UK venues closing due to RAAC concrete fears

A flight heading to Turkey has been forced to divert to Manchester Airport this morning (September 30) due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’.

Willie Nelson, naming the scheme after one of his songs, to provide financial support to emerging artists and their teams in a time of rising touring costs.Artists who play Live Nation-owned and operated clubs will now keep 100% of the profits they make from merch sales, while they will also benefit from a $1500 (£1,233) stipend to help with the costs of fuel and travel. Both headliners and support acts will receive stipends.Live Nation will also provide financial bonuses to local promoters and tour representatives who help execute shows, as well as venue crew members who have worked over 500 hours in 2023.

Yugyeom, a member of boyband GOT7, has announced his upcoming solo tour of Europe.GOT7’s Yugeyom will kick off his five-date Europe tour on November 1 at the Bataclan in Paris, France. Following that show, the K-pop idol will play one concert each in the United Kingdom and Spain, as well as two in Germany.Tickets to Yugyeom’s upcoming 2023 tour of Europe will go on sale October 6 at 7pm KST.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that the payment window for the second part of the £900 means-tested cost of living support will open next month. Some eight million households across Great Britain, including thousands across Scotland, will receive £300 directly into their bank account from the DWP between Monday, October 31 and Sunday, November 19, 2023.

This is scary!

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that State Pension currently provides regular financial support for 12.6 million older people across the country, including nearly one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

NME that 67 venues have closed so far this year, with 90 currently working with MVT’s Emergency Response. Roughly half of those are likely to close in 2023 – giving a total of around 100 grassroots music being lost from the UK in 2023; that’s 10 per cent of the number of independent gig spaces in the country.Following action being demanded earlier this year from government, the UK’s eight new large arenas and major record labels to “contribute to the security of the wider music ecosystem”, the MVT argue that the huge profits elsewhere are not justified when the “talent pipeline is about to be cut off”.This comes as Enter Shikari announced that they would be donating £1 from every ticket sold to their upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour to benefit the Music Venue Trust.“It sounds like there’s a lot of focus on providing spaces for the real high-end of the music industry,” Reynolds told NME.

Millions of households across Great Britain are set to receive £300 this Autumn as part of the £900 cost of living payment support, with a further £299 due next Spring. No confirmed details about a payment window or the qualifying period have been announced by the UK Government yet, despite widespread online speculation.

Prince Harry closed out the 2023 edition of his Invictus Games with a rousing speech to the athletes who competed, while also sneaking in a veiled dig at the royal family.

Teen pop star Olivia Rodrigo has added further dates to her huge GUTS world tour in 2024 with a second date in Manchester due to demand.

It's well known that the royal family must obey a series of strict rules and codes of conduct at all times whether that be attending events, adhering to specific protocol or arriving in a certain order.

Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling on the UK Government to “abolish” the BBC TV licence fees for everyone, calling it an “outdated and unwanted system”. More than 13,300 virtual signatures have been recorded on the petitions-parliament website which means an official response is now due.

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has announced she's visiting the UK on her world tour next year - including a huge gig in Manchester.

The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise across the UK - largely due to the emergence of the new Eris variant, which experts say could be worse than previous mutations. There were 8,961 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in England in the week to September 3, according to the latest government data.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) now estimates that 165,000 older people have been underpaid their State Pension by £1.2 billion due to historical errors affecting mostly married women, widows and those aged over 80. It also estimates 210,000 people may have been underpaid a further £1.3 billion due to historical issues relating to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).

Anyone planning to renew their home insurance before the end of the year could be in for a shock as the average quoted price for buildings and contents cover has surged by around a quarter (25.7%) annually. New research conducted by data analytics firm Consumer Intelligence, said this is the biggest jump it has seen in records going back to 2014.

Potentially dangerous concrete panels found in the roof of Perth Grammar School have now been removed with remaining consequential works in place until the end of October.

A young Lockerbie couple cancelled their holiday to Rhodes – and climbed Criffel instead.

More than 50 Wilkos stores are to close with the loss of 1,016 jobs, administraors have confirmed.

It's fast approaching the one year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death as Prince Harry is set to return to the UK on the eve of the date.