Children receiving treatment for cannabis addiction is at a record level. Experts are blaming the huge rise in drug addiction on the popularity of a new stronger skunk, which is several times more potent than regular cannabis. Meanwhile police officers have been instructed to go soft on people caught using khat – a drug popular among the Somali community – as a ban came into force this week. More than 13,500 children under the age of 18 received medical treatment for drug addiction last year, with cannabis being cited as the ‘main problem drug’. The statistics were released by Public Health England, an executive agency of the UK’s Department of Health. A spokesman said: ‘Stronger cannabis strains may be causing more problems. The figures showed that in seven years there had been a 50 per cent rise in children receiving treatment. The report also revealed that 200 children aged 12 or below were treated for drug addiction last year.

This week, the Court of Appeal heard the case of Christian Legal Centre, regarding Nohad Halawi, who was dismissed from her job at Heathrow airport after her comments were incorrectly perceived by Muslim colleagues as being offensive to Islam. Judgment in the case has been reserved until a later date. Nohad Halawi, who worked for 13 years in World Duty Free (WDF) in Heathrow’s Terminal 3, spoke about Christianity and was perceived by Muslim colleagues to have given offence. The management, without any proper procedure, immediately took away her airside pass which meant she was prevented from working, despite an unblemished record. An Employment Tribunal ruled that Nohad had no protection under employment law as she was not technically employed, despite significant evidence to the contrary.  Nohad contacted the Christian Legal Centre and Standing Council, Paul Diamond, represented her.

Legislation stating schools must hold a daily ‘broadly Christian’ assembly is at risk of being abolished. The National Governors' Association (NGA) has declared the law, as set out under the 1944 Education Act, to be ‘meaningless’, and has urged the government to put an end to its application in non-faith schools. ‘Few schools can or do meet the current legislative requirement for a daily act of collective worship, partly because there isn't space in most schools to gather students together, and often because staff are unable or unwilling to lead a collective worship session. There is also the added issue that worship implies belief in a particular faith - if the 'act of worship' is not in your faith then it is meaningless as an act of worship,’ a policy statement from the NGA reads.

Christian leaders representing over 1 billion people from 170 nations have sent an open letter to heads of the G20, calling for urgent action on corruption and tax evasion, reports Micah Challenge International in a media statement released on 26 June. This historic anti-corruption initiative by the global Church comes at a decisive political moment as finance ministers meet in Australia ahead of the G20 summit in November. The letter was handed in to Australia’s Treasury as part of a lobbying event in Canberra that saw over 200 advocates meet with 100 MPs. Participants also gathered near Parliament shining symbolic giant lights on the darkness of corrupt deals. Australia holds the presidency of the G20 this year and plays a crucial role in setting the priorities for the meeting in Brisbane. The letter represents the hopes of millions around the world looking to Australia to take the lead on financial transparency.