Third Of Children Thought Of Suicide By 16

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Almost a third of children have considered or attempted suicide by the time they turn 16, according to a new survey.

Research for the new mental health charity MindFull also shows that 29% had self-harmed because they felt "down".

The charity is so alarmed by the finding that it is offering 11 to 17-year-olds immediate access to free online counselling with professionals and says it will be working with schools to educate young people on how to cope with mental health issues.

The YouGov poll of over 2,000 young people found almost half of those suffering from depression failed to get the support they needed.

Emma-Jane Cross, founder of the charity, said children are being let down or simply ignored by those they turn to.

She said: "It's unacceptable that so many are having to resort to harming themselves on purpose in order to cope, or worse still are thinking about ending their own lives.

"Early intervention is proven to help prevent adult mental health problems, so swift action must be taken now if we are to avoid a legacy of serious long-term mental illness."

According to the charity, many young children feel down because of stress at school, because they are worried about their future and because they feel they are not "good enough".

Nearly a third said they had thought about or attempted to end their life

April Plater began self harming at the age of 12, cutting her arms, legs and even face as a release from her depression.

She was overwhelmed by problems at home and school, but people she turned to dismissed them as just "teenage troubles".

Now 17, she told Sky News: "After a while of self harming I wasn't getting the release I was originally.

"It was almost like an addiction. So then the suicidal thoughts started to come, because I wasn't getting that satisfaction and I was still not talking about my issues."

Labour leader Ed Miliband and psychologist Tanya Byron are supporting the charity.

Professor Byron said: "Just as we look after our children's physical health, it's vital that we also offer support for their mental wellbeing.

"Children and young people are clearly not getting the help they need and that's why this new online support from MindFull is so important."

:: The Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope, round the clock, every single day of the year call 08457 90 90 90, email jo@samaritans.org or find local branch details at www.samaritans.org.

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James Bulger's Parents 'Horrified' Over Ruling

The father of Merseyside toddler James Bulger has said the announcement that one of his killers is to be freed from prison "fills him with terror".

Ralph Bulger, in a statement issued through his solicitor Robin Makin, said the family was "disappointed and dismayed" by the decision to release Jon Venables.

He said: "In 2011 the Parole Board determined that it was 'not safe' for Jon Venables to be released. It is not known what has changed. No reasons for the decision have been given.

"The decision to release Jon Venables is misguided and fills Ralph with terror.

"Ralph fears that an innocent person may be mistaken for Jon Venables and be injured or even killed.

James Bulger was tortured and left dead on railway tracks in Liverpool

"If such occurs then Ralph will feel guilty of not having done enough to have prevented such an obvious tragedy.

"For Ralph and his family the living nightmare continues and is exacerbated by the problems now created by the reckless decision to free Jon Venables without any publicly disclosed safeguards."

Venables, now in his 30s, was jailed in 2010 after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children while on parole from his life sentence for killing two-year-old James.

He was originally jailed for life alongside 10-year-old classmate Robert Thompson in 1993 for the abduction, torture and murder of James in Bootle. This year marks the 20th anniversary of James's murder.

The two boys were released on licence with new identities in 2001.

James's mother Denise Fergus is dismayed by the decision to free Venables

Earlier this year James' father and mother, Denise Fergus, both addressed Venables' parole hearing and pushed for him to remain in prison.

Mrs Fergus, who broke the news of Venables' release on her Twitter page, said: "I got a call from the Probation Service, but they only told me that the parole has been approved and that preparations are being made for his release.

"I have not been told what conditions they are going to impose and even whether he will still be banned from entering the county of Merseyside."

She added: "I've been fighting for justice for James for 20 years now and I will continue to do so."

A spokesman for the Parole Board said today: "We've had confirmation that all parties have been told and we can confirm that it was a release decision. He (Venables) will be released."

Ralph Bulger addressed Venables parole hearing earlier this year

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The re-release of life-licensed offenders is directed by the independent Parole Board once they are satisfied they can be safely managed in the community.

"Their life licence lasts for the rest of their lives, and they may be recalled to prison at any time for breaching their licence conditions.

"Additionally, they will be subject to strict controls and restrictions for as long as their risk requires them."

Venables' former solicitor Laurence Lee said: "My thoughts go out to Denise Fergus and the rest of James Bulger's family.

"But the Parole Board have decided that he can be freed and he can't be kept inside forever.

"Jon Venables may be at liberty but he will never be free."

Mr Bulger released a book - titled My James - earlier this year in which he described blaming his former wife for letting their son out of her sight.

He also said he drank two bottles of whisky a day to escape the pain and that he considered suicide after his son's murder.

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Egyptians Celebrate Revolutionary Encore

By Dominic Waghorn, in Cairo

Elated crowds thronged Tahrir Square and let loose fireworks into the night sky as they celebrated what they say is a second revolution.

One young protester told Sky News: "I feel proud, I feel happy I feel relieved that Egypt has changed a regime, a very fascist regime, to a multi-party regime, hopefully a democratic one."

In numbers rivalling those that saw off Hosni Mubarak two and a half years ago, protesters gathered all day as they have since last week, in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other towns.

Even among those who voted for Mr Morsi, there was an impatience to see him go.

Farmer Mansour told Sky News he bitterly regrets helping to put him in power because, he said, life has only got worse.

He said: "There's no gas to make our machines work, and all the plants die, what can people do, kids have no milk, no medicine, nothing."

Protesters concede Mr Morsi was voted president in elections, but accuse him of hijacking their revolution for his own ends.

They hope their revolutionary encore gives Egypt a second chance. But there were many expressing fear about the consequences, worried the Muslim Brotherhood will now take violent revenge.

There was a profound and surreal sense of deja vu about the events in Cairo to those of us who witnessed the first revolution.

But this is different. Instead of removing a dictator, the people and the military have deposed an elected president.

Egypt remains divided and its revolution in crisis, and violence seems likely.

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Egypt Military Coup Ousts President Morsi

Deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi is being detained by the country's army amid suggestions he could face charges over claims made by his opponents.

Wild and prolonged celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square greeted news of the elected Islamist leader's forced exit, which also prompted clashes across Egypt that left at least 14 people dead.

Speaking after the head of the military announced fresh presidential and parliamentary elections, a senior army official told AFP news agency: "(Mr Morsi) is being held preventively for final preparations."

General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi announces the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi

Mr Morsi was being detained at the defence ministry after he and his presidential team were initially held in the Presidential Republican Guards Club, according to a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Both the head and deputy chief of the Muslim Brotherhood have also been arrested, with warrants issued for 300 members of the political party.

In a televised address to the divided nation, commander of the armed forces, General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi, said Mr Morsi had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people" and would be replaced.

Flanked by military officials, Muslim and Christian clerics and political figures, he unveiled details of a political transition which had been agreed with them.

As the military coup got under way with the deployment of tanks and troops including commandos across the capital Cairo, the general declared a review and temporary suspension of the Egyptian constitution.

He also announced the appointment of Adli Mansour, the head of the supreme constitutional court, as interim head of state.

The acting leader will be assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held, he said. No specific details were given as to when the new polls would take place.

Anti-Morsi protesters react to the army statement

The military chief also announced a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements - and warned the armed forces and police would deal "decisively" with any violence.

"Those in the meeting have agreed on a road map for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division," he said.

President Barack Obama voiced his concern over the military intervention and urged a speedy return to a democratically elected government.

In a statement he said: " ... we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.

"I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters."

Muslim Brotherhood members and pro-Morsi supporters react in Cairo

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the bloodshed and called for a swift return to democracy.

"I urge all sides to rapidly return to the democratic process, including the holding of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections and the approval of a constitution," she said.

Mr Morsi's overthrow followed the end of crisis talks after an army deadline for Mr Morsi to yield to mass nationwide demonstrations expired and he refused to step down.

Fireworks and flares were set off over Tahrir Square and near the presidential palace where tens of thousands of jubilant protesters against Mr Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood erupted into cheers on hearing the news, which they hailed as a "victory for the people".

"The people and the army are one hand," they shouted, dancing and waving flags amid the roar of chanting and car horns, and coloured confetti in the air.

One uniformed police officer waved his hands above his head and said: "Great Egypt is victorious. Egypt is victorious over the Brotherhood."

Supporters of the deposed president, who had gathered near Cairo University, were stunned into initial silence at the news.

A military helicopter above Tahrir Square

Elsewhere, four loyalists were killed in clashes with opponents in the northern city of Marsa Matrouh and police were forced to call for security reinforcements in Alexandria, where there was one fatality and 50 others wounded during violence.

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley, reporting from within a military cordon around Cairo University, said: "This is a miserable scene from the perspective of the Muslim Brotherhood's supporters.

"They cannot understand why it is possible to overthrow an elected president of the country simply by taking to the streets and holding loud demonstrations. They are also afraid that this could herald a crackdown against them."

The Muslim Brotherhood's TV station was taken off air and its managers arrested hours after Mr Morsi was overthrown.

The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president.

Around 50 people have been killed in clashes between Mr Morsi supporters and opponents since Sunday.

The offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel were also reportedly raided by security forces and prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally. Several members of staff were also reportedly detained.

Mr Morsi was told he was no longer in charge of the country at around 7pm (6pm UK time).

A soldier cheers with anti-Morsi protesters

In a statement on his official Facebook page, he condemned the army's announcement as a "full military coup".

He had spent the day working at a Republican Guard barracks where barbed wire and barriers were erected by soldiers.

Egyptian security forces earlier revealed orders banning Mr Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie and his deputy Khairat al Shater from travelling abroad had been issued to airport officials.

Troops had also taken up positions in the presidential palace as well as state TV buildings in Cairo, blocking any presidential statements from going out.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK did not support military intervention and called for restraint in Egypt.

"The situation is clearly dangerous and we call on all sides to show restraint and avoid violence," he said.

"We continue to advise British citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Egypt apart from the Red Sea resorts, and to monitor travel advice from the Foreign Office.

"The United Kingdom does not support military intervention as a way to resolve disputes in a democratic system."

Mr Morsi was democratically elected to office just over a year ago after the toppling of autocrat Hosni Mubarak as Arab Spring uprisings took hold in early 2011.

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Health Tourism: Foreigners Face £200 NHS Levy

Foreigners will be charged around £200-a-year towards the cost of healthcare in a bid to tackle so-called health tourism.

Ministers will outline plans to introduce the charge for foreign workers and students who come to the UK for more than half a year.

A Department of Health spokesman said the cost would "ensure that migrants contribute towards the cost of their healthcare while not increasing red tape and administration for NHS professionals".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a public consultation on the move as part of a raft of changes to immigration laws.

He will say: "We need to ensure that those residing or visiting the UK are contributing to the system in the same way as British taxpayers, and ensure we do as much as possible to target illegal migration.

"We have been clear that we are a national health service not an international health service and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system.

"The NHS is a national treasure and we need to work with the entire health system to develop plans and make sure it is sustainable for years to come."

He will also outline plans to end free access to GPs for short-term visitors and pledge to cut the bill for treating tourists, which currently stands at £200m

The changes are part of a government-wide push to cut down on abuse of British services but doctors warned they feared being turned into a "form of immigration control".

Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron said that immigrants cannot expect "something for nothing" in the UK.

Labour's shadow health minister Liz Kendall MP said: "In its three years in power the Government has a poor record on announcing policies that sound good but prove to be completely unworkable.

"We will have many questions to ask about the details when they are published but the key tests for their proposals are: can they be properly enforced and will they save more money than they cost to put in place?

"The public and NHS staff must be confident that any new measures are about getting taxpayers a better deal and ensuring fairness, not playing politics with our NHS."

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Egypt President Morsi: I Will Not Step Down

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has refused to step down and says he will protect democratic "legitimacy" with his life.

Addressing the nation in a 45-minute televised speech he said that he had been voted for in a free and fair election and it was his job to "safeguard the revolution".

Mr Morsi called for calm and said Egyptians should not attack the army, police or each other. He was, he said, attempting to get the army to return to its normal duty and withdraw its ultimatum.

This appeared not to work as pro-Morsi protesters clashed with security forces at Cairo University.

Mr Morsi said he would protect democratic "legitimacy" with his life

According to a Health Ministry official, 16 protesters were killed and dozens wounded.

The speech followed a statement on Twitter in which he refused to step down and said he would not be dictated to by the military, who have given him an ultimatum to broker a power-sharing government with his political opponents.

The statement said: "President Mohamed Morsi asserts his grasp on constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to deviate from it, and calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and refuses to be dictated to internally or externally."

Following Mr Morsi's speech, Khaled Dawoud, the spokesman for the National Salvation Front, said: "This is an open call for civil war ... The president continues to deny the demands of the Egyptian people that he resign."

If the president refuses to cave accept the demands by Wednesday evening then the army has said it will intervene, dissolving parliament and taking control of the country.

Thousands protest in Tahrir Square

The move has sparked fears of a "military coup" as thousands of pro and anti-government protesters gathered in Cairo, prompting violent clashes which left seven dead.

The armed forces, who took control of the country after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, have intensified their presence in Egypt's cities ahead of the deadline.

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to most of Egypt and said any Britons in the country should consider "whether they have a pressing need to remain".

During a day of high tension, the opposition announced they had chosen the leading dissident and Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to represent them in negotiations on the country's future.

The June 30 Front, which includes the Tamarod group that was behind Sunday's record protests, said it had entrusted Mr ElBaradei, who played a significant role in the 2011 revolution, to "ensure the execution of the Egyptian people's demands and to draft a scenario that aims at the complete implementation of the roadmap for the political transition".

A protester sits in front of anti-Morsi artwork on a Cairo building

Thousands of people amassed in Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the revolution, and cities across the country as another deadline set by opposition groups for the Muslim Brotherhood's Mr Morsi to step down passed.

A giant crowd also gathered outside the Qasr el-Qobba presidential palace where Mr Morsi has been working in recent days.

A top Muslim Brotherhood leader urged Egyptians to stand ready to sacrifice their lives to prevent "a military coup".

Mohamed al-Beltagui said: "Seeking martyrdom to prevent this coup is what we can offer to the previous martyrs of the revolution."

He was referring to the more than 800 people killed during the 2011 revolution.

Another spokesman said: "Egyptians are very aware that there are some people that are trying to push the country back in history and back to dictatorship."

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Child Sex Abuse Live Streaming A Bigger Threat

Child sexual abuse streamed live online through services like Skype has been highlighted as an emerging threat by experts.

Figures show an increasing number of offenders have been targeting vulnerable families overseas to set up live access to children over webcams in exchange for payment.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's (Ceop) annual report also warned that fears were growing of child sexual abuse in Brazil ahead of the country's influx of visitors for the World Cup and Olympic Games.

In 2012, Ceop received 8,000 reports of indecent images of children being shared - with a two-fold increase in the total number of images and videos on previous years to 70,000.

Ceop chief executive Peter Davies said: "Our assessment shows that, sadly, there are still too many children at risk and too many people who would cause them serious harm.

"We should all practice zero tolerance to child sexual exploitation and abuse."

The report said live streaming emerged as a key method of producing and distributing indecent images last year, a tactic that it said presents a particularly high risk in the developing world.

Sex offenders are targeting families and children in areas with extreme poverty, rising levels of access to the internet and poor child-protection policies, the centre said.

Concerns were also raised about the use of the so-called hidden internet - heavily encrypted forums and pages that allow abusers to cover their tracks when accessing indecent images online.

The number of UK users connecting to secret or encrypted networks each day increased by two thirds, one of the largest annual increases globally, the report said.

A total of  20,000 daily UK users of such networks are expected by the end of this year, although not all of these will use the hidden internet for criminal means.

Ceop found that there has been a 70% increase in the number of female victims under 10 years old.

The report comes shortly after after five members of a seven-man sadistic paedophile ring found guilty of grooming vulnerable underage girls were given life sentences at the Old Bailey. Two other defendants were both jailed for seven years.

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Postnatal Depression: Blood Test Breakthrough

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

British doctors have developed the first ever blood test for postnatal depression in a breakthrough that could ease the plight of tens of thousands of women who suffer from the condition every year, Sky News has learnt.

Doctors believe a £10 screening test they have developed – which could be administered as part of ordinary NHS ante-natal checks – would allow women found to be at risk to receive treatment for the disease before they give birth.

Around 90,000 pregnant women a year - around one in seven - develop the "baby blues".

In severe cases it can result in new mums committing suicide or harming their babies.

Professor Dimitris Grammatopoulos, who led the research at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said the research was "extremely important".

He said: "There is evidence that if you can identify women at risk early you could treat early or introduce measures to prevent or stop the process of the disease."

The early warning should mean that simple support from families and health professionals is enough to prevent symptoms developing.

A study of 200 pregnant women, published in the current edition of the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found two molecular "signatures" in the genes that increased the risk of postnatal depression by up to five times.

Although previous research has found genetic "markers" linked to the condition, this is the first time that genetic variations have been found in the hormonal pathway that triggers it.

The researchers believe that changes in oestrogen levels during pregnancy make women more sensitive to the stress hormone cortisol.

But whereas most women "reset" the hormonal imbalance soon after their baby is born, those with the genetic variations are unable to do so, leading to postnatal depression.

Prof Grammatopoulos said he could test women for the genetic changes for between £30 and £40.

But automating the test so that robots could screen large numbers of samples would bring the cost down to just £10.

And he is looking for further genetic changes, called single nucleotide polymorphisms, to increase the predictive power of the test.

He said blood samples already taken routinely in the early stages of pregnancy could then be screened.

"Usually we focus on the mother, but the negative impact on the child is also immense," Prof Grammatopoulos said.

Between a third and a half of women with postnatal depression develop severe symptoms.

Rachael Dobson, 24, said the new test could prevent other women suffering as she did.

She felt "useless as a mum" when her son Andreas was born three years ago. She believed that suicide would free up her husband to just look after their son.

Only when she began to consider killing him did she contact her health visitor.

She said: "I remember him crying loads and I'd tried everything in the book - feeding, winding, changing his nappy - because he would not be quiet.

"I just thought 'What if I smothered him?'. At least he would then be quiet and I could sort myself out.

"But within a split second you are almost scared yourself because how could you think that about a vulnerable baby."

Support from health professionals and her husband slowly improved her symptoms. But it has taken the best part of three years.

Mrs Dobson set up the Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support charity (Pandas), which runs a helpline: 0843 2898401.

:: Professor Grammatopoulos is now carrying out a larger study on 1,500 women to help refine the test. Pregnant women interested in taking part should email info@uhcw.nhs.uk

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Egypt: Seven Killed As Protests Turn Violent

At least seven people have been killed in Egypt and more than 600 wounded in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi.

Five of the dead were shot in towns south of Cairo, one each in Beni Suef and Fayoum and three others in Assiut.

Two more people were killed by gunfire during an attack on the national headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The attack came amid mass protests across Egypt calling for the Islamist president to resign.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets as part of the demonstrations.

The protests are being held exactly a year since Mr Morsi came to power.

Some 500,000 people descended on Cairo's Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 uprising against Mr Morsi's predecessor Hosni Mubarak.

Other demonstrations have been held outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.

Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, security officials said. The health ministry said hospitals have been placed on high alert.

On Friday an American student, 21-year-old Andrew Pochter, was killed during clashes in the city of Alexandria.

A senior security official said the Suez Canal, the vital waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, has been placed under "maximum security".

Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - have signed a petition calling for change. Mr Morsi's opponents have promised a "second revolution".

But the president's Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.

Mr Morsi has called his opponents bad losers backed by "thugs" from the rule of deposed Mr Mubarak.

He is banking on the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power.

US President Barack Obama has called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.

Liberal leaders, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mr Morsi to relent.

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Nineteen Firefighters Die In Arizona Wildfire

Nineteen elite firefighters have died after losing contact with teams battling a blaze in Arizona, an Arizona Forestry spokesman says.

Forestry spokesman Art Morrison says the firefighters were caught by the blaze near the central Arizona town of Yarnell.

The blaze is believed to be the deadliest wildfire involving fatalities to fire crews since the 1994 Storm King Fire in Colorado, which killed 14 firefighters.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said that the 19 firefighters were part of the city's fire department. 

The blaze is burning about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix, in Arizona

"By the time they got there, it was moving very quickly," he said.

He added that the firefighters had to deploy their emergency shelters when "something drastic" occurred.

"One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective … fire-resistant material," he said.

Homes burn as the Arizona fire approaches Glenn Ilah

"The hope at least is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it."

The wildfire had prompted evacuations of at least 50 homes in several communities about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.

About 200 firefighters are continuing to fight the wildfire, which has also forced the closure of parts of state Route 89.

The fire started with a lightning strike on Friday. It spread across 2,000 acres on Sunday amid high temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. 

More follows...

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