INVESTORS will be able to feed off another bundle of corporate figures next week, and most eyes are likely to be fixed on Marconi and Cable & Wireless plans' to revive their fortunes. Telecoms group Energis is expected to reveal strong growth when
THREE men have been charged in connection with the killing of a North-East father-of-two, gunned down in front of his wife, police said on Sunday. Freddie Knights, 38, had been collecting birthday presents for his son when he was shot by a mystery gunman
FURNITURE group MFI showed its recovery remained on track as it reported a good start to the year. Chief executive officer John Hancock told a meeting of analysts and investors in Speke, Liverpool, that orders had continued to be "strong and in line with
INSURANCE giant Prudential's planned £18.1bn bid for American General has collapsed. The company, which launched the takeover in March, said it had agreed to terminate the deal. The move follows a counter offer for the Houston-based financial services
A BIKER has been cleared of causing the death of a pensioner whom he hit as she crossed a busy street, due to a flaw in prosecution evidence. Aaron Holland, 19, was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after prosecutor Paul Sloan, QC
A COMPANY boss and his employees have admitted a home improvement rip-off, which preyed on the elderly. Director Steven Rudd, 28, and three of his salesmen from Gateshead's Global Seal Home Improvements were involved in a string of deception charges.
IT is a fear every parent shares - that their children may become involved in drugs. The picture which has emerged of 15-year-old Catherine Longstaff, whose death is thought to be linked to drugs, is one of an extremely popular, lovable girl. Tributes
Letters from The Northern Echo SPACE TOURIST THE report of the space flight of Dennis Tito should be headlined "The Height of Greed and Selfishness." £14m would go a long way towards research into all manner of projects which would benefit mankind. Instead
SHIPBUILDER Swan Hunter is buying Kvaerner's Port Clarence offshore yard. Swans will use the yard, which closed 18 months ago with the loss of 3,000 jobs, for offshore fabrication and will initially create about 200 jobs for skilled engineers and welders
Michael Owen fired Liverpool to a dramatic late 2-1 FA Cup Final win against Arsenal. The England hitman, 21, struck two goals within six minutes to blast the Kop side to the historic Cup victory at the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff. Owen told Sky Sports
AN ENGINEERING boss is threatening to pull out of Shildon, with the loss of 50 jobs, because he is fed up with young vandals targeting his factory. Brian Burn, managing director at Blue Diamond Machine Tools, on the Dabble Duck Estate, Shildon, came back
PERFECT SUNDAY can round off a fabulous few days for Barry Hills by taking this afternoon's Group 3 £60,000 Arena Derby Trial at Lingfield. The Lambourn handler is on the crest of wave at present having earlier on this week snapped up both the Chester
BIRTHS have a habit of inspiring new fathers to great deeds, but the imminent arrival of James Brinkley's first child did absolutely nothing for his Durham teammates yesterday. With Brinkley absent, Durham were reduced to ten men and squandered all the
YOU'LL suddenly notice the scenery change as you drive away from the concrete and crowds of Newcastle to sheep and hills country. Beyond the shadow of Alnwick Castle and up past Bamburgh, the land will open out to huge rolling hills and sable-coloured
HUNDREDS of people have thrown their weight behind The Northern Echo's campaign to improve safety on bridges crossing the East Coast Main Line. More than 500 people signed our petition at Newcastle, Darlington and York stations. The action came after
LABOUR vowed yesterday it would not take its North-East heartlands for granted and outlined how people in the region face a real choice on June 7. In an attempt to galvanise activists and prevent apathy being the only winner at the election, Minister
Q I am a widow with a Retirement Pension of £93.96 a week and a monthly works pension of £21.45 a month. My bank account and ISA add up to £11,000. Can I get help with my Council Tax of £552 a year and my rent of £53.34 a week? AEven with quite significant
Portable MP3 players are still in their infancy. The world may have gone MP3 mad - the hard disks of millions of PCs are filled with them - but only a small percentage of users actually download their software collection for music on the move. To refresh
WARRING fans had to be kept apart after making threats to kill each other as they travelled back from London, a court heard. Three Darlington and six Hartlepool United fans are standing trial for violent disorder and affray at Teesside Crown Court. Yesterday
YARDS from a busy highway the horrific sight of a young stallion's body lies in full view of early morning commuters. It had died through the night - hanged by its own chain after it slipped off the steep embankment where it had been left to graze. A
SUNDAY will be a special day for former soldier Colin "Charlie" Helmn. He will be among dozens of former Green Howards gathering at the regimental museum in Richmond, North Yorkshire, for a reunion they know as Richmond Sunday. He will also be singled
KEVIN Henderson is hoping his play-off jinx hasn't struck again. Twelve months after agonisingly missing out as Hartlepool United faced Darlington in the race to get out of the Third Division, Henderson is desperate to be involved as Pool face Blackpool
AS he built the stunning Kiplin Hall nearly 400 years ago, George Calvert could never have imagined the colourful times that were to come for the architectural gem. In 1620, the design of a perfectly symmetrical and free-standing pavilion was unique in
CHRISTMAS shows in Newcastle from Northern Stage's Neil Murray have become an eagerly-awaited festive tradition over the past decade. So seeing the designer and director's name attached to a new version of Beauty And The Beast, you could be excused for
THE contrast was clear immediately. Back then, I was surrounded by excited teenagers shaking free (so they thought) of parents and parental boundaries. But now here I was back in Glasgow with a child of my own, eager to shake free of my determined grip
A double strike from prolific marksman Brett Ormerod condemned Hartlepool to a 2-0 defeat at Bloomfield Road this afternoon, leaving Chris Turner's side with it all to do in the return leg on Wednesday night. Ormerod took his tally for the season to 26
A SHOP owner has been left counting the cost of an unwelcome visit by a gang of football supporters, stole hundreds of pounds worth of clothing from his store. And he is warning traders in Hartlepool to be on their guard when the same set of supporters
POLICE ended weeks of speculation last night by confirming that the Land Rover driver who triggered the Selby rail disaster would face criminal charges. Gary Hart, whose vehicle careered down an embankment off the M62 and was struck by a GNER train on
THE whale was a beauty, a shiny grey leviathan basking in the Arctic seas. The seven Whitby whalers had been stalking it for hours, protected from the bitter cold by grotesque uniforms of sealskin and cow-hair wigs. When the harpoon went in, the gentle
The bedding plant season is just around the corner. If you are new to gardening, then it is essential to know what to look for, as quality is very variable. Rarely are there any bargains amongst bedding plants. In three or four weeks' time you may see
CHRIS TURNER last night flashed a hand-offs warning to clubs interested in hot-shot midfielder Tommy Miller - and insisted Hartlepool United is no longer a selling club. As his side head for Blackpool for tomorrow's play-off showdown, Turner vowed his
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid expects to break the club's transfer record to bring in a top-notch striker this summer. Brazilian central defender Emerson Thome, who cost £4.5m when he moved from Chelsea this season, is currently the highest-priced acquisition
YESTERDAY should have been a landmark in the life of a gifted young girl with the world at her feet. Catherine Longstaff was just 15 but she dreamed of being a doctor. She should have been on the threshold of her adult life yesterday, enjoying her last
FOR reasons that few understand, but which are thought to involve Admiral Lord Nelson and to be rude, superstitious cricketers regard the figure 111 as unlucky. Mr David Shepherd, the celebrated and somewhat portly test match umpire, is even in the habit
