Almost one in five children live in conflict zones, says Unicef

Nearly one in five of the world’s children live in areas affected by conflicts, with more than 473 million children suffering from the worst levels of violence since the second world war, according to figures published by the UN.The UN humanitarian aid organisation for children, Unicef, said on Saturday that the percentage of children living in conflict zones around the world has doubled from about 10% in the 1990s to almost 19%, and warned that this dramatic increase in harm to children should not become the “new normal”.With more conflicts being waged around the world than at any time since 1945, Unicef said that children were increasingly falling victim. Citing its latest available data, from 2023, the UN verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children, the highest figures since the security council mandated monitoring of the impact of war on the world’s children nearly 20 years ago.The death toll after nearly 15 months of Israel’s war in Gaza is estimated at more than 45,000 and out of the cases it has verified, the UN said 44% were children

Assaults in prisons in England and Wales rise to average of 74 a day

Assaults in prisons have been rising with an average of 74 a day recorded in England and Wales last year, including 25 assaults a day inflicted on staff, House of Commons library research has shown.The figures, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, show that of the 26,912 assaults that took place over the course of the year, about 3,200 were deemed to be serious – an average of eight a day.The research also revealed the most violent prisons in England and Wales. HMP Wandsworth in south-west London saw by far the most assaults, recording 1,044, with more than half of these (571) being on staff. HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, north Wales, had the next highest number with 783 assaults, and then Thameside, in Thamesmead, south-east London, recording 667

US saw dramatic rise in homelessness at start of 2024, housing agency says

The US saw a dramatic rise in homelessness at the start of 2024, counting 18% more unhoused people during its annual tally in January than the year before, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud) reported on Friday.Cities reported counting a total of 771,480 unhoused people in January, a number that is larger than the population of Seattle. Representing 23 out of every 10,000 Americans, the number is the highest ever recorded during the tally. Still, experts consider the number an undercount, since it reflects one point in time and misses many people staying with friends or family.Hud found homelessness at record highs among nearly all demographic groups, but the largest increase was documented among families with children

Schools, hospitals and prisons among England’s crumbling public buildings

Back in September, before his government’s first budget, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, addressed the Trades Union Congress. “So much of our crumbling public realm – universities, councils, the care system – [are] all even worse than we expected,” he told the assembled delegates.A Guardian analysis of the government estate in England – looking across the public sector at schools, hospitals, courts and prisons – suggests Starmer was correct to use the word “crumbling”. Other descriptors he could also have used are dilapidated, close to failure and, in some cases, posing a risk to life and safety.Long-term investment in the public realm was one of the main points of October’s budget, with Rachel Reeves changing the debt rules in order to free up billions for infrastructure spending

‘Who knows what they’re going to do?’: US cannabis industry braces itself for Trump administration

For those awaiting the end of cannabis prohibition in the US, 2024 began on a hopeful note, but as the year comes to a close, many of those hopes remain unfulfilled.“The big issue is rescheduling, and there was a lot of excitement about that, but it’s been sort of mired down,” said Alex Halperin, who has covered the cannabis industry in his newsletter WeedWeek since 2015. Rescheduling would mean that cannabis is no longer federally banned under the Controlled Substances Act.Joe Biden has been promising to reform federal cannabis law since his 2020 campaign, and rescheduling seemed like the most significant step the president was likely to take. But recent developments mean it won’t happen during his administration, if at all

Counselling charity Relate set to be rescued from insolvency

Britain’s biggest relationship counselling charity looks likely to be rescued from insolvency under plans for it to be taken over.Last month, Relate was put into administration after a collapse in its funding from NHS, school and local authority contracts.On Friday, the administrators, FRP Advisory, announced that the families charity Family Action has agreed to buy Relate’s counselling and central services. It claims the move will save up to 185 jobs when Family Action takes over on 1 January.A third of Relate’s workforce – 80 staff including 40 therapists – were made redundant with immediate effect when it entered administration in November