A mass rally yesterday called for a one-off amnesty to allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants living in the UK to become full citizens. The Strangers Into Citizens campaign, which attracted thousands of supporters to Trafalgar Square, proposes that migrants who have been in Britain for more than four years should be given a two year work permit without access to benefits.

The genetic roots of bipolar disorder – manic depression – have been revealed by the first scan of the entire human genetic code, revealing a new target for treatments. Bipolar disorder affects one person in every 100 inducing mood changes from extremes of depression to irritation, elation and mania.

A package of measures to head off a summer prison overcrowding crisis, including abolishing the option of custody for shoplifting offences, has been vetoed by Tony Blair, The Times has learnt.

Elderly people deserve a radical rethink of the way their care is paid for, the Government admits today amid dire warnings from experts that the system is failing. Ivan Lewis, the minister responsible for care services, appears to acknowledge in a radio interview that the funding issue is potentially as big as the pensions crisis.

{mosimage}His comments come as a YouGov poll says three out of four people say funding should be based on need, not income.

Asked if he accepted that social care funding was one of the great unresolved issues of our time, Mr Lewis tells You and Yours on Radio 4 today:

“It’s absolutely crucial. People are living longer and developing conditions that we’ve never known before, like Alzheimer’s. Disabled people now have, and rightly want, full and longer lives.

“And if you add to that rising public expectations in terms of what they expect from social care services, it’s absolutely right that the Treasury and the Government have acknowledged that social care is one of the great challenges facing our society and the Government. We need a new consensus for a new settlement that’s fair and sustainable. We need to redefine the relationship between the state, the family and the citizen.”

The dangers of becoming addicted to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are going unrecognised, doctors warn. In the British Medical Journal, Chris Ford and Beth Good say they have seen three patients addicted to drugs containing codeine in recent months.

{mosimage}All began using the drug as recommended, but their use grew. The drug companies’ trade association said there was guidance in packs, but researchers said the public needed to be more aware of the addiction risks. All three of the patients seen by the doctors had been taking Nurofen Plus, a combination of codeine phosphate – which is an opiate – and ibuprofen. They all had gastrointestinal bleeding, a side effect of excessive ibuprofen use.

One of the patients was taking 30 tablets a day – compared to the recommended maximum dose of six. Alone, codeine phosphate is only available on prescription. But it has been available OTC in low doses and in combination with aspirin, paracetamol, or ibuprofen for many years.

Sweeping £1.7million cuts to adult social services should be scrapped. That is the verdict of councillors after hearing heartrending pleas from carers to dump the proposals. Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford, heard emotional concerns about the problems carers would face if council chiefs pushed on with plans to slash the adult social care budget.

NSPCC director Dame Mary Marsh said: “We welcome Sir Ian Blair’s recognition that children involved in gangs often come from very troubled or unhappy backgrounds and need help from social services, but we would add help from other organisations too.

Private schools are enrolling record numbers of pupils as guilt-ridden parents attempt to provide their children with the attention they cannot offer at home. With many parents working such long hours that they spend little time with their family, many are opting to send their children to boarding school.

The growing trend for women to take their contraceptive pill continuously to avoid having monthly periods may not be safe, a health expert warned yesterday. The pills are designed to be taken daily for three weeks out of four.

Innocent members of ethnic minority communities are almost three times more likely than white people to have their DNA samples on the national database, according to figures published yesterday.