Big Brother UK is back on our TV screens after a five-year hiatus (this time rebooted by ITV and hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best), and the series has already been praised for its diversity, as housemate Hallie came out to her fellow contestants as transgender during Monday night’s episode. The 18-year-old youth worker from London was one of 16 housemates to enter the Big Brother house this week, with the line-up also featuring Wolverhampton makeup artist and Muslim Farida, and Coventry DJ and amputee Dylan. More than 2.5 million people tuned in to Sunday night’s launch show, with the series already branded “too woke” by the usual critics - despite past winners including trans woman Nadia Almada and deaf Welshman Sam Evans. Many fans of the show have responded to the negativity by pointing out Big Brother has “always been diverse”. Alongside Farida having a chat with housemates about halal meat, Monday’s episode also saw Hallie tell the group she felt she “wasn’t being 100 per cent authentic in myself” when she entered the house the day before. She said: “So I just thought I would let everyone know, I’m trans, if you didn’t know already. I just thought I’d make that loud and clear. “So yeah, I’m a trans woman, if you didn’t know. Just wanted to bring that up.” Hallie received an outpouring of support from fellow housemates after coming out, with everyone sharing their pronouns as a result. During a discussion with 25-year-old barman Jenkin and 40-year-old NHS manager Kerry, Hallie revealed she would use the £100,000 prize money on a “designer vagina” if she went on to be crowned winner of the reality TV show. “The mind doesn’t match the body – that’s the best way to describe being trans. I have a female mind, but the body just doesn’t match,” she explained. After Monday’s episode was broadcast, Hallie received a huge outpouring of support online for the “powerful” statement made in the current “political climate”: Even narrator Marcus Bentley addressed the online reaction to the series, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Diverse enough for you?” Absolutely, Marcus. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Illicit free streams for Barbie, Oppenheimer and other summer blockbuster movies pose a risk to people attempting to watch them online, cyber security experts have warned. Searches for how to watch the films for free were tracked by security firm NordVPN, revealing links leading to sites containing malware and other malicious software. The worst impacted movie was Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, according to the researchers, with links shared on Twitter containing the most number of phishing warnings, malicious links and malware concerns. The Super Mario Bros. Movie had the second-most security threats linked to it, followed by Barbie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Wick: Chapter 4, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Little Mermaid, Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Illegal online streams that allow people to watch films for free have become a popular way for cyber criminals to exploit web users in recent years. Several illicit platforms that mimic the functionality of Netflix and other legitimate streaming services offer ways to watch films and TV shows with little cyber security risk to users, however links shared on social media sites like Twitter and Reddit can often lead to fake websites that attempt to steal financial or other sensitive information. “Trying to watch films this way is like searching for a needle in a haystack, with few of the links providing a watchable movie,” said Adrianus Warmenhovem, a cyber security advisor at NordVPN. “Most of these blockbusters will soon be available on reputable streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, so we suggest film fans be patient and enjoy these movies safely. Always stay cautious when clicking on a link, even on a trustworthy website, and use anti-malware tools.” Major sporting events are particularly vulnerable to cyber attack attempts, with searches for free live streams surging in the build up to big fights, football matches and races. The most popular form of piracy is websites hosting free streams of films and TV, accounting for more than 80 per cent of all piracy, according to figures published earlier this year. Piracy research firm Muso revealed that illegal streaming of films grew 38.6 per cent between 2021 and 2022, while visits to free streaming sites rose by nearly 9 per cent. This trend is expected to continue in 2023, early data suggests. Read More World Cup plagued by 'industrial-scale' piracy Premier League caught up in 'world's biggest piracy operation'

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YouTuber and philanthropist MrBeast has been quietly buying up properties in a neighbourhood in Greenville, North Carolina for his employees. MrBeast, who real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has built a huge online following beginning his career by sharing gaming content. Now the 25-year-old has 151 million subscribers and regularly shares content of him using and sharing his massive wealth of $54 million to help others, including spending $3 million for 1,000 people in the deaf community to get hearing aids. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter According to the New York Post, MrBeast’s employees are just some of the people who will benefit as the publication reports the YouTuber purchased “five modest and separate homes in the area he grew up in”, concentrated in one cul-de-sac. MrBeast purchased the first house on the street in 2018 for around $320,000. Despite his wealth, it appears the YouTuber has shunned the luxury Hollywood lifestyle he could easily afford, living a more modest lifestyle in his North Carolina home. According to the New York Post, there is just one house on the street that MrBeast doesn’t own, with neighbours potentially attributing it to the fact that the resident’s children have not yet finished school. Aaron Bowden, who sold his house to MrBeast last year, explained: “My understanding is the folks who are holding out is similar to any reason why anyone would have held out — its the best school districts in the area, and they have kids in school.” He continued: “I wouldn’t know anything for a fact because I don’t walk in their shoes, but they may change their minds when their kids are out of high school and off to college.” Bowden had lived in his home since 2016 and said he negotiated with the YouTuber, explaining: “We negotiated back and forth and it had to be worth my while. And he wasn’t gonna buy it if it wasn’t worth his while.” MrBeast’s former neighbour also explained that he had made it known it was his intention to move his family and employees into the homes he was purchasing. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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