The News Matrix: Monday 3 February 2014

Eat – or keep the children warm

Parents are being forced to choose between eating and keeping their children warm because of the high cost of energy, the National Childbirth Trust claims today. At the same time, Labour says more patients are being diagnosed with “cold-related” illnesses by A&E departments. MORE

Three in custody over baby’s death

Police are continuing to question three people arrested after a seven-week-old boy died of head injuries. Thomas Gacek, from Oldham, died in hospital on 27 January. A woman, 23, understood to be his mother, her boyfriend, 35, and a second man, 26, remain in custody.

Nunn: Cuts are killing off regional theatre

Cuts in arts funding have had a “savage effect” on regional theatres, the veteran director Sir Trevor Nunn has said. In an interview with i, he added that he feared for future generations of actors as opportunities to perform on the stage were vanishing. MORE

Number of patients for liposuction soars

The number of people opting for cosmetic surgery procedures – particularly liposuction – has reached its highest level since 2008, leading some doctors to call for a closer scrutiny of a patient’s motivation for seeking the treatment.

Bright and breezy with scattered irony

The Weather Girls’ 1984 anthem “It’s Raining Men” re-entered the charts at No 31 yesterday after a campaign against a Ukip councillor, David Silvester, who blamed recent flooding on the legalisation of gay marriage.

Landowners in legal challenge to fracking

Fracking companies are being told by landowners in the South Downs National Park that they will be denied permission to drill horizontally under their land and properties in a bid to block the controversial process. Solicitors for residents near the village of Fernhurst in West Sussex have written to oil and gas company Celtique Energie saying that permission is explicitly denied.

Marches in favour of traditional families

Hundreds of thousands of French conservatives marched through Paris and Lyon yesterday accusing the government of “family-phobia” for legalising gay marriage and other policies they say will harm traditional families. The march was peaceful, although there were isolated clashes with police. MORE

Two troops killed after car hits tree

Two soldiers were killed when their car hit a tree near Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, police said. “The driver, a 23-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene and the passenger, a 20-year-old woman, was taken by ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital where she died,” a spokesman said.

Blumenthal’s Dinner is taken off the menu

Heston Blumenthal has been forced to close his London restaurant, Dinner, after an outbreak of norovirus. It is the second time the chef has been hit by the virus, which forced him to close his Fat Duck eatery in Berkshire in 2009. MORE

Build it with Beckham – in Lego

David Beckham has revealed he builds Lego models for his anxiety. The former England captain said playing with Lego “helps to calm me down”. The 38-year-old said it was “very therapeutic”. “The last big thing I made was Tower Bridge.”

Motorist faces hole lot of trouble

A 30ft deep sinkhole has opened up on a driveway in High Wycombe, swallowing a car. Firefighters attended but left the scene after determining the vehicle was empty.

Briton is first to run across Canada

A Briton is today set to complete the first run from Canada’s east to west coast with no support team. Jamie McDonald, 27, began the 5,000-mile trip in March. MORE