THE parents of a desperately ill baby received the news they have been praying for last night when surgeons confirmed he had survived a ten-hour liver transplant operation. Lennox Nicholson had only days to live after being born with an incurable bile
TOTTENHAM will make a renewed attempt to sign Stewart Downing when the transfer window re-opens next month - and the Champions League hopefuls will use £2m-rated Sean Davis as bait for the Middlesbrough midfielder. Spurs manager Martin Jol has made the
A Boxing Day outing to see Notts County play QPR brought home how football as a business gets away with what would not be tolerated in any other industry. County have only just come out of administration, having agreed to pay their creditors just 11p
Bewildered by huge adverts of banks and building societies competing fiercely to give them a mortgage, would-be homebuyers might think their big problem is choosing between the 3,000-plus home loans that are usually on offer. However, the Government report
AS the queues built up at filling stations ahead of last week's fuel protests, the head of sales and marketing at Toyota UK was probably feeling rather smug. Even the most ambitious motor manufacturers have been slow to capitalise on the public's growing
If your investment portfolio has not been providing you with the returns that you expected recently, it could be time to undertake a review of its overall composition. Many investors are often overweight in shares and underweight in fixed interest investments
MIKE FOSTER must have a soft spot for Scottish & Newcastle. More than 14 years after his involvement in a failed bid for the brewer, he has returned. Mr Foster was the UK face of Australian brewer Elders IXL, which counted Fosters among its beers.
A FEW weeks ago, one industry analyst asked about the death of MG Rover remarked: "Car companies don't die - they just get taken over." At the time, that seemed unlikely as far as MG Rover was concerned. After all, it had been seeking a takeover with
Well-known North-East pie company Henry Newbould has gone into administration with the loss of more than 200 jobs. The company, which has a 150-year-history of supplying Teessiders with meat pies, called in administrators on Monday. Its former sister
TOTTENHAM will make a renewed attempt to sign Stewart Downing when the transfer window re-opens next month - and the Champions League hopefuls will use £2m-rated Sean Davis as bait for the Middlesbrough midfielder. Spurs manager Martin Jol has made the
A SERIES of facts, figures and general comment over the past few days has given me cause for concern. As a homeowner, I would quite like to see the appealingly low interest rate continue for the foreseeable future. This is unlikely to remain the case
ONE Life: Being Brian Harvey (BBC1) Magnificent 7 (BBC2) ONE of the more bizarre occurrences of the past year was former E17 singer Brian Harvey being run over by his own car, shortly after two unsuccessful suicide attempts. This is the singer whose career
FARMERS have expressed their concerns after seeing profits fall by up to two-thirds in the past year. Research by the University of Reading Agriculture and Food Investigation Team (Afit) suggests average profitability fell by 64 per cent, from £15,242
A DRUNK who was arrested hours after being released from custody will spend Christmas in prison. John Rientoul, 53, yesterday pleaded guilty to breaching his anti-social behaviour order for the 17th time since 2003. Rientoul was picked up by police in
A CROOKED solicitor whose law firm collapsed with debts of more than £1m has been struck off for raiding the estates of dead clients. Peter Shipston, 64, dishonestly billed £5,000 for settling the affairs of one client but took £11,000 in 26 transfers
In 1976, the pop group Abba released the song Money, Money Money, containing the line, "if I had a little money". In those days, Abba were not singing about the amount of money needed for retirement. However, "a little money" is becoming an accurate description
HIS former club could be swapping places with his current employers at the end of season, but Andy Gray insists he has no regrets about leaving Sheffield United for Sunderland in the summer. In the Scotsman's absence, the Blades have won 16 of their opening
POLICE investigating the death of a walker in a road accident have appealed for witnesses. Alan Cooke, 62, from Brandon, County Durham, was knocked down by a Vauxhall Vectra on the A6108, at Jervaulx, near Middleham, North Yorkshire, on Saturday afternoon
A MAN who set up a cannabis farm in his home began growing the plants after carrying out research on the Internet, a court heard. Police searched the home of Dean James Signori and found 175 cannabis plants growing in a bedroom and loft, along with associated
PLANNERS are expected to approve a controversial application for an 18-metre mobile phone mast in Derwentside. It has been submitted by Vodafone, which wants to build at Unit G1 on Park Road North Industrial Estate, in Blackhill, near Consett. Derwentside
A DUTCH tourist who died after falling from his bike while on holiday was not wearing a helmet, an inquest was told. Jan Hogervorst, 59, from Reygerstraat, Holland, died from a brain haemorrhage caused by a severe fracture after falling from his cycle
GRANDIOSE PROJECTS IT appears that council leaders now view themselves as businessmen rather than public servants, even addressing citizens as customers. They, of course, enjoy a great advantage over other businesses which would face criminal charges
JURGEN Schrempp enjoyed a meteoric rise. He went from being a trainee mechanic to become head of Europe's biggest industrial conglomerate, DaimlerChrysler. His fall from grace was just as spectacular. Even company employees were stunned last week when
DID a team of negotiators really sign away the MG Rover family silver after a boozy late night drinking session? That was certainly the impression given on ITV's Tonight With Trevor MacDonald. Peter Stevens, an MGR director and the man brought in to "
Dressed casually and with a ready smile, Wajid Malik is far from the staid stereotype of a religious leader. He welcomes me into his Middlesbrough home, apologising for the mess left by his four children, and we sit in a study surrounded by books. While
While the global stock markets continue their delicate recovery path, investors are still wondering if it is too late or even too early to join the party. In the past 12 months, we have seen many funds nearly double in value. BWD Micro Capital Growth
Will the recovery continue? UK investors may wish to circle the date of March 12, 2003, in their diaries because it may well herald the end of the severe bear market that began in January 2000. Since that date, the FTSE 100 Index has soared by over 23
THE parents of a desperately ill baby received the news they have been praying for last night when surgeons confirmed he had survived a ten-hour liver transplant operation. Lennox Nicholson had only days to live after being born with an incurable bile
WHEN teenage sailor Raymond Perrett raised the famous signal, England Expects, over HMS Victory in 1921, little did he know that the act give him a place in Naval history. Yesterday Mr Perrett, 102, was honoured by the Royal Navy as part of the celebrations
Brendan McDonald, part-owner of Amadeus Wolf, paid a glowing tribute to Kevin Ryan, trainer of the Scottish Equitable Gimcrack Stakes hero, during his winner's speech at York. He told guests that ''if someone had suggested at the start of the year a Northern-based
A family doctor was this afternoon cleared of murdering three elderly and seriously ill patients with drug overdoses. Dr Howard Martin, 71, was charged with murdering the three patients with overdoses of pain killing drugs. The bodies of his alleged victims
PEOPLE all over the world have been praying for little Lennox Nicholson. And yesterday those prayers were answered when he underwent a liver operation with time rapidly running out on his short life. It is, of course, too early to be sure that Lennox,
DESPITE all the glossy brochures, the millions spent on television advertising and the razzmatazz of the international motor shows, there's no doubt the automobile industry is going through a torrid time at the moment. But amid all the talk of crisis,
In the sitting room of his tidy Marske home Matty Lodge wrestles with the problems confronting him. Working at Corus he has plenty of them. He only needs another four years to qualify for an early pension, but the state of the company doesn't offer much
For the saddest industrial sight you'll possibly ever see - as well as a symbol for the state of the company in question - take a trip to Billingham, on Teesside. There you can find the former headquarters of ICI's agricultural division. You'll know it
MICHAEL Owen has admitted he was not playing at full tilt during Saturday's win over Arsenal but, with a full week of training under his belt, the striker expects to be firing on all cylinders when Newcastle travel to West Ham. Owen was something of a
Investors looking to maximise the gains of any further stockmarket rally could consider high-beta stocks. The beta value of a share is a measure of its past volatility against the average volatility of an index, such as the FTSE 100. The beta for an index
CELEBRITY chef Gordon Ramsay has said he would consider floating his restaurant company on the stock exchange. The move could fund the global launch of a chain of his company's Maze restaurants. Gordon Ramsay Holdings is already preparing to open restaurants
IN THE film Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland - playing the whirlwind-hit but still winsome Dorothy - says to her dog: "Somehow Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more". Dorothy's remark is meant to suggest that things aren't normal and the world is out
ABOUT 100 children from schools across Durham took the first step towards becoming the business magnates of the future yesterday at the launch of a competition. Former Newcastle United manager Sir Bobby Robson was at The Gala Theatre to kick off the Future
IT is not built in a factory, but in a luxury French chateau. It is more powerful than Michael Schumacher's Formula One racing car. It is years behind schedule and so expensive that only a handful will ever be built. What is it? The Bugatti Veyron. Conceived
INHERITANCE Tax (IHT) begins to be paid on an estate valued at more than £255,000. This is the individual's personal exemption. That figure must also allow for recent lifetime gifts. This used to seem a large sum, but for many people, the rising values
Britain's Vodafone Group offered the highest bid - £3.81bn - in an auction yesterday to buy Telsim, Turkey's second-largest mobile telephone company. Vodafone outbid Kuwait's MTC Telecommunications in the closely fought open auction. Telsim, which holds
POLITICAL campaigners were hailing a victory for patriotism last night after a council decided against reinstating a European Union flag in place of the Cross of St George. In September, Wear Valley District Council removed the EU flag outside its offices
CADBURY Schweppes yesterday unveiled plans for a £70m chewing gum factory in Poland as it said trading in 2005 was in line with expectations. The soft drinks company is the world's second largest gum maker behind Wrigley with brands such as Trident, Hollywood
A majority of Sunderland fans have backed under-fire manager Mick McCarthy as he attempts to cling on to his job at the Stadium of Light. In a telephone poll conducted by the city's evening paper, The Sunderland Echo, 56.3 per cent of fans voted in favour
A TEAM of girls have shown they really mean business by completing their first challenge for the Future Business Magnates competition ten days ahead of schedule. The team, from Durham High School for Girls, was the first to complete their task, more than
Persuading up to 30,000 civil servants to move out of London and into the provinces was never going to be easy. And so it has proved. Gordon Brown confirmed last week that the final version of the Lyons report - named after Sir Michael Lyons, the director
FORGET the slap-up meal or pub crawl, this Christmas you should take your workmates to the ice-rink. That is the advice from Everyday Sport, the campaign aiming to make the North-East a healthier place to live and work. Employers should enjoy the festive
ENGINEERING firm Aker Kvaerner last night announced plans to create 50 jobs in the region by next year. Kvaerner's Offshore Partner business, headquartered in Aberdeen, is opening a satellite office in Stockton. AK already has its engineering services
A CAR dealer has bought the first plot of land on the business park of a £100m regeneration scheme along the banks of the River Tees. RMB Automotive plans to set up two dealerships on the Bowesfield development, in Stockton, creating 30 jobs. The firm
RETAILER Marks & Spencer won a landmark European court judgement yesterday which could rewrite UK company tax law and cost the Treasury hundreds of millions of pounds. Judges in Luxembourg said the Inland Revenue's refusal to allow companies to offset
WELL here's some wonderful news just in time for Christmas - especially if you are struggling to fit into that little black dress before the party season. Slimming makes you sad. Plumper people are, indeed, happier. Scientists have proved it. A study
WELL here's some wonderful news just in time for Christmas - especially if you are struggling to fit into that little black dress before the party season. Slimming makes you sad. Plumper people are, indeed, happier. Scientists have proved it. A study
Are our leaders torturers? It's a serious question. Of course no-one in the Government sanctions torture. And torture is not carried out on our soil or in our name. But the response to the allegations that Britain may be co-operating with the US in the
A North-East initiative is paying dividends for young people - giving them the chance to experience the workplace, and giving future employers the chance to get to know potential furture workers. John Dean finds out more about the scheme. TEENAGER Andrew
A HEADTEACHER at the centre of a bitter row over the future of two secondary schools stepped down last night by mutual agreement with governors. Eamonn Farrar, headteacher of Eastbourne Comprehensive, in Darlington, said his position was untenable because
SANTA Claus has presented £3,000 to Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland. He visited Shafto's Inn and Restaurant at Whitworth Hall Country Park, near Spennymoor, to hand over a cheque. Over the past four years, the pub has worked with the hospice to
DEAN McDonald is confident the goals will now start to flow, but doesn't know if it will be for Hartlepool or Ipswich. The striker is on loan at Pool from Portman Road and his month-long deal expires after Saturday's trip to Walsall. Ipswich boss Joe
POLICE are appealing for help to find a hospital patient who disappeared more than two weeks ago. The man went to Darlington Memorial Hospital and, after being examined, agreed to attend West Park Hospital as a voluntary patient. But at about 7pm, on
A planning application has been submitted for a housing development on a town centre car park. Richmondshire District Council has published plans for 14 apartments and a replacement electricity substation at Yorke Square, Richmond. The council wants to
A woman wearing only a nightdress was chased around her home by her landlord demanding sex, a court was told yesterday. The 30-year-old told police that one morning, Barry Taylor, 67, forced her to perform a sex act on him three times, nipped her breasts
A town has published a tourist calendar with a difference - showing its worst eyesores. People living near the seafront in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, have become so fed-up with the boarded-up and abandoned buildings they decided to take action. Called
CIVIC business is expected to be put on hold as a town's councillors gather to pay tribute to a former mayor. The next meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council was to take place at 2pm tomorrow. However, the funeral of former mayor Frank Rogers, who died
FROM recently released government statistics it is now official that life expectancy of men and women is projected to increase from 45 and 49 years respectively in 1901 to 80 and 84 years in 2011. This means as individuals we are faced with increasing
Stroll through any Morrisons store and you will come across an area branded Market Street. It is a clever gimmick, tapping into customers' desire to have their meat, fruit, vegetables, fish and other goods served up by a friendly face, in an environment
FEW investors took up their ISA entitlement last year, and fewer still are expected to do so this year. This could be a mistake. Personal taxes are rising, and interest rates are low and likely to go even lower. A capital and income tax-free home for
WITNESSES attending a magistrates' court will be given mobile phones to reduce their wait to give evidence. The six-week pilot project, at Darlington Magistrates' Court, believed to be the first in the country, will begin in the new year. Staff will supply
Kevin Pietersen's departure from Pakistan last night is the latest body blow for England on a tour which has been beset by injuries and defections. Pietersen is the third key player to suffer a tour-ending injury - captain Michael Vaughan and left-arm
AN annual football tournament in memory of a man who was murdered five years ago will be held over the festive period. Former Newcastle United junior Gary Walton, a father of two daughters, was attacked in a pub in his home village of Coundon, near Bishop
A BRITISH soldier was killed and three others were injured in Cyprus when their Army Land Rover rolled over and hit a tree, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday. Fusilier Daniel Whinham, 22, who had only been on the island a fortnight, died at the scene
CREDITORS of collapsed MG Rover are to get back a fraction of the true amount they are owed. Administrator Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) will deliver the grim news when it writes to creditors shortly. It must inform them within two months of October
EXTRA police officers have been patrolling the North-East's Metro system as part of a campaign against drunken behaviour. Uniformed and plain-clothed officers carried out patrols on trains and stations as well as lifts and bridge crossings on Friday night
Scientists want long-lived North-East families to help them find the secret of longevity. A team at Newcastle University want to hear from families in the region with at least two brothers and sister aged 90 years or over. The scientists are taking part
Stroll through any Morrisons store and you will come across an area branded Market Street. It is a clever gimmick, tapping into customers' desire to have their meat, fruit, vegetables, fish and other goods served up by a friendly face, in an environment
PROSECUTORS are considering a move to push for an increase in the sentence given to the killer of a teenage student. Paul Knappett was last week jailed for sixteen-and-a-half years for stabbing Kimberley Bage to death. But the Crown Prosecution Service
THE once-ailing manufacturing sector in the North-East may be about to receive a shot in the arm after the Government announced a £40m drive to improve skills. Four areas of industry will have their own academies from next September, training tens of
VOLKSWAGEN has been an economic bellwether of German industrial might for nearly 50 years. It created the first "people's car" in the Beetle and went on to even greater things in the 1970s, churning out hit after hit, culminating in the iconic Golf, a
A STUDY has found that people in the North-East are less likely to be burgled or have their car stolen than 15 years ago, but are more likely to be robbed. The "quality of life" indicators, unveiled by the Government, revealed that recorded burglary across
Jimmy's is special. The Leeds hospital is one of only three centres in England where children can receive new livers. In Lennox Nicholson's case, his parents were told that their five-month-old son was so ill that only a transplant could save him. Yesterday
AMBULANCE bosses say people who dial 999 this Christmas without good reason could cost lives. Examples of inappropriate calls received by Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Tenyas) include a man who wanted to know where he could buy cigarettes
Have I slipped through a hole in the space-time continuum, or are the arguments being played out at Nissan the same ones that were rehearsed two years ago? Then, the company boss - Carlos Ghosn (rhyme it with bone) - threatened to take production of the
BREAKING news: at home with a cold, Richard Jones in Darlington hears John Prescott on Sky TV offering "fulsome thanks" to the firemen who tackled the Hertfordshire oil terminal inferno. Clearly Christmas Prezza doesn't read the Gadfly column. Others
HAVING been in a real Capital of Culture - Rome - for the past two weeks I missed the news that seems to have been received on a level with a royal death: Newcastle and Gateshead losing to Liverpool in the race to become European Capital of Culture in
DAVID HODGSON'S quest for continuity may put Tresor Kandol's hopes of resurrecting his Darlington career on hold this weekend. After Saturday's emphatic 3-0 win at Stockport County Hodgson has signalled his intentions to make minimum changes to his side
RETAILER Marks & Spencer won a landmark European court judgement yesterday which could rewrite UK company tax law and cost the Treasury hundreds of millions of pounds. Judges in Luxembourg said the Inland Revenue's refusal to allow companies to offset
HERBERT Kim strikes me as a fascinating person. The new chief executive of one of the much-feted centres of excellence would appear to have enjoyed a diverse and challenging life in business. However, it was the means by which he was attracted to the
THE world's oldest classic horse race will have a temporary new home next year at York Racecourse. The St Leger Festival will move from Doncaster for one year only while the course undergoes a £55m redevelopment. The move follows the success of the Royal
THE Government has been handed a gilt-edged opportunity to right some hefty wrongs. The decision to commission a review into the feasibility of relocating government departments to the regions presents the clearest chance to date to do just that and to
FORMER footballer Gary Bennett will appear in court next week to face allegations of fraud. The former Sunderland captain and Darlington manager is accused of making fraudulent claims for benefit. Mr Bennett, 44, is jointly summonsed to appear at Sunderland
FOR those critics who disbelieve most things they read in the newspapers, recent weeks have given them lots of ammunition. Journals as distinguished as The Guardian and The Observer have published stories that border on fantasy. The topic? The so-called
A County Durham teacher hopes to hold one of the first inter-schools boxing tournaments in over 30 years after re-introducing the sport to his school. Teesdale Comprehensive School in Barnard Castle has become the first school in the region to start teaching
TRANSPORT company Go-Ahead said it expected its performance to improve in the second half of its financial year - despite fuel costs continuing to eat into profit margins. In a trading update, referring to its bus businesses across the UK, Newcastle-based
How many of us are likely to grab a £5,000 loan when we go to the post office for a book of stamps and a few groceries? The question is about to be answered by the Post Office's decision to dive into the personal loans market. With Britain knee-deep in
COUNTY Durham will welcome some of the world's most talented companies next week. Intertech 2003 will showcase innovation and is expected to act as a catalyst for growth. It is another opportunity for the North-East to prove there is more to the region
BAD news for Nissan's hard-pressed component suppliers this month - the Japanese giant has no intention of letting up on its drive to cut costs. Executive vice-president Hiroto Saikawa told international news agency Reuters that he wants to see Nissan
THE administrators' self-imposed deadline for bidders to register a serious interest in MG-Rover came and went last week with no announcement. Last month, administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) said it had received more than 30 expressions of interest
THE chances of a new year cut in interest rates gained momentum yesterday when figures showed inflation at its lowest level since June. Lower petrol prices helped the Consumer Prices Index fall to 2.1 per cent last month from 2.3 per cent in October,
FLOOR coverings retailer Carpetright, which is opening a store in North Yorkshire today, has announced a sharp fall in profits. The chain, which has about 500 stores and concessions across the UK and Europe, blamed weak market conditions for the 18.9
To move a part or all of a UK business to India or Eastern Europe must be one of the easiest - and possibly laziest - decisions that management can make. If you're in manufacturing, you up sticks to the Czech Republic. If you have a big call centre operation
LEN LUNGO'S decision to throw Brandy Wine (2.05) in at the deep-end over fences should not go without reward at Bangor. To date Brandy Wine has been operating exclusively in the hurdling arena, however Lungo's change of tactic means the canny Scottish
A baby boy was recovering in hospital today after undergoing a 10-hour liver transplant operation to save his life. Tiny Lennox Nicholson underwent the organ transplant at the world famous St James's Hospital in Leeds yesterday after being given only
AT the moment, it appears that shareholders are all-powerful. No matter what strategy a company pursues or management appointments it wants to make, those pesky people who actually own the company are insisting on having their say, and sometimes getting
LIFE is all about image. It is there wherever you look. From our nation's senior politicians trying to project their better sides, down to the scantily clad men or women extolling the virtues of product x over product y, everything is about perception
