UK News: Mental health care given £400m boost

THE government is to plough an extra £400 million into mental health provision, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said.

Under its new mental health strategy, published today, the coalition aims to treat mental health with the same priority and importance as physical health for the first time.

Store makes play for rival

JD Sports is in talks over a potential takeover of struggling rival JJB Sports in a move which would see the creation of one of the UK's biggest high-street chains.

The two companies confirmed they were in initial discussions, but said it was not certain an offer would be made.

Straw faces Iraq probe questions for third time

FORMER foreign secretary Jack Straw was today set to give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry for a third time as the panel held its final public hearing.

Since hearings began in November 2009, Sir John Chilcot and his colleagues have heard from more than 120 witnesses in open session.

They include former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as well as senior ministers, officials, diplomats, spymasters, spin doctors, and military top brass.

Scientists' vanishing act

SCIENTISTS have built an "invisibility cloak" that can hide everyday objects by splitting light.

The "cloak", which is actually a lump of calcite crystal, can make objects such as pins and paper clips disappear from sight.

Physicists from the University of Birmingham said using the natural crystal enabled them to hide bigger objects than other researchers.

Britton back on the box

PRESENTER Fern Britton is to make a regular return to daytime TV.

The former This Morning host, who left the ITV1 show in 2009 after ten years, will front a new hour-long 5pm show, Fern, on Channel 4.

Paul O'Grady fronted the weekday slot for Channel 4 until last year.

London: A demonstration against the government's spending cuts is set to be the biggest union event in decades, the TUC has predicted. The union organisation started distributing thousands of leaflets today detailing its arguments ahead of the national protest in central London on March 26.

Cambridgeshire: Police will shed 126 civilian jobs - making 69 people redundant - by April 2012 as it tries to save millions of pounds. The force says 45 jobs have gone in the past financial year and another 81 will go in the next financial year.