DETECTIVES are investigating claims that a man was subjected to an hour-long torture ordeal at the hands of a stranger. The victim told police how he was forced to mop up his own blood, before the beating continued. The 21-year-old, who has asked not
FOOT-AND-MOUTH disease tightened its hold in the region during the weekend. Maff vets confirmed four new outbreaks in North Yorkshire and County Durham. Residents in Middridge, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, stood by as the Army and Maff officials
TORY leader William Hague found himself caught up in the foot-and-mouth crisis yesterday. The disease was confirmed by Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) officials at Home Farm, in Catterick, North Yorkshire. The farm, owned by John Watson, is only half a
TWO books by the North-East's JFK assassination expert could explode myths surrounding the president's death. Stanley academic Mel Ayton is having two controversial books published this year. The first, Questions of Conspiracy, provides evidence that
WHEN I first met four-year-old Ben Collins last year, he ignored me. But back then, he ignored his little sister and barely acknowledged the presence of his loving parents. The only sounds he made were a high-pitched squeal and he had little understanding
FOOT-AND-MOUTH THE foot-and-mouth crisis is just the latest turn in the downward spiral of British agriculture. It is a terrible tragedy for the farming community, but it has had an impact way beyond farming, resulting in losses to tourism of £200m per
TWO North-East divers were recovering in hospital last night after running out of air while exploring a wreck. Roy Lancaster, 57, of northern County Durham, and Myra Wiseman, 51, from Northumberland, got into difficulties as they made their way back to
MILLIONS of pounds has been promised to help businesses hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis - but so far not a penny has been handed over. Prime Minister Tony Blair announced earlier this month that tourism bosses would get £6m to promote their industry,
LAST night, the Government came close to admitting what The Northern Echo has been trumpetting for years: the Barnett formula is an unfair way of sharing out central government money and needs to be reformed. Even the man who drew it up in 1977, Joel
FOOT-and-mouth disease may still be rife in the countryside, but there is still plenty to do in the North-East. The Northern Echo asked three advertising agencies to design posters to tell tourists the region is open for business. The Creative Type, which
STUART Nichols has only been on the footplate of the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum for less than a year, but already there have been a lot of changes. Most notably, paying visitors have increased 28 per cent and a major redevelopment scheme has
THE Government is poised to redraw the funding formula which has created a massive divide between the North-East and Scotland. Public spending is now more than £1bn higher in Scotland than the North-East as a result of the controversial Barnett funding
