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More than 12 million people to benefit from state pension increase tomorrow

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Well over 12 million people will see their state pension rise by £575 a year from tomorrow.

The triple lock guarantee means it increases every April by inflation, salary increases or 2.5%, whichever is the highest.

Monday’s 4.8% rise – which is in line with average earnings growth – will raise the full rate of the new state pension from £230.25 to £241.30 a week.

Meanwhile, the full basic state pension will rise from £176.45 to £184.90 a week.

The government said imposing a triple lock on pensions was helping to protect families from the falling cost of living.

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All of this comes as global oil prices rise due to the Iran war, which has a direct impact on motorists at the petrol pump.

But some critics, including the Institute for Fiscal Studies, have argued that the triple lock should be scrapped—”a better approach is needed.”

Last year, the think tank warned that this policy’s largesse had a “substantial and growing impact on public finances,” especially as the population ages.

The IFS wrote, “The OBR estimates that spending on state pensions will increase by around £80 billion in today’s terms by the 2070s, and more than half of this increase is estimated to be due to the triple lock.

However, in a more volatile economic environment, the triple lock could cost an additional 1.5% of national income – or £44bn in 2025 terms – as well.

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Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said, “I know the global shocks and their impact on our cost of living will be raising concerns for many families.

“This government will always protect our pensioners, and that’s why we are increasing the full rate of the new state pension to £575 this coming year.”

Earlier this week, Reform joined other major British political parties in a commitment to keep UK pensions triple-locked.

At a press conference on Thursday, its economics spokesman Robert Jenrick said the goal would be achieved by cutting the benefit bill by billions of pounds.

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DuBois vs. Harper: Caroline DuBois over family rift and wants to mend relations with brother Daniel

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To understand why Dubois felt he needed to find his voice, you have to look at how he started. Long before she became world champion, she was a nine-year-old girl pretending to be a boy named Colin.

In a world where there always seemed to be no future for female boxers, she tied her hair up in a headguard and lay in bed for months.

“I think it was obviously a reflection of the times, but the thing I find most hurtful is that they actually thought I was a boy. I mean, it’s devastating,” she quips. “But at that time, I was totally… enjoying it; I didn’t care.”

That “Mulan” spirit served her well. She spent several years hanging out in the gym, known only as “Daniel’s little sister”, but soon made her own reputation by winning Youth Olympic gold, European gold and qualifying for the Olympics at just 19 years old.

As both siblings were climbing the professional ranks, it was hailed as a family success story. But by the time Caroline became the WBC ‘interim’ champion by defeating Mayra Moneo in 2024, the relationship had turned sour.

Daniel was not there to witness the moment of his younger sister’s coronation. Meanwhile, Caroline was not at Wembley Stadium when Daniels delivered his career-defining knockout of Anthony Joshua, nor was she at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he lost his belt to Oleksandr Usyk.

Distance has been a necessary means of self-preservation for Caroline.

“Since I’ve been out there, I haven’t been able to see him fight – in person or on TV,” she says.

“I don’t see her as a friend; I see her as a sister. It’s challenging if you’re not there to talk to her and check on her, then not go to her and either console her or pat her on the back. It’s very hard.”

BBC Sport has contacted representatives for Daniel Dubois, who did not wish to speak on behalf of his father, Dave Dubois. He previously said that the family “doesn’t always go as smoothly as you would like”.

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Dundee 1 – 2 Celtic

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Kelechi Iheanacho was Celtic’s hero when he came off the bench to keep their Premiership title hopes alive with a late winner at Dundee.

Martin O’Neill knew his side needed all three points to stay in the chase at Dennis Park, and Hyun-Jun Yang sent them on their way with an early opener.

They should have extended their lead when Tomas Kavankara missed two brilliant chances before Simon Murray pulled the hosts level following Colby Donovan’s handball.

Iheanacho replaced the on-loan forward and celebrated wildly when he headed Marcelo Sarachi’s cross into the net.

Dundee, who beat the Hoops at home earlier this season, suffered a second blow with Ryan Astley sent off for a late challenge on Yang.

The win moves Celtic to within three points of Hearts after their draw at Livingston. Rangers are second, one point off the summit.

Hoops over hoodoo

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Celtic cast Dundee hoodoos to attack first at Dennis Park.
Celtic have suffered three defeats on the Tayside this season under three different managers, but the defending champions ended their hoodoo to stay in the hunt.

Yang opened the scoring after eight minutes by getting a light touch on Benjamin Negrin’s close-range shot and they should have been ahead before half-time, Kevankara making a waste in front of goal.

And that wastefulness came back to bite them after the break.

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Simon Murray slotted home from the penalty spot to draw Dundee level.

Video assistant referee (VAR) Matthew McDermid saw a handball from full-back Colby Donovan and referee Steven McLean pointed to the spot after going on the pitch-side monitor.

Home captain Murray calmly converted to level the scores and Celtic took their time to regain their momentum.

However, with time running out, substitute Iheanacho sealed all three points with a left-footed shot past goalkeeper John McCracken.

Dundee were then reduced to 10 men as centre-back Ryan Astley was dismissed for taking out Yang.

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Ryan Astley was sent off late on for Dundee.

O’Neill: We’re still fighting.

Celtic Boss Martin O’Neill Talking to Sky Sports:

“We should have been out of sight in the first half.

“We missed a lot of chances. I always felt it could really come back to haunt us. Dundee had the advantage of the wind in the second half, whatever the particular slope, down.

“But for us, conceding the penalty, we could just say, ‘OK, it’s not going to be our day’. We fought back. It was great for us to win that game.

“It keeps us there, we’re still fighting.

“For us to win today, it was a really big achievement and it keeps us in it.

“Naturally, I’m happy for the crowd. The crowd was fantastic all afternoon. They pushed us along honestly.

“Six games to go, three points between the top three.”

What’s next in the Scottish Premiership?

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Pepsi withdraws sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking ants and art news

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Pepsi has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival, putting Kanye West in the spotlight, after Sir Keir Starmer joined the criticism of the event.

The American rapper has previously been condemned for his anti-Semitic comments.

The 48-year-old musician – who has not performed in the UK since headlining Glastonbury in 2015 – is set to top the bill on all three nights of the festival at London’s Finsbury Park in July.

On Sunday, a Pepsi spokesperson said: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival.”

Sky News has contacted festival organisers for comment.

Since the time they last performed on UK soil, West Anti-Semitic

Sir Keir said he was “deeply concerned” that West had been charged “despite his previous anti-Semitic comments and celebration of Nazism”.

The Prime Minister said, “Anti-Semitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”

West, also known as Ye, has been banned from X on several occasions due to anti-Semitism.

In January, West took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, headlined “To the People I’ve Hurt”.

“I’m not a Nazi or anti-Semite,” it said. “I like Jewish people.”

image:
Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the West. Photo: PA/AP

West Attributed his past outbursts to his bipolar-1 disorder Writing: “In early 2025, I fell into a four-month manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.

“I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things that I deeply regret.”

The rapper also apologised to the Black community and said he had let it down.

West previously lost his deal with Adidas in 2022 after a post on his social media in which he shared an image of a swastika inside the Star of David.

Adidas, which had worked with the rapper on his Yeezy trainers, later donated more than $150m (£117m) to anti-hate groups.

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shortly afterwards, He was criticized for a TV advertisement. Which directed people to a website selling Swastika T-shirts and released a song called Heil Hitler.

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, last week called for the government to ban West from entering Britain.

He said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood should “ban them from coming to this country – we have to take anti-Semitism more seriously.”.

Sky News understands that the Home Office has not yet received any application for West to enter the UK.

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Their 11-year-old son is fighting for his life after his mother and CEO died in a tourist accident in Nicaragua.

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Casey Gourley, 41, co-founder of a multi-million dollar marketing consultancy firm, died in the crash, while her 11-year-old son was seriously injured and taken to hospital.

 

Casey Grell, 41, died while on vacation with her husband and three children (Image: GoFundMe)

A CEO’s mother has died in a horrific tourist transportation accident while vacationing in Nicaragua with her husband and three young children.

Casey Grell, 41, co-founder of multi-million dollar marketing firm Ox Insights, died on March 23, while her 11-year-old son was seriously injured and taken to hospital.

The family was aboard a tourist transport truck carrying about 28 foreign travellers when the open-air vehicle suddenly lost control and plunged down a hill into the Rancho Santana resort in Tola.

Casey tragically died from his injuries on the way to the hospital, while his 11-year-old son Julian suffered a head injury, a skull fracture, and a spinal fracture, as well as a damaged lung. Nicaraguan outlet TN8 reports that the accident injured more than 20 people, including children.

Casey posing with a monkey

Casey is survived by her husband and their three young children.

 

Casey is remembered as a “brilliant, driven and selfless” person who loved helping others. She is survived by her husband Dave and their three young children Julian, 11, Kit, 9, and Des, 6.

Casey’s brother Andy Joyce wrote in a post on Facebook, “We are very saddened to announce the tragic passing of our sister Casey Grell.”

“Casey was on a family vacation in Nicaragua and on a visit to the resort where she was staying with her children, Kit and Julian, when the driver lost control and spun the vehicle, killing Casey and seriously injuring Julian.”

Casey photographed with his brother Andy Joyce

Casey photographed with his brother Andy Joyce (Image: Andy Joyce/Facebook)

Andy said his sister was “one of the most talented, driven, and selfless people I’ve ever met,” and she was tireless in everything she did, especially when it came to helping her people.

“We are heartbroken for David Greeley, Julian, Kit and Des, as well as all those who knew and loved Casey.”

A GoFundMe page was launched to help children; it has raised more than $310,000 (£234,000) as of Sunday, far exceeding the initial $250,000 goal.

According to the GoFundMe page, Casey was the family’s main breadwinner after her husband was seriously injured in a previous accident. He co-founded Ox Insights, a St Louis-based marketing consultancy that helps private equity firms boost their performance.

Casey took a picture with two men

Casey (seen in the center) was killed while on vacation in Nicaragua (Image: Andy Joyce/Facebook)

 

In a podcast last year, Casey said the company had hit $10 million in annual revenue in less than two years, without outside funding.

Before starting the business, Gourley pursued a career in venture capital and corporate dealmaking, including a stint as CEO of Gateway Media, where he helped reduce $40 million of debt before selling the company.

He originally started out as a TV news reporter before moving into finance and entrepreneurship after completing an MBA from Washington University in St Louis.

Nicaragua’s National Police are still investigating the circumstances of the accident.



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Duchess Sophie misses Easter service due to ill health Royal | news

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According to royal insiders, the Duchess of Edinburgh was unable to attend today’s Easter Sunday service at Windsor due to her ill health.

Sophie was supposed to attend a religious service, but she dropped out at the last minute.

Her husband and son, James, Earl of Wessex, attended as usual. The source said the couple’s daughter Lady Louise is busy with her studies. She is in her final year studying English literature at the University of St Andrews.

The royal family united this morning, led by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children.

It is the first time the young trio have been seen in public this year, and the Wells family attends an Easter service for the first time since 2023.

Charlotte waved happily to the members of the public gathered on the lawn in front of the church. Louis proudly walked beside her.

The family of five are attending the religious service, including the King and Queen; the Duke of Edinburgh; their son James, Earl of Wessex; and the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Peter Phillips and his fiancée, Harriet Sperling, were also in attendance, along with their daughters Savannah and Isla. And for the first time, Ms Spurling’s 15-year-old daughter Georgina was also in attendance with her new stepsisters-to-be.

At the rear of the group were Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel.

The king and queen arrived last, driving in a state Bentley. As they entered the church, he affectionately touched the cheeks of young Lewis and Charlotte.

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Liverpool star sees ‘turning point’ after praising Man City’s dominance

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Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday thanks to a hat-trick from Erling Holland.

 

Dominik Soboszli beat his team-mates after Liverpool’s 4-0 defeat by Manchester City in the FA Cup (Photo: Shawn Brooks – Camera Sport via Getty Images)

 

Dominik Szoboszlai believes that Erling Haaland’s header just before half-time shifted the momentum in favour of Manchester City, leading to their 4-0 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup on Saturday. City took the lead on 39 minutes when Nico O’Reilly was tripped by Virgil van Dijk and Holland scored from the resulting penalty.

Holland headed home Anton Semino’s cross to add a second just before half-time. Shortly after the break, Semino made it three to secure City’s place at Wembley. Holland still had time to claim his hat-trick as he converted O’Reilly’s low cross.

Szoboszlai cut disappointing figures at full-time as the Liverpool players thanked the fans for their support. After the match, the Hungary international praised the Blues and explained the game’s winning and losing points. “I believe the second goal, rather than the penalty, was the pivotal moment that altered the course of the game,” he stated.

“One minute to go, and you can go into halftime 1-0, and you’ve conceded one before that; it’s not a positive thing to realise afterwards that you still have a chance against Manchester City.” Some teams can go 2-0 down against City. Therefore, I would argue that the second goal marked a pivotal moment.

For City, the result continues the momentum that began at Wembley last month. Having won the Carabao Cup, the Blues still have a realistic shot at winning the domestic treble.

Standing in their way in the Premier League is Arsenal. The Gunners are nine points clear of the Blues going into the run-in.

However, Pep Guardiola’s side has Crystal Palace to play, and they will also welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium in a couple of weeks. While City is in an upbeat mood, the Gunners are struggling.

Mikel Arteta’s side followed up a disappointing defeat to City at Wembley with a poor result against Southampton on Saturday.



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