-blown war. The rise gave investors some respite from the downward trends which
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Heroin addict is jailed for attack on woman in street
A ROBBER who attacked a woman because he was desperate to obtain heroin was jailed for three years yesterday. Pauline Fogg bravely fought off the addict who tried to snatch her handbag when she was attacked in Darlington, Teesside Crown Court heard. Mrs
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School cleans up in competition
Pupils from Sunnydale School, Shildon have been presented with £200 for being the most improved school in the Sedgefield borough. Councillor David Newell, Mayor of Sedgefield Borough Council, visited the school to present the students with a certificate
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Company clean-up pledge
NORTHUMBRIAN Water has pledged to improve after complaints from a Darlington resident. Keith Ryder, of Halnaby Avenue, said work alongside a footpath off Ettersgill Drive had turned the area into "a muddy quagmire". He said silver birch saplings and daffodil
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Pub chain's plan to open early approved
A PUB chain has been given permission by magistrates to open from 10am. But after JD Wetherspoon won approval to serve alcohol an hour earlier than the present 11am opening time in the north Durham area, other pubs were told the decision was not carte
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Guides provide information on the move
WELCOME guides will soon be on patrol in one of the region's coastal towns. Every weekday the four guides, who wear distinctive blue uniforms, will be out and about in Redcar, east Cleveland, providing information about everything from local history to
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Estate group hopes to improve women's lives
A GROUP to broaden women's horizons was launched yesterday. The Pride of Women group was the brainchild of Millennium Volunteer Ann Huntingdon. The administrator at Pride House, on Peterlee's Eden Hill estate, realised that there were groups catering
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Phone mast fight set to continue
RESIDENTS are preparing for a second fight against a bid to put up a mobile phone mast, which originally provoked hundreds of protest letters. Hutchinson 3G UK has lodged an appeal against a decision not to grant planning permission for the mast at Pelaw
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Week of activities helps celebrate city library's first anniversary
A FLAGSHIP library celebrates its first anniversary this week with a series of events. The activities mark the opening of the Clayport Library, as part of the Millennium Place scheme in Durham, last year. The highlight of the first year was when the Queen
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Long service for gas man
AN engineer is celebrating after completing 40 years service in the gas industry. Mick Richards, 55, from Stockton, began his career in the gas industry in 1963 as an apprentice in Darlington. In 1983 Mr Richards transferred to Viking House, in Thornaby
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Council fleet in green drive
A COUNCIL keen to promote a greener future has launched a bid to minimise the environmental impact of its own vehicle fleet. Hartlepool Borough Council wants to ensure its 235 mainly diesel-powered vehicles run in the most efficient way possible. The
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Opposition to by-pass
A PLANNING application has been submitted for a by-pass on the Yorkshire coast. But the scheme for the £15.3m diversion on the Scarborough to Filey road is being opposed by residents of Osgodby who recently forced a public inquiry. They say the scheme
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Boost for air quality checks
THE air quality monitoring station at Breckon Hill Road, Middlesbrough, has undergone a £45,000 refit including the installation of analysers and data logging equipment. Middlesbrough Councillor Ron Lowes, executive member for liveability and the environment
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Hunt for cabbie after sex assault
A WOMAN has been left traumatised after she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver in her home. The man, described as Asian, asked to use the victim's toilet when they arrived at her address in Middlesbrough. Once inside, he subjected her to a serious
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Call to pensioners over benefits
PENSIONERS in Teesdale are being urged to contact their local Citizens Advice Bureau to make sure they are claiming ther full benefits entitlement. The call follows a survey by the National Audit Office which found that about a third of people eligible
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Footpaths project
A £50,000 scheme to improve Spennymoor's footpaths and bus stops and to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home starts next week. The work, funded by Durham County Council, will involve installing footpath links to bus stops in the town. Seven paths
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Student seeking to set up history group
A TEENAGE history student is urging like-minded people with a passion for the past to help him set up a group. Adam Guy, from Gilmonby, near Barnard Castle, is studying for A-levels at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington. His particular
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Reservoir rescue pair win award
TWO men who risked their lives to rescue an elderly couple whose car plunged into a lake are to be honoured for their bravery. James Garnett and Michael Bake, both from Darlington, were on a fishing trip last year when they witnessed the accident at Peberley
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Big rent rise for after-school club
AN after-schools club is facing a rent increase of 380 per cent after arsonists destroyed the school where it was based. The Magic Club operated at Middleton St George Primary School until it was severely damaged by fire two weeks ago. The club, which
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Big rent rise for after-school club
AN after-schools club is facing a rent increase of 380 per cent after arsonists destroyed the school where it was based. The Magic Club operated at Middleton St George Primary School until it was severely damaged by fire two weeks ago. The club, which
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Countryside Agency grant aid on offer to help improve rural communities
VILLAGES in Teesdale are being offered Countryside Agency grants of up to £25,000 for community projects. The Vital Villages programme is urging rural communities to apply for the grants and encouraging people of all ages to get involved. Advisers from
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Countryside Agency grant aid on offer to help improve rural communities
VILLAGES in Teesdale are being offered Countryside Agency grants of up to £25,000 for community projects. The Vital Villages programme is urging rural communities to apply for the grants and encouraging people of all ages to get involved. Advisers from
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Five in court over money laundering
FIVE people accused of money laundering have appeared in court. Mary Blair, 53, of Summerhouse Grove, Darlington, is accused of stealing more than £200,000 from PMB Motors and South Cleveland Garages. Beverley Grimes, 42, and Edward Grimes, 47, both of
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'Buyer' used fake notes
POLICE are hunting a man who paid for a DVD player using forged £20 notes. The man answered a newspaper advertisement placed by a resident in Kay Street, Stanley. He paid for the secondhand machine with three £20 notes, which his victim later discovered
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Grand donation by new arrival
ONE of Teesside's newest businesses has donated £1,000 to the Teesmouth Field Centre. Px Ltd was established in July to operate and manage Teesside Gas Processing Plant and Teesside Power Station after the US utilities company Enron went into administration
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News in brief: Council boss recruits deputy
Former Hartlepool Borough Council chief executive Brian Dinsdale, who left his post last month to take over the same role at Middlesbrough Borough Council, has recruited his former number two, Jan Richmond, to join him at Middlesbrough. The assistant
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Bannatyne HQ to stay in Darlington
Fitness entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne told of his delight today after completing the deal which will keep his headquarters in Darlington. The announcement from Mr Bannatyne, one of the North-East's richest men, is a huge boost to the town's efforts to
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'Lease it or level it' ultimatum on cement site
A group of Dales businessmen have delivered an ultimatum to French cement group Lafarge: "Lease us the Blue Circle site or pull it down". The disillusioned group has formed the Weardale Business Action Forum following months of speculation surrounding
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Forum wants better shops
A BUSINESS and community group is trying to improve shopping in a North Yorkshire market town. The Town Centre Forum aims to attract more high quality retailers to Richmond by launching its own marketing campaign. It includes a series of bi-monthly events
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UK's biggest wind turbines to be built in N-E
GIANT wind turbines the size of London's Big Ben clock tower are coming to the North-East. The four windmills, standing 100 metres tall, will be the biggest and most powerful to be built on the UK mainland. They will be erected on two remote sites in
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Raise cash in the Great Escape
A HOSPICE wants to hear from people who like to travel. Teams are being invited to sign up for a rerun of a successful Great Escape organised by the Butterwick Hospice at Stockton. Volunteers will leave from Holme House Prison, Stockton, on June 1, dressed
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Hear'Say star is back in limelight
FORMER Hear'Say star Suzanne Shaw will return to the limelight in a show being staged in the region. The singer, who joined the band as a winner of the Popstars television show, will play her first major role since the act split up, in Summer Holiday,
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Anger as EU law ignores the bus run
SAFETY campaigners last night condemned new child seatbelt laws which ignore school buses. The tough regulations, which mean that children under three years old cannot travel in cars unless they are in a baby or child seat, were unanimously approved by
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Teenager denies breaching order
A TEENAGER has denied breaching a landmark court order. Joanne Mafham, 18, of Yarm Road, Darlington, and another girl, became the first friends to be made the subject of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order, to curb their offending in the town. She is accused
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Ovarian cancer ignorance revealed
WOMEN in the North-East are ignorant of the dangers of ovarian cancer, according to research from WellBeing, the health charity for women and babies. An online survey found that more than three quarters of those questioned in the region did not know that
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Soldier wins cancer battle - thanks to his little sister
A TWELVE-year-old girl has been dubbed a hero after coming to the rescue of her soldier brother in the hardest battle he has had to fight - against leukaemia. Royal Engineer Lee Robson, 24, was diagnosed with leukaemia last year. After four courses of
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Conductor to put down his baton
THE conductor of a North-East choir is retiring after their next concert to concentrate on other projects. It does not mean Guisborough Choral Society's Michael Pritchard will be taking it easy, however. The 61-year-old former music teacher plans to perform
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McCarthy named new Black Cats boss
Mick McCarthy has been unveiled as the new manager of Sunderland. The former Republic of Ireland boss succeeds Howard Wilkinson, who was sacked on Monday after just two wins from 20 games with the Wearsiders, who are seven points adrift of Premiership
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12/03/03
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: SO which is it to be for Martin Callanan (HAS, Mar 10)? Is he for or against democracy? Two years ago he stated that the Labour Government will try to sneak in the regional assemblies without a referendum and now that he has an opportunity
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Pistol seized during drugs raid
A loaded semi-automatic pistol and ammunition have been seized by police during a drugs raid. The weapon was found under the floorboards of a house in Dawdon, County Durham, as part of Operation Grasshopper - which has led to the arrest of a total of
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Swimming with the sharks
With a United Nations Security Council vote on the Iraq crisis imminent, Nick Morrison looks at the divisions which threaten to tear apart the international community. IT'S a chance for the international minnows to have their place in the sun. Otherwise
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Wife arrested after dog walker's death
THE wife of a dog walker who was found with fatal head injuries in a country lane was yesterday arrested on suspicion of murdering him. Christina Button, 31, was arrested along with her 20-year-old nephew at her home in St Mary's Drive, West Rainton,
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Volunteer drivers call
Drivers are needed to transport elderly or disabled people to surgeries. The Chester-le-Street Surgery Transport Scheme, launched last November by the Chester-le-Street and District CVS and Volunteer Bureau, has proved so successful that more volunteer
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Sharon Griffiths: What if dad wants to stay at home instead?
WHAT we want, of course, is choice. And that means men too. After decades in which women have had it all - careers, children, permanent headaches - a new survey of women between 20 and 34 reveals that most of them would like to stay at home with their
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Miss Fenby and her marching girls
A FORTIETH anniversary reunion is being organised this summer for the September 1959 intake at Eastbourne Secondary Modern Girls School in Darlington. These young ladies were unleashed on to an unprepared world in December 1962 and the Easter and July
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Captain Cook's an Aussie favourite
VISITOR numbers at one of the region's fast-growing attractions have jumped by more than a half in the past two years. Appropriately for the Captain Cook Memorial Museum at Whitby, North Yorkshire, almost two-thirds of its overseas visitors come from
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Model railway event lined up
MODEL railway enthusiasts will be heading for Sowerby later this month. The village, near Thirsk, is hosting a model railway exhibition on Sunday, March 23. Ten working layouts will be set out in the village's parochial hall, ranging in size from those
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Leader in call for an end to tax increases
THE leader of one of the country's smallest district councils has called for a shake-up in the way local government is funded. Ryedale District Council leader Councillor Alan Farnaby while proposing no increase in the authority's tax for the coming year
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Tour bosses plan visit to region
TOUR operators from around the UK will be visiting the Yorkshire Coast and North York Moors for an insight into the tourism industry. This weekend, about 35 travel organisers will be looking for new touring destinations while visiting some of the area's
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News in brief: Money taken in raid on house
A THIEF stole a large quantity of cash and a Nokia mobile phone after entering a property in Maple Terrace, Stanley, at about 7.30pm on Saturday. The thief entered the house and searched downstairs, while a babysitter was upstairs. Anyone with information
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Plan for revival of park to be discussed
A PLAN is to be drawn up to improve one of Hartlepool's oldest parks. Burn Valley Gardens opened in 1898 and most of the original pathways are still there, but several of its features, such as the bandstand, bridges and ornamental gates have gone. The
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News in brief: Council boss recruits deputy
Former Hartlepool Borough Council chief executive Brian Dinsdale, who left his post last month to take over the same role at Middlesbrough Borough Council, has recruited his former number two, Jan Richmond, to join him at Middlesbrough. The assistant
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School praised in report
A GOVERNMENT report has praised a Grangetown school in its first inspection since it was formed by the merger of an infant and junior school. Ofsted inspectors said St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, which opened in September 2000, is committed
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Landlady is serving up spirits
A PUB will swap spirits from the bottle for those of the supernatural world at its next fundraising event. Jeanette Ryans, landlady of the Glendenning Arms, in Witton Gilbert, near Durham, has organised a spiritual night tonight, in aid of Macmillan Cancer
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Television team in hunt for lost village
TELEVISION archaeologists will be seen uncovering part of a lost medieval village on Sunday. Channel 4's Time Team visited stately home Castle Howard, near Malton, North Yorkshire, last year, to carry out an excavation in search of the lost village of
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Bikers offered lessons in road safety
A FORMER motorbike racing champion is setting up a training centre in Darlington. Jim Peacock, who used to race at a national level, was made redundant just before Christmas and has used his redundancy package to set up the business. Mr Peacock said he
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Town restarts civic trust
PEOPLE who care about preserving historic buildings and the environment are being urged to attend a meeting. A civic trust for Darlington is to be formed at the event, at 7.30pm tonight, in the Dolphin Centre. An initial public meeting to gauge support
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Industrial scene is project's backdrop
CHEMICAL works and blast furnaces have provided the inspiration for an interactive digital city. Michael Dinsdale has drawn on the industrial heritage of Teesside for his first foray into the world of digital film-making. The result is Ether, a digital
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Search for would-be abductor
A MAN tried to snatch a six-year-old child from a teenage girl as they walked the streets of Eston in Middlesbrough, police said yesterday. The six-year-old girl was walking with her 16-year-old companion in Sandmoor Close at about 9pm on Friday when
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New stylist at the salon
A stylist has been recruited for a Darlington hairdressing business. Janine Dickinson has been recruited by Allison Stone, of Stones Hairdressing. The salon is based at the Dolphin Centre, in Market Square, and opened in September. Ms Dickinson's clients
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Interiors store expands
A DARLINGTON interiors business is expanding with the opening of a shop in Yarm, near Stockton. Seymours, which has been based in Darlington for more than 45 years, has leased the premises and transformed the town's former post office into a shop. Customers
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The values of our civilised world
THE capture of al Qaida No 2 Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the September 11 atrocity, was hailed by the Bush administration as likely to yield "a treasure trove'' of information about the terrorist network. But a terrorist as
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Jailed gym boss must pay for his crime
A FORMER North-East gym owner jailed for drug dealing has been ordered to pay back the proceeds of his crime - after claiming he only had the clothes he stood up in. Champion bodybuilder Martin Yates-Brown, 55, was sentenced to three years in prison last
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Education Secretary praises achievements of community during visit
EDUCATION Secretary Charles Clarke visited the region to re-open a school which was destroyed by arsonists two years ago. Mr Clarke reopened Sedgefield Hardwick Primary School, in Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency. The school has been refurbished
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Guides provide information on the move
WELCOME guides will soon be on patrol in one of the region's coastal towns. Every weekday the four guides, who wear distinctive blue uniforms, will be out and about in Redcar, east Cleveland, providing information about everything from local history to
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Mowlem's 16% profits boost
BUILDING and support services group Mowlem has hailed a structural overhaul of its own for a 16 per cent increase in annual profits. The group, which has a regional presence on Teesside, said a "root-and-branch" change in its approach to new business,
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Magpies hang onto a European dream
NEWCASTLE United's Champions League dream is still alive - but only just - after an unforgettable game at the San Siro last night. Sir Bobby Robson's side must now beat Barcelona in their final second group stage match at St. James' Park a week tonight
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Anti-war protest hailed success despite arrest
A MAN had to be restrained by three police officers last night as he disrupted an otherwise peaceful anti-war protest. The man and his female companion were walking past a rally being held by Hartlepool Against War when he started shouting abuse. He was
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Protest ban for veteran activists
TWO veteran peace campaigners have been banned by a court from taking part in a protest against war on Iraq and the presence of a US "spy" base in North Yorkshire. The US communications station at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, is to be targeted by peace
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What if dad wants to stay at home instead?
WHAT we want, of course, is choice. And that means men too. After decades in which women have had it all - careers, children, permanent headaches - a new survey of women between 20 and 34 reveals that most of them would like to stay at home with their
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North-South divide could be chasm by 2020, Commons inquiry hears
THE wealth of the North-East could be half that of the rest of Britain's by 2020 if current trends continue, an influential think tank has said. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the North-South divide is growing, with prosperity
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Eco-friendly trade mission to Korea
ENVIRONMENTAL companies in the region are being urged to take part in the latest trade mission to Korea. The visit in June coincides with the Envex 2003 exhibition of environmental technologies. Trade Partners UK has given Korea target market status,
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Computer makers improve output
BRITAIN's hard-pressed factories have received a surprise boost after registering an improvement in output in January thanks to a rise in computer manufacturing. Monthly output for the manufacturing industry rose by 0.3 per cent, according to data from
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News in brief: Cheap homes plea for village
Parish councillors have urged a developer to build low-cost housing on an industrial state in Middleton St George, near Darlington. Wimpy has applied to Darlington Borough Council for planning permission to build on the Hadley's site. Parish councillors
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Mayor calls for clean-up help
THE mayor of Richmond is appealing for help to clear litter from a beauty-spot overlooking the River Swale. The Mayor, Councillor Stuart Parsons, promised he would dedicate his year in office to generating a sense of civic pride in the community. Scouts
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Thieves targeting rubbish sacks
THIEVES are targeting refuse bags to steal discarded financial papers in order to plunder people's bank accounts, police have warned. Refuse bags left on the kerbside for collection are being stolen in Darlington and Middleton St George. A youth has been
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Talent on parade
A MUSIC label promoting talent in Darlington is staging two concerts this month. Steve Browne, 27, and Chris Elgie, 23, set up Originate Recordings, believed to be the North-East's first non-profit- making record label, last year with the help of the
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Safe places for young to meet
TEENAGE hang-out areas could be established across east Cleveland to provide youngsters with a safe place to meet friends. It is hoped the move to create 25 hang-outs will answer criticisms from residents who have complained about anti-social behaviour
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Partnership goes on tour
A PARTNERSHIP to improve life for Weardale residents is promoting its work with a series of informal roadshows in the area. Weardale Community Partnership exhibition will be at the Wearhead Institute tomorrow, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, Eastgate Village Hall
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Residents to fight gas exploration plans
RESIDENTS of a moorland village are objecting to plans to carry out gas exploration near their homes. They fear the scheme could lead to an industrial site being developed. Sterling Resources (UK), a subsidiary of a Canadian oil exploration company, wants
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Campaign group calls for conservation area ruling
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to preserve a corner of Cleveland which borders the North York Moors. Campaigners have fought for six years against various plans to develop Home Farm, in Hutton Gate, just outside Guisborough. The campaigners, who are also
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Air trade holding, despite war fears
PASSENGERS in the North are defying fears over the looming war on Iraq by continuing to fly from the region's airports. Newcastle, Teesside and Leeds-Bradford reported yesterday that business showed no sign of slowing. This was despite tour operator First
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Appeal for witnesses
POLICE are investigating a fight involving a group of women outside a Middlesbrough pub in the early hours of Monday morning. The trouble started outside De Niros, in Zetland Road, at about 12.10am, where a woman received facial injuries including a broken
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Sixth form students become dinnerladies for school show
LOWER sixth form drama students are preparing to serve up a helping of comedy next month when they perform Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies. It is the first public performance by the group, from Stokesley School, Stokesley, and will go towards each student's
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Driver's lucky escape as slab hits sunroof
Motorist Clare Coulthard is lucky to be alive after youths threw a concrete slab through the sunroof of her car. Ms Coulthard's car was hit by the block, which was among bricks and masonry hurled from a 30ft roadbridge on to a busy dual carriageway. The
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Cadets palace-bound
THREE teenagers have an appointment to meet the Princess Royal next week. Princess Anne is the Commandant in Chief of the St John Ambulance Cadets, and the three youngsters are members of the organisation's North Yorkshire and Teesside region. Lorna Brown
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Recognition for car park
A £4M car park has collected an award for its lighting, surveillance cameras, restricted access and escape routes. The Jubilee car park, in Harrogate, has received a Secured Car Parks' Award from the Association of Chief Police Officers. On Thursday,
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Lunatic wallpaper - and a quality option
Perhaps like me, you have the occasional need to check a newspaper's date just to confirm that a story is not an April the First spoof. Yesterday's Northern Echo front page (March 11th) featuring Liz Lamb's exclusive on televisions in court waiting rooms
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Warning after bogus caller steals £700
A BOGUS caller stole more than £700 from a pensioner after getting into her home by claiming he needed to check the gas supply. The theft took place on Friday, February 28, at about 6.20pm, at a house in Maltby Street, North Ormesby. The elderly man was
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Man injured in 'cowardly' attack
A 31-year-old man is recovering after being attacked in Thornaby. The man was walking along Baysdale Road, close to Thornaby Community School, on Sunday, at 9.45pm, when he was struck on the head. Three men attacked him, repeatedly kicking and punching
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News in brief: Money taken in raid on house
A THIEF stole a large quantity of cash and a Nokia mobile phone after entering a property in Maple Terrace, Stanley, at about 7.30pm on Saturday. The thief entered the house and searched downstairs, while a babysitter was upstairs. Anyone with information
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Call to pensioners over benefits
PENSIONERS in Teesdale are being urged to contact their local Citizens Advice Bureau to make sure they are claiming ther full benefits entitlement. The call follows a survey by the National Audit Office which found that about a third of people eligible
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Church backing fair trade campaign event
A FERRYHILL church will be serving up some tasty treats as part of Fair Trade Fortnight. Members of St Luke's Church will be teaming up with the Mayor of Sedgefield borough, Councillor David Newell, the council's Agenda 21 Team and Global Rangers group
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Church backing fair trade campaign event
A FERRYHILL church will be serving up some tasty treats as part of Fair Trade Fortnight. Members of St Luke's Church will be teaming up with the Mayor of Sedgefield borough, Councillor David Newell, the council's Agenda 21 Team and Global Rangers group
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Footpaths project
A £50,000 scheme to improve Spennymoor's footpaths and bus stops and to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home starts next week. The work, funded by Durham County Council, will involve installing footpath links to bus stops in the town. Seven paths
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Residents' group chairwoman retires
A CHAMPION of Darlington's Skerne Park estate has retired from her post as chairwoman of a community group. Joyce Standing has been chairwoman of Skerne Park Residents' Association for more than 16 years. She was one of the founder members of the group
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Magistrates court cases
The following cases were heard by Darlington magistrates yesterday. CASE ADJOURNED: The case against Gianni Ross, 42, of Geneva Road, Darlington, who is accused of two counts of receiving stolen goods, was adjourned until May 6. GUILTY PLEA: Yasmin Sutheran
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Volunteer drivers call
Drivers are needed to transport elderly or disabled people to surgeries. The Chester-le-Street Surgery Transport Scheme, launched last November by the Chester-le-Street and District CVS and Volunteer Bureau, has proved so successful that more volunteer
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Bus company fined for aiding benefits fraud
A SOUTH Durham bus company has been found guilty of helping one of its drivers fraudulently claim benefits. Business partners Andrew Michael Bird and Gillian Bird, who jointly run Shildon-based Birds taxis, were fined £250 each for misleading inspectors
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Bus company fined for aiding benefits fraud
A SOUTH Durham bus company has been found guilty of helping one of its drivers fraudulently claim benefits. Business partners Andrew Michael Bird and Gillian Bird, who jointly run Shildon-based Birds taxis, were fined £250 each for misleading inspectors
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Over-60s urged to register
MEN over 60, who become eligible for half-price bus travel across Richmondshire next month, are being urged to register with the council. Passes will be issued at roadshows in five locations from next week. The concession previously applied to women over
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Rob shows youngsters how to get fighting fit
A KARATE champion is visiting schools in the region to promote exercise to youngsters. Five-time national karate champion Rob Loft, 43, has taken on the role of Freddy Fit, a cartoon character who was created to promote a healthy lifestyle to age groups
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Captain Cook's an Aussie favourite
VISITOR numbers at one of the region's fast-growing attractions have jumped by more than a half in the past two years. Appropriately for the Captain Cook Memorial Museum at Whitby, North Yorkshire, almost two-thirds of its overseas visitors come from
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Whelan determined to secure future away from Riverside
UNWANTED Noel Whelan has revealed his determination to seal a permanent move away from Middlesbrough. The striker has only made two Premiership starts this season under Steve McClaren and joined Crystal Palace last week on loan until the end of the current
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News in brief: Money taken in raid on house
A THIEF stole a large quantity of cash and a Nokia mobile phone after entering a property in Maple Terrace, Stanley, at about 7.30pm on Saturday. The thief entered the house and searched downstairs, while a babysitter was upstairs. Anyone with information
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Grant aids green energy scheme
WHATEVER the weather, visitors enjoying the attractions at one of the region's railway museums next year will be running on energy provided by the elements. Rain and sun will provide some of the power used to drive locomotives and interactive displays
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LMA chief quick to slam Wearside supremo Murray
SUNDERLAND were last night slammed by the managers' union for sacking Howard Wilkinson and told: You need four years to build a team - not 20 games. League Managers' Association vice-chairman Frank Clark, a former Sunderland No 2, accused his old club
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Gadfly: Does Ringtons Tea make you pee?
THE Oldie, the magazine for the not yet Punch drunk, carries a piece this month by Edna Wallace on her 1930s childhood in a North-East pit village. There are memories of middens and of standard green house paint, of blinded pit ponies, colliers on their
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Bush could go it alone on Iraq
THE United States could go to war without Britain, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last night. The prospect of UK troops being reduced to the status of spectators was raised amid continuing international deadlock over Iraq. Frustrated Tony Blair
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Walk-out as worker is sacked
STAFF at a North-East factory staged a mass walk-out yesterday in protest over the installation of cameras and a worker's dismissal. About 70 out of 100 staff at Conder Products, on the South West Industrial Estate, in Peterlee, east Durham, began a 24
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Corus workers fear more bad news
THOUSANDS of workers in the North-East are facing an uncertain future after steelmaker Corus announced it may have to close one of its UK plants. The manufacturer is struggling to cope under a mountain of debt and must shed part of its operation if it
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Driver's lucky escape as slab hits sunroof
Motorist Clare Coulthard is lucky to be alive after youths threw a concrete slab through the sunroof of her car. Ms Coulthard's car was hit by the block, which was among bricks and masonry hurled from a 30ft roadbridge on to a busy dual carriageway. The
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Wilko issues warning to McCarthy
HOWARD WILKINSON last night warned Mick McCarthy that he faces a daunting task in trying to reverse Sunderland's ailing fortunes as the club prepared to unveil the former Republic of Ireland coach as their third manager of a turbulent season today. With
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Murder inquiry seeks man in N-E
POLICE have issued a picture of a man they wish to trace in connection with a murder in the West Midlands. Simon Medley, 26, died after being stabbed and was found in Prince Street, Walsall, on May 12, last year. Officers would like to speak to Jonathon
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Experience counts for McCarthy
MICK McCARTHY knows from bitter experience how the departure of a manager can destabilise a club and send it spiralling towards relegation. After all, Millwall were ninth in the First Division when he left The New Den in February 1996; they finished 22nd
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Focus on plight of elderly women
WOMEN pensioners in former industrial areas of the North-East are living in poverty compared to those in other parts of the country, one of the region's MPs has said. Vera Baird, who represents Redcar, told the House of Commons that nationally, half of
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Last Night's TV: A load of old rubbish
A Life Of Grime (BBC1); Hollywood Greats (BBC1) NO amount of jolly jokes from narrator John Peel can disguise that A Life Of Grime is grim stuff, and a sad reflection on the disgusting habits of some people. I certainly wouldn't wish London environmental
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Sir Bobby left with regrets
Sir Bobby Robson was last night praying for a Champions League miracle after his Newcastle side twice threw away the lead to draw with Inter Milan at the San Siro. A well-taken brace from skipper Alan Shearer rocked the Italians on their own patch, but
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Selection process resumes after hitch
THE selection process to find the final Labour Party candidate for elections in Tony Blair's constituency is to start all over again. The party stepped in to halt the process following allegations of "irregularities" in the Greenfield and Middridge ward
