Daily roundup: Youth unemployment, parental obesity, and Lancashire investment

Youth unemployment rose by 15,000 in the second quarter of 2013 to a total of 973,000, meaning 21.4 per cent of 16-24 year olds are out of work. Spencer Thompson, economic analyst at the Institute of Public Policy Research, said: "The danger is that when the economy really starts to get moving again, the young will miss out. This will have profound economic and social costs in the future." Analysis shows 71,000 young people have been out of work for more than 12 months. Overall unemployment dropped by 4,000 from April to June, according to ONS figures.

Babies born to obese mothers may face an increased risk of dying early from heart problems in their adult life, according to research from Edinburgh University. The study looked at nearly 30,000 women who gave birth in Aberdeen between 1950 and 1976 and who were weighed and measured in early pregnancy, reports the Guardian. Analysis of death records showed that those children whose mothers had been obese had a 35 per cent higher chance of dying as a result of cardiovascular disease than the children of normal-weight mothers, and a 42 per cent higher risk of being treated in hospital for heart problems.