People over State Pension age due annual income boost of up to £902 over next 12 months

A man is due to face court after being charged with possession of a firearm in Salford. Greater Manchester Police arrested Fatjon Sadikaj on Friday, April 19.

Manchester City players will rest up at home for two days before reuniting for their next Premier League game.

Roughly 27 million worker in the UK will see a significant change to their April payslips this week. Many workers will see their national insurance contributions go down as the government's cuts take effect.

Charlie Puth is FINALLY reacting to being name-dropped in Taylor Swift‘s new album!

Tom Sandoval isn’t buying Rachel Leviss’ lawsuit.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor NBCUniversal is looking to wring more money out of Peacock subscribers, with the streamer set to raise prices this summer — one year after its last fee hike. Beginning in mid-July, the price for Peacock Premium (with ads) will increase by $2 to $7.99 per month and Peacock Premium Plus (mostly ad-free) is also going up by $2 to $13.99 per month. Peacock Premium’s annual price will increase from $59.99 to $79.99, while Premium Plus is going from $119.99 to $139.99 per year. The new prices will be effective starting July 18 for new Peacock customers and for existing subscribers with their next billing date on or after Aug.

Lexi Carson The Sundance Institute, a mentorship program dedicated to providing a space for artists and storytellers to create media, has selected 16 fellows for this year’s Directors, Screenwriters, and Native Labs. Spanning over four decades, the Sundance Institute’s labs have provided new filmmakers a hands-on experience to create their own work with the help and guidance of creative advisers. This year’s Native Lab fellows include Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Ryland Walker Knight, Charine Pilar Gonzales and Lindsay McIntyre.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jerry Seinfeld said in an interview with The New Yorker while touting his feature directorial effort “Unfrosted” that “P.C. crap” and the “extreme left” is making television comedy go extinct. Seinfeld is a sitcom icon thanks to his eponymous NBC sitcom that ran between 1989 and 1998, but he says viewers no longer flock to their television sets in order to get their comedy fix like they did for decades.

Mark Sutherland It’s not often that a new venue dominates U.K. music industry conversation, but that’s certainly been the case with the opening – or not – of Oak View Group’s new Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Anthony Hemingway has boarded the Netflix series adaptation of the Judy Blume novel “Forever” to direct multiple episodes, Variety has learned exclusively. The series stars Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. and hails from creator Mara Brock Akil.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Vietnamese French director and screenwriter Tran Anh Hung has been named as president of the jury for the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival. The festival, which runs June 14 to 23, said that his works “blend the expressions of Eastern and Western cultures, with sensitivity, delicacy, and a romantic style.” His films include: 1992’s “Scent of the Green Papaya”; 1995’s “Cyclo,” starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai; 2009 English-language thriller “I Come With the Rain,” starring Josh Hartnett; and “The Taste of Things,” which earned him the best director prize at Cannes last year. The jury president role marks a return and a promotion for the director. He was previously on the Shanghai festival’s jury in 2011, when he also screened his “Norwegian Wood.” SM Cinema, the largest exhibitor in the Philippines, is to open giant screen Imax cinemas in three new venues.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After an impressive box office run at the end of 2023 and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Film earlier this year, Hayao Miyazaki‘s “The Boy and the Heron” is coming to streaming. The epic animated film — starring Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh and Willem Dafoe (in the English dubbed version) — is available to rent and purchase digitally in 4K Ultra HD on Prime Video and Apple TV starting on Tuesday, June 25.

Former eOne and Pathé UK marketing executive Chris Besseling has joined True Brit Entertainment, the UK distribution company run by Zygi Kamasa. 

EXCLUSIVE: T. J. Newman, the flight attendant who hung up her wings to become the bestselling author of the movie-bound action thriller novels Falling and Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421, is catching her next flight with Little Brown.

This Town – featuring Self Esteem, Olivia Dean and various original songs – has been released.Including classic covers and brand new, original compositions from the hit Steven Knight drama, ‘This Town (Music From The Original BBC Series)’ is out now via Polydor Records. You can stream the LP on all streaming platforms and purchase the vinyl pressing here.The soundtrack for the series brings together the show’s genre-wide mix of timeless anthems, original songs, and iconic hits set in the world of ska and two-tone in the early ’80s.‘This Town (Music From The Original BBC Series)’ features Self Esteem’s reimagining of Jimmy Cliff’s 1970’s track ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ as well as Ray Laurél’s cover of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.It also includes Olivia Dean’s rework of the reggae classic ‘The Harder They Come’ and Celeste’s cover of ‘Blue Moon’.The tracks performed by Fuck The Factory – the band at the heart of This Town – were created by producer Dan Carey (Fontaines D.C, Wet Leg, Been Stellar and founder of the seminal Speedy Wunderground label). Carey also collaborated with singer-songwriter ESKA and musician, novelist and poet Kae Tempest in work that adds another chapter to this vital story.1. Self Esteem: ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’2. Ray Laurél: ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’3. Fuck The Factory: ‘Estella’4. Olivia Dean: ‘The Harder They Come’5. Fuck The Factory: ‘Birdsong’6. Fuck The Factory: ‘Pelicans’7. Celeste: ‘Blue Moon’8. Fuck The Factory: ‘Farewell To Matty And Her Flowers’9. Gregory Porter: ‘The World’s Going Up In Flames’10. Fuck The Factory: ‘This Town’11. Sekou: ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’“It has been a privilege to be working with Paul Whittington, Steven Knight and the entire

subreddit community with more than 47K members – while even drawing press attention from publications like The Guardian and Rolling Stone – internet sleuths were unsuccessful in tracking down the elusive song.The original poster claimed they found the song snippet amongst files in an old DVD backup.During the years-long search, users eventually narrowed the song down to a series of rights holders from the mid-1980s.One user, called south_pole_ball, discovered that one listed songwriters called Christopher Booth had created works for porn films.They then proceeded to watch through his entire body of work until finding ‘Everyone Knows That’ exactly one hour, seven minutes and 31 seconds into 1986’s ‘Angels of Passion’.Booth himself has since reacted to the discovery, writing on Instagram: “Well today, my mind has officially been blown:) WOW! #ulteriormotives #ekt”.A post shared by Christopher Saint Booth (@christophersaintbooth)The full version of the song can only be heard alongside the NSFW sound effects from the movie – or fan-edited versions – prompting new-found listeners to request the original version.Booth, who is credited on the song along with his brother Philip, has since taken to TikTok to tease: “Shall we release it?”One moderator of the r/everyoneknowsthat subreddit has reflected on the “rollercoaster ride” of the search as part of the Lostwave community, which identifies and spotlights forgotten music.

Moby has responded to Lana Del Rey‘s claim that he has “a mind like a steel trap” after he recalled a date between the pair in his memoir.In 2019, Moby shared the revelation that he once dated Lana Del Rey pre-fame in his memoir Then It Fell Apart.The excerpt detailed a brief romance, revealing that the pair had their first date at a vegan restaurant in 2006. Moby said his evening with Del Rey – known then as Lizzy Grant – concluded with the singer visiting his five-floor New York penthouse where they shared a kiss.“She was beautiful, smart, and charming,” he wrote of the ‘Summertime Sadness’ singer.In a subsequent interview with The New York Times, Del Rey confirmed that the pair had indeed been on a date, sharing: “I don’t know how he [expletive] remembers.

Chase & Status and Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz were booked to headline, and other performers included Jamie Jones, Marco Carola, LF System, Dennis Ferrer, Hannah Wants, Groove Armada (DJ Set) and Low Steppa.Now, the organisers of the Dagenham festival have confirmed that the event has been forced to be cancelled due to the weather conditions, and set to return in 2025 instead.Taking to Facebook this afternoon (April 29), the official page shared an update, explaining that the decision was made by the local council and organisers were left “devastated” by the news.“Last year, when we were looking for a new home, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham offered us the beautiful Central Park and we worked with them to create detailed plans for how the Festival would work this year and be better than ever before,” the update read.“We had invested time and money into the new site, new stages and brought in a new Creative Team to bring the weekend to life with immersive experiences and large art installations, alongside the already fantastic lineup, which we couldn’t wait to share with you.An Important Update Regarding We Are FSTVL 2024.Posted by We Are FSTVL on Monday, April 29, 2024“Sadly, and just days before we were due to attend on-site to start the build, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham accepted that they could not deliver a safe event space that was fit for the purpose of allowing us to stage We Are FSTVL 2024.”The post continued, adding how it was forced to cancel the event due to putting punters’ health at the forefront: “London Borough of Barking and Dagenham say that the difficult decision to cancel has been made for health and safety reasons after record levels of rainfall this year.“We are heartbroken

Eminem has replaced Matt Damon as the brand-new Crypto.com celebrity spokesperson.The legendary rapper – real name Marshall Mathers – took to his official social media on April 26 to share the new advert, which features a boxing training montage and Eminem providing a voiceover which includes crypto terms like “proof-of-work” and the phrase “Fortune favours the brave.”In the caption, Eminem wrote: “You know what it’s always been”. According to a statement shared by Crypto.com, the ad is set to “Premiere Saturday during the Lakers NBA Playoff game held at the Crypto.com Arena.” The ad will also be shown at other high-profile sporting events, including the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and an upcoming UFC event.You know what it’s always been.

Billie Eilish has announced a ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ 2024-2025 UK, North America, Europe and Australian world tour. Check out dates and ticket details below.In support of her upcoming third studio album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT‘ – which is set for release on May 17 and available for pre-order / pre-save here – Eilish will embark on a massive world tour.Kicking off on September 29 at the Centre Videotron in Québec, the ‘Bad Guy’ singer will make her way across North America through the end of December 2024.

Google is strengthening advertising ties with major media companies amid a broader push into ad-supported streaming.