Optical Illusion: Only a real detective can find out which plate is poisoned
Фахівці попередили водіїв про небезпечне зимове явище на дорогах
У Києві досі триває розбір завалів на місці ворожої атаки, здійсненої 1 січня (ФОТО, ВІДЕО)
Bengaluru: Naxalites surrendered in the presence of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah #Gallery
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The Vivienne’s pal sheds light on their tragic final days and reveals star faced abuse before their death
A FRIEND of The Vivienne, has opened up about the abuse the drag queen suffered just days before their death.
James Lee Williams, who won the first series of RuPaul‘s Drag Race UK and placed third on skating competition Dancing On Ice in 2023, died at the weekend aged 32.
The Vivienne was a Welsh drag queen, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019[/caption] Myra DuBois has spoken out after their death[/caption]The news of Williams’s death was announced by their publicist, Simon Jones, on Sunday evening.
It’s believed the Drag Race star, who was just 32 years old at the time of their death, had passed away a day or two before their body was found.
Although a cause of death has not yet been given, police have confirmed they found “no suspicious circumstances”.
Now, Britain’s Got Talent drag queen Myra DuBois, real name is Gareth Joyner, has hit back at those who “bombarded” The Vivienne with abuse in their final weeks.
Myra urged people to “challenge transphobia when they encounter it”.
Taking to Instagram, BGT semi-finalist Myra wrote: “I don’t know how The Vivienne left us, and I will be respecting the family request for privacy by not trying to find out, or by fuelling rumours.
“I do know that after appearing on Blankety Blank over Christmas they were bombarded with a slew of homophobic abuse.
“I also know that the comments sections on posts announcing their passing are filling up with comments like ‘one less’ and ‘rest in hell’. I need you to know this. I want you to acknowledge this.
“To me, to your colleagues, to your family. I want you to acknowledge it when there are no LGBTQ+ people in the room with you.
“You can’t just post how sad you are when LGBTQ+ people die. I want you to ask if you’re doing everything you can to keep all LGBTQ+ people alive.”
Myra continued: “Do you make an effort to use pronouns that might not immediately make sense to you? Do you post comments of love so they drown out comments of hate? Do you oppose political parties who openly discriminate LBGTQ+ people even if they align with your beliefs elsewhere?
“I don’t care how you answer, it’s between you and yourself. But in the last few years, I have buried so many friends, all of them LGBTQ+, all of them taken too soon.
“And it is NOT because of the ‘lifestyle choice’. It’s the burden of shame. Society murders queers, and I am so, so angry.”
It comes after The Vivienne’s RuPaul Drag Race co-star Crystal wrote in The Metro about the homophobic abuse their “effortlessly funny, whip-smart” friend was subjected to before their death.
Crystal wrote: “It has shocked me. Losing a friend so young is a real gut punch – it doesn’t feel real. But the shock and sadness is heightened because I know her final days were spent on the receiving end of abuse and homophobia.”
In the weeks prior to the tragedy, The Vivienne had continued to shine in their glittering career.
As well as playing The Childcatcher in a national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, they also starred in a Boxing Day episode of Blankety Blank – following in the footsteps of drag icon Lily Savage.
Tributes had poured in after The Vivienne’s tragic death.
Mr Jones, The Vivienne’s manager, wrote that Williams, who was born in Wales and later moved to Liverpool, was an “incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person”.
He added that Williams would be remembered for their “immense talent” and “the light they brought to every room was astonishing”.
Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse remembered The Vivienne for being a “phenomenal entertainer” and “trailblazer”.
Fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon said the star made a “mark in our hearts”.
RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage paid tribute to Williams, writing that their death was “heartbreaking”.
A spokesman for Cheshire Police said officers had been called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.
The spokesman said: “Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.
“A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Their other appearances on television included Celebrity Hunted, Emmerdale and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway[/caption]Glam footballer Madelene Wright sends fans wild with ‘unapologetic’ pic as they say ‘you’re just something else’
MADELENE WRIGHT took social media by storm once more with another raunchy snap.
This time, Madelene donned a tiny black top and a pair of trousers that led to a very daring pose.
The footballer’s latest glam pic led to over 11,000 likes on her Instagram.
Madelene issued the following caption: “Unapologetic.”
The Chesham United player‘s 321,000 followers were left in awe as they stormed the comments’ section.
One fan commented: “Wow Maddie just something else you really are.”
Another commented: “Beautiful.”
A third wrote: “Gorgeous, Ravishing.”
This fan said: “Really beautiful.”
And that one gushed: “My favourite.”
Madelene has previously played for Charlton and Leyton Orient before joining Chesham.
She has been juggling her football career with her social media and OnlyFans activities.
That led to a strong fanbase with whom she shares a raft of glam pics.
A glimpse into the life of the OnlyFans star…
Madelene has over 300k followers on Instagram[/caption] She recently celebrated her birthday[/caption] The footballer also has an OnlyFans account[/caption] She claimed to have made over £500,000 from the platform[/caption] The footballer has played for Leyton Orient and Charlton[/caption] She has continued her OnlyFans[/caption] She often dresses in revealing outfits[/caption] Madelene used to play for Charlton[/caption]Nationwide to make big change to millions of bank accounts in weeks and customers need to check now
NATIONWIDE is making a huge change to millions of accounts in and weeks and savers will be worse off.
The nation’s biggest building society is slashing the interest rates on almost 90 savings accounts from February 1.
Whether you’re affected or not will depend on the type of savings account you have[/caption]The move follows the Bank of England’s (BoE) decision to cut the base rate from 5% to 4.75% in November.
The base rate influences the interest rates banks offer to customers on a range of products like mortgages, credit cards and savings.
While mortgage holders can celebrate lower rates as it reduces borrowing costs, savers are left with the short end of the stick.
As borrowing costs drop, savings providers, including Nationwide, have chosen to lower interest rates on some savings accounts.
Whether you’re affected or not will depend on the type of savings account you have.
For instance, with fixed term accounts, the interest rate you get on your savings is locked in for a set period of time so they’re not affected.
With others – often easy access accounts – the rate can change anytime.
As such, Nationwide will lower rates by between 0.10% and 0.26% on 89 variable rate easy and instant access savings and cash ISA products from February 1.
Tom Riley, Nationwide‘s director of retail products, said: “We have worked hard to limit the impact of the recent rate cut on our savers and have taken the decision to hold rates on some of our most popular accounts, such as our leading Flex Regular Saver.
“Following these changes, our savings range will remain competitive. We returned a record £950million in member financial benefit in the first half of this year and we’ll continue to give savers every reason to put their money with Nationwide.”
What’s changing?
Nationwide is slashing the interest rate on 55 non-ISA savings accounts.
The majority of these accounts are easy-access, which means that customers can withdraw their money whenever they choose without penalty.
However, some accounts will temporarily reduce the amount of interest offered in the months where a withdrawal are made.
Many accounts with interest rates of around 2.05% will be reduced to approximately 1.80% from February 1.
For example, accounts such as Branch Easy Access, Cashbuilder Book, Cashbuilder Card, Direct Easy Access, and numerous others fall into this category.
Additionally, some accounts will see smaller reductions, such as the 1 Year Triple Access Online Saver and various “Smart” accounts, with decreases of 0.10% and 0.25% respectively.
However, Nationwide is making a single interest rate increase on one account from February.
The Branch Single Access account rate will increase by 0.75% from 2.8% from 3.55.
Unlike the regular saving accounts highlighted above, individual savings accounts (ISAs) offer tax-free savings on up to £20,000 a year.
You do not pay tax on any money within an ISA, regardless of how much interest you earn.
Nationwide is also slashing the interest rate on 34 ISAs.
Again, most of these are easy-access accounts, which means that customers can withdraw their money whenever they choose without penalty.
Most variable cash ISAs at Nationwide will have their interest rates cut by 0.25%.
This includes commonly held ISAs such as the Branch Easy Access ISA, various “Easy” ISAs (Easy Access, Easy Cash, Easy Saver, e-ISA), Direct Cash ISA, Inheritance ISA, Instant Access ISA, Instant ISA, Instant ISA Saver, ISA Bond ex TESSA, Online ISA Issue 8, and Web ISA.
While some other accounts also see reductions, these are generally smaller, such as the 0.10% decrease on the 1 Year Triple Access Online ISA and the 0.10% drop on Branch Reward ISA and Loyalty ISA.
If you currently have money saved in any of these accounts, you might want to consider moving your money to a different account with a better interest rate.
High street banks often offer lower interest rates compared to newer online banks.
These challenger banks often have lower operating costs, allowing them to offer more competitive interest rates to attract customers.
Several providers are currently offering interest rates of up to 4.86% on their easy-access products.
What’s are the best savings rates?
If you’re looking for a savings account without withdrawal limitations, then you’ll want to opt for an easy-access saver.
These do what they say on the tin and usually allow for unlimited cash withdrawals.
The best non-ISA easy-access savings account available is from GB Bank via savings platform NuWealth, which pays 4.86% – and you only need to pay a minimum of £500 to set it up.
This means that if you were to save £1,000 in this account, you would earn £48.60 a year in interest.
However, the best easy-access cash ISA from Plum surpasses this rate, offering a return of 5.01%.
This means that if you were to save £1,000 in this account, you would earn £50.10 a year in interest.
If you’re looking to grow your savings and don’t need regular access to your funds, a fixed-term bond or a regular savings account could be a better option.
Fixed-term bonds offer a fixed interest rate for a set period, providing predictable returns, while regular savings accounts encourage consistent saving habits with potentially higher interest rates than standard easy-access accounts.
We’ve explained below how each type of savings account works.
Plus we’ve explained how to find the best savings rates.
SAVING ACCOUNT TYPES
THERE are four types of savings accounts fixed, notice, easy access, and regular savers.
Separately, there are ISAs or individual savings accounts which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 a year tax-free.
But we’ve rounded up the main types of conventional savings accounts below.
FIXED-RATE
A fixed-rate savings account or fixed-rate bond offers some of the highest interest rates but comes at the cost of being unable to withdraw your cash within the agreed term.
This means that your money is locked in, so even if interest rates increase you are unable to move your money and switch to a better account.
Some providers give the option to withdraw, but it comes with a hefty fee.
NOTICE
Notice accounts offer slightly lower rates in exchange for more flexibility when accessing your cash.
These accounts don’t lock your cash away for as long as a typical fixed bond account.
You’ll need to give advance notice to your bank – up to 180 days in some cases – before you can make a withdrawal or you’ll lose the interest.
EASY-ACCESS
An easy-access account does what it says on the tin and usually allows unlimited cash withdrawals.
These accounts tend to offer lower returns, but they are a good option if you want the freedom to move your money without being charged a penalty fee.
REGULAR SAVER
These accounts pay some of the best returns as long as you pay in a set amount each month.
You’ll usually need to hold a current account with providers to access the best rates.
However, if you have a lot of money to save, these accounts often come with monthly deposit limits.
What’s next for savings rates?
Savings rates usually rise and fall with the Bank of England’s base rate.
This was cut for the second time in four years from 5% to 4.75% in November, but then rates were held at 4.75% in December.
The next interest rate announcement is on February 6.
If interest rates continue to fall, it spells bad news for savers, whose rates typically fall when the Bank’s rate is cut.
However, in the meantime, opting for a fixed bond can be a useful bet to help ride out future cuts to the base rate.
FINDING THE BEST SAVINGS RATES
WITH your current savings rates in mind, don't waste time looking at individual banking sites to compare rates - it'll take you an eternity.
Research price comparison websites such as MoneyFactsCompare.co.uk and MoneySupermarket.
These will help you save you time and show you the best rates available.
They also let you tailor your searches to an account type that suits you.
As a benchmark, you’ll want to consider any account that currently pays more interest than the current level of inflation – 2%.
It’s always wise to have some money stashed inside an easy-access savings account to ensure you have quick access to cash to deal with any emergencies like a boiler repair, for example.
If you’re saving for a long-term goal, then consider locking some of your savings inside a fixed bond, as these usually come with the highest savings rates.
PlayStation reveals accessories with sleek new design expected to sell out fast
FOLLOWING the disastrous announcement of the extremely expensive PS5 Pro, PlayStation quickly won back its fans.
The PlayStation 30th Anniversary collection was hugely popular, with its grey skin and colourful buttons closely mimicking the nostalgia of the PS One’s design.
It’s the first time that these accessories have been offered in black[/caption] People are saying they remind them of the PS2 era[/caption] The PS Portal is expected to be the first to sell out[/caption]As soon as the collection of PS5 consoles and accessories became available online, they were sold out within seconds.
The 30th Anniversary collection included a PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro, PS Portal, as well as DualSense Edge and Standard controllers.
The latest collection is not expected to be as popular as the nostalgic designs, but it is still likely to sell out.
In particular the PS Portal has been one of PlayStation’s most popular accessories, selling out as soon as it was released.
It was also one of the first items to disappear when the anniversary collection went on sale.
A recent update allowing the PS Portal to play games without a PS5 – provided that you have a PS Plus Premium subscription – certainly helped its popularity.
PlayStation has just announced the Midnight Black Collection, a new range of PS5 accessories in matt black.
The highlight is the PS Portal as its PlayStation’s most popular accessory for its current-gen console.
It features the same design as the black DualSense controller that’s already available.
Before the Midnight Black version, there were two other PS Portals, the anniversary grey and the standard white.
The collection also includes black versions of the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds and the Pulse Elite wireless headset.
The final accessory in the lineup is the matt black DualSense Edge controller, the premium version of the PS5 controller.
No prices have been given yet, but they are expected to be similar to those of the standard versions.
Pre-orders for the Midnight Black collection begin on January 16, 2025, and the accessories will be released on February 20, 2025.
It’s likely that the collection will sell out as soon as pre-orders are open, so you’ll have to act fast if you want to grab the new designs.
If you want to read more about PlayStation, check out the latest games with PS Plus Essentials.
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