New York State

Updates on the Old-Age grants, including payment dates, eligibility criteria, and potential future increases amid ongoing budget debates.

LOVE or hate Valentine’s Day, you can’t escape it! Whether or not romance is on the cards, most of us will be marking today somehow.

In The Sun’s exclusive Valentine’s Day sex survey, 63% of people planned on celebrating the day.

With 4% planning on proposing on this day of love.

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Of those not planning to mark the day, 56% said it was because they like to show their love all year round, not just on one day.

Other reasons for not celebrating included: it’s expensive (24%), it’s cheesy (24%) and it’s old fashioned (10%).

For those celebrating the day, chocolates and flowers are staples when it comes to the most-gifted items.

However, other entries include jewellery, personalised gifts and house plants!

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A-list present giving

Celebs like to go hard when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts. Check out these costly tokens of affection:

• In 2020, Hailey Bieber gave Justin a pink Dreamsicle. It cost $10,000 and is one of only 10 in existence. It’s got over 12,000 crystals and was designed by digital artist Dan Life.
• Jay-Z gave Beyoncé a platinum covered phone in 2009 that cost over £19,000.
• If you could go anywhere in the world, right now, where would you go? That was the question Chrissy Teigen had to ask herself in 2015 when her Valentine’s Day gift from husband John Legend was a romantic holiday on a private jet to ANY destination of her choosing.
• The leading man when it comes to romance is none other than our home-grown heartthrob, David Beckham. In 2006, he gave Victoria Beckham a Bulgair necklace dripping with diamonds and rubies that cost over £6 million.

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Valentine’s Day around the world

It looks like the language of love isn’t quite universal, as it’s been translated quite differently around the world.

Argentina

For this South American country, it’s all about La Semana de la Dulzura… Sweetness Week!

From 1^st July to 7^th July, chocolates and sweet treats are exchanged not just between lovers, but also friends.

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It started in 1989 after a campaign from sweets company Arcor stated “a sweet for a kiss”.

If someone gives you chocolate during la semana de la dulzura, their payment is a kiss… and we don’t mean a Hershey’s chocolate!

Japan

Putting the ‘man’ in ‘romance’, in Japan 14^th February is a day where women buy gifts and chocolates for men.

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It’s not just about the special men in your life, but also a day for male friends and colleagues.

Men can know how special they are to a woman based on what type of chocolate he’s given.

Giri choco (“obligation chocolate”) is for the non-romantic men in your life.

Honmei choco (“true love chocolate”) is for that special someone.

Japan’s all about gender equality when it comes to love, as on 14^th March (‘White Day’) the roles are reversed and men must buy women gifts.

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These are expected to be two or three times the value of the gifts that they received on 14^th February, which is nothing to snickers about. 

Philippines

Sharing is caring in the Philippines when it comes to Valentine’s Day.

As an act of public service, the government puts on sponsored mass weddings for citizens on 14^th February where everything is usually free: the ceremony, flowers, a wedding cake and even wedding rings!

The only catch?

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You’ll get married alongside potentially hundreds of other couples.

Local government officials lead mass wedding ceremonies in venues such as shopping centres or other public areas.

Wales

The Welsh are all about the cuddles. They even have a special word for it, “cwtch” (pronounced “kutch”).

They are especially keen on a spoon. More specifically, a lovespoon.

The amorous celebrations happen on 25^th January, Saint Dwynwen’s Day (the Welsh patron saint of lovers).

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Couples exchange intricately hand-carved wooden spoons, a tradition that dates back to 16^th century.

The many potential patterns and symbols have different meanings:

• A horseshoe denotes luck
• A knot shows the entwined lives of the lovers
• Keys represent that the recipient holds the keys to their lover’s heart. 

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Remember to gamble responsibly 

A responsible gambler is someone who: 

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing 
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose 
• Never chase their losses 
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed 
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk 
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org 

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

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