New State Pension deadline next month for people to make sure they qualify for full pay in retirement

Dave and Central Cee are on track to spend a full month at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart.

The latest figures from the Scottish Government show there are estimated to be around 850,000 people with hearing loss in Scotland and of those, 70 per cent are over 70. It is projected that figures could double over the next 20 years, with a delay of up to 10 years before people address their hearing loss.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Prince Aden,” a new drama by Italian directing duo Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio, known internationally for their immigration-themed “Seven Acts of Mercy,” is among projects selected by Locarno’s Alliance for Development initiative. The platform, now in its 8th year, is geared towards fostering co-productions between France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Inspired by the book “Partigiani d’Oltremare,” by Italian historian Matteo Petracci, the De Serio twins’ new colonial-era film follows the vicissitudes of a 16-year-old Somali named Aden Sicré who in 1935 becomes a soldier in the Italian army that invaded Ethiopia on Mussolini’s orders. In an unexpected turn, he becomes hailed as a war hero by the Fascist regime. Then a few years later Aden and other African fighters play a pivotal role in the partisan struggle against fascism in Europe.

One in seven people aged 65 and over has been turning to loans and credit cards to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis, according to a survey. The Independent Age charity said its research suggests many older people are struggling alone and racking up debt as costs escalate.

Earlier this year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was asked to “make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a benefit” for people over the age of retirement who are caring for relatives and do not qualify for Carer's Allowance. A retiree cannot be awarded full State Pension and Carer’s Allowance at the same time as they are overlapping benefits, however, DWP said an older claimant could still be eligible for Housing Benefit.

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is facing growing pressure to find a resolution for five seasoned female presenters, many of whom have been unable to work for months amid a merger of the corporation’s UK and international news channels.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed.” The film, which recently world-premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section and is executive produced by Sean Baker, is a comedy about a 30-something New York woman, who is played by Arnow. It follows her as time passes in her long-term casual BDSM relationship and low-level corporate job, and chronicles her quarrelsome Jewish family.  Critics liked Arnow’s witty and fresh take, with Variety calling it one of the festival’s true discoveries and hailing the filmmaker as “a raw, intimate and more importantly extremely funny new talent.“ The film is Arnow’s narrative feature film debut following shorts including “Bad Dancing,” which won the Berlinale Silver Bear, “Laying Out,” and the feature doc “I hate myself:).” 

An estimated 700,000 people are due to retire over the 2023/24 financial year and join the 12.6million already in receipt of their State Pension payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Some 2.9m people claiming the New State Pension are now receiving regular payments of up to £203.85 each week, and as the contributory benefit is usually paid every four weeks, this amounts to £815.40 per pay period.

Recent data suggests that almost half (46%) of women do not think they have saved enough money in their their pension pot for retirement, while men are much more confident in their later-life savings with only a third (35%) concerned they have not set aside enough cash.

A new website has launched to help UK songwriters understand the different bits of data that they need to generate and provide every time they write a new song.The Get Paid Guide has been launched following the recent signing of a metadata agreement by the British music industry. That was one of the outputs of the economics of music streaming work instigated by the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office in response to Parliament’s big old inquiry into the workings of the digital music business.When new recordings are delivered to streaming services, generally only the recording is uniquely identified by an industry standard code – that being the ISRC.

The UK Government has announced that taxpayers now have until April 5, 2025 to fill gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record from April 2006 that may increase their State Pension - an extension of nearly two years on the July 31 deadline.

Martin Lewis is urging older people on a low income to check if they should claim a “crucial” annual income top up from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), worth an average of £3,500. He called it a “tragedy” that up to one million people of State Pension age are missing out on financial support they are entitled to through Pension Credit.

Anyone who is eligible to receive the monkeypox vaccination has been advised to book an appointment soon as the programme will soon be coming to an end in Greater Manchester.

Ofgem is lowering its energy price cap by 17 per cent from the current £3,280 per year to £2,074 for the average household in Scotland, England and Wales from July. The regulator announced its latest energy price cap last month, however, consumers are likely to feel little relief with bills remaining well above pre-pandemic levels.

Retirement may be a while off for some people or just around the corner for others, but pensions expert Helen Morrissey, is urging everyone to give some serious thought to deferring making a claim for State Pension, as it could boost their annual later-life income by more than £600.

Summer is almost here and millions of households across the country are set to see energy bills go down as the current spell of warm weather reduces the need for heating our homes ahead of the new price cap kicking in next month. Ofgem is lowering its energy price cap by 17 per cent from the current £3,280 per year to £2,074 for the average household in Scotland, England and Wales from July 1.

The latest statistics from the Stroke Association indicate that there are 1.3million stroke survivors across the UK. The charity’s research also suggests 100,000 people have a stroke each year and that someone will suffer a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - often referred to as a ‘mini-stroke’ - every five minutes.

Last year, the Scottish Government announced that 19 projects supporting people with neurological conditions were to benefit from a third round of funding. As part of a five-year neurological care and support action plan, innovative projects which harness new techniques and technology will be helped with £1million commissioned for work across Scotland.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently shared details of a new ‘private beta trial’ for Attendance Allowance claimants. The service is currently only being offered to 60 people each week who start a new claim for the State Pension age disability benefit through certain channels.

The Little Mermaid has been criticized by a prominent media diversity advocate for failing to acknowledge the horrors of slavery in the Caribbean.