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	        <title><![CDATA[News Headlines]]></title>
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			<title><![CDATA[Wills and Kate on last royal visit before the big day]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[Approximately 14,000 turned out to see the prince and his fiancee when they visited Lancashire yesterday afternoon on their final royal visit before getting married. 
The royal couple visited Witton Country Park and Darwen Aldridge Community Academy in the pouring rain yesterday. Despite the elements the couple and the crowds appeared to be enjoying themselves with William cheerfully waving at the wet onlookers.  
They visited the sports pavilion in Witton Park where Miss Middleton waved a flag to start a girls 100m race. She then presented a medal to the ecstatic winner. Whilst at the Community school the pair met staff and chatted to design and physical education pupils as well as watching a troupe of young dancers that Miss Middleton describes as 'very good'. The Prince then officially opened the schools new building. 
Many in the crowds had been waiting for over two hours to see the happy couple and described it as a 'magical moment' when they first came into sight. There were many comments on the appearance of Miss Middleton who chose a navy jacket and skirt combination for the visit. She was described by the locals who saw her as 'extremely pretty' with her hair tied half up and her winning smile. 
This couple have visited Anglesea, Fife and Belfast to meet well-wishers since they broke the news of their engagement. This is the last visit before that tie the knot at on the 29th April. 
 ]]></description>
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			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:42:54 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Bomb threat passenger plane escorted to Athens airport]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[A passenger plane which was full of British holiday makers has had to be escorted to Athens airport after a bomb threat was made against it. The Thomson plane was carrying 213 passengers, including crew, and had set off from Bristol International Airport. Its destination was the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh. 
Once the threat was received the Greek Air force sent a number of air crafts to the targeted plane and saw it safely bought into Athens International Airport. After touchdown the plane was evacuated and then taken to be searched by local authorities at a nearby air field. 
The passengers who were on the flight are now all being 'looked after' at the terminal building according to a Thomson spokesperson. They said that the decision to divert the plane was 'taken as a precaution' and in the 'interests of safety'. 
 There is speculation as to when and how the threat was made. Greek television is saying that it was straight to Thomson whilst the BBC have said that it was sent to an Egyptian news company who then passed it on. 
Though the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-sheik is a good distance away from the recent Egyptian Unrest that shook the capital, many holiday makers are choosing other destinations as a precaution. Pictures of riots, tanks and bombs won't be dislodged from people's minds that easily. Sharm-el-sheik has been one of the most popular destinations for Brits in the last five years. 

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			<pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:50:10 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Cuts hit art groups and organisations]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[The government spending slashed funding to the ACE (Arts Council England) budget by nearly100m pounds in recent spending cuts. This means that thousands of theatres, galleries and arts groups who applied for funding from the council have had their applications rejected. However, some of the lucky ones who will receive funding will see a dramatic decrease in the amounts they receive. 
Approximately 1300 applications for funding were made to ACE of which 695 were successful. This is compared to 849 in the previous funding round. 
Projects that seek to be funded by ACE on an on-going will be hit the hardest as the council say that "money could not be used to directly fund arts organisations and could only be used for one-off projects such as renovations and refurbishments". 
Organisations that have been dropped include Manchester's Green Room Theatre and the Northumberland Theatre Company. Luckier organisations who will receive help include The Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Young Vic. 
It is hoped that the amount of lottery funding that goes in to the arts sector will increase and go some way in softening the blow. The government has said that an extra 80 million pounds of lottery funds will be allocated to the arts from 2013. For the years 2010 and 2011 ACE have received £149m of lottery money which will increase to 223m pounds for 2014/15. It is expected that as the lottery funding increases so will the amount of restrictions on where and how the money can be spent. 
 ]]></description>
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			<pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:14:58 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Police charge 149 anti cuts demonstrators]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[Police have charged 149 anti-cuts demonstrators after 201 arrests were made in London on Saturday. The demonstration was for the most part very peaceful and was being held in the capital against the governments planned 81bn pound spending cuts. 
A gang attacked police officers, sprawled graffiti over bank and shop facades and smashed windows; it is thought that they were malicious groups who had no intention other than to cause disruptuption. Met police Commander Bob Broadhurst sent a message to those who participated in the violence and anti-social behaviour telling them; 
 "You haven't got away with it. We will be studying all the CCTV, all the stills photography, we will be interviewing people. We will be coming looking for you. If you have committed violence or caused damage we will be arresting you fairly soon." 
Commander Broadhurst said that officers "did their best" and responded as quickly as possible to try and deal with the troublemakers. There were 4,500 officers on duty on the day and it is thought that there were up to 500,000 protestors. 
Generally, after such protests and violent clashes, the police force tends to come under fire from those who think they could have handled the situations better. However, Home Office Minister Nick Herbert said that he would not criticise the police as they "had a difficult job to do".  He said that he believed a small minority were "bent on violence, criminal damage and trespass" despite the fact that most protestors were peaceful and calm. 
Speaking on Radio 4, Commander Broadhurst warned that these violent groups, who have been plaguing recent protests, may also target the royal wedding at the end of the month. 
 ]]></description>
			<link>http://www.britishinformation.com/news/News-Headlines/2011-03/Police-charge-149-anti-cuts-demonstrators-19912583/</link>
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			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:47:30 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Moat victim sues Northumbria Police]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[Pc David Rathband, the man famously blinded by northern gun man Raoul Moat, is suing Northumbria Police for failing to warn him of Moat's threats. He claims that mistakes that were made by the force turned him into a "sitting duck" on the night of the attack.
On the night of the shooting Moat called Northumbria Police to tell them he had shot his ex-girlfriend and her new partner, Chris Brown who was fatally injured. Moat also told them that he was targeting police officers.  Mr Rathband says that although the force knew of these threats, he was not aware of them until "two weeks later". 
He told BBC's Radio 5 that "It went drastically wrong. If you know there is a direct threat you either remove the threat or remove the person that is being threatened. I did not know that someone with a gun was intent on killing police officers. If I had I would not have been shot". 
Mr Rathband does intend to return to the police force who has said that they "look forward to welcoming him back". They have acknowledged being contacted by his lawyers and have said that they are "considering the contents" of the lawyer correspondence. 
Moat started a spree of violence last year which ended with a six hour standoff with the police where Moat eventually turned the gun on himself. Two of Moats accomplices, Karl Ness and Qhuram Awan, were recently jailed earlier on this month for their part in helping the killer.  
 ]]></description>
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			<pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:46:48 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Mechanical failure causes warplane crash]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[A United States warplane has crashed in Libya while carrying out coalition aerial strikes. These attacks are part of the enforcement of a UN supported no fly zone that is being put in to place to protect Libyan civilians from Gadaffi forces. 
The warplane, which was carrying two crew members, is thought to have been brought down by mechanical failures. Both crew members ejected in time before the plane hit the ground and are safe and well, say the American military. A US military spokesman said that there "was no indication of hostile fire" and the plane is now being analysed further. The crash site is close to the city of Benghazi, currently a rebel stronghold. 
Airstrikes have been taking place since Saturday, led by a US Coalition. When the strikes began, Libyan television reported to its people that the capital was "under crusader enemy aerial bombardment" and claimed that many places had been attacked. Places such as a naval base and fishing village were said to have been hit. 
On Sunday night, the whereabouts of the Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffi were unknown. He made a number of phone calls to state television, vowing to "distribute arms to all Libyans and turn the Mediterranean into a battleground". He cancelled a planned speech in Tripoli on Saturday night and is now thought to have gone to ground. Gadaffi has aggressively condemned the west for their interference in Libyan affairs and said that British, French and American leaders were acting like "fascist dictators". 
 ]]></description>
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			<pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:43:31 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Police pay review asks for end to bonus payments]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[An independent police pay review has called for cuts to be made to large bonuses and special payments made to officers who are high up in the force. This means that chief officers and superintendents could lose some of their annual pay-outs.
The report was carried out by Tom Winsor, a former rail regulator. He suggests that if the police put all the changes he recommends in to practise then they will save 485m pounds over the course of the next three years. In the report he proposes an across the board salary shake up, based on his opinion that police salaries currently reflect a "police service and society that no longer exists". If these reforms were put in to place up to 40% of police officers could lose anything up to 4,000 pounds a year off their salary. Mr Winsor has said that officers should be paid according to their skills and level of responsibility. 
Mr Winsor's report claims that those in the police force earn up to 15% more than those in other emergency service jobs as well as those serving in the armed forces. The report comes at a time when police pay is already being put under scrutiny due to government cuts. The Association of Chief Police Officers is saying that the cuts will claim well over 25,000 police jobs in the next few years. Police funding is expected to be cut by 20% in the run up to 2015. 
 ]]></description>
			<link>http://www.britishinformation.com/news/News-Headlines/2011-03/Police-pay-review-asks-for-end-to-bonus-payments-19912556/</link>
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			<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:20:44 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Government approved Murdochs BskyB takeover]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[New Corporation, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has been given the go ahead by the government to continue with its takeover of BskyB.  The takeover has caused much controversy as there are concerns about having such a number of media channels belonging to just one organisation. 
News Corporation has offered to split Sky News off as an independent company in order for approval to be granted. They currently own 41% of BskyB and want to add the rest of it to their portfolio along with the News of the World, the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times. 
There are a number of opponents to News Corporations bid including the Guardian and the Telegraph. In a joint statement, along with other opposing media companies, they said that this offer was a "whitewash" and that they would be considering all "legal options". 
The decision was ultimately down to the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt who said that he thought the separation of Sky News would appease all the concerns raised about media control and it being too largely put in to one man's hands. He said that "shareholding in Sky News would remain unchanged" and added that he thought this would give it "more independence" from New Corp than it has at present. 
Mr Murdoch's intentions of gaining full control of BskyB have been no secret and have been widely know for a while now. Should his opponents wish to, they have until the 21st March to make a complaint about the takeover. 
 ]]></description>
			<link>http://www.britishinformation.com/news/News-Headlines/2011-03/Government-approved-Murdochs-BskyB-takeover-19912553/</link>
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			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:25:21 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Insurers can no longer charge lower premiums to women rules ECJ]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[The European Court of Justice has today ruled that insurance companies cannot charge different premiums to men and women because of their sex. "Taking the gender of the individual into consideration as a risk factor in insurance contracts constitutes discrimination," the European Court of Justice said. 
At present younger females pay less than their male counterparts because they are seen as safer drivers. Statistically men in their late teenage years and early 20's are more prone to be involved in drink driving accidents and incidents of speeding. There is currently a massive gulf between what men and women pay for annual car insurance, especially for those who are new drivers. 
If you are a young male driver I wouldn't celebrate too soon. It is female's premiums that are set to rise as oppose to the male premiums coming down.  It is expected that a 25% increase will occur for women drivers, which could rise up to 50% in some cases. 
Since records began male road fatalities have always outweighed female fatalities, however is this because men to do about 60% more driving than women, taking longer and more frequent trips? Some researchers believe that the reason fatalities are higher in young men is to be found in hormones related to aggressiveness, others say it is because of the measurably greater alcohol use among men while driving. However, no matter what your opinion you are likely to be impacted in some way by today's decision. 
The requirement for equal insurance premiums will start in December 2012. This gives national governments and the insurance industry time to adjust to the changes. 



 ]]></description>
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			<pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:29:11 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[New welfare reform plan released]]></title>
			<description><![CDATA[The government have released plans to ensure that the workers of Britain are paid more than those who are unemployed.  Amongst the changes is a planned cap on the amount of benefits paid to any one family as well are tougher guidelines on the acceptance and turning down of jobs. 
There will be a number of other changes to benefits such as disability living allowance, tax changes which will mean workers can keep more of their income and a loss of benefits to those who refuse to work. There is also planned a creation of a universal credit which is set to begin in 2013, this is the main focus of this newest welfare reform.
This universal credit will mean that existing entitlements and benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and Housing Benefit will be paid as one single amount. This is expected to hugely simplify the benefits process. 
There are currently over five million people of working age, who are out of work and claiming benefits. Nearly 1.5m of these have been unemployed for up to a decade. The government fears that unemployment has become a way of life, especially for those who live in poorer communities, and so they are trying to combat this. Ian Duncan Smith our work and pension's secretary said that "life on benefits will no longer be an option" and added that "British people will genuinely be able to get British jobs because they will be incentivised to take those jobs. We will expect them to take those jobs. Work will pay better than benefits."
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			<link>http://www.britishinformation.com/news/News-Headlines/2011-02/New-welfare-reform-plan-released-19912538/</link>
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			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:19:58 +0000</pubDate>			<category>News Headlines</category>
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