Archive
-
Date
Convention told of MS and vitamin D link
HUNDREDS of people attending a major convention in the region this weekend will be told that scientists are closing in on the links between a lack of vitamin D and multiple sclerosis. Professor George Ebers, head of clinical neurology at Oxford
-
Date
Durham v Lancashire (3rd day, tea)
STEVE Harmison’s first five-wicket haul of the season allowed Durham to beat Lancashire by 138 runs after bowling them out for 135. As he builds up gradually in the hope of featuring in the Ashes, Harmison took the first four wickets before
-
Date
Summer garden party
A garden party took place this afternoon to raise money for a local church. More than 600 people attended Elm Ridge Methodist Church’s annual summer event to raise funds and to enjoy the sun in the grounds at Carmel Road South. Face
-
Date
FA Cup Final
The season’s final piece of silverware was up for grabs at Wembley. Chelsea and Everton squared off against each other to see who would win the FA Cup, the oldest and most prestigious cup competition in football. Both teams had enjoyed contrasting seasons
-
Date
Jail for cocaine dealer
POLICE found cocaine and cannabis concealed in plastic bags in an alleyway behind the home of a drug dealer, a court heard. They also discovered scales containing traces of cocaine at the home of Anthony Maddison in Wilson Street, Guisborough
-
Date
Murray storms into Queen's final
ANDY Murray reached the final of AEGON Championships for the first time in his career after a one-sided victory over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero at Queen's. It took Murray, bidding to become the first British winner of the tournament since
-
Date
Third person charged over bail hostel stab death
A THIRD person has been charged with the murder of a man who was found with stab wounds behind a bail hostel. Leanne Steanson, 24, appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court this morning charged with murdering Mark Bradshaw. He was discovered in
-
Date
Durham Diary
SOME senior Durham players think they should consider signing Andrew Symonds, the controversial but hugely talented Australian. Unsurprisingly, coach Geoff Cook won’t hear of it, fearing that the hard-drinking, dreadlocked Symonds might be
-
Date
Police search for passenger of crashed car
POLICE are still searching for the passenger of a car which mounted a pavement an ended up on its roof. Police have arrested the driver of the car who was taken to hospital following the incident on a busy Darlington street. However,
-
Date
Diversity in TV’s world of talent
Viv Hardwick talks to George Sampson about Britain’s Got Talent’s tour to Newcastle. "IT’S incredible this year, the dance groups are amazing and the solo acts are stunning as well,” says last year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner, George Sampson
-
Date
Jaleo, The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond
ANY flamenco virgins who were in the audience for Jaleo’s performance in the Georgian Theatre Royal, in Richmond, on Thursday, certainly got their money’s worth. A small, but hugely impressive, company from Seville, Jaleo gave a full-on flamenco
-
Date
Oasis, The Stadium of Light, Sunderland
THE capacity crowd went wild when Oasis kicked off with Rock and Roll Star, and didn’t stop cheering as they tore through their back catalogue and slipped in a couple of new ones. It’s not that Oasis’ new songs are bad. They’re excellent. But
-
Date
Say cheese
John Hobbs bypasses the more obvious tourist destinations to find out why Somerset is a very special place. SUDDENLY, almost in the blink of an eye, you realise there is a lot more to Somerset than cheese and cider. Travelling along its highways
-
Date
‘I’m a real life Aladdin’
Chico time arrives at Darlington as the X Factor contestant plus veteran comics The Grumbleweeds talk to Viv Hardwick about launching the town’s annual panto. THOSE who suspect that Darlington Civic Theatre pantomine producers Qdos have rubbed one
-
Date
Paradise Moscow, Opera North, Theatre Royal, Newcastle
OPERA NORTH rounded off its 2009 season at Newcastle with this blockbusting musical comedy about people and their search for a dream home in Fifties Moscow. It may not sound too riveting, but Shostakovich’s forgotten opera, written in 1959,
-
Date
Lost Vegas
THE flashy, glitzy American gambling capital Las Vegas encourages people to let their hair down and do things they might regret in the morning. That’s certainly what happens on the screen, as surprise comedy hit The Hangover sees a bridegroom
-
Date
True faith?
The congregation gathered at 12th Century St Helen’s is pulling out all the mixture stops to mark its restoration. FOR reasons not wholly unconnected with the grab-agrandee laws of libel, it would be unwise to suggest that the Reverend Canon Robert
-
Date
MPs' expenses
TALK about robbing the rich to pay the poor. Here we have Robin Brown and his Merry MPs robbing us taxpayers left, right and centre of money which should have gone to our forces fighting foreign wars who need it for better equipment. MPs make
-
Date
Last chance
WHILE Gordon Brown is having his final drink in the Last Chance Saloon, may I suggest he has one last throw of the dice by doing the following: ● return the 10p tax band; ● make the gas companies drop their prices to a level that is acceptable
-
Date
Change the record
YOUR many columnists provide a wide range of articles and opinions that one may agree or disagree with. Peter Mullen (Echo, June 9), on the other hand, is allowed to repeat, and presumably get well paid for, the same, or almost the same article
-
Date
Charity bags
PLASTIC charity bags are being pushed through our letterboxes at an alarming rate. This serves no point at all and offers no help to each individual charity. A person has only so many clothes and other items to give away. I have no objection to
-
Date
Politics
I HEAR the sounds of Labour (old and new) sphincters tightening as the days pass. Labour’s new Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, is open to proportional representation, despite his previous leader reneging on a promise to the Liberal Democrats. Correspondent
-
Date
Free speech
SUBJECT to debate, Voltaire is believed to have once said: “I disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.” This is exactly how I feel about BNP leader Nick Griffin’s attempt to hold a press conference at Westminster
-
Date
Road signs
ON the A19 going north, three overhead road signs read Sunderland and Hartlepool. Surely these signs should read Hartlepool and Sunderland – in that order. Pity the stranger on this route trying to cross lanes for the sliproad to Hartlepool. These
-
Date
Fresh faces
I HOPE BBC1’s Question Time programme embraces the outcome of the recent European Parliament elections, and we see regular appearances from the Green Party, the BNP, the English Democrats and Ukip to challenge the complacency of the discredited
-
Date
Birdsong
I WAS amused to read columnist Harry Mead’s account of how his wife looks after the rooks in their garden (Echo, June 3). Our feathered friends are a delight at this time of year. When I was a boy in the Forties, the front of our house looked out
-
Date
Hospital praise
ON May 11, I was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees at Stockton. The following day, I had an emergency operation which saved my life. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved – the paramedics, the surgeons, what
-
Date
Party donation
RE correspondent AJ Cummings’ letter about me and in particular comments about a donation from Thompsons solicitors (HAS, May 29). Not for the first time, Mr Cummings is being a little selective in his comments. He knows that in the past I have
-
Date
Loyalty
I MUST admit never to having understood all the fuss about MPs’ expenses. Without condoning them, we have to accept such things happen, always have and always will, and the sums aren’t spectacular. What I can’t get over is the way leading Cabinet
-
Date
Rogue cyclists
I CONGRATULATE David Lacey (HAS, May 27) on his remarkably tolerant view about cyclists using footpaths which are not designated “shared use” for pedestrians and bikes and sympathise with him on his experience with the moron with the foul mouth
-
Date
Warney’s world title
‘SO FAR as public opinion can be gathered, the payment of these huge transfer fees are not approved,” wrote Harry Walker in 1922. “It is common talk that no player is worth £5,000 or £6,000, or even a much lesser sum.” Let alone £80,000,000. Harry
-
Date
Finding Eric
The seagulls come home to roost as Eric Cantona plays himself in a new movie. Steve Pratt goes Looking For Eric and finds a man prepared to laugh at himself. SOME people have it, some don’t. Eric Cantona very definitely has it – a presence, a magnetism
-
Date
We can’t let him down
NO one could argue with any justification that Mark Noel has not done his best to forge a life for himself following a devastating car crash which left him paralysed. He has battled valiantly to overcome numerous physical hurdles after breaking
-
Date
Villagers left Coundon their trophies
THE village of Coundon, it is soberly supposed, once had more pubs per head than anywhere else in the kingdom. After a couple, they insist that it used to be in the Guinness Book, After one or two more, they start naming them. The Lord Stanley,
-
Date
Shortlived tour for replacement Jones
WALES captain Ryan Jones has been ruled out of the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa – just one day after arriving. Jones has not satisfied the team medical staff that he is fully fit to play a part on the remainder of the tenmatch
-
Date
Captaincy icing on the cake for Vickery
PHIL Vickery believes the British and Irish Lions have reached ‘‘a very dangerous time’’ in their South Africa tour. Vickery, England’s 2007 World Cup final skipper, will captain the unbeaten Lions in today’s clash against Western Province at
-
Date
Pastures new for Johnson
MARTIN Johnson is braced for a step into the unknown when England attempt to complete a series victory over Argentina in Salta today. As a player, England’s decorated World Cup-winning captain tasted success in every major Test-playing nation
-
Date
Cry for help as F1’s civil war rages on
THE Formula One Teams’ Association yesterday called on the World Motor Sport Council and FIA Senate to intervene in the budget-cap row. The FIA’s announcement of the 2010 teams has, as expected, caused further uproar, notably Ferrari’s inclusion
-
Date
‘Ransom’ rejected
FORMULA One Teams’ Association vice-chairman John Howett insists the organisation are not holding the sport to ransom. Despite weeks of talks between FOTA and FIA president Max Mosley, no resolution has been found to the budget-cap row. The
-
Date
SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: Harry knows his home circuit well
The HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship comes to Croft Circuit near Darlington this weekend. Motorsport reporter Matt Westcott speaks to some of the event’s biggest names and looks ahead to some close fought tin top action. HARRY Vaulkhard still
-
Date
Pleasing from all Aspects
WILLIAM Haggas’ Triple Aspect was worn down close home by an improving sort last time but can gain more than adequate compensation in the Agfa Healthcare Scurry Stakes at Sandown. The Danetime colt is forced to give weight away to all his rivals
-
Date
Cestrians look to close 23-point at top of Premier League
Local leagues preview LONG unbeaten records are up for grabs today in the Dukes North-East Regional Premier League. Blaydon entertain South North in an encounter between two sides who have not been beaten in league matches since May 2008. The
-
Date
Boro near full strength with Siddiq signing
Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League DESPITE the fact that Middlesbrough enjoyed a slice of good fortune last week that allowed them to take over the leadership, their three closest challengers can still overhaul them if they pick up
-
Date
Brilliant Bravo
DWAYNE Bravo’s all-round brilliance helped West Indies pull off a shock win over India in the World Twenty20 at Lord’s. Bravo struck an adventurous half-century to guide the West Indians to a seven-wicket victory in the Super Eights clash which
-
Date
Return to the bad old days
IT WAS like the bad old days at Riverside yesterday as ball dominated bat to a ridiculous extent and 16 wickets fell in 65 overs before a semblance of sanity settled Durham’s nerves. After gaining a first-innings lead of 128, they were rocking
-
Date
Murali’s double strike helps crush Pakistan’s resistance
MUTTIAH Muralitharan struck twice in as many balls as Sri Lanka won a spin showdown against Pakistan at Lord’s. With the game in the balance, Muralitharan’s double strike in the 16th over of Pakistan’s chase was the turning point in a 19-run win
-
Date
Favourite tag means nothing yet claims Proteas coach
SOUTH Africa coach Mickey Arthur accepts his side must be doing something right to earn the tag of World Twenty20 favourites – but maintains no-one in the squad is getting swept away by the hype just yet. A seven-wicket mauling of hosts England
-
Date
Broad fails to impress
STUART Broad has been asked by the International Cricket Council not to repeat his attempt to distract the batsman during England’s crushing ICC World Twenty20 defeat against South Africa. Nottinghamshire seamer Broad stoked up a debate within
-
Date
Flower realistic about England’s T20 standing
ANDY Flower believes England’s crushing defeat by South Africa in the World Twenty20 tournament is an accurate reflection of where they stand among the world’s elite in that format. Sunday’s emphatic victory over Pakistan, which earned their
-
Date
Somerset suffer as Hoggard signals his return to top form
A STUNNING five-wicket haul from Matthew Hoggard ensured Yorkshire took a solid first-innings lead against Somerset at Headingley but the Tykes found themselves frustratingly incapable of forcing the issue to build a more sizeable advantage.
-
Date
Fergie cash boost
SIR Alex Ferguson will decide how much of the world record £80m transfer fee Manchester United are to receive for Cristiano Ronaldo he wants to spend. In the wake of United’s confirmation that a bid from Real Madrid for the Ballon D’Or winner
-
Date
Johnson staying at Boro
MIDDLESBROUGH are prepared to block Adam Johnson’s hopes of securing a transfer away from Teesside as they refuse to be considered a soft touch in the transfer market. The club have confirmed they’ve not received a bid for any of their players
-
Date
Maria reaches semis
MARIA Sharapova remained on course for a third grasscourt title at Edgbaston after the former Wimbledon champion moved into the semi-finals of the AEGON Classic. Sharapova started well against Belgian opponent Yanina Wickmayer but was forced
-
Date
United offered to tycoon
NEWCASTLE United officials attempted to sell the club to the Arab billionaire who is in the process of buying Portsmouth. Tycoon Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim has agreed a £150m deal to take over at Pompey and expressed interest in a buy-out at the Magpies
-
Date
Murray on course to be king of Queens
ANDY Murray insists his semi-final clash with former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero will be the acid test ahead of Wimbledon – and the British number one has vowed to pass with flying colours. The 22-year-old Dunblaneborn star breezed through
-
Date
Women’s football squad taking part in 10k race
PRE-SEASON training has begun early for the North-East’s top women footballers. Members of Sunderland Women’s Football Club are being put through their paces earlier than usual with a date on the city’s roads their first priority. The
-
Date
Girl endured four years of bullying by cruel stepdad
A BULLYING boyfriend who attacked his stepdaughter and subjected her to four years of cruelty has been jailed. Teesside Crown Court was told that Peter Jennison also encouraged the girl’s mother, Lucinda Smith, and other family members, to hit
-
Date
A stage star in waiting...
A WOMAN with no previous acting experience is living a real-life fairy story after being selected to join a professional theatre group when it travels to the Middle East. Allison McKay will play the role of a fairy in A Midsummernight’s Dream
-
Date
News in brief: Jobs blow for dairy workers
ALMOST 300 people were facing redundancy in the North-East last night after the last Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) dairy was forced to close. Although speculation was high that the base in Blaydon, North Tyneside could be saved, talks over a
-
Date
Chaos as swarm of bees land in street
THE sun shone on the vast majority of the region yesterday, but a swarm of bees turned the blue skies black above one North-East street. Residents of Tristram Avenue in the Brinkburn Road area of Darlington fled for the safety of their homes when
-
Date
Market report
A BROKER upgrade helped BT shares storm ahead yesterday, but the wider market failed to make headway in lacklustre trading. The FTSE 100 Index dipped 19.9 points to close at 4442, with little direction provided by a poor opening on Wall Street
-
Date
‘No U-turn over empty property rates legislation’
THE Government was last night accused that making money from hard-pressed businesses was its “priority” after revealing it had no plans to reinstate full relief from Empty Property Rates (EPR). Despite widespread calls for relief to be granted
-
Date
176th ‘Henley of the North’ under starter’s orders
RACES will begin this morning in the 176th Durham Regatta. Rowers will take to the River Wear, in Durham, from 8am, with races beginning every two minutes until early evening. The event will continue from 8am tomorrow, before a presentation in
-
Date
Web design agency hails apprentices initiative
A WEB design agency has begun the search for its next apprentice following the success of last year’s recruit. Sunderland-based Redup Digital Media appointed Ben Cooper last year and has been so impressed with his performance, it is looking to
-
Date
Thousands hit by suspected ‘sell and rent’ fraud
POLICE investigating an alleged sell and rent back scam which has hit 2,000 struggling families in the region suspect it could be the largest fraud of its kind. Northumbria Police are probing North East Property Buyers and Newcastle Home Loans
-
Date
New vehicles add drive to safety campaign
A FLEET of new incident support unit vehicles (ISUs) to deal with problems on one of the region’s busiest roads has been unveiled. The Highways Agency has invested in eight vehicles to patrol the A19 from Dishforth, North Yorkshire, and the Tyne
-
Date
MoD steps in to defuse row over bouncing bomb
DEFENCE chiefs have moved to prevent a battle over the prototype of a famous Second World War bomb. Sir Barnes Wallis’ bouncing bomb was used by the RAF to attack key enemy targets and was immortalised in the classic film The Dam Busters. The
-
Date
Extremist in court over ricin charge
A SUSPECTED white supremacist from the North-East has appeared in court charged with terror offences. Former lorry driver and pub DJ Ian Davison, 41, was arrested last week by police investigating alleged extreme right-wing activity.
-
Date
Cisse’s parting salvo
DJIBRIL CISSE has fired a vitriolic parting shot at Sunderland, believing they reneged on an agreement to offer him a permanent contract to remain at the club. And he dismissed any suggestion he was embroiled in an off-field feud with strike
-
Date
Cemeteries shortlisted for award
TWO Spennymoor cemeteries are in the running for the national Cemetery of the Year Awards. Spennymoor and Tudhoe cemeteries, operated by Spennymoor Town Council, are finalists in the five to 15 acres category. The Spennymoor sites are also both nominated
-
Date
Blackwell’s blast puts Durham in command
IAN Blackwell yesterday survived a roller-coaster day for Durham to leave them in the ascendancy against Lancashire and said: “We are feeling upbeat about our chances.” Durham led by 128 on first innings at Riverside after dismissing Lancashire
-
Date
Clinics organised as measles cases continue to climb
HEALTH officials have organised immunisation sessions at seven more primary schools to try to halt the worrying rise in measles cases. In the past week, the number of confirmed measles cases in the Hartlepool area jumped from 48 to 54 and the
-
Date
Likely Lad is honoured for screen roles
A POPULAR TV actor, best known for his starring role in the Sixties sitcom The Likely Lads, heads the North-East list in the Queen’s Birthday Honours Sunderland-born James Bolam has been awarded an MBE for his constant presence in TV comedy and
-
Date
Region’s roll of honour
County Durham OBE Anthony John Durcan. President, Society of Chief Librarians and head, Culture, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, Newcastle City Council. For services to local libraries. (Durham). Keith Fryer. Formerly head of Centre, Harperley
-
Date
Honoured by inclusion on Queen's birthday list
Animals’ best friend is made an MBE. AN animal lover who has taken in strays for more than 40 years said receiving an honour was an unexpected surprise. Veronica Broderick, 76, was nominated for an MBE for her services to rescuing abused
-
Date
Brave – but let down by system
Since being paralysed in a car crash, Mark Noel can only move his head and has to operate his wheelchair with his chin. And yet, in modern Britain, he is not a priority for a bathroom shower . . . EIGHTEEN months after surviving a devastating car
-
Date
United fans see red over hoax £150m takeover bid
AN audacious bid for beleaguered Newcastle United has turned out to be a hoax by a Sunderland fan. A press release and photographs were emailed out on Thursday evening, reputedly from a public relations agency, claiming that a selfmade entrepreneur
-
Date
Scooter stolen and destroyed
A PENSIONER was left stranded by heartless thieves who stole his mobility scooter before destroying it. The vehicle was stolen from outside the man’s home in Ferryhill on Wednesday night and later set alight and abandoned. It is thought the silver coloured
-
Date
UK ticket holder wins £25m on Euromillions lotto
SOMEONE in the UK has scooped almost £25m in the Euromillions Lottery draw, it emerged today. The lucky winner will receive £24,951,269.40, which is the third largest UK lottery jackpot. Another ticketholder in Ireland also won the same amount in last
