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October 5, 2023

Convicted school shooter sparks backlash after rising to fame on TikTok

  • A man from New York is making headlines for his controversial fame on TikTok.
  • He has amassed 254,000 followers on the platform.
  • In 2004, he carried out a school shooting when he was 16 years old.
  • 20 years later, he is attempting to advocate for gun violence prevention.
  • Many are unhappy with his fame and have posted comments online.
  • Despite this, he still wishes to advocate for the prevention and understands why he is facing such backlash for his actions.
  • For more, please visit the Independent News website.

Rishi Sunak defends his plan to ban smoking for younger generation

  • Rishi Sunak aims to phase out the sale of cigarettes in England, which he believes could be the “biggest public health intervention in a generation”. 
  • He plans to raise the legal age year by year to the point where no one will be able to purchase cigarettes. 
  • Mr. Sunak said that measures to restrict choice were “never easy” but no one wants to see their children grow up smoking.  
  • Currently, one in nine 18–24-year-olds smoke, according to the office for National Statistics.   
  • The idea to increase smoking age was originally put forward last year by Javad Khan, the former Barnardo’s chief executive.  
  • Smoking rates have been falling since the 1970s, but Mr. Sunak aims for England to be smoke-free by 2030.  
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website. 

Education Authority statement as 42 nursery children with SEN educated outside school setting

  • The Education Authority (EA) says “significant additional investment” is needed to transform Northern Ireland’s Special Educational Needs system. 
  • It comes after parents whose children lost out on special school places met the EA when officials were questioned over a lack of SEN provision. 
  • During the meeting, it emerged that 42 nursey school children are being educated in the community and voluntary sector due to lack of special school places. 
  • A spokesperson for the EA stated that they are “working with a range of providers in the delivery of pre-school education for children with statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) to ensure they are happy, learning and succeeding.” 
  • However, they acknowledged that “significant additional investment is needed to transform our SEN system and ensure that children benefit from high-quality cost-effective provision.” 
  • For more, please visit the Belfast Live website. 

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