In The News Today

Story 1

After the lovely weather we had over the weekend you’d be forgiven to think that this is the start of spring and warmer days to come. But beware, weather forecasts predict that there is another chill set to come and the following days will struggle to reach double figures and the nights will barely be above zero.

To top it all off, the rest of the month will see further rain and heavy clouds making it a truly miserable March. This comes after one of the coldest winters Britain has seen in over 30 years. The cold weather is not ready to leave us yet, so time to dig out your woollies and scarf.

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Story 2

The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford has decided to suspend its cardiac services offered to children after 4 patients have died within the last few months.

This is not the first time this hospital has come under the spotlight however, as it has emerged that back in 2002 there had been a report criticising  “many aspects of the service” regarding the Oxford hospital where there was concern of a high mortality rate of cardiac surgery patients.

A spokesperson for the hospital stated that an investigation is underway into the issues that have been raised during the temporary suspension of the paediatric cardiac surgery service they offer, with the most urgent patients waiting for surgery to be transferred to other hospitals.

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Story 3

Recent news of one of the Bulger killers, Jon Venables back in jail has caused an outcry amongst the public. It’s been 17 years since the abduction and tragic murder of 2 year old James Bulger, and from the moment Venabes and Thompson, his accomplice got taken into custody they were protected immensely by the Government right up until their release where they were given new names and new identities at the cost and to the disgust of the tax payer.

Now, Venables has apparently breached the conditions of his release and sent back to jail indefinitely, the Government is once again all hush-hush, refusing to disclose any information on the matter causing revolt amongst everyone who believed all along that the Bulger murderers should have stayed behind bars for good.

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Story 4

At the annual eGaming Review Awards 2009 a couple of months ago, it was suggested that a merger between online gaming giants Partygaming and Austrian company Bwin Interactive Entertainment was on the cards. Bwin fought off stiff competition from their rivals to take home the illustrious Operator of the Year award this year, but it is believed that by next year’s awards, the rivalry will have ended.

Speculation over the merger, which is allegedly worth over £2 billion, was first reported in The Times last week, who claimed that formal talks between the two UK Bingo corporations have taken place. Since then, the Takeover Panel have been pushing for an end to speculation, and is reportedly forcing both companies to reveal their plans.

Merger prospects have been further enhanced by reports that Partygaming has been aiming to target a larger market and become a leading sportsbook operator and improve its online services in UK Bingo, poker, and casino games. Meanwhile, Bwin Interactive Entertainment has also declared plans to participate in industry consolidation, demonstrated by their recent £115 million acquisition of Italian poker room, Gioco Digitale.

As Partygaming has a market value of approximately £1 billion and Bwin is valued at £1.2 billion, the imminent deal has been classed as a ‘merger of equals’, although analysts believe that Partygaming has the capacity to fund an outright acquisition.

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