Daily roundup 17 August: A-levels, Muslim youth group, and children's wards

Top A-level grades have increased for the first time in six years, with young people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland getting their results today. The BBC reports that A* and A grades were awarded to 26.3 per cent of entries - up by 0.5 percentage points compared with last year. The number of university places allocated so far has fallen - with thousands of places still available.


A Muslim youth organisation is on course to raise half a million pounds for charities in a single event. The Independent reports that hundreds of young Muslims will take part in a half marathon or sponsored walk to promote peace and dispel "misconceptions" about Islam. The Mercy for Mankind charity challenge organised by the Ahamadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) is due to be held in the Lake District in Cumbria.


Staff shortages forced closures at a quarter of children's wards and more than 40 per cent of baby units at Scottish hospitals, new research has found. The Aberdeen Evening Express reports that figures obtained by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) show that 25 per cent of paediatric inpatient units and 41.7 per cent of neonatal units had to temporarily close to new admissions due to a shortage of medical staff in the year to October 2015.


Maternity services at a health trust at the centre of a baby deaths inquiry must improve, inspectors have said. The BBC reports that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered an investigation into the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in April. A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said overall care had got better but safety in maternity services "needed further improvement".


Four times as many Scottish children under 13 were prescribed antidepressants last year as just seven years ago. Figures obtained by BBC Scotland show that last year 252 children aged 12 and under were given antidepressants while in 2009/10 it was 57. During the same period the numbers for all children under 18 doubled from 2,748 in 2009/10 to 5,572 last year.