Archive
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Nose to the grindstone
While it may do a raoaring trade, there's room for improvement at the Old Mill, Tursdale. LAST Wednesday marked the 145th anniversary of Blondin crossing the Niagara Falls on a tightrope, the 110th anniversary of the opening of Tower Bridge and the 68th
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Fitness boss still aims to
MILLIONAIRE businessman Duncan Bannatyne has vowed not to give up after his plans for a hotel and casino complex in the region were rejected. The North-East tycoon's firm, Bannatyne Fitness, is still looking to redevelop land to the rear the health centre
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New facts on a famous sinking
Secret History: Sink The Belgrano (C4), The Practice (C4): YOU could be forgiven for wondering whether there's anything new to say or show about the sinking of Argentinian warship, The Belgrano, during the Falklands conflict. Secret History provided much
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Kluivert heads for Tyneside talks with Newcastle
NEWCASTLE have turned their attention towards Dutch international Patrick Kluivert as they look to sign a new striker before embarking on a pre-season tour of the Far East. United officials have held preliminary discussions with Kluivert's representatives
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Park's derelict rest house is restored to its former glory
A DERELICT building that was once at the heart of community life in Shildon has been restored. The old rest house, in the town's Hackworth Park, was built in 1924 with donations from local miners. For years it was the town's meeting place for social,
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Cabbies seek legal advice as licence wrangle continues
DURHAM City Council has halted its plans to issue nine new taxi licences after cabbies secured legal advice. The move follows a drivers' lightning strike over a week ago which left the city without cabs on a busy Thursday night. Drivers were reacting
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'Use the Internet to combat famine'
A MAN from the North-East believes the Internet could help alleviate the effects of famine and disaster. Ken Craggs, 43, has come up with the idea of a charity search engine that would raise money for good causes instead of providing companies with profits
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AA issues weather warning
The AA warned drivers to take extra care during the heavy downpours forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. A spokesman said the worst of the weather could coincide with tomorrow evening's rush hour. Motorists should be particularly wary of spray from other
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TV review
Secret History: Sink The Belgrano (C4) The Practice (C4) YOU could be forgiven for wondering whether there's anything new to say or show about the sinking of Argentinian warship, The Belgrano, during the Falklands conflict. Secret History provided much
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Market's end of term report - could do better
The stock market finished the first half of the year broadly unchanged. If this was a school report, the well-worn phrase "Could do better" would more than likely appear. While at first sight this may appear disappointing, there are a number of factors
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Can I avoid workplace drug tests?
Q I have heard on the grapevine that the office where I work is planning to introduce some form of compulsory drugs testing. This is a real concern because I am an occasional user of recreational drugs such as marijuana. Is there any way I can get out
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Achiever Julie 'is the cog that makes the organisation turn'
JULIE Wilson has been described as many things, including the glue that holds everyone in place. She is a formidable organiser, the source of all knowledge in the office and a shoulder to cry on. It is no wonder she has just been named Incredible Colleague
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Cueing up to listen to first lady of snooker
She was the first woman to pot black in the male redoubt that was Byker St Peter's Social Club or beneath the Victorian chandeliers of the sumptuous snooker palace in Nairobi. "Good God," observed a watching expat, "it's the end of the British Empire.
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Sports club aiding fight on drugs
YOUNGSTERS in Darlington are being urged to turn their back on drugs and take up sports in a campaign. The Muaythai Against Drugs initiative is being backed by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy and promoted in schools across the town. As part
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Two more suspected cases of food bug
A FURTHER two suspected cases of the potentially fatal bug E.coli have been reported to health officials investigating a North-East butcher's shop. One of the suspected victims was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham where three others are
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Singers celebrate choir anniversary
THE Sedgefield Lyric Singers celebrated their 30th anniversary with two performances of their concert String of Pearls. Conducted by Jean Whittaker, with Margaret Taylor as accompanist, the choir delighted the large audiences with a wide repertoire. The
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Father on the march for charity
A DEVOTED father has walked the length of a County Durham Dale to raise money for disabled children. Alistair Howes' three-year-old son, Jake, is the inspiration behind the Independence 4 Disability charity that will raise money for disabled children
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Food to feel good about
WE may all love TV celebrity chefs but copying their techniques and dishes is another matter. Be honest, who hasn't rushed in from work, frantically tried to juggle ingredients and pans Nigella-style to make an instant meal - only to discover that the
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Pupils to attend tribute lecture
ABOUT 200 pupils from schools in Stockton will attend a science lecture on Friday in memory of a local woman. Representatives from the University of Teesside will present the Madeline Mary Walker lecture on medical imaging at Stockton Riverside College
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Man held girlfriend hostage in van and beat her unconscious
A MAN who launched a brutal attack on his partner while holding her hostage in his van was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday. Robert Thompson, 38, repeatedly punched Zoe Gowland, put a rope around her neck, broke a pint glass over her head and
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Spotlight on information for carers
AN information evening is being staged for families considering fostering and adoption. Thursday's open event takes place at the Social Services Training Centre, Carr-mere Road, Leechmere Industrial Estate, Sunderland, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Staff will
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Pair set to clash again
A total of 39 horses remain in the John Smith's Cup at York on Saturday at the five-day confirmation stage. Red Fort, who foiled a major plunge on Promotion at Royal Ascot, looks set to clash with the Queen's horse again on the Knavesmire after both stood
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Students learn about food on shop floor
YOUNGSTERS are switching their regular school meals for something more exotic today as part of a healthy eating programme. Hundreds of pupils from Whinfield Junior School, in Darlington, are sampling unusual fruits at their local supermarket during the
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Enterprise set up on the doorstep
FOR businesswoman Maureen Stanton, starting her own enterprise on her doorstep was a natural choice, because she was living in scenic Weardale. But it was not just the rural setting that convinced her to open a call centre in a former works canteen on
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Communities to vie for enterprise awards
Towns and cities across the North-East are to vie for the title of the region's most enterprising area. Regional development agency One NorthEast is co-ordinating part of the 2005 British Capital of Enterprise awards. Yorkshire Forward will search for
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Hospital to offer digital hearing aids
digital hearing aids are about to be introduced to the audiology department at Harrogate District Hospital. The move is part of a Government initiative to modernise NHS hearing aid services. Digital hearing aids can offer improvements that can have an
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Curbs on speeding 'pay off' - but bike fatalities go on
A MAJOR crackdown on extreme speeding on the roads of North Yorkshire is bearing fruit - but the announcement was marred by another motorcycle fatality. Police report that there is less speeding taking place since they launched their hardline enforcement
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Unreasonable and outdated
THE defence available to parents of "reasonable chastisement" in disciplining their children belongs to the Victorian age in which it was created. In former times, it was the same defence used by husbands to justify beating their wives. It should not
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Cueing up to listen to first lady of snooker
She was the first woman to pot black in the male redoubt that was Byker St Peter's Social Club or beneath the Victorian chandeliers of the sumptuous snooker palace in Nairobi. "Good God," observed a watching expat, "it's the end of the British Empire.
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Waste plan for brine caverns 'not a threat'
CONSULTANTS are to carry out an environmental impact assessment into plans to dump hazardous waste in underground caverns in the North-East. Coastal Caverns UK want to use 15 brine caverns 1,000ft below ground at Seal Sands, Teesside, to store toxic waste
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Reiziger joins Boro
Netherlands right-back Michael Reiziger has completed his move to English League Cup holders Middlesbrough, the club announced. The defender signed a two-year contract with the option of a third year at the Riverside stadium. The defender signed a two-year
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Headteacher looks forward to appointment with the prince of wales
A headteacher of a high-performing village primary has been speaking of her delight at the prospect of meeting The Prince of Wales. Diane White has been invited to a reception at the home of Prince Charles, at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, to receive
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New ports operator ready for flotation
THE group controlling Tees and Hartlepool ports will float on the stock market after being sold for £172.5m. PD Ports Group will float on the Alternative Investment Market on Monday following its sale by Japanese owner Nikko Principal Investments Limited
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Commanding work inspires teenagers
A GROUP of North-East teenagers are set to wow audiences on the international stage. Youngsters from Greenfield School Community and Arts College in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, have helped to write, edit and star in a film based on the Ten Commandments
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Vandals' toxic attack leaves two volunteers sick
VANDALS have robbed a charity of a large amount of clothing by pouring an unknown toxic substance into a textile collection bank. Dozens of garments were ruined by the brown sticky liquid placed in the container in the main car park in Barnard Castle,
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No Job on Teesside for striker
JOSEPH-DESIRE JOB'S reluctance to sign a new contract could well have brought an end to his Middlesbrough career. The African striker officially became a free agent last Thursday after his four-year deal at Boro expired. Job had recently suggested he
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Eating Owt
LAST Wednesday marked the 145th anniversary of Blondin crossing the Niagara Falls on a tightrope, the 110th anniversary of the opening of Tower Bridge and the 68th of the publication of Gone With the Wind. Lena Horne, sometime sultry singer, was 87, M
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Attraction aims for ninth win
ALL eyes will be on Mark Johnston's dual Classic winner Attraction (2.55) at Newmarket today, although the Middleham trainer has admitted he hopes the rain stays away. "We would like to see the ground dry out, we don't want to see any hint of soft," said
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Appleby trains with Quakers
FORMER Darlington favourite Matty Appleby is training with the club with a view to a possible return to the North-East. The Oldham defender has been given permission by Latics boss Brian Talbot to link up with Quakers, seven years after leaving Feethams
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Emma joins TFM's drive-time team
A new voice will be heard across the North-East airwaves soon when EMMA SIMMONS joins the presenting team at 96.6tfm. She joins from Century North West where she has been co-hosting a late night show with TV's Andy Crane. Miss Simmons is a well-known
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Cabbies seek legal advice as licence wrangle continues
DURHAM City Council has halted its plans to issue nine new taxi licences after cabbies secured legal advice. The move follows a drivers' lightning strike over a week ago which left the city without cabs on a busy Thursday night. Drivers were reacting
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Bungee fun at pub to boost charities
A PUB is appealing for people with a sense of adventure to help it raise money for cancer charities. The Brown Trout, Sunnybrow, near Willington, County Durham, is to launch a month of fundraising activities to boost funds for the Butterwick Hospice at
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Rising sales lead to recruitment drive
A FAMILY-owned water cooler business is increasing its workforce by half following an increase in international sales. Ebac, in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, manufactures bottled water coolers and humidifiers. In the face of a national trend of manufacturing
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Smacking: MPs will fight for total ban
A bid to outlaw smacking was defeated last night when Lords opted for a compromise allowing parents to use ''mild'' punishment. The move will make it a criminal offence to cause bruises, reddening of the skin or mental harm in England and Wales. Campaigners
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Injury cost Rooney top man honour
Wayne Rooney would have been the front-runner for Euro 2004's player of the tournament had he not been injured, according to Gerard Houllier, the former Liverpool manager who is now a UEFA technical expert. Everton's teenage striker was one of four England
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Cueing up to listen to first lady of snooker
She was the first woman to pot black in the male redoubt that was Byker St Peter's Social Club or beneath the Victorian chandeliers of the sumptuous snooker palace in Nairobi. "Good God," observed a watching expat, "it's the end of the British Empire.
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Thief who prayed on elderly jailed
A thief who preyed on elderly people by tricking his way into their homes to steal valuables has been jailed for four years. Shaun Hogg pretended to be selling cigarettes and alcohol when they opened the door but let himself in uninvited before making
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Ron takes a seat at furniture retailer
ScS Upholstery, based in Sunderland, has appointed RON TURNBULL finance director. He succeeds Sacha Beere, who has been appointed operations director. Mr Turnbull, 47, from Fencehouses, in County Durham, joins ScS from his role as chief operating officer
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Anger over 'surprise' £14m road plan
A NORTH-EAST council says it was not consulted about £14m plans for a relief road. Durham City Council says Durham County Council's announcement last week, that it is looking at a route from the A690 to Aykley Heads in a bid to cut congestion, came out
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Attraction aims for ninth win
ALL eyes will be on Mark Johnston's dual Classic winner Attraction (2.55) at Newmarket today, although the Middleham trainer has admitted he hopes the rain stays away. "We would like to see the ground dry out, we don't want to see any hint of soft," said
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Play facilities meeting invite
RESIDENTS are invited to a public meeting to discuss the possibility of developing improved play facilities in the heart of a large housing estate. It is hoped that the meeting, at Newton Hall, Durham, will lead to the formation of a management steering
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Appeal to save three Post Office branches
EAST Durham councillors have urged Post Office bosses to reconsider their plans to close three branches in Seaham and Horden. Members of Easington District Council's service delivery scrutiny committee have met representatives from the Post Office to
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Everything's rosy in garden designed by the children
YOUNGSTERS at a Hartlepool school have been working hard, helping to design a community garden. Pupils at Springwell School each drew up a plan for a young people's section within a community garden to be developed on an allotment site in the Dyke House
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Speed sign design winners rewarded
THERE was no mistaking the enthusiasm when youngsters were asked to come up with new road safety signs to be positioned near their school. All the pupils at Wavell infant and junior schools, Catterick Garrison, decided to enter the competition - making
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Police officers' concern over crime-handling experiment
A POLICE force branded one of the worst in the country is heading for fresh controversy, it was claimed last night. Serving officers have told The Northern Echo that a new way of dealing with crime will leave Cleveland Police with plummeting burglary
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Calls for curfew to keep estate children in check
YOUNGSTERS on a Middlesbrough estate could be subject to a summer-long curfew to curb anti-social behaviour. Gresham Community Council is leading the call for the 9pm deadline for under-16s to be off the streets. At its meeting on Thursday, the community
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Heritage groups object to Victorian farm homes plan
CONSERVATIONISTS are calling for plans to turn Victorian farm buildings into residential homes to be sent back to the drawing board. Developer Southlands Management Ltd wants to convert outbuildings at Home Farm, a working dairy and arable farm, near
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Milner can only get better at St James'
JAMES Milner last night insisted that his move to Newcastle United would make him "a better player". Milner met his new teammates for the first time yesterday as the Magpies returned to pre-season training ahead of this month's tour of Thailand and Hong
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Row as coroner keeps his job
A CORONER whose backlog of unfinished inquests sparked a judicial review has been allowed to keep his job. But critics last night renewed their calls for Michael Sheffield to resign from the post he has held for more than 30 years. Teesside coroner Mr
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Pay dispute threatens holiday flights chaos
HOLIDAYMAKERS faced a summer of misery last night after airport baggage handlers voted to take industrial action. Members of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) employed by services group Aviance overwhelmingly backed walkouts in protest at
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'We're women, not bloody aliens'
Society may be more tolerant of sdame sex releationships, but there is still a lot of prejudice. Women's Editor Christen Pears talks to a lesbian couple who were forced out of their home. LIKE anyone who's just moved house, Michelle and Katie are full
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Nose to the grindstone
While it may do a raoaring trade, there's room for improvement at the Old Mill, Tursdale. LAST Wednesday marked the 145th anniversary of Blondin crossing the Niagara Falls on a tightrope, the 110th anniversary of the opening of Tower Bridge and the 68th
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Durham to face Hooper in comeback
CARL Hooper will make his Lancashire comeback in Friday's Twenty20 Cup tie against Durham at Riverside. Championship favourites at the start of the season, the Red Rose men have lost eight of their last ten games in all competitions after a debilitating
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Professor swaps industry for academia
PROFESSOR Christopher Snowden has resigned as a director of Filtronic to take up an academic post. The chief executive officer of Filtronic's ICS division will become vice-chancellor and chief executive of the University of Surrey in July next year. Prof
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Whitehead sets out ambition
DEAN Whitehead will kick off pre-season training today after spelling out his desire to win a place in the Sunderland first team. The 22-year-old will join up with his new teammates for the first time since moving from Coca-Cola League Two side Oxford
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Grant to keep youth travel service on road
YOUNG people in two villages can access more fun by the pound, thanks to a new bus service. The Activities Bus has been running as a ten-month pilot in Thornley and Wheatley Hill. The minibus service can take up to 14 youngsters to a destination of their
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Bravery at car crash honoured
THE brave response of two former servicemen on passing an accident scene earned them £500 each yesterday. Taxi driver Nick Worthington, 32, and probation officer Jim Brightwell, 37, came upon a burning car last October. They pulled up at the scene, in
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05/07/04
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: I WAS extremely disappointed to read the article "Mental patients danger warning" (Echo, Jul 1) concerning our psychiatric intensive care unit in Durham. I was appalled by the sensationalist language used, which served only to
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Smacking debate difficult - Blair
Prime Minister Tony Blair today said he understood why parents would want to smack "really naughty" children. But he said he felt "a bit different now", referring to his son Leo, aged four, and called for a "dose of common sense" in the debate. His comments
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'From this little place in Sunderland, we are trying to change the world'
'UNLOCK the right-hand side of your brain," says Nick Devitt, of the Big Ideas centre, in Sunderland. It sounds like some new positive-thinking fad, but what he says makes perfect scientific sense. In 1981, Nobel Prize winner Roger Sperry discovered that
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Champion sheep breeder dies
Champion sheep breeder Joe Brown, known all over the North-East as one of farming's great characters, has died at the age of 75. He was so keen on his flock that though disabled in his last months, he bought an electric buggy so he could drive round fields
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Appeal to save three Post Office branches
EAST Durham councillors have urged Post Office bosses to reconsider their plans to close three branches in Seaham and Horden. Members of Easington District Council's service delivery scrutiny committee have met representatives from the Post Office to
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Move to help elderly avoid falls at home
HEALTH and social care officials in Darlington have joined forces to cut the number of falls among the town's elderly population. Darlington Primary Care Trust is working with the borough council, warden services, carers and residential and nursing homes
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Smacking: MPs will fight for total ban
A bid to outlaw smacking was defeated last night when the Lords opted for a compromise allowing parents to use ''mild'' punishment. The move will make it a criminal offence to cause bruises, reddening of the skin or mental harm in England and Wales. Campaigners
