The student at the Cardinal Heenan High School was given a day's suspension because it was the second time he had been... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17395 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:56:58 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17392/t/Parents-want-busty-fox-sacked-from-puppet-show.html Angry parents want a big-breasted fox puppet removed from a children's theatre performance - because she is too sexy.

The fox features in the puppet show entitled Hedgehog House, at Zagreb Theatre in Croatia, in which a fox falls in love with a hedgehog - and finds herself dreaming of his sharp spines.

But theatre bosses are under pressure to drop the... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17392 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:50:24 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17269/t/Single-mum-refused-photo-shoot-because-she-wasn-t-married.html A single mum says she and her young children were refused a free photoshoot because their family was missing a dad.

Lucinda Buckett won a competition for a family photography session with the firm Foto Trendz.

But the 24-year-old, who has been separated for six months, says she was left feeling humiliated after the giveaway was cancelled because a second adult was not present.

She was told she had not followed the rules of the competition and that she would have to... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17269 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:28:35 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17267/t/Mother-expecting--14th-child-vows--ll--having-babies----twin.html

A pregnant woman silhouetted against a set of blinds

A mother expecting her 14th child has vowed to keep having children... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17267 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:24:01 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17255/t/Boy-14-wants-sex-change.html A teenager from Dorset has been told by the NHS that he must wait until puberty to have a sex change.

By Harriet Alexander
Published: 10:46AM GMT 23 Nov 2009

The boy, known as Georgie Smith, has wanted to be a girl since he was a toddler.

He said: "I'm... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17255 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:53:48 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17161/t/Maclaren-recalls--MILLION-pushchairs--U-S--children-suffer-f.html Maclaren today defended its decision not to organise a European recall of children's pushchairs at the centre of a safety scare despite doing so in the US.

The company announced yesterday that one million folding buggies in America were being recalled after reports that 12 children had their fingertips cut off when they were caught in hinges.

All Maclaren single and double umbrella pushchairs, including the popular Volo and Techno models, were voluntarily... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17161 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:56:09 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17124/t/Middle-class-students-face-university-place-struggle--Mandel.html

Lord Mandelson unveiled his 10-year blueprint for universities yesterday

Middle-class pupils face being bumped off prestigious university courses under plans to... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17124 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:21:12 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17075/t/Schools-reporting-40-000-racism-cases-a-year.html Schools are reporting 40,000 incidents of racism a year involving children as young as five after everyday playground squabbles, a report warns.

By Martin Beckford
Published: 7:00AM GMT 29 Oct 2009

feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17075 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:46:37 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17070/t/Revealed--Dream-Dozen-toys-set--fly---shelves--Christmas.html A cool green action car that can shoot powder-filled capsules is among the toys most likely to fly off the shelves this Christmas, retailers said today.

Kevin Levin's DX Action Cruiser, from the Ben 10 Alien Force by Bandai, is one of 12 toys highlighted by the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) as one of their Dream Dozen for 2009.

TRA chairman Gary Grant said the industry had 'turned the latest trends into innovative and creative toys' for... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17070 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:44:45 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17051/t/Three-babies-aborted-every-day-due-to-Down-s-syndrome.html Three babies are being aborted every day due to Down's syndrome, according to a study which shows the number of terminations has more than trebled in the last 20 years.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor and Chris Irvine
Published: 10:00PM GMT 26 Oct 2009

An increasing... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17051 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:54:30 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17038/t/Look--work--lose--benefits-single-parents-told--welfare-shak.html

'Family friendly' Yvette Cooper says single parents have a responsibility to look for work as their children... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17038 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:17:36 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17037/t/Power---grandparents-Tories--hand--sweeping-legal-rights---f.html Millions of grandparents will be given sweeping new legal rights if the Tories win the next election.

The law will be changed to ensure they do not lose contact with their grandchildren after a family separation, divorce or bereavement.

They will also be put at the front of the custody queue if their grandchildren face being fostered or taken into care.

feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/17037 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:16:37 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16976/t/Woman-head-teacher-slapped-pupil---face---refused--stop-smok.html

Eve Ritchie-Fallon is accused of hitting a boy at a school for children with behavioural problems

A head teacher slapped a pupil round the face when he refused to stop smoking... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16976 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:41:35 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16973/t/Truancy-rate-record--parents-rebel--grab-cheaper-holiday-dea.html Parents are fuelling record truancy rates by taking their children out of school for cut-price term-time holidays.

Nearly 65,000 pupils skipped lessons each day during the last school year, up 3,000 on 2007/08.

Family holidays during term-time were the second biggest reason for absence after illness.

feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16973 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:28:19 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16874/t/Pregnant-mother-implanted--wrong-embryo----baby--IVF-blunder.html A pregnant American woman, Carolyn Savage, will be forced to give up her baby after an IVF blunder meant she was mistakenly implanted with another couple's embryo.

By Andrew Hough
Published: 8:29AM BST 22 Sep 2009

... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16874 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:41:53 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16852/t/-mum--dad-s-behaviour----children-branded-troublemakers--sch.html Children can go through school with an unfair reputation for being naughty - because the teachers don't like their parents, research claims.

Home backgrounds prejudice views of their behaviour in the classroom and leads to some children being tagged as 'unruly' from the age of four.

Parents judged as neglectful, indulgent, anxious, unco-operative or interfering are seen as failing to adequately prepare their son or daughter for school.

This in turn feeds... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16852 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:09:08 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16798/t/Ruby-pipped------army--Olivias--Jack-stays-favourite--boys.html Ruby was pushed off her pedestal as the queen of girls' names today.

Olivia has emerged as the new number one choice for little girls.

But for boys public favour is far less fickle.

feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16798 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:38 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16707/t/Seventy-five--cent--parents-shunning-Gordon-Brown-s-Child-Tr.html They were supposed to encourage parents to save for their children's future.

But Labour's flagship Child Trust Funds appear to have been a flop after figures showed yesterday that parents are all but ignoring them.

Seven out of ten families have failed to pay a penny into the savings scheme.

The funds, started by Gordon Brown in 2003 when he was chancellor, were supposed to give children a better financial start in life.

... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16707 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:19:02 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16706/t/GCSEs-reach-record-pass-rate---schools-boss-says----scrapped.html GCSE pass rates soared to a new record today, sparking growing calls for the exams to be scrapped.

Former chief inspector of schools Sir Mike Tomlinson joined the criticism of the tests this morning as the results were revealed to be the best ever.

More than a fifth of all the results were As and A*s - a doubling of the numbers in two decades - and two-thirds were A-C.

In total, 21.6 per cent of all results were As and A*s and 67.1 per cent were A-C, an... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16706 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:12:37 GMT http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16669/t/Children-miss-3-9m-school-days-as-truancy-rises.html Children skipped almost 3.9 million days of school during the spring term as the truancy rate rose, Government figures showed.

Published: 10:18AM BST 26 Aug 2009

Rising numbers of pupils are missing lessons because of family holidays taken during term time, without the school's... ]]> feeds@yuku.com (TBE) http://thebritishempire.yuku.com/topic/16669 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:25:44 GMT