Archive
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Region on flood alert as storms approach
Flood alerts are in force across the North-East and North Yorkshire as heavy rain and high winds batter the region. Roads have been closed due to flooding in Middleton-One-Row near Darlington and Skeeby in North Yorkshire. Dozens
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Whipping up a storm
CHIEF Whip Andrew Mitchell says he wants to draw a line under the controversy over his verbal assault on Downing Street police. I bet he does. The problem is that too many people - not least the Police Federation - have no intention of allowing
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Zoo by James Patterson
A MASTER of suspense, James Patterson times his novels down to the last beat. Zoo is no different. The standalone story follows Jackson Oz, a university dropout, who has a theory. He has noticed a change in animal behaviour across the world.
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Rolls Royce get into gear with new plant
BUSINESS Secretary Vince Cable has broken the ground for a multi-million pound facility which aims to be the world's most advanced manufacturing plant. In a move which will safeguard hundreds of North-East jobs, The Government has contributed £45m to
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Rachelle to teach Indian orphans to be hairdressers
A HAIRDRESSING apprentice is heading for India to teach poor children her skills. Rachelle Davis, an apprentice at Janet Maitland Hair Excellence, in Durham, is to spend three weeks in at the SOS Children’s Village, in Chennai, south-east India
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Tanfield share price hit after stock flotation abandoned
SHARES in Washington, Wearside firm Tanfield crashed by about 40 per cent after its electric car associate Smith Electric Vehicles announced it was abandoning plans for a stock market flotation in the US. Tanfield owns 24 per cent of Smith, following
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‘Health for a shilling’ at Boots
RECESSIONS have come and gone, the internet has arisen, out-oftown retail parks have been built, but Boots is still at the heart of Bishop. The chain of chemists was formed in 1849 when herbalist John Boot opened a shop in Goose Gate, Nottingham
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Durham students take historic play to Tower of London
A MEDIEVAL Bishop of Durham’s daring escape from the Tower of London is to be retold in its original setting by a group of North-East students and graduates. The seven Durham University scholars past and present will perform Bishop’s Move, exploring
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This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
AS the title suggests, this short story collection offers a downbeat meditation on love and lost love. But while each tale becomes more heartbreaking than the last, Junot Diaz's colourful and often crude language elevates it into something lyrical
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September 24, 2012
A SPIDER’S WARNING You really are quite nasty, In fact I think you’re awful For kicking spiders from your house, It should be made unlawful. I’d made myself so cosy And settled in your room And when the darkness fell o’er me I thought
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Theatre Review: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, York Theatre Royal
HERE is a show that will run and run as this Pilot Theatre production plays York before setting off on a UK tour. You have to admire the stamina of leading actor Elliot Barnes-Worrell, who is required not just to act and speak his character’s inner
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Theatre Review: Dirty Dancing, Sunderland Empire
DIRTY Dancing has glitz, glamour, great dancing, gorgeous costumes and drop-dead beautiful people and it is pink; preposterously pink, with enough cheese to raise your cholesterol in one sitting. Of course, it is the dancing that has grabbed the
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Bellissima Nigella
Nigellissima (BBC2, 8.30pm) Classic Car Rescue (Channel 5, 8pm) Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You (BBC3, 9pm) SHE’S been off our screens for a while now, but it’s probably fair to say that Nigella Lawson has inspired a whole new generation of
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Prejudice
FURTHER to my letter criticising Salafi Muslim extremists (HAS, Sept 21), I should explain that the “counterjihadis” I referred to are rightwing Christian fundamentalists like the Koran-burning Pastor, Terry Jones, and the makers of the Islamophobic
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Feel the force, Luke
I’D like to congratulate the organisers of Darlington Film Club on their efforts to bring classic movies back to the big screen (Echo, Aug 31). Classics like Star Wars, Jaws and Gone With The Wind were shot with the big screen in mind yet so many
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Exams
I REALLY cannot see what all the fuss is about as Education Secretary Michael Gove tries to impose some sanity on the examination system for secondary school pupils (Echo, Sept 18). It is obvious that grade inflation is rampant and that this trend
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George Gently
TONY STAINTHORP wrote of his “shock” that the BBC filmed the climate gun fight of George Gently in Durham Cathedral (HAS, Sept 20). I wonder if he would have written about his displeasure had the scene been shot in any other building of worship,
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Flood threat
AT the end of August, I contacted the Durham County Council highways action line via the web regarding a flooded drain in Snaisgill Road, Middleton-in-Teesdale. Two days later I again contacted the line, but on neither occasion did I get an acknowledgement
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Forum
ONE of the highlights of the London Olympics was the tremendous work done by the wonderful team of volunteers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this volunteer spirit could be transferred to the running of The Forum, in Northallerton ? This great
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War hero’s village colliery honour
PETER LEE had a new town named after him; Thomas Kenny had a drift mine at Wheatley Hill Colliery named in his honour. He deserved it, too. In the horrific mud of the First World War trenches, he won the Victoria Cross because “his pluck, endurance
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Dementia
WITH an increasing proportion of the population living longer and facing the possibility of dementia it is right for it to be a subject for discussion. This has been appreciated by the staff of the Teesside and Hartlepool Foundation Trust who organised
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Local pay incentives
VINCE CABLE believes regional pay differentials will deliver higher salaries in poorer parts of the North- East. The Business Secretary wants to see pay increases for people prepared to take jobs in areas where the civil service is struggling to
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Every family has a story, or two, to tell
AT the end of a restless life, Peter Lee was laid to rest, in a cemetery that he helped to create, beneath a memorial that sums up his life – “Faithful in all things”, it says. In the course of his 70 years, Lee lived in 72 houses, dug in 39 coal
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Three more arrests as part of Operation Sacristy probe at Cleveland Police
MORE arrests have been made as part of a criminal investigation centred on Cleveland Police. Operation Sacristy is an investigation into a number of people with current or past associations with Cleveland Police Authority and the manner in which
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£100,000 worth of jewellery stolen from parked van in Thirsk
AROUND £100,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from a van parked in Thirsk . Between 6.45pm and 10.30pm on Sunday, September 23, the owner of the jewellery parked her van on The Crescent in Thirsk while visiting friends. During that time, the
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Man attacked by stone-throwing youths
A 60-YEAR-OLD man was kicked to the floor and punched in the face after confronting a 20-strong gang of youths. The man, believed to be from the Hartlepool area, was driving along Wiltshire Way in the town when the mob, many of them on bikes, started
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Taxi office plans approved
PLANS have been approved to transform a former Darlington debt collection office into a taxi company headquarters, despite residents’ fears the move will cause a rise in anti-social behaviour. 1AB Taxis applied to take over the Philips building
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Trouble at Dunston and Darlington game investigated by Northern League
LEAGUE officials are investigating reports of unruly behaviour at a non-league football game at the weekend. Police were called to the Dunston UTS versus Darlington FC game in Gateshead on Saturday afternoon. A 45-YEAR-old man was issued with
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Woodgate thriving on Championship life with Boro
AFTER emerging largely unscathed from one of the most demanding weeks of his career, Jonathan Woodgate insists he is enjoying the highs, lows and strains of the Championship. When Woodgate performed to his best at Ewood Park on Friday night to help Boro
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Ba exit fear allayed by Pardew
NEWCASTLE UNITED were saved again by Demba Ba's goalscoring touch yesterday and then manager Alan Pardew revealed the striker's agent has tried to diffuse talk about his future. Ba slotted in the only goal of the game inside 20 minutes at St James' Park
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West Auckland handed home FA Cup tie -- but they must overcome Harrogate Town first
West Auckland have been given a home tie in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup, but they have some unfinished business in the second qualifying round yet. West have been drawn at home to Frickley from the Evostik League in the next round
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Sharon confesses her guilty secret
SHARON has a confession to make in EastEnders (BBC1) – she’s an addict. She just can’t stop watching The Housewives Of New Jersey no matter how hard she tries. Only joking. No, newlyreturned- to-Walford Sharon is hooked on painkillers. Wouldn
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So cool, it's hot
Inspired by the title of the erotic bestseller, Gabrielle Fagan explores the power of grey – to transform rooms GREY’S so sexy and sophisticated – no, calm down, dear, not the masterful hero of best-selling novel, 50 Shades Of Grey – but the decor
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Every family tells a story
It’s time we recorded our precious memories – before it’s too late, says Sharon Griffiths THE trouble with memories is that you forget them. Or you don’t think they’re important so you don’t pass them on. Aristocratic families have houses full
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A treadmill of innovation
Apple’s new iPhone5 is slimmer, taller, faster, better. And you can bet that prototypes of the next one are already in the works. Giles Turnbull takes a closer look at what’s new, and what’s coming next THIS is Apple’s shiny new iPhone
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Defending the skies
As a new TV series looks at the most heroic airborne combat missions from history, a modern-day Typhoon pilot tells Steve Willmot what life is like as a fighter pilot today IT is more than 70 years since legless RAF Squadron Leader Douglas Bader
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Simply the best
Emily Wokoma was judged better than all the rest when it came to playing Tina Turner in the new musical Soul Sister. She talks to Steve Pratt PEOPLE keep asking Emily Wokoma how she’s managing to get through eight shows a week as the star of Soul
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Activating young skills
ON Saturday, September 29, more than 5,000 young people are expected to help celebrate one of the final Tyne and Wear events to mark The Queen’s diamond jubilee. Activate 2012 is a free event being staged at Bents Park in South Shields (11am to
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Darlington writers group launches Autumn programme
AN arts groups that gives aspiring writers the chance to test their work in public has launched its autumn programme. The Open Mic Nights, supported by Darlington for Culture, are now held at the Voodoo Cafe in Skinnergate, Darlington, following
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Darlington primary school prepares for academy status
A DARLINGTON primary school has taken one of the first steps to becoming an academy by teaming up with a local educational trust. Dodmire School has launched consultation with staff, parents, teaching unions and the local community with a view
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Preserves: Plum Jam, Fig Chutney, Onion Marmalade
It’s time to get cosy in the kitchen and start preserving the fruits of the season. Kate Whiting gets her fingers sticky WHEN the nights start drawing in and the leaves slowly begin to turn golden, homes around the country become filled with the
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How does it add up? The difficulties of planning future schools for Darlington
THE squeeze on primary school places in Darlington has become a key issue for parents this year, with many worried about what the future holds for younger children. Councillor Cyndi Hughes, cabinet member for children and young people, spoke to Vicki
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Two men arrested after van collides with telegraph pole
TWO men have been arrested after a vehicle collided with a telegraph pole in Darlington. The red Vauxhall Astra van struck the pole in Geneva Road, around 6.20am on Sunday morning, before coming to rest against a tree. One man, believed to
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Group hopes to revive Middleton One Row river area
A CONSERVATION group has started discussions about how it could work together with other organisations to bring the riverfront setting at Middleton One Row back to its former glory. Members of the Friends of the Conservation Area, covering the
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Man in court charged with murder of Middlesbrough man John Barry Coates
A 23-YEAR-OLD man has this morning appeared in court charged with the murder of John Barry Coates. Robert David Baker, of Fleet House, Cargo Fleet Lane, Middlesbrough, was remanded in custody by Teesside magistrates. Mr Baker is charged with
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FEEL THE FORCE, LUKE
I’D like to congratulate the organisers of Darlington Film Club on their efforts to bring classic movies back to the big screen (Echo, Aug 31). Classics like Star Wars, Jaws and Gone With The Wind were shot with the big screen in mind yet so many
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DEMENTIA
WITH an increasing proportion of the population living longer and facing the possibility of dementia it is right for it to be a subject for discussion. This has been appreciated by the staff of the Teesside and Hartlepool Foundation Trust who organised
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FORUM
ONE of the highlights of the London Olympics was the tremendous work done by the wonderful team of volunteers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this volunteer spirit could be transferred to the running of The Forum, in Northallerton ? This great
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FLOOD THREAT
AT the end of August, I contacted the Durham County Council highways action line via the web regarding a flooded drain in Snaisgill Road, Middleton-in-Teesdale. Two days later I again contacted the line, but on neither occasion did I get an acknowledgement
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Woodgate is thriving in the Championship
AFTER emerging largely unscathed from one of the most demanding weeks of his career, Jonathan Woodgate insists he is enjoying the highs, lows and strains of the Championship. When Woodgate performed to his best at Ewood Park on Friday night to
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GEORGE GENTLY
TONY STAINTHORP wrote of his “shock” that the BBC filmed the climate gun fight of George Gently in Durham Cathedral (HAS, Sept 20). I wonder if he would have written about his displeasure had the scene been shot in any other building of worship,
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EXAMS
LABOUR politicians are criticising Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, for saying that GCSEs will be replaced by a more difficult exam system. They want to continue with the existing GCSE system in spite of a recent damning report from the Organisation
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Ready for your close-up?
THE new spray-tanned, sparkly contestants on Strictly Come Dancing have been announced, which means talent show season is officially under way. But the competitors aren’t the only ones in the spotlight. The celebrity judges’ style is under weekly
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EXAMS
I REALLY cannot see what all the fuss is about as Education Secretary Michael Gove tries to impose some sanity on the examination system for secondary school pupils (Echo, Sept 18). It is obvious that grade inflation is rampant and that this trend
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PREJUDICE
IN his usual response to deflect basic facts, Pete Winstanley provides a well-researched response to my letter on forgiveness (HAS, Sept 21). What he does not tackle is the point I make: how come we are asked not to generalise when an Islamic outrage
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Scorer Monkhouse responds to jolt by Cooper
POINT-SAVER Andy Monkhouse was praised by his boss on Saturday – after being given a jolt. The left winger has been a mainstay of the Hartlepool United side in recent years, but was dropped to the bench after a poor display last Tuesday at Preston
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Match Report: Newcastle United 1 Norwich City 0
Final Score: Newcastle United 1 Norwich City 0 THERE were plenty of familiar faces around St James’ Park for Chris Hughton to greet him on his first return to Newcastle United, but one in particular put sentiment aside to leave him with
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PREJUDICE
FURTHER to my letter criticising Salafi Muslim extremists (HAS, Sept 21), I should explain that the “counterjihadis” I referred to are rightwing Christian fundamentalists like the Koran-burning Pastor, Terry Jones, and the makers of the Islamophobic
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Racial motive probe into van driver murder
FOUR people have been arrested as part of a murder investigation in a market town, which police say may have been racially motivated. Mohammed Saleem Khan was found to have been stabbed in the neck after crashed into bollards in Long Street, Easingwold
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Just a minute
Rushed off your feet and feeling stressed? Gabrielle Fagan discovers some quick fixes to improve your health WE’RE constantly trying to do more and more in less and less time, which can leave us exhausted, feeling generally rundown and
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Sowing the seeds of triumph
AFTER a glorious summer of sporting triumph thanks to the Olympics and Paralympics, it is almost time to focus on where the seeds of such success are sown. On Saturday, we will launch the Local Heroes Awards 2012 and seek nominations for the North-East
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Local pay incentives
VINCE CABLE believes regional pay differentials will deliver higher salaries in poorer parts of the North- East. The Business Secretary wants to see pay increases for people prepared to take jobs in areas where the civil service is struggling to
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First job put Dave onto rungs of career ladder
‘ILEFT school at 16 without an exam or a qualification to my name. I wasn’t the academic type. I had played football at Durham County level and I hoped that might lead to something, but I had no real direction in life. “The fundamentals in my
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Match Report: Hartlepool United 2 Shrewsbury Town 2
Final Score: Hartlepool United 2 Shrewsbury Town 2 SAM COLLINS has played under his share of managers but perhaps not one with a character like Neale Cooper’s. Captain Collins was one of many on the end of Cooper’s ire as Hartlepool United
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Match Report: Cornish Pirates 3 Newcastle Falcons 25
Final Score: Cornish Pirates 3 Newcastle Falcons 25 NEWCASTLE Falcons made it four wins out of four as they overcame wet and windy conditions to record a 25-3 success at Cornish Pirates. Rob Vickers, Taiasina Tu'ifua and Tom Catterick
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Match Report: Worcester Wolves 76 Durham Wildcats 82
Final Score: Worcester Wolves 76 Durham Wildcats 82 THE Durham Wildcats kick-started their new BBL campaign with a bang as they grabbed their first victory - winning a nail-biting game away from the Newton Aycliffe faithful. Durham ran out
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Match Report: Darlington Mowden Park 41 Dudley Kingswinford 21
Final Score: Darlington Mowden Park 41 Dudley Kingswinford 21 A THIRD successive win for Mowden Park confirmed their right to a top-six place in National Two North and underlined the difficulty they will face in keeping everyone happy. Fly
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Hamilton pledge to ‘fight until the end’
Lewis Hamilton has vowed he will "fight until the end" following yet another retirement this season that denied him "an easy victory". Two wins in the last three races had firmly thrust Hamilton back into the hunt for this year's Formula One world championship
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Missing husband Gordon Simms torment goes on
THE wife of a missing hiker from the region who disappeared in Spain last night said her torment was being made worse by bureaucracy. Wendy Simm’s husband of 41 years, Gordon, went missing eight weeks ago while hiking in the Spanish mountains.
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Time for choir to burst into song
TRADITIONAL hymns and songs from the Swinging Sixties are just some of the musical challenges awaiting the first recruits in a historic campaign to create a 1,000-strong choir. To mark the return of the Lindisfarne Gospels to their spiritual home
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Big cannabis farm found after tip-off
POLICE have uncovered a cannabis farm described as “substantial and well organised” – the second to be discovered in the same street this year. Officers attended a property in Greenbank Road, Darlington, on Saturday morning after a tip-off from
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Morpeth Harriers drop in rankings
DEPLETED Morpeth Harriers tumbled from last year's runners-up position to ninth but still finished the North-East's top team in the North of England Six-Stage Road Relays Championships at Leigh Sports Village. Only former North-East cross country champion
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England in a similar spin
England's familiar frailties against spin were very evident in last night's record 90-run defeat against India - but the defence of their ICC World Twenty20 crown continues nonetheless. The major consolation for Stuart Broad, after his team
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Hunt begins for missing 200 electric car charging points
MPs have ordered a hunt for nearly 200 “missing” chargepoints across the region – warning that they are undermining attempts to persuade motorists to buy electric cars. The Department for Transport (DfT) claimed there were 399 “plug-in places”
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Jeffries announces his retirement
TONY Jeffries has been forced to announce his retirement from boxing because of a chronic hand injury. Sunderland-born Jeffries, who won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing, has struggled with hand problems for a number of years
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Mignolet accentuates the positives as Sunderland remain unbeaten
SIMON Mignolet insists Sunderland can take a lot of confidence from their opening four Premier League matches – even though their search for a first win goes on. The Black Cats looked like recording their maiden success on Saturday when Steven
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Match Report: West Ham United 1 Sunderland 1
GLASS half full or glass half empty? Four games into Sunderland's season, and it's possible to interpret the club's position in distinctly different ways. If you're adopting a positive stance, you can point out that Martin O'Neill's side remain
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Sir Bobby's statement in cover up
DOCUMENTS released in the wake of the Hillsborough police cover-up suggest officers tried to use Sir Bobby Robson ’s match day testimony to blame Liverpool fans for the disaster. The former Magpies boss, in his capacity as England manager at
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Council facing legal action
A TOWN council is facing legal action after its former executive officer filed a claim for constructive dismissal with the courts. Jamie Corrigan has launched a case against Ferryhill Town Council, in County Durham, claiming he was forced to leave
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Rotten Apple
A TOWN famous around the world for its industrial heritage has fallen victim to a glitch in modern technology. Consett , the former steel town, on the east of the Pennines in County Durham, has been renamed Gonsett on Apple’s new mapping software
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‘It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack’
AS an experienced hiker, Gordon Simm was the author of several guide books and had taken photographs for countless other guides. The grandfather-of-four had planned his 12-mile route to a ridge overlooking the Rio Chillar gorge, in Spain’s Sierra
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Drug dealer stopped on A19 for speeding branded ‘idiot’
DOPEY drug dealers were caught with £7,500-worth of pills in the boot of their car – when police stopped them for speeding. Driver Craig Wallace, 34, was branded an idiot by a judge for attracting attention to himself by doing 90mph on the A19.
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Pack lay foundation for impressive Blaydon win
BLAYDON moved into fourth place in National One, level with this week's hosts Blackheath, when they overcame a shaky second quarter to win 41-17 at home to Fylde. Blaydon's pack were always dominant and after keeping it tight for 50 minutes they
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Match Report: Dunston UTS 0 Darlington 3
PLAYED nine, won eight and six points clear at the top of the table - so far, so good for Darlington. Saturday's trip to Dunston UTS saw the division's top scorers plunder another three-goal win, taking their goal tally for the season to 26, which
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Cancer bride's big day
A WOMAN who brought the date of her wedding forward after being diagnosed with terminal cancer has tied the knot. Debbie Kimber, 42, married Steve Cuthbert in an emotional ceremony after friends and family rallied around to provide everything for
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Man taunted by six drunks spared jail for spanner blow
A MAN who lashed out at drunks who were taunting him as he walked through a town centre has been spared prison. Simon McGovern, 35, reacted angrily to having his hat pulled off and driving licence stolen from his rucksack. He lunged at one
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McFadden decision due before end of the week
SUNDERLAND boss Martin O'Neill will not make a decision on James McFadden's future until the end of this week. McFadden, who is a free agent following his release from Everton at the end of last season, spent last week training with the Black Cats
