The News Matrix: Monday 25 November 2013

Council criticised over captive women

Lambeth Council was last night questioned over its failure to intervene and help women who have been allegedly held as slaves for the last 30 years. It has emerged that the police contacted the South London council with its concerns 15 years ago. MORE

Voters reject cap on executives' salaries

Voters in Switzerland have rejected a motion aimed at limiting the salaries of executives to 12 times the level of a company's lowest paid workers. The issue has become a hot topic over the past few months, but the results went against opinion polls which suggested public anger over high pay. MORE

Syrians considering return home

Conditions at the Zaatari camp in Jordan, which houses over 100,000 people who have fled the conflict in Syria, are deteriorating, with access to food, healthcare and clean water proving a challenge. Many residents are thinking about about returning to their war-torn nation. MORE

Amazon night shifts could cause illness

Night shifts at Amazon's Swansea warehouse have been labelled so arduous that they could cause "mental and physical illness". Professor Sir Michael Marmot, from UCL, told BBC Panorama that the conditions were bad for worker well-being.

President rejects Berlusconi pardon

President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy has rejected the calls of former leader Silvio Berlusconi for a pardon after he was found guilty of tax fraud. The Italian Senate will vote on Wednesday on whether the 77-year-old should lose his seat.

Charity shops are vital to high street

Charity shops are vital to the high street according to a report by the think-tank Demos. Researchers found the stores boost business and help to combat unemployment. More than 80 per cent of volunteers say they gain retail experience and the report shows the shops help to combat health and social problems.

Mother gives birth to 13lb 10oz baby

A woman in Shanghai has given birth to a baby weighing 13 lb 10 oz, more than twice the average weight in China. The 27-year-old mother put the infant's weight down to a diet of milk, eggs and fruit, according to state television.

At long last, a girls' choir at Canterbury

The first girls' choir at Canterbury Cathedral is beginning to take shape, after 900 years of male-only singing. Forty girls aged 12-16 auditioned at the weekend for a place. It is hoped that the choir will start by the end of the year.

Jackson 'ended his own life by accident'

Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor who was sentenced to four years in jail for manslaughter, has said the singer accidentally ended his own life after injecting himself with an anaesthetic. MORE

Legal highs spread to mainstream shops

Petrol stations, takeaways and newsagents across northern England are selling 'legal highs', according to a report by DrugScope. In places such as Newcastle, Barnsley, and Huddersfield, customers have been able to buy cannabinoids and other substances over the counter. MORE

Director Leigh relies on digital technology

Mike Leigh has conceded that he had to adapt and use "extraordinary" digital technology to shoot his biopic of the artist J M W Turner. The director, who formerly advocated the use of film, said that "there was no point being Luddite about it".