Schools in the North-East and North Yorkshire are celebrating record-breaking GCSE results. Education authorities throughout the region announced improvements on last year's exam performances. Nationally, the number of pupils who achieved five or more
A motorbike passenger is seriously ill after the motorcycle on which she was travelling crashed into a roundabout in Stockton. Cleveland Police said the rider apparently lost control at the junction of Bishopton Avenue and Durham Road and both he and
An inquest heard how a family holiday turned to horror when a toddler ran under a car. Four-year-old Rio Singh Potiwal had been playing with his sisters near the family's holiday cottage in County Kerry, Eire, when he ran across the road into the path
A woman has spoken of her shock at receiving two mobile phone bills totalling £1,000 without making a single call. Rosalind Knapper, 50, agreed to try a free new camera phone with 500 free minutes when she was contacted out of the blue by a company called
Sir Mark Thatcher last night denied any involvement in an alleged plot to topple the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. The son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was charged yesterday with violating South Africa's anti-mercenary law in
Juninho will focus on making goals with the same consistency as Henrik Larsson scored them on the day he was handed the Swede's No 7 shirt by Celtic. The Brazilian, who had hero status on Teesside, paraded at Parkhead yesterday after completing his move
Under the 'most influential person in my career' section of his biography Bradley Wiggins lists two entries: Muhammad Ali and Michael Johnson. There is not much evidence of either Ali, who won Olympic gold at just 18, or Johnson, double gold medallist
HUNDREDS of jobs are to be created with the further expansion of one of North Yorkshire's fastest-growing employers. The CPP group is to increase the number of people at its international headquarters and call centre in York by 200. That will take the
DURHAM vice-captain Paul Collingwood last night thanked the England selectors for standing by him after his surprise inclusion in the 16-man squad to tour South Africa this winter. "It's a massive vote of confidence, simple as that," he said. "Things
WHEN Mark Thatcher asked his mother's press secretary how he could best help her re-election prospects in 1987, Sir Bernard Ingham's reported reply was as brutal as it was short: "Leave the country". Sir Mark, 51, who inherited his baronetcy on his father's
Primary care trust staff in County Durham are to be given pedometers as part of a scheme to boost healthy living. The 11 members of staff from a number of departments within Sedgefield Primary Care Trust are being urged to use the small electronic devices
What is the betting that as the Olympic flame fades, a new wave of keep-fitters will be born? The same people who pull on lyrca every New Year to keep some resolution made after too much Christmas pud, will be heading for the gym to try to recreate the
TRADING STANDARDS officers are warning people across the region to think twice about buying "leather-look" three-piece suites from the backs of vans. They said that poor quality cream-coloured suites wrap-ped in thick plastic are often sold from unmarked
A motorbike passenger is seriously ill after the motorcycle on which she was travelling crashed into a roundabout in Stockton. Cleveland Police said the rider apparently lost control at the junction of Bishopton Avenue and Durham Road and both he and
Music fans can have their say in selecting the finalists in The Northern Echo's music competition. Online voting began on Saturday and closes on Wednesday, September 1. Fans can vote and help choose the four finalists in the Big Chance music contest by
A 25-year-old Middlesbrough man was remanded in custody today charged with the murder of his wife who was killed outside her home last week. Amir Shazad, 29, of Lothian Road, Middlesbrough, made a brief appearance at Teesside Crown Court and spoke only
Metal detector enthusiasts are sharing their interest and expertise in buried artefacts with archaeologists. While metal detectorists were once viewed as a renegade, uncontrolled group by the archaeological community, they are now working together to
HARROGATE-born actor Laurence Mitchell sees himself as the acting equivalent of Manchester United and England football star Alan Smith. That's not in term of pay packets, but in answer to questions about the pressure of making a main role debut for the
