Archive
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Newcastle hand Van Aanholt immediate debut
PATRICK Van Aanholt has been handed an instant place in Newcastle United's starting line-up following his loan move from Chelsea. The young left-back replaces the injured Jose Enrique at left-back in the Magpies' team, while there is also a full debut
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Learn how to have a "Reel" good time
If you were embarrased by your Burns Night dancing attempts, or inflamed by the video of it appearing on You Tube, you have the chance to do something about it. Starting on February 18th, Scottish Country Dancing lessons are being held in Hutton
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Terry saves the day for Blair
I can't help wondering if Tony Blair has become a Chelsea fan overnight. He certainly owes John Terry a big thank you for saving him from a front page mauling in the national tabloids. The Sun, Mirror, Mail and Express have all led this
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Roast Beef Lunch
If you fancy a change from cooking your own Sunday dinner, you might like to buy a ticket for one at Barningham on 7th February. A roast beef lunch is on offer in the Village Hall, in aid of church funds. Included in the price are the main course
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Motorists urged to take care following overnight frost
POLICE have warned motorists to take care on the roads following an overnight frost. The warning comes after a series of weather-related accidents in the region. There were five seperate crashes on Bonemill Lane in Washington, Tyne and Wear, this morning
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Road and rail services disrupted at viaduct
ROAD and rail services in a busy city centre were brought to a standstill today while police dealt with a man on a railway viaduct. The incident happened in Durham City, where the man was seen on the wrong side of the railings at the railway viaduct.
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Johnson starts for Boro despite Man City bid
ADAM Johnson is included in Middlesbrough's starting line-up for this afternoon's Championship home game with Bristol City. The winger is the subject of a £5m bid from Manchester City, and his future remains in doubt ahead of Monday's transfer window
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Same again for Pools
IT was a case of same again for Hartlepool United as they looked to end their miserable away run of results at Norwich. Pools have lost their last six games on the road and, with only two wins in 12 overall, Chris Turner stuck with the same 16 on duty
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Darlington's match at Cheltenham called off due to frozen pitch
DARLINGTON'S League Two match at Cheltenham this afternoon has been postponed due to a frozen pich. The decision by referee Keith Stroud was made after three pitch inspections, at 9am, noon and 1pm. Following overnight temperatures of
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Arts academy students to perform at awards night
AN award winning arts group will be celebrating their achievements this week by performing at a youth ceremony. Cast from Darlington Arts Academy's spring production of The Wiz will perform at Darlington Civic Theatre on Tuesday as part of the Vibe Awards
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Fourteen receive Oxbridge offers
COLLEGE students have set a record for the number of offers for places at Oxford and Cambridge universities. Fourteen teenagers at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have been offered places at one of the two prestigious establishments
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Learning curve
Abigail Jackson goes back to school to learn some important skiing lessons. WHEN you get to a certain age, there are things in life you never expect you’ll be doing again. For me, at 27, going back to school was one of them. So imagine my
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Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (HeadLine Review £7.99)
STEPHANIE Plum belongs in the world of wackos, weirdoes and criminal loonies, but a sighting of the Jersey Devil knocks her out of her cool stride. This is another highly active, highly entertaining and spooked-out crime caper with winner stamped
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Flight of fancy
Catharine Hewitson nips over to Amsterdam for a short break. LAST month, my friend and I decided we needed a short break. We came up with the following destination wish-list: a European city with good food and drink, architecture and culture.
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On Monsters by Stephen T Asma (OUP £16.99)
MONSTERS of all shapes and sizes, real or imagined, literal or metaphorical and from all eras and cultures are put under the microscope in this all-embracing study. And so snakes, insects and demons mix freely with the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein
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When the Planet Rages by Charles Officer and Jake Page (OUP, £10.99)
WHEN it comes to destruction, natural disasters such as the earthquake – witness Haiti – volcanic eruption, hurricane and tsunami take some beating. Strangely, though, this does not make for real Doomsday reading despite the awe-inspiring avalanche
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The Welcome Visitor by John Humphrys and Dr Sarah Jarvis (Hodder and Stoughton £7.99)
BROADCASTER Humphrys and experienced GP Jarvis examine the issues of living well/dying well and the rights of people over the manner and timing of the death in age when more people than ever before are living longer than ever. We should
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Fun Inc.: Why Games Are The 21st Century’s Most Serious Business by Tom Chatfield (Virgin Books, £12.99)
A YOUNG and often misunderstood medium that has seen phenomenal and rapid growth, video gaming is now a huge industry. This book takes the reader through the birth of video games, looking at how society responded to the perceived dangers of such
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What Went Wrong, Gordon Brown?: How The Dream Job Turned Sour edited by Colin Hughes (Guardian Books)
IT IS hard to believe that less than two years ago, the “Brown bounce” propelled Labour to an election-winning lead. Days after entering Number 10, Gordon Brown was hailed for his hard work and seriousness, boosting his party’s fortunes in polls
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Puppet mastery
Viv Hardwick finds it’s well worth the battle to see a capital staging of a wartime drama. THE last of the Great War combatants is no longer with us, but the power of War Horse continues to pack in audiences like a trench before the big push
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Joined-up thinking
Churches get together – but their linked effort has a bit of trouble drawing stadium-sized crowds. A SUNLESS Sunday in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The pier, peerless, boasts that last year it was named Britain’s best. Heads down and hooded, promenaders
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Deja views
ANDREAS DEJA was an impressionable 11-year-old Polish boy growing up in Germany when he saw his first Walt Disney cartoon, The Jungle Book. To say that it made quite an impression on the youngster is an understatement. “My head was spinning
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Arise Sir Brian?
RE P Ainsley’s caustic comments about our local politician-celebrity, Durham County Council chairman Brian Myers (HAS, Jan 28), and the tremendous amount of time and effort he gives to his various causes. I, for one, would find it impossible
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Universal truth
RE your report, “Humans becoming invisible to aliens” (Echo, Jan 26). The first written reference to a UFO sighting is contained within Egyptian chronicles more than 3,000 years ago. Some mythological and religious texts contain references, which
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Assets ruling
HOW frustrating it must be for the men and women who are trying to protect us from terrorists. I refer to this week’s decision by the Supreme Court to quash measures to freeze the assets of suspects. By all means allow them the financial means
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Whippings
IT was reported in a daily newspaper recently that a Muslim girl in Saudi Arabia received 50 lashes for using her mobile phone in a public place. It was also reported that some young Muslim women had received up to 200 lashes because they had
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Market place
IT would appear that the 6,000-plus objectors to the conversion of Durham’s historic Market Place are suffering from the same problems that we had a few years ago in Darlington. Darlington Borough Council ignored a petition signed by at least
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Care home threat
ME and my wife are writing on behalf of my mother who now resides at Shafto House, Newton Aycliffe, one of the seven care homes under threat of closure by Durham County Council. My mother has made many new friends there and is happy. Our family
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Climate change
IT has come to light that some of the advice given to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been defective. Scientists have not maintained the standards we have a right to expect of them, and it has led to conclusions that have been
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Integration
BNP North Durham parliamentary candidate Pete Molloy states that parts of the country are being “ethnically cleansed of the indigenous population” (HAS, Jan 25). This is nonsense. While people of many different ethnic origins are well integrated
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Haiti: clothing donations
IT appears that my nearest collecting point for good, clean clothing for the people of Haiti is at Richmond, North Yorkshire, and that charity shops here in Darlington have not made any such arrangements. Some people may not be in a position to give
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Woman taken to hospital after house fire
A WOMAN is recovering in hospital this morning after she was rushed to hospital when fire ripped through the living room of her terraced house. Three fire crews were called to her home in Oliver Street, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough at 5.57am. Firefighters
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Tda pigeon just a flight of fancy?
AT the end of my talk in Tudhoe, County Durham, on Monday night, a man approached. “Do you know what Tda is famous for?” he asked. Well, obviously there was Christmas Eve 1944 when it became the most northerly place in Britain to be struck by a
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Taxi drivers rebel against fee changes
TAXI drivers are rebelling over plans to increase the fees they are charged for working in Darlington. Seventy-five drivers have sent a letter protesting over Darlington Borough Councils plans to raise operating fees. Under the proposals, operators
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Inside Tony’s mind
SIX intense hours failed to find either a smoking gun or a knight in shining armour. Without apology, a composed Tony Blair restated his unswervable belief that his was a just war well fought. Perhaps the only new aspect to emerge from yesterday
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A bit of argy-bhaji for ex-Darlington boss
AROUND here he’s remembered, a little inaccurately, as the last man to take Darlington into the Conference. Twenty years later, Dave Booth has just been named manager of the year – in India. There are ructions about that, too. Mumbai, his team
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Fledgling Falcons’ chance to fly high
STEVE BATES has challenged Newcastle Falcons’ young guns to fire themselves into the first-team picture when they get a rare chance to impress in tomorrow’s LV=Cup tie at Cardiff Blues. The game might be a dress rehearsal for April’s Amlin
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Winning start crucial for England, insists Monye
UGO MONYE has warned his England team-mates they must begin their RBS 6 Nations campaign with a win over Wales next week. England go into the competition on the back of a disappointing autumn Test series which saw the position of head coach
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Runners emerge from freeze
ATHLETES of all age groups and abilities will be out in force in the region this weekend after a month-long big freeze in which six major events were called off. The Start Fitness North- East Harrier League, which was forced to cancel its second
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Darlington blood Pugh and Oakley
DARLINGTON are finally able to hand debuts to former Mowden Park pair Andy Pugh and Chris Oakley against Durham City today. Registration delays meant the centre and second row respectively had to play in the seconds last week as the first team
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It’s a Triumph for Blue Nymph
BLUE NYMPH went into numerous Cheltenham portfolios as Doncaster served up an appetising hors d’oeuvre ahead of this weekend’s big meeting. Racing on Town Moor intensifies today, weather permitting, with the Sky Bet Chase spearheading an exceptional
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Tidal Bay bidding to secure World Hurdle chance
TIDAL Bay could earn himself a crack at the World Hurdle with a prominent showing in the Betfair Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham today. The 2008 Arkle hero was not disgraced in finishing second to Monet’s Garden on his first outing of the campaign
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Saturdy Spotlight: Jackson sets her sights on yet more medal glory
Jo Jackson enjoyed a tremendous 2009, outshining Britain’s golden girl Rebecca Adlington by collecting three medals at the World Championships, and now she is aiming to continue her success in 2010. Northern Echo Sport spoke to the Richmond swimmer
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Carruthers must improve to secure Chase honours
CARRUTHERS would be a popular winner of Cheltenham’s newly-named Argento Chase for trainer Mark Bradstock and owner Lord Oaksey today. The seven-year-old tried his best to notch an all-theway victory in last year’s RSA Chase at the track but
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Button adamant he has nothing to prove
JENSON Button may have joined McLaren for the challenge but he is adamant he no longer has anything to prove to anyone, not even to himself. For the first time in his career, Button starts the season with the coveted number one on his car, the
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‘Embarrassed’ Whelan refuses to call it a day
INJURY-HIT Noel Whelan has vowed to battle back from the hamstring hell which has blighted his return to football with Darlington. He hopes to return in a month to boost Quakers’ fight against relegation. Which is what Whelan believed he was
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Richardson helps keep Staunton out of trouble
STEVE STAUNTON has his assistant manager to thank for ensuring his touchline tirades haven’t resulted in him being sent to the stands this season. If any Darlington supporters required evidence of how much the club’s League Two survival means
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Pools out to knock Canaries off perch
NEIL AUSTIN believes his Hartlepool team-mates will go into today’s match against Norwich with no fear, as they look to topple the League One leaders. It was Austin’s goal that rescued a point for Pools against Gillingham on Tuesday night – in
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Advice for Adam Johnson
We asked the Three Legends, if you were Adam Johnson’s advisor would you tell him to: a) move to Sunderland, b) move to Manchester City or, c) see out his contract at Middlesbrough? MALCOLM MACDONALD THE glamour
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Zola angry after snub
WEST HAM boss Gianfranco Zola admits he has lost respect for Eidur Gudjohnsen after the Iceland forward chose to snub the Hammers at the 11th hour in favour of a switch to Tottenham. After holding talks with Zola, Gudjohnsen is believed to
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Benjani arrival does not signal Jones’ exit
SUNDERLAND are poised to complete the signing of Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari, but manager Steve Bruce insists the Zimbabwean is not a replacement for Kenwyne Jones. The Black Cats had a bid of around £1.5m accepted for Benjani
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Benitez claims he is committed to Liverpool
LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez has stressed he is committed to the club but admits he is flattered by the charm offensive being undertaken by Juventus. The Italian giants made the Spaniard their top target almost a fortnight ago and sacking
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Nadal out for a month
RAFAEL NADAL expects to miss up to four weeks with the knee injury that forced him to retire during his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Murray. The world number two had his right knee assessed in Spain on Thursday and was advised
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Old-boy Solano has class to halt United’s progress
NEWCASTLE will lock horns with an old friend when they travel to Leicester City this evening, and Jonas Gutierrez is looking forward to renewing a fierce South American rivalry at the Walkers Stadium. Leicester became Nolberto Solano’s fourth
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Federer insists pressure is on Murray’s shoulders
WORLD number one Roger Federer believes all the pressure will be on Andy Murray when they meet in the Australian Open final tomorrow. The 28-year-old Swiss set up a re-match of their 2008 US Open final meeting when he breezed through his semifinal
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Strachan concentrating on players’ state of mind
GORDON STRACHAN quickly identified experience was needed in his Middlesbrough squad and now he intends to improve concentration levels among his players. Just three wins from his opening 14 matches in charge have convinced him that moments
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Johnson talks blocked
MIDDLESBROUGH have refused Adam Johnson permission to speak to Manchester City despite the Premier League club stepping up their pursuit of the in-demand winger. On the day they finally completed the loan capture of Celtic defender Stephen Mc
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Stepping out for scanner fund
A VALENTINE’S Day walk is being planned to raise money for a heart scanner appeal. People are invited to join a three-mile walk around Durham City’s picturesque riverbanks, in aid of the British Heart Foundation’s Heart of Durham Appeal. The
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Hughton hopes Moses will join new recruits
CHRIS Hughton was celebrating a transfer double yesterday, but the Newcastle manager faces a titanic tussle if he is to round off a successful January window with the capture of Crystal Palace prodigy Victor Moses. QPR defender Fitz Hall signed
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Financial advisor jailed after ten years of deceit
A FINANCIAL advisor who swindled elderly customers out of as much as £100,000 during a decade-long campaign of deceit was yesterday locked up for three years. Raymond Melling falsely promised to put the money into low-risk investments – but
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Robo Doc installed at hospital
A ROBOT which will speed up prescriptions and reduce human error is now running a North-East hospital pharmacy department. Dubbed Rob the Robo Doc after a suggestion by 11-yearold patient Cerise Higson, the computerised robotic dispensing system
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Love me tinder
Elvis the parrot rescued after fire breaks out in pub. A PUB landlord could have lost his livelihood when a fire started in his property, but his first thought was for his beloved pet parrot, Elvis. Experts believe a faulty flue lining
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The day Queen of Redcar sorted me a ‘degree’
A BODYGUARD who protected Mo Mowlam has revealed why she was known as the “Queen of Redcar” on the eve of the screening of a film about the former Cabinet Minister’s life. As an armed officer with Cleveland Police, Brian Laverick co-ordinated
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30 laid off in ‘worst moment’ for owner
A NORTH Yorkshire businessman yesterday described laying off 30 people as his construction firm collapsed as the worst moment of his business life. Redworth Construction, in Malton, was subject to a compulsory winding-up order after creditors
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Developer sought for indoor skiing centre
NORTH-EAST developers are being encouraged to tender to build the region’s first indoor ski centre. A developer is being sought to build a leisure centre with a real snow indoor ski slope in Sunderland. Stadium Village, which is already home
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Town’s farewell to its ‘princess’
MOURNERS donned pink to bid an emotional farewell to a young girl whose battle with cancer touched the hearts of a North-East community. Hundreds of people packed into St John’s Church, in Shildon, County Durham, yesterday for the funeral of
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Disabled forced to cross rail track
CAMPAIGNERS are calling for urgent action to improve the disabled access at a railway station on the East Coast Main Line. Thirsk Regeneration Initiative (TRI) said Network Rail, which owns the buildings at the town’s station, is letting down disabled
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Ghost Ships saga will cost council £500,000
A COUNCIL will pay nearly £500,000 in costs for the controversial Ghost Ships saga. Hartlepool Borough Council faces the bill after Able UK appealed against the decision to reject planning applications to extend the use of its Graythorp yard in
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Streetwise students rise to the challenge
A GROUP of students with learning difficulties yesterday challenged their lecturer to a Top Gear-style challenge. Ten East Durham College students used public transport to get from Sunderland to the Houghall Campus, in Durham City, against the
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Councillors warned of ‘perfect financial storm’
A COMBINATION of events has resulted in “a perfect financial storm”, county councillors have been warned in a new budget report. Reduced government grants and the unexpected damage caused to roads by the recent severe weather look set to put
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Deadline set for Corus decision to be made
TIME is running out for a buyer to be found for the closure- threatened Corus plant. The Indian owners of the Teesside Cast Products (TCP) plant, Tata Steel, has set a date of February 16 to reach a final decision. Union bosses and politicians
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Three questioned after cocaine found in car
COCAINE that could be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds was seized by police targeting a suspected crime gang. Three men were arrested and 2kg of cocaine and an air rifle were found during the operation on Thursday afternoon. The intelligence-led
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Club saved after villagers rally round to pay off debts
A STRICKEN workingmen’s club which less than a year ago had debts of £71,000 has been saved after members rallied round. Cockfield Workingmen’s Club (WMC), near Bishop Auckland, was placed into receivership after the debts, which were mainly
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Bench unveiled in memory of soldier
A WAR hero has been honoured with a commemorative bench in his home town. Sergeant Lee Johnson, from Stockton, was killed by a bomb blast in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in December 2007. The 33-year-old died when the blast hit his vehicle
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Still ‘our Tony’ but the doubts won’t go away
As millions of Britons turned on their televisions yesterday for Tony Blair’s eagerly-awaited appearance at the Iraq Inquiry, Rachel Wearmouth went to his former constituency in Sedgefield, County Durham, to find out what the people who knew him
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No regrets, Blair insists after six hours of scrutiny
A DEFIANT Tony Blair urged the British people to feel “pride and achievement” in the Iraq war yesterday – but faced shouts of “murderer” from some families of soldiers who died. In highly-emotional evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, the
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Murder probe launched after man's body found
POLICE have launched a murder investigation after a man's body was found in a house. The incident occurred at the property on Stanley Street, North Shields. A police spokesman said a call was received from someone concerned about the welfare of the
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Chevrolet Aveo S (Price, as tested, £8,870)
AT first glance sticking a spoiler and body kit on a car that takes almost 13 seconds to reach 60mph might seem a pointless exercise. Like fitting James Corden with a pair of running shoes in the hope it would instantly turn him into an Olympic sprinter
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Subaru Impreza 2.0D (Price £20,000 to £22,255)
I MUST start this appraisal with an apology. When I said some months ago that the then newly redesigned Impreza had all the aesthetic beauty of someone you wouldnt touch with your mate's barge pole, never mind your own, I was being a little hasty. I
