Archive
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Call to put railway safety on curriculum
A COUNCILLOR is calling for railway safety to feature more prominently in Darlington schools. After working with British Rail for 20 years, Darlington borough councillor Lee Vasey knows the dangers of children playing on railway lines. She remembers the
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Safety carousel to quiz children on safety fears
PRIMARY school children are being quizzed on safety and given advice at an event designed to protect them at home and in their neighbourhoods. More than 1,300 year six pupils from 36 schools in Sedgefield borough will attend the safety carousel that finishes
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Council cabinet reshuffle agreed
A CABINET reshuffle has been agreed at Darlington Borough Council, following the creation of a children's department. The setting up of a children's services unit has resulted in the creation of new portfolios. Councillor Chris McEwan becomes the authority's
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Cub pack receives environment award
A CUB pack that has been working hard to protect the environment has had its efforts rewarded by Darlington Borough Council. The dedicated members of Heighington Baden-Powell Wolf Cubs, in the village near Darlington, have been presented with an Environmental
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Budget airline sees an increase in passenger numbers
BUDGET airline easyJet carried 2.4 million passengers last month as it benefited from new routes and extra demand during the school holidays. The figure represented a 25 per cent increase on the same month last year, when the half-term break fell in November
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Car boot sale trader in court
A WOMAN who sold counterfeit DVDs and CDs at the Redcar Racecourse car boot sale has been given an 18-month community rehabilitation order by Teesside magistrates. Carol Ann Oliver, of St Ann's Terrace, Portrack, Stockton, admitted six charges. She also
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Experts predict a rise in number of bankruptcies
INSOLVENCY experts in the region have warned that high levels of bankruptcy are likely to increase, with Christmas spending leading consumers into financial difficulties. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) figures released yesterday showed a surge
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£250,000 grant to fit smoke alarms
A SCHEME to reduce house fires on Teesside is to receive £250,000 from the Government. The funding will provide free smoke alarms for residents. Cleveland Fire Brigade will receive £45,932 a year from the Government, for the next three years, and a final
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You are never too old to e-learn
ANYONE who believes the world of new technology is the preserve of the young hasn't met Bill Callen and his family. The 84-year-old uses computers regularly to e-mail his brother, Harold, 86, who lives in Canada, and sister, Margaret, 82, in Belfast.
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The good taste test
STARTING off a new food programme series with a test tasting of expensive Civet coffee, which uses beans that have passed through an Indonesian cat, was the kind of shock tactic TV that is becoming the norm. Full On Food (BBC2, Wednesday) is already being
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Marine takes on challenge in US
A Royal Marine Commando is undergoing challenging training in the US. Stuart Morris, originally from Chester-le-Street, is a member of X-Company, 45 Commando Group Royal Marines. He has recently returned from a six-month tour of Northern Ireland but is
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Quest turns into tribute to war heroes
A TEACHER'S quest to find out more information on the role her uncles played in the First World War has turned into a tribute to the casualties suffered by an entire community. Kathleen Anderson, of Seaham, east Durham, began researching what happened
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Proposal to rebuild block at youngsters' activity centre
Plans have been submitted to redevelop a countryside haven for youngsters. The Carlton Outdoor Education Centre, at Carlton-in-Cleveland, in the North York Moors National Park, has been operating for 70 years. Schoolchildren from across Teesside stay
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Theatre's reprieve as plans scrapped
CONTROVERSIAL plans to regenerate a North-East town centre -resulting in the loss of a leisure complex and theatre - have been withdrawn. Uncertainty hangs over the future of leisure, community and shopping facilities in Billingham, Teesside, after a
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Company under fire over rise in hedgehog deaths
FAST food company McDonald's has responded to criticism of its McFlurry cartons after a North hedgehog sanctuary said they were leading to deaths. Lynne Appleby has cared for 1,500 hedgehogs since opening Hog Haven in 1989 in Redcar, east Cleveland. She
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Grieving families condemn Iraq war
RELATIVES of Black Watch soldiers killed in a suicide attack in Iraq's so-called Triangle of Death yesterday condemned the decision to go to war. Private Paul Lowe, 19, Sergeant Stuart Gray, 31, and Private Scott McArdle, 22, all from Fife, died in the
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Successful anti-crime panel to disband
A VOLUNTARY group which helped turn a rural area into one of the safest places in the country is to disband. Teesdale Crime Prevention Panel, in County Durham, is to close after members agreed it had been superceded by a number of different groups and
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Hodgson lists seven as he fights to keep Clyde
ON the day David Hodgson issued his squad with a ruthless ultimatum, the Darlington manager was last night preparing for a fight to hold on to star striker Clyde Wijnhard. Hodgson has told a third of his squad, who are out of contract in the summer, that
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Dance steps behind the camera
A chance reading of a short story on a film set led actor Charles Dance to make his debut as a writer and director. He tells Steve Pratt about Ladies in Lavender and two great Dames. It was a starry, starry night in Sicily. The film was being shown outdoors
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Fit-again Ross can see wider picture at Pool
IT'S taken three months and 20 games, but Jack Ross may finally be able to line up in his preferred position today. Ross moved to Hartlepool United during the summer from Clyde as a midfielder. To date, all his appearances - and there have only been eight
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Husband's frantic attempt to save wife
A HUSBAND almost drowned trying to rescue his wife when she was swept out to sea and drowned while on holiday in Greece. Bill Huntington swam out to save his wife, Susan, when she got into difficulty on the island of Peloponnese. Without any visable warning
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Rail chaos after wagon derails on main route
PASSENGERS faced chaos yesterday after a derailment on one of the country's busiest rail routes. Thousands of passengers faced severe delays after the early-morning derailment of a freight wagon on the East Coast Main Line, and the misery is likely to
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No Sunderland sparkle, as Millwall are too Wise
WITH explosions filling the London sky, it was somehow fitting that Fireworks Night should see Sunderland's six-game unbeaten run go up in smoke. First-half goals from Dennis Wise and David Livermore ensured the Black Cats would suffer only their second
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A clear call for change
AS the dust settles on the North-East's resounding rejection of a regional assembly, minds have begun to focus on where the region goes from here. The debate has exposed a consensus that change is essential, even if it is not to be achieved through an
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Labour treasurer fleeced branch account
A FORMER Labour Party branch treasurer has been jailed for six months for stealing more than £9,000 from the organisation's account. Paul Murphy, 38, lined his own pocket with party funds for two years by taking money out of a cash machine and using a
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'Why Kim could be me'
Miss Saigon has been an emotional rollercoaster, both on and off stage, for Miriam Valmores-Marasigan, who shares the starring role of Kim. She tells Viv Hardwick how ten years with the multi-million pound show almost cost her personal happiness. Miriam
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Rail chaos after wagon derails on main route
PASSENGERS faced chaos yesterday after a derailment on one of the country's busiest rail routes. Thousands of passengers faced severe delays after the early-morning derailment of a freight wagon on the East Coast Main Line, and the misery is likely to
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Ross now seeing the wider picture
IT'S taken three months and 20 games, but Jack Ross may finally be able to line up in his preferred position today. Ross moved to Hartlepool United during the summer from Clyde as a midfielder. To date, all his appearances - and there have only been eight
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Matches made in heaven for the fans
With crowds down, incidents of violence in the stadiums and on the pitch seemingly on the rise, and players hitting the headlines on the front pages as much as the back, is the Premiership losing its lustre? Scott Wilson and Adam Murray argue for and
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Bellamy is driven on by the fear of rejection
CRAIG Bellamy has admitted that the fear of being dropped is driving him on at Newcastle United, and helping him adapt to his new role in attack. With the January transfer window less than two months away, the speedy frontman is well aware that the pressure
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Carer is jailed for theft of £5,000
A TRUSTED carer was yesterday jailed for a year for stealing the savings of a blind woman she looked after twice a week. Mother-of-two Julie Wilkinson regularly helped herself to sums of £200 from the savings account into which the 76-year-old victim
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District councils will not be scrapped, despite county vote
LOCAL Government Minister Nick Raynsford yesterday ruled out the abolition of district councils in County Durham in the wake of the No vote. Within minutes of the announcement in the early hours of yesterday - in which the North-East electorate voted
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Carer is jailed for theft of £5,000
A TRUSTED carer was yesterday jailed for a year for stealing the savings of a blind woman she looked after twice a week. Mother-of-two Julie Wilkinson regularly helped herself to sums of £200 from the savings account into which the 76-year-old victim
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Windfarm rejected over air safety fear
COUNCILLORS have Vvoted overwhelmingly to reject plans for an eight-turbine windfarm that brought objections from an international airport. The vote, by members of Harrogate Borough Council, means the National Wind Power application, for a site by the
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Initiatives to stop domestic violence show early results
The number of reported incidents of domestic violence in Darlington is falling, while the support given to victims, their children and the perpetrators is improving. Kate Bowman reports IN the past two months the number of reported incidents of domestic
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Double Honour has style to take Trophy
DOUBLE HONOUR'S keen style suggests he could be the one to take the money in the big jumps race of the day, the £80,000 Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton. The Philip Hobbs-trained grey is not only extremely nimble at his obstacles, but also likes to take
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06/11/04
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY: The No vote in the North-East referendum was prompted by Labour's half-baked ideas on devolution. With so few powers promised, this was not a true test of the region's desire to take power from London. Labour further alienated many
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Factory output growth rate falls
FACTORY output grew by only 0.1 per cent between August and September, raising fresh fears about the state of the manufacturing sector. The rate was lower than the 0.4 per cent expected by analysts, who said it made pretty grim reading for the industrial
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Watchdog gives go-ahead for takeover
THE City watchdog yesterday approved the £9bn takeover of Abbey National by Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it had no objections to the takeover following an examination lasting more than a month. The
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Physio trio start new jobs
THREE physiotherapists from India have started their new jobs in the North-East. Jais Matthews, Pradeep Nair and Santosh Ayiroo-kuzhi are working in the medical and respiratory wards at the University Hospital of North Durham and at Durham Community Hospital
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Metro service suspended
SERVICES on the Tyne and Wear Metro rail network will be suspended in the Sunderland area all day tomorrow. No Metro and Arriva train services will operate between Pelaw and South Hylton stations, to allow track renewal work to take place. Replacement
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Chapel still unsold
A DILAPIDATED Victorian chapel in the centre of a Teesdale village is still on the market. The Primitive Methodist Chapel at Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, went on sale earlier this year, but recently the estate agent's sign was replaced with one indicating
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Initiatives to stop domestic violence show early results
The number of reported incidents of domestic violence in Darlington is falling, while the support given to victims, their children and the perpetrators is improving. Kate Bowman reports IN the past two months the number of reported incidents of domestic
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Enthusiasts' railway dream built under their own steam
Three decades ago, a dozen enthusiasts moved on to an old colliery site, with a vague idea of using it to store their growing collection of North-East steam engines. Today, it boasts a healthy membership and is visited by tens of thousands of people a
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Heroin addict jailed after crime spree
A HOMELESS heroin addict went on a crime spree in a bid to feed his drug habit. Richard Quarmby, 24, was yesterday jailed for 18 months at Durham Crown Court . In a few days in August, he carried out a house burglary in Seaham, snatched a purse, stole
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'Moving bus stop not safe option'
A PROPOSAL to relocate a bus stop on a busy Hartlepool road would be detrimental to safety, a council report has said. Before traffic signals were installed at the junction of Winterbottom Avenue and Warren Road, residents were consulted about the possible
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Plan to update outdoor centre
A COUNTRYSIDE haven for youngsters may be redeveloped to provide more exciting activities. Carlton Outdoor Education Centre, at Carlton-in-Cleveland in the North York Moors National Park, has been operating for 70 years. Schoolchildren from across Teesside
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Six of the best named as district celebrates its food and drink
THE owners of six food businesses are celebrating after being the declared the winners of a new awards scheme. More than 1,200 businesses were nominated for the Flavours of Hambleton awards, which were set up this year by the district council. They were
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Villagers achieve their goal after five-year campaign
A VILLAGE'S four-year fight for better sports facilities has ended in success. Residents of Barton, near Richmond, have raised nearly £60,000 to build a football pitch. But Trevor Frankland, who ran the fundraising campaign, said getting the cash had
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Second World War hero gets regimental fanfare for 90th birthday
A WAR hero who received the nation's highest bravery award celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday. Captain Richard Annand, who served in the Durham Light Infantry, was the first man to receive the Victoria Cross in the Second World War, for rescuing his
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FA 'leniency' over Mutu sending out the wrong message
THE Football Association's decision to ban Adrian Mutu for seven months and hand him a £20,000 fine not only sends out the wrong message to youngsters looking to emulate their heroes, but to other professional footballers too. Mutu recently had his contract
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Funding will help flowerbeds to bloom again
A DASH of colour will return to a corner of Durham City thanks to a grant. Flowerbeds outside St Margaret's Church, in Crossgate, have been left unplanted for some time due to safety concerns. However, new railings are now being installed and the beds
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Wembley row intensifies as £21m court claim launched
THE multi-million pound feud between engineering company Cleveland Bridge and its former bosses on the Wembley Stadium project intensified last night. The North-East company went to the Court of Technology and Construction, part of the High Court, to
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Ask more questions
COMMUNITY pharmacists and GPs in north Durham are urging residents to ask about medicines. A week-long campaign ending today in Derwentside has been encouraging patients and carers to consider different treatments. According to the Derwentside Primary
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Hats off to ladies' festive fundraiser
CHRISTMAS came early to a corner of Teesside yesterday. About 240 women from across the area attended a fundraising event at the Swallow Hotel, Stockton, in aid of the Teesside Hospice. There were festive theme stalls, Yuletide hints and tips and demonstrations
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Campaignto stop rural speeders
POLICE are launching a campaign to clamp down on speeding motorists in the county's hundreds of miles of lanes. Inspector Neil Burnett said there was increasing concern about the roads being used as rat-runs by people getting to work and trying to avoid
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Zenden warns Downing of the dangers ahead
MIDWEEK match-winner Bolo Zenden has warned Middlesbrough team-mate Stewart Downing that he will become a marked man if he continues to produce the kind of dominant displays that put Lazio to the sword on Thursday. Zenden scored twice as Boro beat their
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No spark as Black Cats go down
WITH explosions filling the London sky, it was somehow fitting that Fireworks Night should see Sunderland's six-game unbeaten run go up in smoke. First-half goals from Dennis Wise and David Livermore ensured the Black Cats would suffer only their second
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Armstrong satisfied with life
Alun Armstrong may have had few takers in the transfer shop window, but the Darlington striker insists he is just happy to be playing regular first-team football again. Armstrong joined Quakers on a free transfer in September after being released by Ipswich
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Telecoms groups to update the market
Telecoms groups BT and Cable and Wireless are among the stocks issuing trading updates next week. Analysts will want assurances on the outlook for oil, pricing, cost reductions and passenger traffic when examining the British Airways results on Monday
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Perfect? Well at least lovely
It may not be England's finest but the village of Romaldkirk has plenty to recommend it - not least its lovely church. Beneath the heading "Is this the perfect village?", Country Life magazine carries a full page piece by the Duchess of Devonshire (no
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Private equity group buys GB holiday parks
A CARAVAN park operator that owns six sites in the North-East was under new ownership yesterday following a £105m deal that will expand its network of coastal sites. GB Holiday Parks was bought by private equity group ABN Amro from Royal Bank of Scotland's
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Why we have to strive for change
After the region's overwhelming No vote on a regional assembly, Neil Hunter looks at the areas where the North still needs special consideration. The economy Campaigners for a regional assembly claimed one of the most important benefits would be a better
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Hodgson lists seven as he fights to keep Clyde
ON the day David Hodgson issued his squad with a ruthless ultimatum, the Darlington manager was last night preparing for a fight to hold on to star striker Clyde Wijnhard. Hodgson has told a third of his squad, who are out of contract in the summer, that
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The good taste test
STARTING off a new food programme series with a test tasting of expensive Civet coffee, which uses beans that have passed through an Indonesian cat, was the kind of shock tactic TV that is becoming the norm. Full On Food (BBC2, Wednesday) is already being
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We must unite to fight for a fair deal
LEADING figures in North-East politics and business yesterday issued a rallying call for action to deal with the region's continuing economic ills in the wake of the dramatic rejection of a directly-elected assembly. Within hours of voters delivering
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Arrests in raids for banned weapons
THREE men from the region have been arrested as part of a nationwide operation to stop people buying and selling banned weapons over the Internet. North Yorkshire Police's Firearms Support Unit carried out three raids as part of Operation Bembridge. A
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Culture shock
The BBC's new hour-long culture fix, The Culture Show, which begins next week, will cover everything from architecture to computer games. But, in trying to please everybody, will it succeed in pleasing nobody? What have a musician, conductor, playwright
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Boro search for UEFA hangover cure
Steve McClaren is demanding the right response when his UEFA Cup heroes resume Premiership service against Bolton Wanderers tomorrow. The Middlesbrough manager will need no reminding that his charges have failed to win in the three Premiership games which
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Let's learn from this, McCarthy
MICK McCarthy last night insisted that his youngsters would learn a valuable lesson from the manner of last night's 2-0 defeat at Millwall. Sunderland saw their chance of going second in the league disappear at the New Den as Millwall tasted victory over
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Hear All Sides
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY THE No vote in the North-East referendum was prompted by Labour's half-baked ideas on devolution. With so few powers promised, this was not a true test of the region's desire to take power from London. Labour further alienated many core
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Injury gives Shaw time to think
AS former England A player Martin Shaw joins Darlington Mowden Park's lengthy casualty list he is pondering what to do with the rest of his life after nine years as a professional rugby player. Still only 29, he might have had the option to play Rugby
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Union's anger at slur on shipyard
A UNION leader has challenged a Tory MP to visit a North-East shipyard after he claimed workers there lacked the skills to carry out a major Ministry of Defence contract. MP Peter Viggers sparked fury by suggesting shipyard Swan Hunter was only being
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Berlin - and Beckham
A city rich in history with a reputation as a party capital Berlin has a lot to offer, as Liz Lamb discovers. You need stamina to spend a weekend in Berlin. As a committed party girl, I was determined to make the most of the city's liberal licensing laws
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We must unite to fight for a fair deal
LEADING figures in North-East politics and business yesterday issued a rallying call for action to deal with the region's continuing economic ills in the wake of the dramatic rejection of a directly-elected assembly. Within hours of voters delivering
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Date
Culture shock
The BBC's new hour-long culture fix, The Culture Show, which begins next week, will cover everything from architecture to computer games. But, in trying to please everybody, will it succeed in pleasing nobody? What have a musician, conductor, playwright
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Date
Bellamy is driven on by the fear of rejection
CRAIG Bellamy has admitted that the fear of being dropped is driving him on at Newcastle United, and helping him adapt to his new role in attack. With the January transfer window less than two months away, the speedy frontman is well aware that the pressure
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Date
Zenden warns Downing of the dangers ahead
MIDWEEK match-winner Bolo Zenden has warned Middlesbrough team-mate Stewart Downing that he will become a marked man if he continues to produce the kind of dominant displays that put Lazio to the sword on Thursday. Zenden scored twice as Boro beat their
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'No' campaigners get message across
After a large turn-out to vote and an emphatic victory for the No campaign, Chris Lloyd looks at the reasons behind the rejection. When the result came, moments after 1am yesterday, it was staggering in its size. Although all but the most convinced of
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Civil servants hold strike over cuts plan
CIVIL servants held their biggest strike for a decade yesterday in a row over plans to cut 100,000 jobs. The action forced the closure of museums and disrupted driving tests, jobcentres, benefit offices and Customs channels throughout the country. Picket
