Coleen Rooney Heartbroken As Sister Dies

Coleen Rooney's teenage sister Rosie McLoughlin has died at home, her family said in a statement.

The 14-year-old had a lifelong battle with a rare genetic disorder, according to a family spokesman.

Rosie McLoughlin, who had Rett syndrome, died at her home in Liverpool in the early hours of Saturday morning surrounded by her family, the spokesman said.

A statement issued on behalf of Coleen, her husband, Manchester United star Wayne, and the rest of Rosie's family, said they had been left heartbroken by the teenager's death.

The family thanked everyone at Alder Hey Hospital and Claire House Children's Hospice, including "the many doctors, consultants, nurses, helpers and friends who all worked so hard and tirelessly to help make Rosie's life better.

"She was such a strong little girl and an inspiration to us all," the statement said.

"We shall cherish forever the memories we have shared and the love she showed us each and every day of her life."

Rosie's illness inspired Coleen and her husband to help raise funds for sick, disadvantaged and disabled children.

The couple reportedly told guests at their wedding that instead of gifts they wanted donations to Claire House Children's Hospice and Alder Hey.

Rett syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects just one in 12,000 females, according to the NHS. It causes severe physical and mental disability that begins in early childhood.

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FA Cup Final Anthem Competition Kicks Off

Football bosses are to launch a musical contest to find an official FA Cup anthem for this season.

Acts such as Lethal Bizzle, Devlin and the Pigeon Detectives will take part in the competition, with fans voting for the track which will greet players as they step on to the pitch at Wembley for the final.

A shortlist of six acts has been drawn up, with each one hoping to be the soundtrack of the 2013 final as the Football Association celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

The contest will begin on Saturday as Lethal Bizzle performs his track Not A Saint with Vato Gonzalez and Donae'o before the third round clash at Upton Park between West Ham and Manchester United.

Devlin (L) and Lethal Bizzle (R) are among the contenders

Further gigs will take place during each successive round, and then one act will play at each of the two semi-finals, with fans then voting for their favourite.

Bizzle - a relative of Arsenal player Emmanuel Frimpong - said: "I've watched The FA Cup since I was a boy and always dreamed of playing in it.

"It's a special competition and I'm made up to be a part of it, and hopefully I can become part of its history by producing the official FA Cup anthem.

"To have my music open the FA Cup Final really would be a dream come true."

Videos of the songs will be added to the FA's website - at TheFA.com/TheFACup - after each round, prior to the final on May 11.

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Family Poisoned After Barbecue Taken Indoors

Four children were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after their grandmother brought a barbecue indoors to dry her washing.

The woman, who has not been named, lit the device which she set up in the family kitchen before leaving the house.

Her daughters-in-law were in the house with her grandchildren, two of whom were asleep upstairs.

Her three-year-old granddaughter collapsed when she was overcome by the deadly gas later that afternoon and was treated in hospital with five of her relatives.

They included two boys aged two and 10 months, a four-year-old girl and the woman's two daughters-in-law, aged 26 and 29.

Firefighters were called to the home on Hockley Avenue, in East Ham, east London, on Wednesday afternoon, soon after the grandmother set the barbecue alight.

All six have now been discharged from hospital.

Fire chiefs branded the grandmother's behaviour dangerous and campaigners warned of the hazards of bringing barbecues indoors.

Dave Brown, of London Fire Brigade, said: "In my 28-year career I have never heard of anybody using a barbecue to dry clothes let alone using one indoors.

"Never, ever bring a lit or smouldering barbecue indoors. Not only is it a serious fire risk but it also emits carbon monoxide which is a poisonous gas that can kill or seriously injure."

Earlier last year, six-year-old Isabelle Harris, from Gosport, Hampshire, died after her parents brought a disposable barbecue into their tent to keep warm during a break in the New Forest in April.

The schoolgirl was one of a number of campers killed by the gas last year.

The Department of Health believes 50 people are killed by the gas each year, while at least 4,000 are treated in hospital.

But this figure is likely to be much higher because of difficulties surrounding the diagnosis of CO poisoning.

Symptoms are often similar to common illnesses like flu and food poisoning.

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Man Arrested Over 'Murder' Of Missing Mother

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a mother who went missing after a domestic incident at her ex-partner's home.

Janelle Duncan-Bailey, 25, has not been seen since she disappeared in south London in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A 30-year-old suspect was arrested last night and taken to a south London police station where he remains in custody, Scotland Yard said.

Ms Duncan-Bailey, of Thornton Heath, left her children - boys aged two and seven - with a friend in Bromley while she attended a family function, police said.

She left the friend's at about 4am on Wednesday to return to Thornton Heath, where at about 4.30am she visited her former partner's home.

Police were called there after reports of a domestic incident and Ms Duncan-Bailey left the address with officers.

It is believed she asked to be taken to another friend's house and she was last seen between 5am and 5.30am walking towards flats in Limpsfield Avenue.

Ms Duncan-Bailey was reported missing later that day after she failed to collect her children.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Janelle has never been missing before and her disappearance is totally out of character."

She is described as being black, about 5ft 5in, of medium build and with shoulder-length black hair which may have been enhanced with hair extensions.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Sutton police station on 0208 721 4054 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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More Pensioners Working Into Retirement

By Becky Johnson, Sky News Correspondent

As nearly 10 million people in Britain are now over 65, increasing numbers of pensioners are taking up a second career after they retire.

One in three 45 to 65-year-olds now plan to carry on working into retirement, according to a report by investment group Standard Life.

Sam Almond is 86 and lives in Altrincham, Cheshire, with his wife Hazel. After he retired from his job as the owner of a manufacturing company he began writing books about the financial markets.

His success as an author spurred him on to write a self-help book, Spinach For Breakfast, about the secrets to living longer.

He believes the key to staying young is keeping busy. Every day he gets up at 4.30am to allow time to do some exercise, eat a healthy breakfast and be at his desk for 8am.

The latest census shows the number of people over the age of 65 in England and Wales has increased by 10% over the last decade.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions life expectancy for men is expected to reach 91 by the year 2050.

One reason more people over retirement age are continuing to work is to top up their income.

The National Association for Pension Funds says nine in 10 people believe the state pension will not be enough for them in retirement.

Universities Minister David Willetts told Sky News: "One thing that we've done is transform the regime for older workers by abolishing compulsory retirement ages so that companies can keep staff for longer.

"But there may some people, who've paid off the mortgage and the kids have left home, who want to make a career change.

"We notice increasingly mature students who may have had one career but who are now thinking of getting a new qualification and starting a second career.

"I believe the more people that are out there seeking work, the more jobs get created. And if you look at the record of the last two years, despite the austerity, there have been more than one million extra jobs created in the private sector so we can create the jobs as people come forward who want to do them."

Julie Kertesz, 77, took up stand-up comedy a year ago. She says it's something she fell into by accident after realising she could make people laugh.

Originally from Hungary she has lived and worked around the world, mainly as a chemist.

She retired aged 60 but says she continued to pursue her interests in writing and photography.

She then tried public speaking and has now performed her stand-up routine in more than 50 venues across the UK.

She told Sky News: "The young people who listen to me are surprised and they like it, they say I'd like my grandmother to be like that or my grandfather.

"Don't die before you die - do things and live completely, change things because that is when you live... Even at 70 or 80 you can do wonderful things."

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Duchess Of Cambridge In Children's Charity Boost

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

A children's hospice has seen a surge in its profile since the Duchess of Cambridge became its Royal patron a year ago.

The Treehouse in Ipswich is run by East Anglia's Children's Hospices, or EACH - one of four charities chosen by Kate to receive special support.

According to chief executive Graham Butland, the impact has been huge.

"It's been tremendous, not only for EACH but also for palliative care nationally and internationally. Her support has brought a whole new perspective to what we do."

Kate's role has also helped the charity financially.

"It's difficult to know why people will give money," said Mr Butland. "All I can say is our fundraising has held up very well at a time when most charities are seeing a dip in their income."

The Duchess at Centrepoint, the homeless charity her husband is patron of

Nick Davis's 13-year-old son William loves his time at the Treehouse. He has a rare genetic condition and severe learning difficulties.

For his parents, the centre provides the chance for a much needed break.They had the opportunity to meet the Duchess during her visit last March.

"She was just such a lovely, genuine, down to earth person," said Nick.

"She came in and she got down with the kids and played with them and she spent far more time here than she was meant to.

"It gave the whole place a real lift and the whole town a real buzz."

Kate with children on the Expanding Horizons outdoor challenges scheme

The Duchess of Cambridge carefully chose which four charities she intended to support. She is also patron of Action on Addiction, another children's charity called The Art Room and the National Portrait Gallery.

Rob Cope - director of Remember a Charity, an organisation helping people leave money to a good cause in their will - believes the power of Royal backing should not be underestimated.

"Kate's got that credibility. She's very newsworthy, so people recognise her. They trust her. They like her.

"She's got that real warmth about her in the way that Diana had and she is also able to champion of some of those unpopular causes like we saw with Diana, putting things like Aids and landmines on the map."

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Criminals Could Serve Longer Sentences In Jail

The Justice Secretary has said he would like to see more prisoners serve their full sentences in jail.

Under the current system, introduced by Labour, most prisoners are automatically released after serving only half their sentence, regardless of their behaviour while behind bars.

Chris Grayling says a new system under which only well-behaved prisoners would be eligible for early release would reduce crime.

The Justice Secretary said the new system would reduce crime

"What people don't particularly understand is why sentencing works the way it does," he tells The Daily Telegraph. "If you get [sentenced for] 10 years, you're out after five [years] automatically.

"Every police force will tell you when a serial burglar is behind bars their local burglary rate goes down.

"Ultimately, I'm attracted by an option that doesn't simply automatically release you at a certain point, regardless of whether you've behaved well or not."

He has also sanctioned a review of prison conditions, questioning why some prisoners have access to luxuries such as satellite television.

Mr Grayling conceded it was a "challenge" to make the idea of prison uninviting to criminals from "dysfunctional backgrounds".

"For some young people, prison is the first stable environment," he said. "It is a challenge for us to make it an environment that they don't want to come back to."

"These are not areas where you can deliver radical reforms overnight, you have to work in a direction.

"One of the areas where possibly we've got increased scope in the future in monitoring offenders is GPS tagging, where new technologies mean it's possible to watch an offender wherever they go," he said.

Mr Grayling's comments are a departure from policy under predecessor Ken Clarke, who suggested prison often proved "costly and ineffectual".

The Justice Secretary said he would also like inmates to be met at the prison gate by a mentor to help them get their lives back on track and that rehabilitation was key to his reforms.

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Burnham: High-Sugar Cereals Should Be Banned

High-sugar breakfast cereals should be banned to stop children getting fat, according to the shadow health secretary Andy Burnham.

The Labour frontbencher said regulation should be introduced to cap the levels of salt, fat and sugar in food.

Mr Burnham has started garnering public and expert opinion on the subject as part of a consultation on tackling obesity.

"If we fail to act we are storing up huge problems for the country and the NHS in the long term," he said.

He is floating the idea of a 30% cap on sugar in cereals, arguing that many children's breakfast cereals are over one-third sugar by weight.

"I don't think any parent would be comfortable with their child eating something that is 40% sugar," he told The Daily Telegraph.

Last week, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development figures revealed 26.6% of British girls were obese and 22.7% of boys - double that of youngsters in France.

The coalition says voluntary deals with industry through the Responsibility Deal has cut salt, fat and sugar content in our food.

But Mr Burnham says the current voluntary approach is not working and new drastic measures are required to combat childhood obesity.

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Girl Guides Could Drop God And Queen From Oath

The Girl Guides are considering whether to remove any mention of God or the Queen from their oath.

The voluntary organisation, which boasts more than half a million members, has launched an online consultation into changes to the pledge that Guides take when they join, known as the Promise.

Girlguiding UK said the move was necessary because an increasing number of girls and volunteers do not identify with the current oath.

In a statement the organisation said: "The Promise is guiding's beating heart - it is the core expression of values and the common standard that brings everyone in guiding together.

Girlguiding UK was established in the UK in 1942

"Over the past few years we have heard from more and more girls and leaders who struggle with the wording, particularly in interpreting what it really means to girls today.

"Girlguiding UK is committed to retaining a Promise that is in line with its original principles, but we know it is crucial that girls and young women understand and believe in the words they say."

Guides currently promise to "love my God" and "serve the Queen and country", as well as do their best, help other people and keep the Guide law.

Respondents to the consultation are asked to express their preferences for alternatives such as "do my duty to God", "be true to a higher ideal" and "serve the highest truth and love faithfully at all times".

Options mooted to replace the current mention of the Queen include "serve the Queen and my country", "engage myself with responsibility in the community I live in" and "be true to my country".

The move towards a new oath has been seen as an attempt to attract a new breed of volunteers to lead the Guides.

Last year 50,000 girls were on waiting lists to join the 102-year-old organisation because of a lack of trained leaders, according to reports.

But it also reflects a modernising leadership, with new Girlguiding UK chief executive Julie Bentley telling The Times in November that the Guides are the "ultimate feminist organisation".

Last month, the Scout Association also announced it had launched a consultation to see if members would support an alternative Scout Promise for those who feel unable to pledge a "duty to God".

The Guides' consultation, which is open to members and non-members, will close on March 3.

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Shots Fired In New Northern Ireland Clashes

Gunshots have been fired after clashes between loyalist and nationalist protesters, police have confirmed.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a number of shots were fired in east Belfast.

Officers had earlier used water cannon after disturbances broke out in the Lower Newtownards Road area of the city.

The violence was prompted following a march by loyalists demonstrating against restrictions on the flying of the Union Flag over City Hall.

Sky News Ireland Correspondent David Blevins said loyalists apparently came under attack from a nationalist area, following a peaceful march.

It is the third day of clashes between opposing sides in various parts of Belfast.

"There is the potential for the violence to intensify," Blevins said.

"The gun shots from with the loyalist area is a very worrying development.

"The clashes between police and loyalists came after the officers were accused of brutality after the march."

Today's disturbances follow running battles overnight which saw petrol bombs, fireworks and ball bearings thrown at officers in riot gear, injuring nine of them.

The officers were injured from elements within a crowd of up to 300 people, in what they called "a sustained attack".

A PSNI spokesman said 18 arrests were made after the public disorder in the Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas.

Some 30 petrol bombs were thrown at police officers as they dealt with riots on Friday night.

There were also protests in the Robbs Road area of Dundonald, near Ulster Hospital, and in the O'Neill Road area of Newtonabbey, where there was reportedly an attempt to hijack a bus, plus a raid on a commercial premises by masked men.

The latest violence comes after 10 police officers were injured on Thursday during a demonstration against the decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag is flown from City Hall.

More follows...

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