State Pension payments are rising this month - here are the new weekly rates

Ahead of their appearance at the Invictus Games over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

TV and broadband supplier Sky has issued a message to anybody who claims Universal Credit or State Pension. Sky wants to help people hit hardest by the cost of living crisis by helping them save £90 a year.

Meghan Markle was spotted sharing an adorable moment with her husband Prince Harry as they kicked off the first day of the Invictus Games in the Netherlands on Saturday 16 April.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew in to the country this week after a brief stopover in the UK, and the couple looked poised and ready to brave cameras despite a year of mostly hiding from the limelight at their sprawling Montecito mansion in California. As they met with supporters of the Invictus Games, the royal couple were all smiles as they enjoyed some time outside in the April sunshine.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to an online petition calling for State Pension payments to be increased to £380 per week to match the new National Living Wage rate, saying that the UK Government “disagrees” with its proposed approach.

A petition calling on the UK Government to increase State Pension payments to match the new National Living Wage rate has been signed by more than 35,300 supporters across every council area in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each Bank Holiday, payment dates change for people on Universal Credit, PIP, State Pension and other benefits.

A petition calling on the UK Government to increase State Pension payments to £19,760 per year, the equivalent to £380 each week, has received more than 30,000 signatures of support and is currently awaiting an official response from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

State Pension payments have risen by 3.1% in line with the Consumer Price Index rate of inflation in September 2021, instead of the 8% boost that would have happened if the Triple Lock policy had not been suspended due to the increase in earnings, which was deemed to be unfairly inflated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Coldplay have added new South American dates to their huge eco-friendly world tour for new album ‘Music For The Spheres’ – see the updated schedule below.The band’s 2022 world stadium tour comes with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, and began with a gig at the Estadio Nacional in the Costa Rican capital San Jose last month (March 18) – see what went down here.North American dates for the tour kick off later this month, with European dates beginning in July and UK dates in August, including six shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.The band have now announced that they’ll head back to South America in September and October, adding six more shows to the run.Coldplay will be joined by Camila Cabello and H.E.R.

Lux Æterna has landed.The film, which is set to open next month, centres on characters trying to make a movie about witches. In the trailer, disorienting flashing lights make for a disconcerting first-look at the movie that was delayed several times during the COVID pandemic.Per Collider, the film’s description provides a little more insight into the plot: “Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg are on a film set telling stories about witches.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a new campaign urging older people and their families living in Scotland or other parts of the UK, to check eligibility for Pension Credit, a benefit which could be worth more than £3,300 each year.

State Pension provides essential financial support for over 12.4 million older people across the UK, including some 981,399 Scots.

New Order have launched a new official t-shirt in aid of the British Red Cross’ Ukraine Crisis Appeal.Available through the band’s official merch store, the shirt’s design was inspired by the VHS label of their Taras Shevchenko concert film, which was designed by the Peter Saville Associates agency.The gig in question was filmed in late 1981 at the Ukrainian National Home in New York City. The film was named after Taras Shevchenko, the 19th century writer, poet and painter whose works championed the formation of an independent Ukraine.You can purchase the white t-shirt for £25, with a minimum of £10 from each sale being donated to the Red Cross.Last November, New Order marked the 40th anniversary of their debut album ‘Movement’ by sharing the aforementioned NYC show on YouTube in its entirety.

making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair loss during the Oscars. Reports now suggest that Rock didn't know about Jada's alopecia.

Elton John has shared new dates for his final North American tour – tickets will be available here.The 11 new shows will take place between July 15 to November 20, with fresh stops in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ontario, South Carolina, California, Washington, British Columbia and Arizona.The tour ends with back-to-back performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. See a full list of his newly added live dates below.John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour has faced multiple postponements since kicking off in 2018, due to the pandemic as well as the singer’s hip injury.

Next year, the amount of State Pension people in the UK get paid will change.

Rishi Sunak has announced that the National Insurance Contributions starting threshold will rise by £3,000 to £12,570 from July, meaning employees across the UK will keep more of what they earn before they have to start paying personal tax.

MONSTA X are reportedly gearing up to release new music.Earlier today (March 23), South Korean outlet Sports Donga reported that the six-member boyband are currently preparing for an April comeback. MONSTA X’s label, Starship Entertainment, has since confirmed the news through a separate press statement.“Our agency’s artist MONSTA X is preparing for an album with the goal of making a comeback this upcoming April,” a representative from the management company said, as translated by Soompi.