General news

• Gordonstoun and Fettes to feature in sex abuse inquiry

  31-01-2017 23:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SCOTLAND'S child abuse inquiry is investigating claims involving more than 60 residential care establishments.
  
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• Turkish national tells Nigel Farage: The UK must TIGHTEN BORDERS to protect British values

  31-01-2017 23:36 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A TURKISH national believes immigration has made Britain a worse place to live and urged the UK to get tougher on border controls.
  
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• EASTER WARNING: Co-Op issues recall on bunny chocolate after mum finds BATTERY inside

  31-01-2017 23:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A POLICE probe has been launched after a battery was found inside a Co-Op chocolate Easter bunny.
  
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• MPs trade bitter blows over Brexit trigger bill

  31-01-2017 22:53
  Speaker John Bercow revealed that no fewer than 99 MPs had applied to speak in more than 11 hours of debate, which ends at midnight. During his speech, the former Cabinet minister incensed Tory MPs by comparing Brexit to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland, and said Enoch Powell would regard today's Conservative party as "anti-immigration". The split in the Labour Party was also laid bare as Catherine West - a junior frontbencher who is now facing the sack - defied Jeremy Corbyn an
  
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• Discovery and Sky reach deal in the UK, ending blackout risk

  31-01-2017 22:41
  (Reuters) - Discovery Communication Inc's UK unit on Tuesday said it had reached a new carriage deal with Sky Plc, ending an impasse over pricing that had risked a blackout of all Discovery channels from Sky's platform. Less than a week ago a representative for Sky said that the pay-TV company viewed the price expectations for the Discovery portfolio as unrealistic, saying Sky had overpaid Discovery for years. "The deal has been concluded on the right terms after Discovery accepted the proposal
  
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• Home Secretary warns President Trump's travel ban could help IS

  31-01-2017 21:06
  
  The Home Secretary has warned that President Trump's travel ban risks becoming a "propaganda opportunity" for Islamic State. More than 1.7 million people have now added their signatures to the petition, which says that such a visit would "cause embarrassment" to the Queen. It also says that Mr Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales".
  
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• Warning that Brexit could price 'lowly paid' artists out of the UK

  31-01-2017 21:02
  "Lowly paid" artists could be priced out of "little England" if Brexit changes restrict freedom of movement, an arts venue director has warned. Sir Nicholas Kenyon, managing director of London's Barbican Centre, says Government assurances are needed to make sure talented performers are still let in to the country. "We're being told highly paid, highly skilled people will be able to come here but what about - in terms of artists and creative people - very highly skilled, lowly paid workers?
  
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• UK public opinion divided over US president's state visit | Letters

  31-01-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  
  A few weeks ago, over 50 prominent Labour MPs, peers and trade union leaders joined Muslim and Jewish leaders in signing a statement to “Stand Up to Trump, Stand Up to Racism” and appealing to others to join us. Demonstrations are planned in London and Glasgow and other European capitals on UN Anti-Racism Day (18 March).This is now more urgent after the killings at a Canadian mosque (Report, 31 January) and the burning down of a mosque in Texas which followed President Trump’s
  
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• Northern Lights may go out across the UK, say experts

  31-01-2017 20:56
  The Northern Lights may no longer be visible from any part of the UK by the middle of the century, according to British scientists. University of Reading researchers say a big drop in solar activity could confine the spectacular aurora borealis to the Arctic Circle within decades. Study author Dr Mathew Owens said: "The magnetic activity of the sun ebbs and flows in predictable cycles, but there is also evidence that it is due to plummet, possibly by the largest amount for 300 years.
  
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• Labour must reinstate anti-racist activist Marc Wadsworth | Letters

  31-01-2017 20:55 via theguardian.com
  
  We call on Labour’s general secretary to lift the unjust suspension from Labour membership of veteran anti-racist campaigner Marc Wadsworth. It is a cause for serious concern that Wadsworth is one of several prominent black activists suspended or excluded by the party, which has historically relied on Africans, Caribbeans and Asians, its most loyal voters, to get many Labour MPs elected. Labour cannot hope to get back into power without black support. Black people, and their anti-racist al
  
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• Sebastian Coe's chief of staff sacked over €30,000 payment

  31-01-2017 20:52
  Lord Sebastian Coe's chief of staff at world athletics' governing body has been sacked after he admitted lying about a 30,000 euro cash payment from the son of the former president. Nick Davies, a former IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) general secretary who was appointed chief of staff by Lord Coe, received the cash in July 2013 from Papa Massata Diack, the disgraced son of Lamine Diack, in what was alleged to be an attempt to cover up or minimise the impact of positive
  
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• UK corporate pensions headache could worsen in 2017

  31-01-2017 19:31
  By Carolyn Cohn LONDON (Reuters) - More UK companies are expected to adjust capital or cut dividends to fill growing holes in final salary pension schemes this year. The discovery of huge pension deficits at Tata Steel and collapsed retailer BHS in 2016 caused scandals and drew attention to the widening gap between the assets held by such schemes and the money they owe to pensioners. British government bonds, or gilts, have been the main assets of defined benefit or final salary pension schemes.
  
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• What exactly is an executive order?

  31-01-2017 19:20
  
  Know that Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban is one, but need more deets? Well, we got ‘em.
  
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• Thomas Orchard died after 'unlawful' restraint in police custody, court told

  31-01-2017 19:17
  A church caretaker with mental health issues died in police custody after being "unlawfully" restrained, with a webbing belt placed around his face, a court has heard. Thomas Orchard, 32, who had schizophrenia, suffered a cardiac arrest at Heavitree Police Station in Exeter in October 2012, and died a week later in hospital. Custody sergeant Jan Kingshott and detention officers Simon Tansley and Michael Marsden are on trial accused of gross negligence manslaughter.
  
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• Go tuck yourself – and 10 ways to do it

  31-01-2017 19:13 via theguardian.com
  
  The Mullet, the Viennetta and the Mushroom – a fashion trend for tucking in tops in stylish ways has made getting dressed a minefield. Fear not. With our handy guide, the right way to tuck is crystal clearTucking. It used to be simple: in or out. Neat and tidy or an act of slobbish rebellion. But now, in fashion, the rules have become a lot more complicated.Take a look at any street-style star and you’ll notice that their tucking technique – although designed to look casual, do
  
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• Alexander Chancellor obituary

  31-01-2017 19:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Endlessly curious writer and editor who gave the Spectator magazine its lively shape and toneAlexander Chancellor, who has died aged 77, was a journalist of grace and distinction whose work as a writer and editor enhanced several British magazines, including the Oldie, which he was editing when he took ill last week. Perhaps his greatest success came with his reinvention in the mid-1970s of the Spectator, a fading weekly to which he gave a lively shape and tone that has survived the half-dozen e
  
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• It only takes a minute

  31-01-2017 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gary Barlow says he did not wash his hair for 14 years, but are there benefits to ditching shampoo?
  
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• Anti-Trump petition to be debated by MPs

  31-01-2017 19:01
  A petition that calls for Donald Trump's state visit to Britain to be downgraded is to be debated by MPs next month. More than 1.7 million people have now added their signatures to the petition, which says that such a visit would "cause embarrassment" to the Queen. It also says that Mr Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales".
  
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• Madeleine McCann police officer will not have to pay compensation over book

  31-01-2017 18:46
  The lead officer in the Madeleine McCann case will not have to pay compensation to her parents over a book he wrote about her disappearance. Portugal's Supreme Court has ruled that Kate and Gerry McCann cannot sue former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral for libel. Last April Mr Amaral, who had claimed that Mr and Mrs McCann were involved in their daughter's disappearance, won an appeal against his libel conviction.
  
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• 'In it until you die'- convicted Nigerian politician signals comeback

  31-01-2017 18:37
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Former Nigerian oil state governor James Ibori, who was recently released from a British prison after serving a sentence for corruption, has signalled a possible political comeback in Africa's most populous country. As governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007, Ibori became one of Nigeria's most powerful men and enjoyed a millionaire lifestyle, with luxury homes in several countries. The case was initially hailed as a high point in the fight against corrupti
  
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• Britain pardons thousands of gay men convicted under defunct laws

  31-01-2017 18:36
  Britain has granted posthumous pardons to thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of sexual offences under laws which have since been abolished, the government said on Tuesday. The mass pardon, which had been announced several months ago, became a reality when a new law received royal assent. The policy is known as "Turing's Law" after the celebrated mathematician and World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing, who was stripped of his job and chemically castrated after being convicted of
  
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• 'A ludicrous farce': readers on parliament's Brexit debate

  31-01-2017 18:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Ken Clarke’s speech drew praise as the Commons debate on the European Union (notification of withdrawal) bill got underway
  British MPs debated government’s Brexit bill on Tuesday, in an initial two-day debate in the House of Commons. Related: Kenneth Clarke: even Enoch Powell would be surprised at Tory PartyContinue reading...
  
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• Road rage driver avoids jail after three-vehicle pile-up in West Sussex

  31-01-2017 18:26
  A road rage driver who caused a three-vehicle crash has avoided jail but been banned from driving for two years. Lee Allwright, 29, was travelling along the A27 near Shoreham, West Sussex, when he abruptly stopped his car in the middle lane, causing a pile-up. The footage shows Allwright's Peugeot overtaking a BMW as they joined the 70mph-limit road on 27 November 2015.
  
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• A new initiative tackling loneliness has been launched to continue Jo Cox's legacy

  31-01-2017 18:25
  
  Cox had already begun work on the campaign before she was murdered in June 2016.
  
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• MPs are set to debate Trump's UK state visit after both for and against petitions hit their signatures target

  31-01-2017 18:21
  
  Paul Flynn, a member of the Petitions Committee, will open the debate.
  
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• From ‘overlearning’ to going barefoot: how to learn better

  31-01-2017 18:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Forget practising for hours on end or cramming the night before an exam. Here are some pointers to help you get top resultsThe old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed: try, try again”, might need rewriting. Because, according to new research, even if you do succeed, you should still try, try again. “Overlearning”, scientists say, could be the key to remembering what you have learned.In a study of 183 volunteers, participants were asked to spot the orientatio
  
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• British Airways says most flights to run as normal during Feb. 5-7 strike

  31-01-2017 18:15
  British Airways said on Tuesday nearly all flights will go ahead as scheduled despite strike action by cabin crew between Feb. 5-7 and only a small number of flights would be merged. All flights to and from Gatwick and London City airports and long-haul flights from Heathrow will run as normal, the airline said. A small number of short-haul flights from Heathrow - less than one percent of the total number planned - are to be combined, meaning some passengers will see a change to their departure
  
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• Bob Dylan to release triple album of classics from great American songbook

  31-01-2017 17:49 via theguardian.com
  
  The collection, entitled Triplicate, will feature 30 reinterpretations of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and othersHow many cover versions by Bob Dylan can you handle? Because this year looks set to throw quite a few at you. The singer has announced that he will release not just an album, not just a double album, but a triple album featuring new recordings of classics from the great American songbook.Related: Bob Dylan: Shadows in the Night review – an unalloyed pleasur
  
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• Posthumous pardons for gay men over now-abolished sexual offences

  31-01-2017 17:46
  Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences have been posthumously pardoned. The new legislation, known as "Turing's law", has been a commitment of the Government after the case of World War II code-breaker Alan Turing. Mr Turing was given a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 over a conviction in 1952 for gross indecency.
  
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• A viral picture has shown the unity between people protesting against Donald Trump's Muslim ban

  31-01-2017 17:44
  
  “Hate has no home here.”
  
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• Hundreds of Britons bet Trump presidency won't last the year

  31-01-2017 17:43
  Less than two weeks after Donald Trump's inauguration and amid anger over his immigration policy, hundreds of Britons are betting that the U.S. president will not last a year in office. Bookmaker Ladbrokes is offering odds of 4/1, or 4 pounds for every one pound wagered, on the real-estate tycoon being replaced as president of the United States in 2017. "It's incredible how many people are betting, taking the 4/1 about him being replaced this year, and even the 11/10 on him being impeached or ev
  
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• STURGEON WARNED: Scotland will be at 'BACK OF QUEUE' for EU place if it quits UK

  31-01-2017 17:26 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SCOTLAND will be left at the “back of the queue” for membership of the European Union if Nicola Sturgeon pushes ahead with her plans to break away from the UK, MEPs have warned.
  
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• Denial lawyer Anthony Julius on antisemitism and the age of extremes

  31-01-2017 16:54 via theguardian.com
  
  He became one of the country’s few famous lawyers after representing Princess Diana in her divorce. Now he’s being portrayed on the big screen for his part in the David Irving Holocaust libel trialAs I walk up to the large detached house in north London belonging to Anthony Julius, one of the very few people in this country who can justly be described as a famous lawyer, I feel a small wave of apprehension. Not about his famed intellect, which allegedly, and somewhat snarkily, has ea
  
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• Banks must plan for 'hard' Brexit, industry report warns

  31-01-2017 16:31
  By Huw Jones and Anjuli Davies LONDON (Reuters) - Global banks must plan for a "hard" Brexit or risk breaching regulatory requirements and disrupting business, according to an industry report seen by Reuters, the first since Prime Minister May said she would take Britain out of the single market. It was prepared by consultancy PwC for industry body the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME). The process will require more clarity from regulators in EU countries where banks might seek
  
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• 'Humanity comes before special relationship': UK protesters on US travel ban

  31-01-2017 16:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Tens of thousands of people marched this week against Donald Trump. We ask them why they feel it’s important to take part Thousands of people gathered in cities across the UK on Monday, to protest against Donald Trump’s travel ban on US arrivals from seven Muslim-majority countries and the freeze on refugee admissions.
  Demonstrators voiced concern about the UK government’s weak response to Trump’s ban and the apparent prioritising of the UK’s renewed special relatio
  
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• All the burning questions surrounding the Donald Trump state visit drama answered

  31-01-2017 15:17
  
  There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the president’s impending trip to the UK – and here’s what you need to know.
  
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• Has the war on drugs actually made things worse?

  31-01-2017 15:06
  
  It’s created “super-traffickers”, according to an expert.
  
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• The owner of Guinness is creating a brand new Irish whiskey

  31-01-2017 14:55
  
  Chin chin.
  
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• City breaks with kids: London

  31-01-2017 14:54 via theguardian.com
  
  London offers a dazzling parade of attractions and treats for children – but it can empty your pockets faster than Fagin. Here are our tips for making the most of the city on a budgetMore in this series: Paris | Barcelona | Amsterdam | Berlin | RomeSome of London’s most popular attractions are also its most expensive – looking at you Madame Tussauds (from £107 for a family of four), London Zoo (£84.60), London Sealife Aquarium (£136). On the plus side, most ma
  
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• London's Mayor Khan to tell U.S. envoy: travel ban cruel, prejudiced

  31-01-2017 14:47
  By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will tell the top U.S. diplomat in Britain on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from a list of Muslim nations is prejudiced and will hurt rather than improve U.S. security. Khan, Britain's most prominent Muslim politician, will make his comments at a meeting of foreign dignitaries, including U.S. chargé d'affaires Lewis Lukens and ambassadors from most of the countries affected by the ban, the m
  
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• No 10 says Donald Trump state visit is 'months away'

  31-01-2017 14:38
  Donald Trump's state visit is "months away", Downing Street has insisted, after concerns the trip could leave the Queen mired in "political controversy". Theresa May was urged to act quickly to delay Mr Trump's state visit so she didn't put the monarch in a "difficult position". Former head of the Foreign Office Lord Ricketts said Mrs May should "move fast" to save the Queen from controversy by pushing back the President's state visit because of the "level of public opposition and anxiety".
  
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• Petrol and diesel costs rise to two-year high - industry figures reveal

  31-01-2017 14:37
  Petrol and diesel costs have hit their highest levels since December 2014, with higher pump prices starting to affect spending levels, according to the AA. Figures showed that the average price for unleaded petrol passed the £1.20-per-litre barrier this week, while diesel was at £1.23. Pump costs have been rising steadily in recent months, reflecting a partial recovery in oil costs since November when major producers signalled production cuts to help lift prices.
  
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• Britain to have closest possible nuclear ties post-Brexit, says minister

  31-01-2017 14:20
  Britain will maintain the closest possible nuclear cooperation with the European Union after it leaves the bloc and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), Britain's Brexit minister David Davis said on Tuesday. Presenting a new law to parliament to trigger the formal divorce procedure with the bloc, Davis told lawmakers: "Our aims are clear, we will maintain the closest possible nuclear cooperation with the European Union, that relationship could take a number of different forms and will
  
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• ‘I saw being autistic as an employment opportunity, not a weakness’ | Saba Salman

  31-01-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Young autistic people want to be accepted by employers for who they are, says award-winning campaigner Jonathan AndrewsJonathan Andrews was once advised to hide his autism from prospective employers. Instead, he is making his name by doing just the opposite.“I saw it [being autistic] as an opportunity, not a weakness,” says Andrews, 22, who recently won campaigner of the year at the European Diversity Awards 2016. The law graduate, who starts as a trainee solicitor at Reed Smith in A
  
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• Value of Hatton Garden stolen goods doubles to £29m

  31-01-2017 13:34
  
  The estimate of the value of loot stolen in the Hatton Garden jewellery heist has more than doubled to £29m, a judge was told. A lawyer for Danny Jones, one of the ringleaders of the gang behind the heist, said prosecutors claimed he and four others benefited from £25m of goods on top of £4m that has been recovered. The new figure emerged during a preliminary hearing at Woolwich Crown Court to assess how much the convicted gang is liable for under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
  
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• Boy Scouts of America is inviting transgender children to join its programmes

  31-01-2017 13:13
  
  The organisation says it evaluated and updated its approach to scouting to benefit more children.
  
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• Body of teenager Louis Simpson found after barn fire in Lancashire

  31-01-2017 13:06
  The body of a teenager has been found in a barn after a fire. Louis Simpson, 14, had been reported missing after the blaze in the property at Fairhurst Hall in Parbold, Lancashire, on Sunday afternoon. Lancashire Police said a body, believed to be Louis, had been found in the barn on Monday night.
  
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• Nigel Slater’s sautéed potatoes with olives, chard and cheese recipe

  31-01-2017 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A tasty and nourishing one-pot midweek supper that smells as good as it tastesBring a pan of water to the boil then salt it lightly. Wash and thickly slice 450g of small to medium-sized potatoes. Lower the sliced potatoes into the boiling water then leave to cook for about 10-12 minutes until you can effortlessly pierce them with a skewer. Drain them carefully and set aside. Continue reading...
  
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• Spacewalks and moon landings: Nasa archive photos up for auction

  31-01-2017 12:55 via theguardian.com
  
  A set of photographic prints from Nasa’s archives – selected by Barbara Hitchcock and Peter Riva and approved by several of the astronauts – that include the first moon landing, are up for auction in New York. Originally part of a 1985 Smithsonian Institution exhibition, Sightseeing: A Space Panorama, many of the photos had never before been published by the space agency, and are the only known Cibachrome prints made from original Nasa positives Continue reading...
  
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• Parents await landmark Supreme Court term time holiday ruling

  31-01-2017 12:37
  A father who refused to pay a fine for taking his daughter on holiday during term time has said parents could face criminal consequences for unauthorised absence if a Supreme Court ruling goes against him. Jon Platt won a landmark High Court ruling that blocked a £120 fine he was issued when he took his daughter to Disney World in Florida in April 2015. Two senior judges ruled that he was not acting unlawfully because his daughter had a good attendance record during the rest of the year.
  
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