Rising pump prices have already armed Republicans with a fresh weapon to bash President Joe Biden as they

With the distinct lack of sunshine we’ve experienced so far this summer, fake tan has been more important than ever for those of us who love the bronzed look. Whether you’re a seasoned sunless tanner or you’ve recently discovered the joy of the faux glow, there’s always room for improvement – and TikTok is full of advice for perfecting your self-tanning routine. Experts and amateurs alike have been racking up millions of views with their viral videos sharing best-performing products and clever application techniques. Here are five pro tips from TikTok to help you level up your DIY tan… 1. Prep your skin properly To ensure a streak-free finish, smooth skin is key. And if you really want to be thorough, your self-tan routine should start in the shower 24 hours before you apply your fake tan. Beauty influencer Aurora Lovestrand recommends using an exfoliating scrub and a body brush to whisk away any dead skin cells and leave the perfect base for tanning. 2. Try a blending brush Previously, tanning experts recommended using the leftover mousse on your tanning mitt to apply a light layer of product to areas like hands, feet and elbows. A blending brush is even better – the soft, tightly packed bristles let you deliver just the right amount of product and avoid any streaks or uneven patches. 3. Top up with tanning drops When you’ve tanned from top to toe, it’s normal for your face to fade faster than the rest of your body, particularly if you use exfoliating products or cotton pads to remove your make-up every day. Tanning expert Jules Von Hep says self-tan drops are perfect for topping up your tan in a flash. Simply mix a few drops into your usual night cream (start with three and add more next time if want a deeper shade), apply all over your face, ears and neck, and you’ll wake up beautifully bronzed. 4. Use a back applicator Do you struggle to reach the middle of your back with your tanning mitt, no matter how much you stretch and contort yourself? Beauty editor Sigourney Cantelo says a tanning back applicator is a game-changer. Pump your fave fake tan mousse into the middle of the applicator and rub it across your back to blend into those hard-to-reach areas. 5. Try tantouring your face The longer-lasting version of contouring, tantouring means using fake tan to add glow and definition to your face. Beauty influencer Elle McNamara, aka Bambi Does Beauty, has perfected her technique, using a foundation brush to apply one-hour tanning mousse to her forehead, cheekbones, jawline and eyelids. She then uses a thin brush to add ‘eyeliner’ and tantour her nose and under her bottom lip, with impressive results. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Not got the A-level grades you needed? Here’s how to get started with the clearing process Jennifer Lopez shares her beauty regime – here’s how to look after skin in your 50s 11 glorious ways to bring green into your home

Hozier would stand in solidarity with his fellow musicians if a strike about AI ever happened.

Chandrayaan-3 may not be the first to land on the south pole if it's beaten by Russia's new Moon mission.

At least three people have died in Connecticut and New York after contracting a rare flesh-eating bacteria that can be found in warm, brackish waters or raw shellfish, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Dan Brouillette, who served as Donald Trump’s energy secretary, has been tapped to lead the nation’s top utility

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear proposed awarding the largest pay raise in decades to Kentucky's public school personnel, upping the ante Wednesday in his competition with Republican challenger Daniel Cameron, who offered his own plan to boost salaries and overcome pandemic learning setbacks. The rivals in the November election outlined ideas for boosting K-12 education on back-to-back days, staking out positions on an overarching issue. Their gubernatorial showdown is one of the nation's most closely watched this year as the Democratic incumbent tries to win reelection in the red state. Beshear garnered strong support from teachers in winning the governorship in 2019, naming an educator as his running mate and vowing to make education his top priority. Cameron is trying to make inroads, having apologized for an ex-GOP governor's feud with educators and unveiling a plan to boost starting teacher pay and develop tutoring programs for students who fell behind during the pandemic. Beshear countered Wednesday with his own plan highlighted by an 11% pay raise for teachers and all school personnel, including bus drivers, janitors and cafeteria staff. It would amount to the single largest raise for Kentucky public school educators in at least 40 years, the governor said. “You can’t catch a kid up on math without a math teacher, and we cannot remain competitive with other states if we don’t pay teachers closer to what they’re worth,” the governor said at a news conference. The governor said his plan would fully fund student transportation. He said that funding, along with the pay raise, would help avoid problems like what occurred in Louisville's district, where schools closed for more than a week after a redesign of bus routes resulted in long delays on the first day of classes. Beshear's plan was in the works long before Cameron unveiled his proposals Tuesday, the governor's office said. Kentucky ranks 44th nationally in average teacher starting pay and 40th in average teacher pay, Beshear said, citing statistics from the National Education Association. An 11% raise — a $1.1 billion expense over two years — would vault Kentucky to the middle of the pack. With a record budget surplus and strong economy, the governor's proposals are affordable with “plenty of space” to meet other demands, State Budget Director John Hicks said. On Tuesday, Cameron proposed setting the statewide base starting pay for new teachers at $41,500. That would have a ripple effect by lifting pay for other teachers, he said. “What our plan entails is making sure that we get every county in our commonwealth up to that number, so we can ensure that our teachers are in a position to take care of themselves and be confident in the classroom as they work with our students,” Cameron said. Beshear said the average teacher starting salary in Kentucky is $38,010, based on NEA statistics. He said his proposal would raise that to $42,191. The governor pledged to continue pushing for state-funded pre-K for all 4-year-olds if he wins a second term. The proposal made no headway previously in the Republican-dominated legislature. Beshear said his plan includes fully funding teachers’ pensions and medical benefits to ensure there's no increase in health insurance premiums for school employees. A key part of Cameron's plan would develop an optional, 16-week tutoring program for math and reading instruction. Students falling behind grade level would get first priority, he said. The proposal mirrors initiatives already started by some school districts. It's a response to statewide test scores last fall that showed fewer than half of students were reading at grade level. Lower across-the-board scores were posted in math, science and social studies. National test scores showed it’s a problem across the U.S. as schools try to recover from the pandemic. Cameron blames Beshear for learning setbacks during the pandemic, when schools shifted to virtual learning, saying it put many students at risk of losing “their God-given potential.” The governor supported school closures during the height of the pandemic to protect people from the virus. He prioritized vaccinating teachers to get schools reopened and says his policies reflected recommendations from then-President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force. Kentucky lawmakers have generally followed their own course in setting education policies. The two-year budget passed last year funded full-day kindergarten and poured money into teacher pensions and infrastructure. They increased the state’s main funding formula for K-12 schools, but the amount was considerably less than what Beshear proposed. The governor chided lawmakers Wednesday for “shorting” districts in allocations for school transportation. “If you want to solve transportation issues, then we need to pay bus drivers enough,” Beshear said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Kentucky governor's efforts to help storm-ravaged towns may dilute GOP advantage in rural areas Kentucky candidates trade barbs at Fancy Farm picnic, the state's premier political event McConnell is warmly embraced by Kentucky Republicans amid questions about his health

By Brendan Pierson Access to the abortion pill mifepristone must be restricted, a U.S. appeals court ruled on

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A high-stakes lawsuit over the future of a widely used abortion drug is likely heading to the US Supreme Court, set to determine the fate of abortion rights access across the country for a second time within two years. Three Republican-appointed judges on a federal appeals court have determined that the federal government did not follow proper procedures when it amended regulations for a commonly used medication abortion drug in 2016. But the restrictions will not immediately take effect. The panel partially upheld a ruling from a Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas, whose sweeping decision earlier this year threatened to strip access to the drug altogether. Nothing in the ruling from a three-judge panel on 16 August will go into effect until the nation’s highest court weighs in. Wednesday’s ruling argues that the US Food and Drug Administration unlawfully expanded access to mifepristone, which was first approved by the federal government more than 20 years ago. Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000 and is approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. A vast majority of abortions occur within the first nine weeks of pregnancy. From 2019 through 2020, nearly 93 per cent of all abortions were performed before the 13th week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drug – part of a two-drug protocol for medication abortions, the most common form of abortion care in the US – is the subject of a lawsuit from a group of anti-abortion activists represented by right-wing Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which joined efforts to overturn Roe v Wade at the Supreme Court last year. In April, US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk – a former right-wing activist lawyer who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Mr Trump – issued a ruling to suspend the FDA’s approval, which was immediately challenged by abortion rights advocates, providers, major medical groups, drug manufacturers and President Joe Biden’s administration. An initial ruling at the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked part of that decision but struck down policies for mail-in prescriptions and rules that expanded the drug’s approval for pregnancies up to 10 weeks. On 21 April, the Supreme Court blocked the lower courts’ rulings from taking effect while the case plays out, retaining the status quo while the legal case plays out. Following the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority decision to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, at least 15 states – mostly across the US South – have effectively banned most abortions and imposed criminal penalties against providers. Abortion rights advocates and providers have warned that eliminating or restricting access to mifepristone could drastically impact an already-fragile landscape for abortion care. A ruling that undermines the FDA’s drug approval process could also open the door for other activist-driven legal battles over other drugs wrapped up in political debates, potentially inviting other destabilising lawsuits to Covid-19 vaccines, contraception, HIV medication, gender-affirming care, and other life-saving drugs. Read More What is mifepristone? The widely used pill in the abortion rights battle at the Supreme Court Abortion rights advocates win major victory in Ohio as voters reject GOP plan to thwart ballot measure Texas women detailed agonising pregnancies after being denied abortions. The state blames doctors Some abortion drug restrictions upheld by in a case bound for Supreme Court Akram criticizes Pakistan Cricket Board for leaving Imran Khan out of Independence Day video Netanyahu voices support for Israel's military after his allies and son lambaste security officials

By Brendan Pierson A U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone,

A federal appeals court on Wednesday wiped away a lower court's ruling that would've taken the medication abortion drug mifepristone off the market, but upheld aspects of the ruling that could cut back access to the pills.