A TikToker gave a homeless man a complete makeover by shaving his beard, getting him access to a shower, and donating food and shelter.

Activist Mahmoud Itani, 35, met Mounir when filming a video in which he was giving out donations made by his followers.

Itani, who is based in Beirut, Lebanon, is a TikToker with more than 702,200 followers.

He spends his time going around the Lebanese capital, “spreading happiness” with the help of his followers.

Itani and Mounir’s relationship began when the Tiktoker tried to give him money donated by his followers as part of one of his charitable acts.

Unexpectedly, a tearful Mounir refused the gift, saying that others would need it more.

“It was one of the hardest moments for the entire channel, we didn’t expect for him to tell us to give the money to other people,” Itani said.

Mounir’s selfless reaction made the video go viral and it has now garnered more than 1.4 million likes on the social media platform TikTok.

Since then, the two have struck up a friendship, and Itani has been helping Mounir, who Itani thinks is 76, get his life back on track.

They have brought him clothes, taken him to shower, and are now even paying for his rent and electricity with donations.

He is receiving a total of $320 a month in support, both directly from the group and from sponsors they sourced, which pays for his costs completely.

Mounir was previously a driver in Kuwait, but, now in Lebanon, he has ended up on the streets.

Since becoming homeless, he also took a fall and broke his hip, making his situation even harder.

The group has also arranged for some of their contacts to sponsor the man’s medical care.

“He’s very happy, he looks very healthy, he looks very comfortable,” Itani said.

Itani founded PlanLB in 2021 alongside his friend Rafic Tannoun, and since then they have been receiving $500 from their fans a month.

This money may not seem like a lot, but it is enough to keep 10-15 people fed for a week in Lebanon, according to Mahmoud.

The group collects its donations entirely from individuals, viewers will donate money with a purpose in mind, and the group will video-call them while it is being spent or donated.

“Donations go directly to people in the videos, they open a video call and we show the money being received.

“Unlike other NGO’s where the money just disappears.

“Spreading happiness is our goal.

“[I want people to realize that] wake up guys, we’re in this together, there is hope in Lebanon.”

Itani’s TikTok page now has 700,000 followers and 16 million likes.

They are planning on expanding to the entirety of the Arabic-speaking region, as well as the United States and European Union, where they already have partners garnering donations.

Produced in association with SWNS.

Japanese children walk differently to peers from other countries – because of their healthy diet, according to new research.

They are among the healthiest in the world – eating raw or just lightly cooked fresh ingredients. Fewer than one in five are overweight – and it shows in their gait.

The finding has implications for abnormalities like ‘intoeing’ and ‘outtoeing’ – where the feet are not aligned with the legs.

The study was published in the Scientific Reports journal.

Lead author Dr. Tadashi Ito, of Nagoya University, said: “We believe differences in lifestyle, build and cultural factors all affect Japanese children’s gait.

“This is not likely to affect the health of Japanese children. But it does indicate characteristics different from those of children in other countries.”

Another significant reason could be school meals – an integral part of everyday life for Japanese children since 1889.

Rice balls and grilled fish were given to children living in poverty in remote communities in the north. The program was expanded in the aftermath of WWII.

They are made from local ingredients – such as baked cod with sweet corn and bok choy, served with minestrone soup and a carton of milk.

Dr. Ito and colleagues analyzed 3D data recorded by markers attached on the lower limbs of participants.

Gait is a complex, unconscious motor pattern, essential for most daily activities. It comprises a sequence of movements that involve the hip, knee, and foot.

From a medical point of view, it is critical to measuring quality of life and health. The forces involved help treat people with movement disorders.

The study was based on 424 students recruited from two primary schools. It found patterns differed by age.

There was an increase in cadence, the number of steps performed in one minute, among eleven and twelve-year-olds compared to six to eight-year-olds.

There was also a reduction in step and stride in the former group compared to those aged nine and ten. And they had less range of motion of the knee during the gait cycle.

As children aged, a higher ‘plantarflexion’ was observed – the motion when you point your toes at the start of the walking movement.

Added Dr. Ito: “These results provide an important tool for assessing normal and pathological gait and can determine the effectiveness of orthopedic treatment and rehabilitation for gait disorders.”

Japan’s staple food is rice. The advantage of short-grain rice, preferably brown, or haiga partially milled rice, is it is water-rich when cooked, fluffy – and much lower in calorie density than bread or pasta.

All that belly-filling rice might also displace less healthy foods – reducing the overall number of calories eaten.

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Residents in a leafy village have been left outraged over an abandoned house that is home to squatters and has trees growing out of it.

The bungalow in Mere, Cheshire, in northern England, in the United Kingdom, has been empty for eight years and now the back of the house has collapsed, the roof is leaking, and two trees are growing out of the ruins.

The house’s windows are also smashed in and the garden is littered with the previous owner’s belongings.

It is in stark contrast to nearby properties in Chester Road, where houses on the street sell for an average price of 695,000 British pounds ($843,000).

The cheapest house on sale in the area at the moment is a whopping 500,000 pounds ($606,000), while the most expensive is nearly 2.3 million pounds ($2.9 million).

The previous occupiers of the bungalow are believed to have been an elderly mother and her two children, who lived at the property from 1999 to 2014 and moved out of the area.

The bungalow is around half a mile from The Mere Golf Resort and Spa, where rooms start from around 160 pounds ($200) a night.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ““It is an eyesore, an absolute monstrosity.

“People don’t even know there is a house here, it is hidden by so many trees. You can’t even walk along the pavement because it is so overgrown.

“The property has already collapsed at the back. We’re worried about where it is going to fall next.

“It is now a danger and a health and fire hazard.”

It is believed that squatters have been residing in the property, as one neighbor saw lots of lights on, later went round and found loads of candles had been lit.

The neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said: “There is no gas or electricity, this is a fire risk. Neighbors put up fencing after they found a car parked outside.

“It is not acceptable. We shouldn’t have to put up with this.

“We just wish they would board it up, clear the site and make it safe.”

It looks like time has stood still in the house, there is a television in the corner with a remote balanced on top and pictures are still on the wall.

But sofas have been overturned and pots and pans are covered across the carpet.

The garden is covered in weeds, with a child’s bike left abandoned next to a barbecue.

Another resident fumed: “We just can’t understand why nothing is being done.

“We have complained to Cheshire East Council.

“This could be a lovely family home.”

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council authority said: “The council is aware of the condition of this property.

“It is currently involved in a legal process aimed at resolving outstanding matters.

“Until these matters are resolved, there is no further comment the council can give at this time.”

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A dad has won a stunning home in a prize draw in England after previously only ever winning a coffee table – and says he won’t be taking it with him.

Uttam Parmar, 58, has scooped an award-winning $3.64 million four-bedroom house in the region of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, with panoramic views of an estuary.

He has entered every previous Omaze Million Pound House Draw without success – but now says “patience really is a virtue.”

And Parmar says prior to this he has only ever won a coffee table and a TV – and won’t be needing them anymore.

He has also been given 50,000 British pounds ($60,670) in cash to help him settle in – plus the house comes mortgage free, with all sales tax and legal fees covered.

Parmar, who bought his winning entry in July for just 25 pounds ($30) – has been working as an operations manager at electronics manufacturer Alps Alpine for 18 years.

His wife of 32 years, Raki, 53, has worked as a member of staff for a regional police authority for 23 years.

The couple have lived in their current four-bedroom house close to Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, in England’s East Midlands region, since 2017.

When Omaze first contacted Parmar to tell him he’d scooped a prize – he was actually at the hospital – so rushed back to find out if he’d won the grand prize house.

Parmar said: “When Omaze called to tell us we’d won a prize, we were actually at the hospital.

”We were so excited that we might have won the grand prize, we called our son Aaron to see if the winning entry code matched ours – when he triple-checked the numbers matched, we must’ve burst his eardrums screaming down the phone!

”Although, we still didn’t believe we’d won until we got back to our house and Omaze told us in person.

“I’ve entered every Omaze Draw since they started, so patience really is a virtue, as I’ve now won my own piece of paradise – this house is definitely my favorite one they’ve offered!

“I’ve always considered myself a lucky person, firstly because of my wonderful family – but I’ve also won a few bits such as a TV and coffee table – which I was pretty happy with to be honest – I never dreamed I’d win anything as extravagant as a three-million-pound-house though!

“We’ve holidayed in Cornwall over the years and always thought it would be incredible to have a place here – and now we do – we’re still pinching ourselves.

“We have a large extended family – so no doubt they’ll all be asking to have their next birthday parties here!

“We’re not sure if we’ll rent, sell or live in it yet – it’s the best dilemma we’ve ever had! Whatever we decide, it’s a life-changing win for the whole family!”

The couple’s son Aaron, 26, lives in London, where he works as a senior manager at an insurance firm. They have a large extended family that lives across the United Kingdom.

Parmar is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it. If he does decide to rent it out he could achieve up to 15,000 pounds ($18,000) a month in vacation rentals during peak season.

His grand prize home is a luxurious 4,200 square-foot property just a mile away from the picturesque village of Rock, on the North Cornwall coast and was crowned Best New Build in Cornwall 2020.

As well as making Parmar and his wife multi-millionaires – the draw has also raised crucial funds for Blood Cancer U.K., a charity dedicated to funding research into blood cancer, which includes leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze said: “We’re delighted that Uttam has won his dream home – and was able to contribute to this fantastic 1,000,000 pound [$1.2 million] raise for Blood Cancer U.K. in the process.”

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A devoted brother climbed a mountain blindfolded during a three-day challenge to find out what his incredible blind sister faces every day.

Brave Ed Smith, 21, said it was “pretty special” to walk in the footsteps of his blind-from-birth sibling, Harriet Smith, 31, while admitting the hair-raising feat was terrifying at times.

The student set out on the 72-hour adventure with his girlfriend Eimear Pickstone, 21, who helped him traverse rain-drenched hillsides and bustling cities in Thailand last month.

And during their epic voyage, his eyes were covered even when Pickstone accidentally spun their pick-up truck off the road, leaving him scared for his life.

Ed Smith said he had chosen to do the charity stunt in South East Asia – which has so far raised over $4,125 – to challenge himself in a non-English speaking country.

And when he finally took his blindfold off three days later, he said it first felt like he was “on drugs” before he was left with a massive sense of relief.

He said: “It was very weird when I finally took the blindfold off, almost like a hallucination experience. It was like I was on drugs, but after that, I was over the moon.”

“When Eimear ended up crashing the car on the road, it was probably the most terrifying thing that’s happened to me.

“But my sister gave me a lot of strength, knowing what I was doing was just a drop in the ocean of the life she has forged for herself in a world that’s not amenable to people without sight.”

“She was in the forefront of everything I was doing. It was pretty special finding my feet in her world.”

Smith, from the rural village of Moreton Pinkney, Northamptonshire, in the South Midlands of England, in the United Kingdom, started his Challenge on July 11, near the town of Kanchanaburi, on the west of Thailand.

He then went onto the capital Bangkok before taking a sleeper train to the northern city of Chang Mai and climbing the mountain of Doi Suthep on his final day, July 14.

But the Cambridge University philosophy student explained that he had in fact wanted to spend a whole week blindfolded before his girlfriend talked him out of it.

Smith said: “The main reason for doing it abroad is it’s more of a challenge.

“I wanted to push myself as hard as I could, and I was thinking about doing it for a week. But Eimear talked me out of that.”

Pickstone, who had planned the three-month summer holiday with Smith – through Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam – said when he revealed his plan, she thought it was crazy.

She added: “I definitely did not help come up with the idea. I thought he was crazy, so I said, ‘No, three days is enough!’”

The couple spent every day he was blindfolded together, with Smith fully dependant on Pickstone for food, shelter and navigation around the country.

Smith said: “I’m a very independent person, so having to ask Pickstone to help me with every single aspect of my life was pretty tricky a times – from brushing my teeth to shaving.

“It was really, really tough, and I learned how trusting blind people are with those around them.

“Everyone focuses on the climb, but the psychological experience of the three days was really the toughest part of the challenge.”

While driving through a rural area of the country, near Bangkok, Pickstone lost control of a car she’d borrowed from a local friend, and the pair skidded into a ditch.

Pickstone explained: “We were driving along this mountain road, and it just started to rain a lot. The windscreen wipers didn’t’ work and the windscreen was getting very muddy.

“To me, it felt like we were driving along a cliffside. Then we just lost traction and spun 180 degrees.

“In my head, we were falling off the side of a mountain. I did think that was the end for me. But we were just lodged in a ditch.

He added: “That was the single most scary thing that has happened to me in my life.”

Pickstone was rescued by 15 local Thai men, who then helped pull his truck out of the levee, but this was one of several occasions when he believes he was hallucinating.

He said: “My world morphed into a very strange sensory state.

“At first, I was learning the ropes, learning to navigate this usual world. Then the things I was visualizing were pretty vivid.

“I created this visual picture in my head the whole time. I was really living in this strange vivid world to the extent I was almost hallucinating.”

Smith and Pickstone arrived in Chang Mai on their final day, before making the 5,499-foot journey to the top of Doi Suthep in treacherous conditions.

Smith said: “During our ascent of the mountain, it was pretty treacherous. But the sounds of the jungle with the rain was the most sensory stimulating period of the three days.”

And when Smith finally removed his eye mask 72 hours later, he was dazzled by the brightness of his surroundings but thankful he could take everything in once again.

He said: “I was struggling to cope with it for about 20 minutes, but everything was so beautiful eventually.”

Pickstone added: “I was so happy to see his face. It was almost like I’d forgotten it.

“He couldn’t see anything when he first took it off for a while. But it felt really quite emotional. I felt a bit teary.”

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A disabled university graduate was able to collect the keys to his first home – after generous donors raised more than $61,000 so he could move out of his parents’ house.

Calum Grevers, 29, got his keys on August 4 but hopes to move into his new apartment in September.

He started thinking about moving out in January 2020 but was faced with a 1,000-day waiting list for subsidized public housing.

Calum, who has muscular dystrophy and needs a wheelchair and a team of caregivers, said he never dreamed he would be in his own home.

He studied computer science at Edinburgh Napier University, but has never had a job before and hopes that he will be able to find a role in policymaking, which allows him to work from home.

Calum believes many people could relate to his predicament of being desperate to move out from his parents’.

The fundraiser generated 52,000 British pounds, the equivalent of $63,000, which Calum says is around 1,000 British pounds ($1,200) per week.

He launched it in December 2020 and raised two-thirds in just one year.

Calum said: “I think a lot of people can really relate to not wanting to live with their parents.

“It has also really managed to raise awareness of a lack of accessible housing.

“There’s an assumption that housing is more accessible than it is.”

Work still needs to be done to the apartment in Edinburgh, which has a bedroom for Calum and one for his personal assistant.

It also will have an ensuite bathroom with a wet room and ceiling track hoist when it is completed.

Carpets will be torn up and replaced with laminate to make it more wheelchair accessible.

Another 3,000 British pounds — $3,600 — has yet to be raised to meet his target.

He said: “Living with parents at my age creates too much tension, you need your own personal space.

“My parents’ house is accessible, but it is better for everybody when you are living independently.

“It makes you feel you can make decisions about your own life.

“Ten years ago, I would never have thought I would have any of these things.”

Calum believes that more accessible housing would allow elderly people to stay in their homes for longer, rather than going into care homes.

He said aging should be perceived as an inevitable disability, and it would make more sense to plan around that.

He is now working with the Scottish government to improve understanding of what can be done to make access better.

Calum said: “I don’t feel it’s actually happened yet.

“I’m sure it will feel more real when I’ve got more of my stuff in the flat.”

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A 25-year-old man who disappeared at a traditional German oompah band festival has been found dead in a lake.

Police identified the young man as Tobias Dreiseitel, who vanished at the Brass Wiesn festival in Eching, a city in Bavaria, in south-eastern Germany on August 5.

His body was discovered by a swimmer in nearby Echinger See lake on August 9, according to the police. Police had been looking for him for days and even deployed a helicopter.

Tobias went missing after that night’s festival performances were called off because of poor weather.

At the time of his disappearance, Tobias had been wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and lederhosen – traditional long leather shorts.

Police from the neighboring municipality of Neufahrn bei Freising had said in an earlier statement that Tobias Dreiseitel had “been missing since the evening of August 5, 2022. The 25-year-old attended the Brass Wiesn Festival at Echinger See in the Freising district with two of his friends.”

They added: “On August 5, 2022, at around 9:00 p.m., the friends lost sight of each other. A little later, the phone contact broke off. Since then there has been no trace of Mr. Dreiseitel.”

They also said: “When the two friends could not find him during the course of August 6, 2022, they reported him missing to the police.

“Extensive search measures with the support of a helicopter, the water rescue service, the fire brigade and the rescue dog squadron went into the early hours of the morning without any results.

“At the time of his disappearance, Mr. Dreiseitel was wearing a wine-red Hawaiian shirt and brown leather trousers (traditional costume). Mr. Dreiseitel is about 175 centimeters tall [68 inches], weighs about 80 kilograms [174 pounds], has a slim build, has brown/green eyes, short, dark brown hair with a side parting, and most recently wore an S-Oliver necklace.”

His girlfriend – named only as Anna in local media – reportedly said that he bought beer at the festival.

During the evacuation due to the rain storm, he was reportedly seen heavily intoxicated at the festival entrance.

Anna put out a call for help to find him online on Friday, August 5, saying: “He was hurt. Had abrasions on his arms – it is unclear how serious the injuries were.”

The police are investigating the circumstances of his death, and so far treating it as an accident, according to German media.

The festival is a celebration of southern German traditions like Alpine horns, oompah brass bands and thigh-slapping dancing.

The Brass Wiesn festival organizers have put up a message on the festival website homepage saying: “We mourn Tobias. We are stunned and incredibly sad. Our thoughts are with Tobias’ family and friends.”

A young entrepreneur who started a vegan sweets business in her spare bedroom has turned it into a $1 million global confectionery firm.

Laura Scott, 25, of England started selling vegan pick ’n’ mix-style sweets in 2018 after spotting a gap in the market.

She would bulk buy the sweets, then make selections bags of them to sell online while working during her lunch break at her graphic design job.

In April 2019, she officially launched as a business and sold out of her products on the first day and decided she wanted to make the business her full-time job.

During lockdown The Conscious Candy Company soared – reaching $1.2 million turnover at the end of 2020 – supplying her sweet treats as far away as the United States and Japan.

But Scott says it’s more important to be able to work in line with her morals and ethics than to profit.

Scott, of Plymouth, Devon, in England’s west, said: “When I first started it was just one product and now it’s over one hundred products – we do chocolate, baked goods, we deliver waffles, just anything sweet and anything that contains sugar.

“It’s an amazing thing to sit there and think about, for me it’s about how I’ve gained my freedom even though I work more than I ever did when I was employed – I do 4 a.m. starts, midnight finishes and a seven-day week.

“I get to hire people with the same beliefs and values and we work with animal charities, to do that stuff means more than the one million mark.”

Scott started out by selling bags of imported vegan sweets like cola bottles and fizzy strawberries in November 2018.

The business continued to diversify its offerings and has developed vegan pick ‘n’ mix sweets that were not previously available, including plant-based foam bananas and fried eggs.

They also offer a waffle delivery service in the Plymouth area through UberEats, allowing those with a sweet tooth to order treats including ‘strawberry shortcake’ and ‘banoffee delight’ waffles.

Now, the business has moved from Scott’s bedroom to a 5,000-square-foot unit and employs two full-time staffers, including Scott’s partner.

“I’ve been vegan for quite a while and was veggie for a long time too – my favorite thing is pick ‘n’ mix as it brings back childhood memories and when I launched there were only a few options on the market,” said Laura.

“I really wanted a traditional Woolworth’s style pick ‘n’ mix with bubble-gum bottles and I started thinking that there must be other people who feel the same.

“I asked on a vegan forum if it was something people would be interested in and the feedback was overwhelming – I began to research vegan options from around the world and find options I could make for a vegan pick ‘n’ mix.

“I thought it was going to be side-lined but as soon as it launched, I sold out that day.

“I was a full-time graphic designer at the time and launched the business on my lunch break at work – I had 1000 pounds [$1,200] come in and at that time it felt like a lot, I thought ‘this is pretty much the same as my full-time wage and I’ve done this in an afternoon’.

“There was a week of deliberating and I decided I wouldn’t know if I didn’t do it so I just stood up in a meeting and declared I was going and left – I had no plan, I just thought ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ and knew I could always get another job.

“I remember walking home from work in the rain and I didn’t even care, it was one of those things I normally wouldn’t like but I felt so free.

“In April 2019 we became a business – it was in my spare room when I started and now we’re in a five-thousand square foot unit and trading globally.

“We have customers from all over the world and we wholesale to independent stores – we’ve worked with some bigger companies but it’s not where I want to go with it.

“We’ve never had any big investment, I always said it will grow organically and now it’s my full-time job with my partner who joined the business two years ago.

“It’s a strange feeling as I never set out intending to do this.”

Produced in association with SWNS.