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Public sector borrowing rose to £19.1bn last month as the cost of tackling the coronavirus pandemic took a further toll. The sum - which represents the shortfall between the government's revenues, such as tax, and its spending on things like the NHS - was the highest for February on record. It was a little lower than the £21bn that had been pencilled in by economists and may mean the chancellor undershoots the colossal £355bn total for 2020/21 pencilled in by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), unprecedented since the Second World War. The outlook for the full year has also been helped by a £5.6bn downward revision for January's shortfall. But the scale of the deficit continues to shatter records. Advertisement For the 11 months to February, borrowing stood at £278.8bn, compared to £50.6bn a year earlier, the highest for the period since comparable records began in 1993. That borrowing adds to the overall debt pile, now standing at … [Read more...] about Record February borrowing of £19.1bn – but full-year hit could be a bit smaller than feared

There will be no Zoom calls at the Oscars, organisers have said, telling nominees they will accept any awards won by artists who don't make it to the ceremony, while hoodies are definitely out. In a letter sent to nominees and published by US showbiz website Deadline, the show's producers said: "For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling, we want you to know there will not be an option to Zoom in for the show. "We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts." Oscar nominations 2021: The full list of films and stars in the running The ceremony will be "intimate", the Academy, the body which oversees the Oscars , said, promising it would be done safely under pandemic-era precautions. Everyone will be tested, and there will be a … [Read more...] about Oscars 2021: No Zoom and no hoodies allowed at ‘safe’ and ‘enjoyable’ ceremony, organisers say

Football fans could be allowed to pack into stadiums in "significant numbers" this summer with the help of COVID certificates, the culture secretary has told Sky News. Oliver Dowden set out the government's aim to "get as many people back as we possibly can and get back to the things we really love as a nation" as lockdown restrictions are eased. London's Wembley stadium is due to host seven matches at this year's European championship - including all three of England's group games - with ministers planning to allow football fans into the ground in their thousands. Four of the games due to be played at Wembley are scheduled to take place after 21 June, the date from which the government hopes all legal limits on social contact can be removed. Mr Dowden said ministers were "working very hard to deliver" the government's lockdown easing roadmap - an initial stage of which will allow people to attend socially distanced sports events and theatre performances indoors and … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Fans could be back in ‘significant numbers’ this summer with help of COVID certificates, says culture secretary

Carers who sleep at their workplace overnight in case they are needed are not entitled to the minimum wage for their whole shift, the Supreme Court has ruled. Judges at the UK's highest court on Friday dismissed appeals against previous court rulings from two care workers. Care organisations said the ruling meant the sector had avoided a "potentially catastrophic financial outcome" and estimated back pay liabilities of £400m. Claire Tomlinson-Blake, a Mencap support worker in the East Riding of Yorkshire, had appealed against a Court of Appeal ruling that carers are only entitled to the minimum wage when they are required to be awake for work - and not while asleep. She challenged the decision at the Supreme Court alongside a linked appeal brought by John Shannon, a Surrey care home worker whose case was heard along with Mrs Tomlinson-Blake's at the Court of Appeal. Advertisement In the Supreme Court's 32-page written ruling on Friday, which followed a … [Read more...] about Carers who sleep overnight at work in case they are needed not entitled to minimum wage for whole shift – Supreme Court rules

A CHEATING police officer who strangled his lover after she exposed their affair has today had his ten year sentence increased after an appeal. Timothy Brehmer killed mum-of-two Claire Parry after she sent a text from his phone to his wife, saying: "I am cheating on you." She was left with "unsurvivable brain injuries" after being strangled in the car park of the Horns Inn pub in Dorset, on May 9 and died in hospital the next day. But he claimed the 41-year-old suffered fatal injuries as he tried to push her out of the car and drive away. The traffic cop was cleared of murder following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court last year but previously admitted manslaughter. Brehmer, then 41, was caged for ten-and-a-half years in October sparking fury among Claire's family. Judges at the Court of Appeal have now increased his sentence by three years to 13-and-a-half years. They also rejected a bid by Brehmer to have his sentence reduced. His original jail term was … [Read more...] about Cheating police officer who strangled lover when she exposed affair has sentence increased to 13 and a half years