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Dear Abby gives advice to a woman who is reconsidering if she wants to marry her boyfriend because he has a much lower sex drive than her.

A Chilean woman plunged to her death in Brazil on Saturday after a skydiving attempt went wrong and both her main and reserve parachutes did not deploy correctly.

BRITS are bracing for a tax raid in Rachel Reeves’ gloomy Halloween Budget – with fags, booze and benefits at risk.

Today is the first Labour budget for 14 years – and the first ever to be delivered by a female Chancellor.

AFP

A raft of tax hikes are set to hit as Rachel Reeves tries to plug the “£22billion black hole” she says she’s found in government accounts.

Writing in The Sun on Sunday, Reeves said she will have to make “tough decisions” – but the pain will be worth it.

We revealed the Chancellor will pledge £500million more for fixing roads and ending the pothole crisis.

She will spend billions freeing up two million extra NHS appointments.

And more than 1million workers are set to get a bumper pay rise as the National Living Wage goes up

But Reeves is set to hike bus fares and freeze income tax thresholds for years.

Carers and homebuyers could be among the winners in today’s Budget – while drivers and pensioners could be the worst hit.

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to ­listen to Sun readers ahead of a make-or-break Fuel Duty decision.

But voters have been warned to brace themselves for a salvo of tax rises.

Stay tuned for live updates on today’s Budget – and what it means for you.

JACK Branning’s blackmail nightmare takes a darker turn as he remains oblivious to who’s pulling the strings.

While he’s desperate to stop the blackmail, Jack remains in the dark about the true identity of the person orchestrating his turmoil, leaving him vulnerable as the situation spirals out of control.

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Penny and Harry continue to blackmail Jack[/caption]

BBC

After Jack chose to save Chelsea from prison over her[/caption]

Next week on EastEnders, Harry turns the screw on Jack by telling him that he’s got a job for him.

Although Jack angrily declines, Harry reminds him that if he doesn’t collect a stolen motor as instructed, he’ll destroy Jack’s career and put him behind bars, using the incriminating video.

The next day, Jack is in a dire situation as he realises that Harry’s job clashes with Amy’s physio appointment.

He prioritises Amy but makes it back just in time to do the car job.

Lurking nearby, Harry takes photos of Jack picking up the dodgy motor.

Back in the Square, Jack is distracted by a text from Harry and drives into the back of Reiss’ car, causing damage to the stolen motor.

Meanwhile, Penny is thrilled to see her dad in anguish as she watches on.

BBC viewers know that Penny vowed to get revenge on her dad after he chose to save Chelsea from a prison sentence over her.

Chelsea caused the crowd crush after changing the number of ticket sales available at Peggy’s.

The crowd crush caused fatal injuries for both Amy and Lauren.

Everyone blamed Penny for the incident, until Denise revealed it was Chelsea doing.

Initially, Jack apologised to Penny and demanded Chelsea to hand herself in.

However, after realising her infant son Jordan needs her, Jack told Penny to take the blame for the crush, as it would be a lesser sentencing for her than Chelsea who had intent.

Penny had no choice to but to go along with it, although inside she was seething and vowed to get revenge.

Now her and Harry are working together to see Jack fall from grace.

But we he figure out his daughter is really behind it?

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

IN August, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that 6% of State Pension claims are underpaid.

This means that approximately 750,000 people might not be getting the full amount they are entitled to. 

Depending on why your pension was underpaid, you might get the backdated payments automatically, or you might have to apply.

The primary reasons for these underpayments include errors in National Insurance (NI) records and the DWP’s failure to update pension amounts when circumstances change, such as after the death of a spouse.

National Insurance record mistakes 

One common issue is that some parents did not receive the correct “credits” for taking time out of work to raise children.

This is a particular problem for people who had caring responsibilities between 1978 and 1979 and should benefited from Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).

HRP was designed to protect the pension record of those unable to work and pay NI contributions because of bringing up children.

But the Government has admitted that large numbers of parents – mostly mothers – are missing the credits. 

The DWP says that a computer error meant that 210,000 people didn’t get all the money they’re entitled to.

Around 150,000 of the affected people – most of whom are women – are still alive, while around 60,000 are deceased.

In its 2022/23 Annual Report, DWP said that just over £1 billion would have to be paid out in arrears.

The error came about because many Child Benefit claim forms submitted before 2000 did not include a National Insurance number and the HRP was not carried across to the National Insurance computer.

HMRC started writing out to potential victims last Autumn, but a report in July revealed that by the end of March 2024 DWP had assessed just 419 cases out of an expected 194,000. 

Just £2.2m in arrears had been paid out compared with an estimated final bill of £1.15 billion.

A more recent Freedom of Information request carried out by LCP found that the letters being sent only explained how to claim online, despite 29% of pensioners not using the internet.

Steve Webb, a partner at LCP and the former pensions minister said: “Once the government realised that nearly 200,000 mothers may have been underpaid their State Pension, action should have been taken to fix the problem with much greater urgency, especially as many of those who have lost out are now elderly. 

“Instead, the DWP has so far assessed fewer than 500 cases out of that total, and the exercise is proceeding at a snail’s pace.

When the Government talks about continuing the exercise into 2027/28, it is clear that this issue is not getting the priority that it deserves”.

If you reached pension age on or after April 6, 2010, it is easy to check for your credits using your NI record.

The years of protection should have been converted into full qualifying years of credits. If these aren’t showing, then you are missing out.

If you reached pension age before that date, you will need to call the NI contributions helpline to verify whether you received your credits. 

If you’ve got missing credits you need to fill in a form. It is called a CF411 form and it can be found on the government’s website.

Once this is done, your state pension should be recalculated and any missing money sent to you. However, getting what’s owed could take some time.

Universal Credit mistakes 

Many people receiving Universal Credit may not have received the automatic NI credits they were entitled to. 

If you received UC, and you’re not getting the full state pension amount, check your national insurance record to make sure you haven’t missed out.

If you’re not yet of state pension age, you can still check your record to make sure that all the years that should be recorded have been.

If any are missing, call the Universal credit helpline, or speaker to your work coach or case manager.

Married women and over-80s

There are significant issues affecting married women including:

• Married women who should have seen an increase in their pension when their husbands retired after March 17, 2008.
• Widowed women (and sometimes men) whose pensions were not reassessed following the death of their spouse.
• Over-80s who were on low pensions but should automatically be assessed for the higher £93.60 a week rate 

The exact rules depend on why your pension was underpaid and when you retired, but we break it down by group in our guide here.

The government is working to repay over £1.1 billion in owed funds.

It said it planned to review all approximately 650,000 cases by late 2024.

However, its annual report reveals that just under 100,000 people (99,558) had received payments by the end of March 2024, with a combined value of £594m.

This included around 44,000 married women, 23,000 widows/widowers and 33,000 over 80s.

You can either wait for the DWP to review your case or contact them directly if you have evidence of underpayment.

If you prefer not to wait, consider reaching out to your local MP to help speed up the process.

Anyone who gets less than £93.60 a week

Married women, widows and those aged over 80 should get their payments reassessed without having to take any action. 

But other groups, such as married women whose husband turned 65 before 17th March 2008 and women who divorced after pension age, will still need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions if they want their pension to be reassessed.

Indeed, Steve Webb says that anyone whose state pension is less than £93.60 per week should ask to get it checked.

Mr Webb said: “Now that the DWP has finished checking for state pension errors among married women and the over 80s, anyone still on a low pension needs to take action. The ‘magic number’ is £93.60 per week. 

“The vast majority of pensioners should be getting at least this amount.

Anyone on less than this amount needs to contact the Pension Service to see if an error has been made and/or if they need to put in a further claim to get the higher rate.”

Next of kin to affected people

Even if you’re not in an affected group, you might be the next of kin to someone who was owed money and has died before it can be reclaimed.

A response to a freedom of information (FOI) request by consultants LCP revealed that at the end of July 2024, 1,859 people who had received letters from the DWP telling them about potential underpayments of State Pension to their late parents or late spouse had not responded.

Unless the DWP receives a reply to these letters, the underpayment will remain unclaimed.

The DWP says that it only works out the amount owed once it has received a reply to the letter, but in the past underpayments have ranged from a few pounds to over £100,000.

These letters arrive seemingly out of the blue and people may not realise the importance of responding.

If the DWP cannot trace a next of kin, then any underpaid monies will be retained by the Government.

Webb said: “We know that well over 100,000 people were underpaid state pensions and DWP has spent more than three years trying to track them down.

“In thousands of cases, the person who was underpaid is sadly no longer with us, but their heirs should still benefit from any underpayment.”

He added: “The recipients of these letters could be sitting on a pensions goldmine.

“If you have received a letter from the DWP about a potential underpayment to a loved one, I would urge you to respond as soon as possible.”

MOST parents of kids under 16 get child benefit, which is a payment designed to help with the costs of raising a family.

But sometimes these payments can be abruptly stopped – and you might not realise why.

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There are several reasons your payments could be stopped[/caption]

The benefit is paid every four weeks and is worth £1,331.20 a year for the eldest or only eligible child, and £881.40 each for each additional child.

It also gives valuable National Insurance credits, which can be used to build up your state pension entitlement.

For instance, a stay-at-home parent would get a year’s worth of credits which counts as 1/35^th of the full new state pension.

You need at least ten years to get any state pension at all.

There are lots of things that can impact your entitlement to child benefit, including pay rises, separations and divorces, and what your child chooses to do when they turn 16. 

Here’s the full list of things that can stop your payments and how to make sure you’re not missing out unnecessarily.

If you or your partner starts earning over £60,000 a year

Once either you or your partner starts to earn more than £60,000 a year, you start losing some of your child benefit. It is paid back via the higher earner, who will need to fill in a self-assessment tax return.

This amount is tapered between £60,000 and £80,000. If either you or your partner earns £80,000 or more, you need to pay all of the child benefit money back.

If you’re just over the thresholds, you might want to increase your pensions contributions to bring you back under the limit. 

The thresholds and calculations are done based on your adjusted net income (ANI), which is how much you earn from employment and things like rental income and savings interest, but deducting Gift Aid charitable donations and pensions contributions.

This means that by throwing a few extra thousands of pounds into your retirement fund each year, you can boost your financial security in later life and still get the child benefit payments.

If you’re significantly over the threshold or you can’t afford to give up some of your take home pay for your retirement, you’ll need to pay the child benefit fee. You should set aside money to do this, so it’s not a shock at the end of the tax year.

If one partner is a stay-at-home parent and the other earns over £80,000, you can choose to get the National Insurance credits, but not receive any of the money, which can cut down on the admin and means you don’t have to pay anything back.

When your child turns 16

Once your child turns 16, child benefit payments will cease, unless they stay in approved training or education. This includes doing A Levels, Scottish Highers and traineeships.

However, you need to inform HMRC of your child’s plans, or the payments will stop automatically on August 31 in the year they turn 16.

The education must be full-time, which the government classifies as more than an average of 12 hours a week of supervised study or course-related work experience. 

This can include:

• A levels or similar, for example Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
• T levels
• Scottish Highers
• NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3 – excluding intermediate and advanced apprenticeships
• home education – if it started either before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have special educational needs and disabilities
• traineeships in England

You cannot get Child Benefit if your child is studying an ‘advanced’ course, such as a university degree or BTEC Higher National Certificate, or if a course is paid for by an employer.

You can inform HMRC online here.

When your child turns 18

If your child heads off to university or gets a full-time job, your child benefit payments stop, as this no longer counts as approved education or training.

However, there are some paths they might choose where you are still entitled to the payments. These include:

• NVQ level 1, 2 or 3
• BTEC National Diploma, National Certificate and 1st Diploma
• Traineeships (England)
• National 4 and 5 (Scotland)
• SVQ level 1, 2 or 3
• Scottish Group Awards

You need to tell HMRC that your child is staying in education using the CH297 online form or your payments will stop.

You can also get Child Benefit for a young person aged 16-20 who is in approved training under one of the following programmes.

• In Scotland – The Employability Fund
• In Wales – Foundation Apprenticeships or Traineeships
• In Northern Ireland: United Youth Pilot, Training for Success, including Programme Led Apprenticeships, Pathways for Success (Pathways for Young People element) or, The Collaboration and Innovation Programme

If your child is 19, they must have been accepted or enrolled on the course before they turned 19.

Tell HMRC your child is staying in approved training using the CH297 online form.

If you’ve separated or divorced

If you separate from your children’s other parent or get a divorce, it can impact child benefit payments.

Only one person can get the money for each child, and you need to figure out who that will be. Usually, it’s the “resident parent”, which is the person who the child lives with most of the time.

If you have two children and share care equally, you could claim for one child each and both would be paid at the eldest child rate.

If you and your ex can’t agree, you can each apply and let HMRC decide. There are specific rules about who gets priority, but HMRC usually gives the benefit to the person the child lives with the most. You cannot challenge HMRC’s decision.

If you move in with a new partner

When you move in with a new partner, this could also impact your child benefit, especially if they have children and also claim child benefit.

You and your partner can claim for your respective children, but if you live together, only one of you can receive the higher “eldest child” rate. If both of you claim it, you will have to pay some of the money back.

There’s not much you can do about this, so you should factor it in when making decisions about living with a new partner and how you set up your finances.

If you go abroad for more than eight consecutive weeks

You can continue to receive Child Benefit for the first 8 weeks that you’re out of the UK, if you still live in the UK and your time away doesn’t go over a year. 

If you’re away to get medical treatment for yourself or someone in your family, or if a family member has passed away while abroad, you can receive Child Benefit for the first 12 weeks you’re away. 

If you stay abroad for more than a year, your Child Benefit will stop from the day you left the UK and you’ll have to pay some of it back.

You need to update HMRC immediately if you leave for more than 8 weeks, and if you’re abroad for medical reasons you should alert the taxman so your benefits don’t stop abruptly.

If your child no longer lives with you

You must update HMRC if your child:

• lives away from you for more than 8 weeks straight
• goes to another country for more than 12 weeks (unless it’s for school or medical treatment)
• moves in with their partner
• goes to prison for more than 8 weeks

In all these circumstances, you will no longer receive Child Benefit.

However, if your child is in the hospital or a care home for more than 12 weeks, you may still be able to receive Child Benefit if you are paying for their needs, like medicine, clothes, or food. 

You need to spend more than your child benefit payments are worth to keep getting them.

If your child moves in with your ex-partner, you need to call HMRC to explain the situation and find out if you can still receive Child Benefit.

If your ex-partner doesn’t make a claim for Child Benefit, you may keep getting it for up to 8 weeks.

You may be able to claim beyond that point, if you provide money to your ex-partner for your child and spend at least the amount of Child Benefit on your child’s needs each month. HMRC will provide guidance when you call them.

A BELOVED couple faces a surprising split after 15 years, while another pair keeps their romance hidden in Emmerdale.

Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) confirms that she and the kids are moving out next week on the ITV soap.

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Nicola decides to move out[/caption]

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The couple hit the rocks after Tom’s revelations[/caption]

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Nicola noticed Carl’s change in behaviour when Tom was around[/caption]

This comes after Nicola and Jimmy King (Nick Miles) to hit the rocks over abuser Tom King’s (James Chase) revelations.

The married couple struggled to agree over Tom after Jimmy noticed several tell-tale signs suggesting that Tom can’t be trusted.

Nicola realised that her young stepson Carl (Charlie Munro Joyce) seems scared and uncomfortable around Tom.

This followed Tom threatening Carl over his missing tablet computer, which he was desperate to retrieve as it contained damning evidence proving his abuse of wife Belle.

Nicola tried to gently quiz Carl on why he’s upset with Tom. However, just when it seems like Carl might share the details, the scared schoolboy spotted Tom arriving home and clams up.

Nicola was frustrated that Carl can’t be honest with her, so she realised that she had to change tactics.

In a phone call with Jimmy, Nicola shared her belief that Carl’s strange moods are all down to Tom.

Her detective work continued when she spotted the radio-controlled car that Tom tried to bribe Carl with, which is now in the bin.

Nicola quizzed Carl on where the expensive toy came from, but he remained reluctant to tell her the truth.

Finally losing patience, Nicola turned her scrutiny in Tom’s direction and demanded to know what’s going on.

Tom tried his best to cover up his lies, and Jimmy was concerned to hear Nicola turning on a member of their own family.

But Nicola refused to back down and threatened Tom with the police.

Can the couple make it work with Tom out the way?

Meanwhile, having seen how hurt Ella (Paula Lane) is, Chas (Lucy Pargeter) and Liam (Jonny McPherson) decide to keep their relationship private for the time being.

Earlier this year, Liam and Chas began to explore their romantic connection, but put the brakes on their budding relationship when Chas was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Chas debated revealing her feelings for Liam, and later decided she’d missed her chance when she saw Liam kissing Ella.

However, unbeknownst to Chas, the doctor was secretly unsure about his future with Ella.

More recently, viewers saw Liam and Chas sharing a heartfelt moment following the sad news of Zak Dingle’s death.

Liam comforted a devastated Chas, who opened up about her loss.

A call from Ella interrupted the pair and Chas told Liam that his girlfriend was waiting for him. “So? I want to be with you,” he replied.

Chas encouraged him to leave before he said something he regretted, but then Liam made a bold move.

He confessed his feelings for Chas and she reciprocated his affection as the former flames shared a kiss.

With his new connection blooming, Liam prepares to break up with Ella. But with three hearts on the line, will it go to plan?

Chas actor Lucy Pargeter recently spoke to Digital Spy about her character’s potential romance with Liam.

She said: “I think Liam and Chas make an interesting couple. When Paddy was with Chas, a lot of people said that they weren’t a good match.

“I think Liam’s quite different to Chas but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. They could be a good match.”

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1 and streams from 7am on ITVX.

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Liam prepares to break up with Ella[/caption]

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But with three hearts on the line, will it go to plan?[/caption]

CORONATION Street could be set to lose one of its cast, with a drunk Billy Mayhew spiralling out of control.

In Monday’s episode of Coronation Street, ITV viewers watched as Summer returned home to find a strange man in the flat with Billy.

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Daniel Brocklebank is struggling with his grief after husband Paul’s death in September[/caption]

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Paul Foreman passed away from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in September[/caption]

Billy then admitted he invited Wayne back after meeting him at the addicts group.

Tonight’s episode will see a depressed Billy confiding in Summer that he’s not sure he can face the day’s celebrations as it’s time to release late husband Paul Foreman’s ashes.

Already anticipating a hard day, Billy is seen knocking back a whisky before heading to the pub to meet friends and family.

Yet trouble strikes as everyone watches as Paul’s ashes are released, but the screen suddenly goes blank.

Having pulled the lead out of the laptop, a drunk and emotional Billy declares it a farce and confesses he made a pass at Todd after Paul’s funeral.

After his shocking behaviour, he takes himself off and heads out drinking behind the factory in the bitter cold, Billy listens to voice clips of Paul.

Finally his phone battery dies and Billy closes his eyes in a drunken stupor.

Later this week, ITV viewers will see a worried Bernie looking for Billy as he lies on the streets in the cold.

Finding him frozen to the core, it’s touch and go and nobody knows if Billy will make it.

In September, actor Daniel Brocklebank who plays Billy teased fans that his character would face a huge battle.

Speaking to The Sun and other press Daniel addressed how far Billy could spiral in the aftermath of losing his husband.

Daniel revealed: “Hopefully not to the heroin extent!

“He did go off the rails a little bit, but hopefully not to shooting up in the aisle of a church extent as we saw it before.”

He added: “Billy’s good in a crisis if it’s not his crisis.”

Fans were left devastated as a heartbreaking twist in September saw Billy not reach Paul’s bedside in time as he slipped away.

Having faced obstacles getting to the hospital, the vicar shared his final words over the phone instead.

A NUCLEAR submarine shipyard is up in flames as smoke fills the sky.

Two people have been hospitalised after the blaze erupted at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, just after 12.30am on Wednesday.

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Smoke billows from the building[/caption]

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The new fourth Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine, HMS Audacious, outside BAE Systems (stock)[/caption]

Cops evacuated everyone from Devonshire Dock Hall and confirmed there was no nuclear risk.

Two people were then taken to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation following the “significant fire”.

There are no other casualties, say police.

Flames have been billowing from an area where a £1.6bn Astute-class nuclear submarine is being assembled, it is understood.

The force said the incident remains ongoing with nearby residents being urged to keep windows and doors shut.

It is not yet known how the fire started.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews are currently dealing with an Fire in the vicinity of BAE systems in Barrow, residents in the area are advised to keep windows and doors closed and avoid the area.

“We appreciated your co operation whilst we deal with the incident.”

BAE Systems is one of the world’s biggest defence contractors.

It produces a huge array of military hardware and technology – including nuclear submarines, fighter jets, tanks and ships.

They also provide guns and ammunition.

ARSENAL have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of a daunting run of four away games in a row.

The Gunners face Preston in the Carabao Cup tonight before heading up to Newcastle on Saturday, a place where they lost one of their five Premier League games last season.

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Mikel Arteta has been handed a huge injury boost ahead of a tough run of games[/caption]

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Jurrien Timber and Gabriel should be fit after injury worries[/caption]

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Martin Odegaard is nearing a return[/caption]

Mikel Arteta’s side then have a tough trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League next Wednesday before a London derby against Chelsea on November 10.

Arsenal fans have been concerned they may be without key defensive pair Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber after both hobbled off in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

But Arteta gave a positive injury update and revealed captain Martin Odegaard is close to returning after an ankle issue.

The boss said: “We are still assessing Gabriel but it doesn’t look bad at all.

“He was much better the next day so hopefully he will be fine. He has had some tests.

“Jurrien is fine. He was very tired, he had been out for a while and could not continue the game. But there is no new injury there at all.

“He could not continue so we decided to make a very safe call. But he was fine.”

On Odegaard, he added: “He’s been on the grass for a few weeks, there is still a few boxes to tick.

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“How fast we can do that last stage of the rehab is a question we will have to answer once we have players around him and he starts competing with the team. He has not done that yet.”

However, it is not all good news as Riccardo Calafiori is expected to be out for “a few weeks” after he went off holding his knee in the 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk last Tuesday.

With David Raya set to be given the night off and Neto cup tied, 18-year-old keeper Tommy Setford could get his debut versus Preston.

Arteta said: “We brought Tommy because we know he’s got the qualities we’re looking for with our goalkeeping area.

“Unfortunately he’s been injured so he has not really played.

“It’s not a question about age, it is that if they play it is because they deserve to the same as the rest of the players.

“At the end of the day we have to reward the people who, each day, they behave in a certain manner and they have the level to play in the manner we want to play in.

“If that is the case, I don’t care if they are players from the academy, youth players or seniors, they will play.”

Setford joined Arsenal from Ajax in the summer in a £1million deal.

In the previous round’s win versus Bolton, Arteta started 16-year-old Jack Porter between the sticks.

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Tommy Setford could be handed his debut vs Preston[/caption]