EU court backs Britain over child benefit residency rule

The European Union's top court ruled on Tuesday that Britain could deny child benefit to foreigners who are not economically active in the country, one of the hot-button issues in Britain's looming referendum on EU membership. The European Court of Justice said a rule that makes allowances conditional on the right to reside in Britain might amount to discrimination, but could be justified by a need to protect public finances. The right to reside applies to foreigners who work, are looking for wo