Child Benefit payments set to increase next April - here are the new weekly rates

It’s been an eventful 2023 for international TV and film. As the strikes shut down Hollywood and streamers retrenched from the mega-spends of the Covid era, shows and movies from far and wide came were already in demand like never before, as viewers look to new countries for inspiration. Call it the Squid Game effect, or whatever you want, but neither subtitles nor geographical boundaries are an impediment to content getting seen any more. Here, we run down each Deadline International journalist’s top pick from the year, for the most part avoiding spoilers (there are some though, so this is a fair warning). You’ll find big-ticket U.S. fare, Japanese anime, restaurant TV dramas and Australian newsroom stories among our eclectic selections.

Mirror.One holiday, Charles left a tin of salmon, and another year Harrold received a salt and pepper grinder tied with a ribbon.“I just thought it was so bizarre because you don’t expect those little things. It shows that they’ve got that fun, practical side to them,” the ex-butler said.Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, would also send Christmas cards to them — and eventually “actual proper gifts.”“[I would get] things like tea cups and saucers or whiskey glasses.

Arguably one of the best Christmas chick flick movies with some of the best actors, The Holiday is many people’s favourite annual Christmas movie. Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law star in the film which follows the lives of LA-based movie producer Amanda and Surrey-based Iris, who decide to swap homes over the Christmas holidays, after both experienced disaster in their love lives. Amanda meets Iris' brother Graham (Jude), with whom she falls in love, whilst Iris forms a firm friendship with Miles (Jack Black) - although it's not clear if the relationship is romantic.The movie ends with the foursome enjoying a wholesome Christmas with Graham's two daughters at his home in England.

Nearly 1.5 million older people with a long-term health condition claiming Attendance Allowance are set for a significant income boost next April following confirmation from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that benefits will rise in line with the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figure of 6.7 per cent. During the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor also announced that State Pensions will increase by 8.5 per cent - the earnings growth measure of the Triple Lock policy.

Wham! taking the lead for the peak position on the charts.The news follows a neck-and-neck race between the iconic ‘80s pop duo Wham! And Eurovision star Sam Ryder over the past week, with their respective songs ‘Last Christmas’ [1986] and ‘You’re Christmas To Me’ [2023].At the first look at the race last week, just 42 chart units stood between the two taking the top spot on the UK charts, however, this week it has been revealed by the Official Charts that Wham! are in pole position, and have widened the gap between Ryder’s Amazon Music original track – which remains at Number Two.However, it doesn’t seem likely that the charts will stay this way until Christmas, with Ryder set to play a fan-exclusive gig tonight (December 19) in Shoreditch, London, in a push to promote the song in time for Christmas Day.Similarly, today (December 19) The Pogues are sharing a special, limited-edition physical run of their own iconic Christmas song ‘Fairytale Of New York’ in a push to climb the charts.Originally released in 1988 and featuring Kirsty MacColl, the track is being reissued in memory of the band’s late singer Shane MacGowan, who died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old and his funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.All proceeds from the reissue will be donated to the Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, and the release also arrived alongside a fan campaign to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time.The push for the top position on the charts has also been endorsed by Shane MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.

It's been over three decades since Home Alone became a beloved holiday classic, capturing the hearts of audiences around the world. The family classic was released in 1990 and follows eight year old Kevin McCallister who is accidentally left behind when his family take a trip to France for the holidays. At first, he's happy he has the house to himself.

Neighbours, the returning soap that has been playing elsewhere (Channel 5 and previously the BBC in the UK, has been released by its new home – streamer Freevee.The series will return to screens on 18 September, with new episodes releasing daily, Monday-Thursday, at 7 a.m. BST, on Amazon Freevee in the UK and the U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Arcs Film Festival, the European equivalent to the Sundance Film Festival, has unveiled the list of projects which will be presented during its competitive Work-in-Progress showcase. Curated by Tribeca and Les Arcs’ artistic director Frederic Boyer and Lison Hervé, the selection will present a broad range of movies in post-production seeking a sales agent, festival slots and international distribution.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 10, Episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” “I Wanna Rock,” which aired Dec. 6 on Fox. Ginuwine wasn’t sure he wanted to be on “The Masked Singer” when it first came calling. But the “Pony” artist ultimately couldn’t resist.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Humorist and writer Andy Borowitz has gotten the axe from the New Yorker after 25 years of writing for the magazine, as part of a larger wave of cost-cutting and layoffs at parent Condé Nast. Borowitz announced that the New Yorker was dropping his long-running Borowitz Report satire features because of “its financial difficulties.” In a post on Facebook, Borowitz wrote, “IF I MAY BE SERIOUS: Because of its financial difficulties, The New Yorker has been forced to cut costs. As a result, it has decided to stop publishing The Borowitz Report.

Millions of people on disability benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance will see their payments rise by 6.7 per cent next April after the uprating was confirmed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt during the recent Autumn Statement.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China and Netherlands-based Fortissimo Films has picked up international sales rights to anticipated Chinese blockbuster movie “If You Are the One 3.” To be released on Dec. 30 in China, the picture is directed by Feng Xiaogang as the second sequel in his anti-romance comedy franchise, about a rich businessman and an air stewardess, which kicked off in 2008 and earned a follow-up in 2010.

official website.The ceremony also normally gives out honours for several special awards – including genre categories, best group, solo and performance awards and more – though Golden Disc has not revealed these categories nor their nominees.The 38th Golden Disc Awards will take place on Saturday, January 6 at the Jakarta International Stadium in Jakarta at 9pm KST, and will be aired on JTBC in South Korean.

Doctor Who returned last month for the first of three 60th anniversary specials with David Tennant returning in the lead role. The 52 year old actor is arguably the most popular Doctor Who ever - having played the tenth incarnation of the beloved character from 2005 to 2010 before coming back to star as the Fourteenth Doctor in November.

told NBC.“The Sound Town selected for each eligible user has the most similar taste profile to their own — based on their most streamed artists of the year and how those artists are streamed in other cities across the globe,” they added.Folks on X (formerly Twitter), however, beg to differ with Spotify’s dubiously “global” assessment.Platform users pointed out that all three of these cities are college towns and came to the conclusion that being placed in Burlington, Berkeley and Cambridge indicated LGBTQ listeners, with top artist-allies such as boygenius, Charli XCX and Janelle Monáe.According to Spotify, listeners “must have at least three top artists who over-index in a particular city” to match with their Sound Town.more people are tweeting about san luis obispo than even live there pic.twitter.com/sM8wvw9GGDthe tl rn pic.twitter.com/uuvZ94mzyyTheir data revealed that 0.6% of listeners matched with Burlington; 0.3% got Berkeley; and 0.1% were assigned to Cambridge.

NewJeans, BTS‘ Jungkook and more.Apple Music unveiled the 2023 edition of its annual ranking of the most streamed songs on the serviceyesterday (November 28), per Variety, with several K-pop tracks making it into the Top 100. The most streamed K-pop song in 2023 was ‘Ditto’ by NewJeans, which came in at Number 19 on the overall list.Two other NewJeans songs also made it to Apple Music’s ranking: with their January single ‘OMG’ at Number 37, and 2022’s ‘Hype Boy’ at Number 64.

LadBaby would be stepping down from their streak of annual Number One tracks.Comprised of Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, the LadBaby duo have consistently topped the charts around Christmas for their sausage roll-themed takes on famous tracks. These include ‘We Built This City’ (2018), ‘I Love Sausage Rolls’ (2019), ‘Don’t Stop Me Eatin’’ (2020), ‘Sausage Rolls For Everyone’ (2021) and ‘Food Aid’ (2022).Now, Official Charts Company have revealed the artists who are most likely to take the top position on the UK charts – compiling a list of the contending songs for the 2023 Christmas Number One.Among those listed are a variety of charity singles, including ‘West End Girls’ – the recently shared track by post-punk duo Sleaford Mods.

The Bear, Only Murders In The Building, and Futurama have all been given the green light to move ahead with more seasons, not every show has been so lucky.Shows cancelled so far in November 2023 join the likes of The Great, Gossip Girl, Big Mouth, One Of Us Is Lying, Snowpiercer and many more in having their time on screen come to an end. The cancellations have affected programmes across the board, from traditional network television to streaming-only shows.After just one season, Netflix has decided to call it quits with this animated series that saw a cartoon version of the King (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) swap music for the life of a spy.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a series of new measures to reward people in work, help make work pay, and reform the welfare system, during the Autumn Statement on Wednesday. The measures aim to build on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) new ‘Back to Work’ plan, which focuses on helping disabled people and those with long-term health conditions who have difficulties finding employment to overcome barriers to secure and stay in work.

Martin Lewis has issued a warning to billpayers that their bills are set to skyrocket.