Full list of payments and benefits due early this week as a result of New Year bank holidays

A community will gather to pay an emotional tribute to a “loved” scots dad who tragically died after falling off a bridge in New Zealand on Christmas Day. Duncan Gordon, 39, from Dunkeld, fell backwards from the bridge in Dunedin at around 8pm following a social gathering with friends.

A new sighting has been confirmed of a man who disappeared from Fife on New Year's Day. Scott McLaren left his home in the Dollar Crescent area of Kirkcaldy around midday on Sunday, January 1.

Police are searching for a missing man who disappeared from Fife on New Year's Day.

The beginning of a new year provides a perfect opportunity to make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), your local council and Social Security Scotland.

The festive season may be over but as people ease into the first week of the new year there are two bank holidays which may affect payments due for those on certain benefits. There is also important information about Universal Credit payments due midweek, which some people mistakenly believe should have arrived before Hogmanay.

Starting off the new year strong! Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway and more stars rang in 2023 with a bang.

Police say they are "increasingly concerned" for the welfare of a missing Scots man who drove off in his car in the early hours of New Year's Day.

As Nicole Brown gazes at daughter Miah, it’s impossible not to see the baby boy she held in her arms for the last time a year ago. Her son Micah was born with the rare genetic condition congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and, after a six-month battle, his little body could not take any more and he passed away on New Year’s Day.

Thousands of revellers returned from all over the world to welcome in New Year at Scotland’s biggest street party. Over 40,000 people flooded into Edinburgh for the world-famous Hogmanay for the first time in three years.

Queen founding member and guitarist Brian May received a knighthood as part of the UK’s New Year Honours List, the annual compendium of awards handed out by at the end of each year by the reigning monarch.

New Year's Day falls on a Sunday this year, meaning most banks and many shops will already be closed.

The countdown to Hogmanay is on and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have already confirmed changes to benefit payment dates over New Year as a result of the subsequent bank holidays. Social Security Scotland has also announced similar changes for those on devolved benefits.

This festive period will be a different type of holiday for many households due to the ongoing cost of living crisis. Soaring energy bills and record-breaking inflation means that money matters are at the forefront of spending, prioritising practical needs and staying in the black rather than stretching household budgets to breaking point.

Kate Hudson and Jamie Lee Curtis are the latest Hollywood actors to weigh in on the topic of the “nepo baby,” a topic rekindled this month by a New York magazine cover story (and much more devoted to the topic) about the phenomena of the children of famous actors who follow in their parents’ footsteps.

Good afternoon Insiders and a happy holiday to you all, Max Goldbart here seeing out the year. We’re inching slowly towards the holiday and have just got a quick summary of the week’s headlines and some Essentials for you this week. We’ll be taking a well-earned (we hope!) break next week but back all systems go on Friday January 6. Until then, our heartfelt thanks go out to all you Insider readers. We are nothing without you. Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukah and a Happy New Year.

Families across the UK are planning to treat themselves this Christmas, with new research revealing that nearly four in 10 households are set to switch the heating on all day on December 25, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis.

New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, which means days at the start of the first week of 2023 are classed as bank holidays. Monday, January 2, is an ‘observed’ bank holiday across the UK while Tuesday, January 3, is classed as a ‘substitute’ bank holiday - but only in Scotland.