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.
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Murdered Norwich teenager ‘was a county lines victim’
- Parents of a murdered 18-year-old Joe Dix say their son was exploited by county lines drug dealers, leaving them powerless and unable to help him.
- They stated their son had been trapped in a “vicious cycle” due to owing money to dealers.
- Three men have been convicted and were jailed for life.
- County lines refers to drug operations run from urban bases that stretch to rural areas, using young and vulnerable people as couriers.
- A police spokesperson, from the Norfolk Constabulary reported: “We know county lines drug dealing, and the exploitation and violence that comes with it, has a devastating impact on our communities.” and we will “continue to work hard to remove those who choose to bring drugs into our county.”
- For more, please visit the BBC News website.
Seven-year-olds with poor reading skills double in number since pandemic
- The National Foundation for Educational Research followed 6,000 pupils in Reception and Year I, in March 2020, and tested the same cohort again in spring 2023.
- Pupils in Reception when schools first closed, and now in Year 3, found 4.9% had a very low attainment in reading, compared to 2.5% pre-pandemic.
- The study found that in Year 3 and 4 pupils eligible for free school meals, pupils were seven months behind their more well-off counterparts for reading in spring 2023.
- Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of Social and College Leaders reported: “… primary schools are particularly poorly funded, and the disadvantage gap will continue to persist unless there is significant, targeted intervention.”
- The Department for Education stated that they had invested £5 billion in recovery initiatives to help young people catch up.
- For more, please visit The Telegraph website.
