About 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota can begin applying for a driver's license next month, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

Stopping the nation from smoking has long been a top priority for medical experts, families and governments, and PM Rishi Sunak has made his plans for the issues clear. At the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Sunak said that the legal age for buying tobacco should rise every year from those born in 2009 in a bid to “try and stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place”. He said: “A 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette” under new legislation he is proposing for England. The Prime Minister also said more must be done to “restrict the availability” of vapes to children, but what can be done by parents in the meantime? Here are the conversations to have with your children… The dangers of smoking “Starting smoking and vaping at a young age can have serious and long-lasting health consequences,” explains Dr Chun Tang, medical director and GP at Pall Mall Medical. “Nicotine is particularly harmful to developing brains. Young people are more vulnerable to nicotine addiction, which can lead to a lifetime of tobacco dependence. Nicotine impacts cognitive function and memory, potentially affecting academic performance. “Aside from the detrimental effect on cognitive ability as outlined above, smoking is, of course, a leading cause of various health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and many others,” he says. “Smoking during adolescence can also interfere with the growth and development of the lungs, leading to reduced lung function. This can result in breathing difficulties and decreased physical performance.” The dangers of vaping Vaping isn’t a safe alternative, yet he sweet-smelling, plastic steam machines are rife. “Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, and the long-term health effects are still not fully understood,” says Tang. “There is ongoing research to assess the potential long-term risks, including the development of chronic health conditions.” Vaping has been associated with various adverse health effects, including lung injuries, respiratory problems, and cardiovascular issues, he notes. “Some of the chemicals found in vaping aerosols can be harmful when inhaled into the lungs. “If a smoker takes approximately 15 puffs of a cigarette before putting it out, then we can safely assume that a 600-puff disposable vape is equivalent to around two packs of cigarettes. “Some reports suggest young people can get through as many as 7 vapes a week, the equivalent of 14 packets of cigarettes. “That is an enormous amount of nicotine and so we can expect to see the health risks posed by nicotine to be [more] exacerbated in vapers than smokers – which could be severely impacting cognitive function and affecting academic performance.” It’s essential, he says, for parents, educators, and healthcare professionals “to educate young people about the potential risks of vaping and smoking and provide support and resources for those who want to quit”. Don’t lecture them Try to be open and curious rather than defensive and angry if your child is smoking or vaping. Dr Kerry Irving, senior clinical psychologist at online mental health platform Kooth, says: “Approach any conversation to understand why the young person smokes or vapes rather than to lecture, as the latter can cause people to shut down.” Consider available supportThere may be resources online and in person that might help your child, from the NHS to TikTok creators tracking their quitting journey. “Suggest accessing external support – encourage the young person to see their GP or to make use of some of the free Stop Smoking initiatives online or in your local community,” Irving says. Be sympathetic to relapse Expect wobbles. If your teen or child is quitting smoking or vaping try to stop accept that overcoming an addiction is not easy and recovery is not linear. “Relapses are an important part of changing any behaviour long term,” says Irving. “You can help the young person learn from these by gently encouraging them to reflect on what went wrong and helping them plan for how to try again.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 4 must-have denim trends for autumn, from wide-leg jeans to split skirts Doorscaping: How to create a fabulous front door display for autumn More than a quarter of middle-aged women living with ‘metabolically healthy obesity’ – study

A second convoy of desperately needed aid entered Gaza on Sunday as Israel widened its offensive against Hamas and its regional enemies, intensifying airstrikes on the besieged enclave, targeting the occupied West Bank and striking Hezbollah cells in Lebanon.

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Texas governor Greg Abbott is facing ridicule after he fell for a fake story on a satirical website that claimed country music star Garth Brooks had been booed off a stage for refusing to ban Bud Light. Mr Abbott shared a link to the parody site The Dunning-Kruger Times on his official Twitter account on Sunday that claimed Brooks had been targeted at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree in Hambriston after calling his conservative fans “a**holes”. “Go woke. Go broke,” Mr Abbott tweeted. “Good job, Texas.” There was just one problem: the jamboree didn’t exist, and neither did the city of Hambriston. The Dunning-Kruger Times, named after a cognitive effect where people with low expertise or ability overestimate their knowledge, labels itself as a “network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery”. “Everything on this website is fiction,” the site explains. The purported author of the story, headlined Garth Brooks Booed Off Stage at 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree, was listed as “patriot” Flagg Eagleton. Mr Abbott deleted the tweet without an explanation or apology, but it was preserved and roundly criticised on Twitter. “Gov Abbott just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad,” wrote Democratic Congressman Greg Casar. “The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern,” he added. Teacher Judy Hockenbrough wrote that “poor Greg Abbott got caught in his lies this time”. “There are a couple of big problems with Abbott’s tweet: The city of Hambriston doesn’t exist and the article is completely fake. Abbott fails Texas everyday.” Mr Abbott frequently weighs in on culture war issues on social media, last week urging warring tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to go through with their much-hyped MMA bout. He has also signed into law some of the country’s most punitive anti-LGBT+ legislation. Texas is facing crippling power outages amid an unprecedented heat wave. Meanwhile, Brooks, who has sold more than 157 million albums, has yet to respond publicly to the kerfuffle. In 2022, Brooks performed two sold-out concerts in Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Houston’s NRG Stadium to a combined audience of about 147,000 fans. Read More Trump news – live: Supreme Court dismisses Democratic lawsuit over Trump hotel documents Fox News choose Jesse Watters to replace Tucker Carlson in primetime shakeup Texas Gov Greg Abbott bizarrely weighs in on Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight GOP state legislatures seek greater control over state and local election offices Texas gov Greg Abbott reacts to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?

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Scrolling through TikToks isn't just about crying at dog rescue videos, laughing at unhinged dating drama, or perusing last weekend's best Eras Tour outfits. The app has become a go-to destination for discovering slept-on products from beauty to clothes to some of those weird Amazon gadgets you never knew you needed (until you suddenly can't live without them). So what are the products that made R29 editors stop scrolling long enough to hit the "buy" button? Whether it's a soul-snatching suction vibrator, a perpetually sold-out kitchen appliance, or a versatile maxi dress, we've unearthed some real hidden gems just through our FYPs. And since we're not about gatekeeping, we thought we'd let you in on all our TikTok faves that actually live up to their viral hype.

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