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Sadiq Khan: leaseholders in England should have the right to withhold service charges London mayor says residents need a law protecting them from unfair and unexplained increases in levies by landlords https://youtube.com/shorts/gsbo0N20Ca...

How leasehold properties keep people poor

The Guardian

2 weeks ago • 9,722 views

“It inspires me to show the world that beauty can be found in even the most unexpected places.” Himanshu Roy was walking his dog, Rio, through his home area of Vesu, part of the Indian city of Surat, when he saw the man and the elephant. “We don’t often see elephants here; Vesu is a very developed and residential area,” Roy says. “She and her owner had just arrived for a diksha ceremony, when a person renounces their wealthy life and donates everything they have to follow a spiritual path.” After rushing home to drop off Rio, Roy returned. “The foggy morning weather and the dust from the ground couldn’t have been more perfect for creating a striking image; I emphasised both in the edit, as well as converting it to black and white.” Roy credits his iPhone with enabling such spontaneity. “Of course, phones and digital cameras each have their pros and cons – both can help you create amazing photos if you use them well,” he adds. Reflecting on the image now, Roy says it evokes in him a range of emotions. “Such rare and magnificent beauty in city life makes me feel happy, hopeful, joyful.” Photo credit: Himanshu Roy

For refugees, being granted leave to the remain in the UK should be a day of celebration. But as the Home Office attempts to clear its backlog, many people are being evicted from asylum seeker accommodation just seven days after receiving a positive decision. The Guardian visited a Liverpool-based charity, Merseyside Refugee Support Network, which has seen a rise in the numbers of refugees facing destitution. Staff at the centre warn there is potential for refugee camps to appear in the UK and say they fear we may see 'people dying in the parks and on the streets'. Watch our video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k3rR...

The Euclid space telescope has beamed back its first images in a mission that promises to lift a veil on the “dark universe”. The stunning images from the telescope, which can detect galaxies up to 10bn light years away, show the Perseus galaxy cluster and Horsehead nebula and capture approximately 100,000 galaxies in a single snapshot. The orbital satellite was launched into space in July on a European Space Agency (Esa) mission to create the largest cosmic 3D map ever made, and shed new light on dark energy and dark matter — the mysterious cosmic forces scientists say account for 95% of the known universe. This will allow astronomers to infer the large-scale distribution of dark matter and reveal the influence of dark energy in the early universe. Dark matter pervades the universe and acts as a cosmic glue that holds galaxies together, while dark energy is the name given to an enigmatic force that is thought to be accelerating the expansion of the universe. Image credits: Esa/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NAS/AFP/Getty Images

Congratulations to Guardian Documentaries for winning at the 2023 Grierson Awards. Lady of the Gobi, directed by Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig and produced with Petite Maison Production, has won in the Best Short Documentary category. The Grierson Jury said that they felt “transported by the film”, highlighting its “sensitive portrayal of both the strength and fragility of the central character” and “with some extraordinary imagery of a rarefied and remote world, the remarkable access and film's visual flair left a lasting and powerful impression.” With Woman, directed by Mia Harvey, also picked up the award for Best Student Documentary, as a graduation film from the National Film and Television School. The Grierson Jury described With Woman as an “informative and strong documentary” that was “a masterclass in access” featuring “a perfect blend of beauty and rawness that weaved in its own sense of artistry and style”. Both documentaries are available to watch on the Guardian's YouTube channel: Lady of the Gobi: https://youtu.be/8JvOMiPZjmU?si=2pL9F... With Woman: https://youtu.be/yAuucxgRKEA?si=Cpdad... The full list of the 2023 Grierson Award winners can be found here. #Documentary #Documentaries #Awards #TheGuardian

From portrait to landscape, action to studio, and snow to sun - this year’s Dog Photography awards competition received 1,440 entries from more than 50 countries. Prizes included £2,000 in cash, as well as photography equipment from competition partners. Credits: 1 - Carla Gea Perales 2 - Anne-Laurie Lége 3 - He Huapei 4 - Tuss Bennergård 5 - Sanna Sander

‘What’s the worst that can happen?” That is what Georgia Harrison asked herself one Sunday morning in August 2020 when Stephen Bear, who lived opposite, invited her over for a cup of tea. They knew each other through the reality television and influencer circuits. She had been on The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) and Love Island; he had done Shipwrecked, Ex on the Beach, then won Celebrity Big Brother. They had hooked up before and he hadn’t treated her well. “We’d been in lockdown and I was definitely quite lonely, feeling quite rubbish about myself,” says Harrison, 28. “I knew that going to Bear’s was a bad idea – there were two voices in my head. In the end, I thought: what’s the worst that could happen? Well, now we know.” Bear filmed them having drunken sex - and afterwards he casually said that it might have been caught on his CCTV system. When he showed her the footage and she began to cry (“I’ll die if anyone sees it,” she said), he promised to delete the video. Instead, three months later, Bear posted the footage on his verified Only Fans account. Within days, it was all over the internet, including the website Pornhub. “Georgia Harrison sex tape” had become a top search on Google. Harrison found out when a fan in the US sent her a screenshot asking: “Have you seen this?” Her reaction was to gag. But she picked herself up and went to the police. Bear was arrested, charged and convicted. In March 2023, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for voyeurism and sharing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. Now, Georgia Harrison has waived her right to anonymity to help the many women similarly affected - and has written a memoir about her experience, Taking Back My Power. Read her full interview with Anna Moore via this link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/23/i-stood-up-and-fought-back-how-revenge-porn-survivor-georgia-harrison-got-her-abuser-jailed Photo: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

The al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza Strip has become overwhelmed with patients since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Majdi Fathi, a photojournalist in Gaza, takes us inside the hospital for one day to see the conditions doctors are facing, the extreme number of injuries and funerals. Alongside the patients, the corridors in this hospital are also home to families seeking refuge. After Hamas' rampage in southern Israel on 7 October, Palestinians in Gaza are being hit by Israeli airstrikes and more than 5,000 people have reportedly been killed. The vast number of casualties in this hospital are children, women and elderly people. Follow the link to watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT4yn...

Scotland has some of the highest drug deaths in Europe, a deepening mental health crisis and loses between three and four people a day to suicide. https://youtu.be/2mWy64RVKMA Guardian reporter Danny Lavelle joined Fire & Peace, an organisation that aims to help people beat the cycle of addiction by connecting with nature, on a trip to the Scottish Highlands. As a natural sceptic of alternative therapies, could he be convinced of the benefits? Learn more about @fireandpeacerecovery 's cause and consider supporting them here: https://www.fireandpeace.co.uk/donatef49146f3 #Scotland #MentalHealth #Therapy #Suicide #Nature #News

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