The News Matrix: Tuesday 7 January 2014

Most Britons back halt to immigration

More people than ever before want a substantial cut in immigration, according to research revealed last night. New findings from the British Social Attitudes survey found that 77 per cent of the electorate supported a reduction in immigration levels, including 56 per cent who wanted it cut by “a lot”. Numbers backing a big cut have risen from 39 per cent in 1995. MORE

Hollande in U-turn over tax cuts

President François Hollande is to relaunch his faltering presidency with a series of proposals to cut public spending. The new policy has been welcomed by employers, and castigated by unions and the left as a break from the President’s statist approach. MORE

New meningitis B vaccine is trialled

Doctors are trialling a new vaccine that could help to protect children across the UK from meningitis B. The study, being conducted at the NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at Southampton General Hospital, will investigate the effectiveness of the vaccine.

‘Jihad Jane’ gets 10 years in jail

A US woman involved in a plot to kill a Swedish artist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after telling a judge she was obsessed with jihad. Colleen LaRose had called herself “Jihad Jane” online and agreed to kill Lars Vilks over his drawings depicting the prophet Mohamed. MORE

Blinded PC’s marriage ‘was over’

PC David Rathband was found hanging at his home after an affair with a survivor of the 7/7 bombings effectively ended his marriage, an inquest heard yesterday. The 44-year-old, who was blinded by gunman Raoul Moat, was found dead in February 2012. MORE

Cheney ends Senate bid over health issue

Republican Liz Cheney, the oldest daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, has ended her Senate bid in Wyoming, citing serious family health issues. Ms Cheney, a lawyer, was seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Mike Enzi in a primary election in August. MORE

Merkel fractures pelvis while skiing

Angela Merkel has cancelled all her meetings for the next three weeks after fracturing her pelvis while cross-country skiing in Switzerland. The injury was sustained near the resort of St Moritz. MORE

Polar vortex sends temperature to -52C

A polar vortex has sent temperatures plummeting to as low as -52C in some places. Chicago’s O’Hare airport reported that the mercury was as low as -26C yesterday. The low temperatures were described as “life-threatening” in several central states. MORE

Man drove at 60mph with hands on head

A man has been banned from driving for a year after he was filmed by a police camera driving without using his hands at 60mph. 36-year-old Richard Newton, from Whitby, was seen with both hands on his head as he continued along a busy road for 25 seconds. MORE

US says elections were not credible

The US says elections – during which 18 people died – do not appear credible. The party of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina easily won Sunday’s vote. The opposition boycotted them because Mrs Hasina refused to allow a neutral caretaker to oversee them.

MPs to vote on limits for betting machines

MPs will vote today on measures to tackle the spread of high-stakes gambling machines which Labour claims have allowed betting shops to become “mini casinos”. The fixed odds betting terminals can see users lose up to £300 a minute.