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The man accused of kidnapping schoolgirl Shannon Matthews has appeared in court just hours after he was attacked in prison.

On Friday it emerged Michael Donovan, 40, was assaulted yesterday evening at Leeds Prison, where he is being held on remand. Donovan, who is not thought to have been seriously hurt, appeared in court on the third day of his trial alongside Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews.

They are both charged with kidnapping and falsely imprisoning Shannon, who went missing from her home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in February, when she was nine years old.

Giving evidence at Leeds Crown Court, Donovan's niece Caroline Meehan described her uncle as "a bit creepy".

Ms Meehan was asked by Mrs Frances Oldham, QC, for Matthews, if she agreed with the description that her uncle was "a loner, a strange character, a bit creepy and a fantasist?" She replied: "Yes."

The jury was told that Donovan "loved" his two daughters and fought to have custody of them when his marriage broke up. Ms Meehan agreed with Alan Conrad QC, defending Donovan, when he said: "He loved them. They were taken into care after he fought for custody of them."

She also agreed that her uncle changed his name from Paul Drake to Michael Donovan - a name he took from the sci-fi TV show "V".

The jury has been told Shannon was drugged and restrained with a strap tied to a roof beam after her mother hatched an alleged plan to make £50,000 from her faked kidnap. The court heard Shannon was kept locked in a flat for 24 days by Donovan, who police believe used an elasticated strap with a noose on the end to tether her when he went out.

Later, a Prison Service spokesman said: "We can confirm an incident took place at HMP Leeds at 7pm on Thursday November 13 in which one prisoner was assaulted by another. The prisoner sustained minor cuts and was treated by prison staff."

The case was adjourned until Monday.

-Nova

Halifax Bank of Scotland could have to be nationalised if shareholders reject a takeover by Lloyds TSB, the bank's chairman said.

HBOS chairman Dennis Stevenson said the bank could need to raise at least £12 billion in capital if investors threw out the deal and a potential £11.5 billion injection of taxpayers' cash.

If HBOS decided to go it alone, there was "no certainty" over sources of funding, he added.

The bank could be forced to raise dearer funds from the Treasury, potentially resulting in "the loss of independent or private sector status for HBOS", Mr Stevenson said.

Mr Stevenson was writing in a circular to shareholders ahead of a meeting in Birmingham to approve the deal on December 12.

If the deal gets the go-ahead, it will create a banking giant with around 145,000 staff and 3,000 branches across the UK.

Last week the bank rebutted calls from the former heads of Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland, Sir Peter Burt and Sir George Mathewson, to abandon the deal - which they claimed was no longer necessary - and install them as chief executive and chairman.

Competition rules have been waived to allow the takeover - which values HBOS at around £5.4 billion at current share prices - to go ahead.

Separately, the chairman and deputy chairman of nationalised mortgage bank Bradford & Bingley have stepped down, the lender said. Chairman Rod Kent, his deputy Nick Cosh and non-executive directors Ian Cheshire and Steve Webster left the company with immediate effect, B&B said.

Chief executive Richard Pym will take the dual role of executive chairman, the bank said in statement.

-Nova

Equality campaigners have expressed dismay after official figures showed that the gender pay gap increased to more than 17% in the past year despite concerted efforts to make sure women earned the same as men.

The Government admitted the news was "frustrating" but promised tough new measures to tackle unequal pay.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said its research showed that an average woman who worked full time would miss out on £369,000 over her working life.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the difference in earnings of full-time women and male workers rose by 0.1% over the past year to 17.1%, while for part-timers the gap widened from 35.8% to 36.6%.

Katherine Rake, director of women's campaign group the Fawcett Society, said it was "dire news", especially in the midst of the economic downturn.

She said: "After years of painfully slow progress in closing the pay gap, we have now actually gone into reverse gear with the pay gap widening over 2008 for women working full and part-time. This sadly demonstrates that the Government has failed to take serious action to combat discrimination still facing women in the labour market."

The group urged the Government to make "bold changes" in the forthcoming Equality Bill, including a legal requirement for firms to review their pay structures.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "(The) shock increase in the gender pay gap makes the case for decisive action more pressing than ever. This is an injustice for both women and men. As redundancies mount, more women may find themselves as the sole or main income earner. It's more important than ever that they are not underpaid for what they do."

Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, said: "We're frustrated with (the) figures which show more women are suffering from the unfairness of the gender pay gap. That's why our forthcoming Equality Bill is even more important as it will contain tough new measures - which are crucial in tackling unequal pay.

"All employers need to look at their pay practices to make sure they are fair. We are absolutely determined to end unfairness at work."

-Nova

The Prince of Wales was treated to birthday kisses and good wishes from admirers as he celebrated his 60th birthday by promoting the work of his Prince's Trust.

Charles marked the milestone by attending the launch of his trust's first Youth Week - a seven day campaign to highlight the good young people can offer society.

He could not escape reminders of his 60th anniversary and even met one trust volunteer who shared his birthday.

The heir to the throne, accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, was left smiling when one woman broke protocol and asked for a "kiss" to mark the special day.

Naiyer Qureshi stepped forward and planted her lips on Charles's right cheek during his tour of two trust projects in Beckton, east London.

An official portrait to mark his 60th birthday showed the Prince of Wales in a formal uniform but a relaxed pose.

Charles is shown wearing the ceremonial uniform of the Welsh Guards, minus the headdress, in the photograph taken by Hugo Burnand.

The Prince, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975, wears the uniform every year for the Trooping the Colour ceremony which marks the Queen's official birthday.

-Nova

The Government said it will look again at its system for avoiding risks from crop pesticides after an environmental campaigner won a landmark ruling that the current measures contravene European law.

A High Court judge said award-winning Georgina Downs had produced "solid evidence" that rural residents had suffered harm from crop spraying with toxic chemicals. He ordered the Government to reconsider how to protect the health of countryside communities.

Miss Downs, who lives on the edge of farm fields near Chichester, West Sussex, launched her independent UK Pesticides Campaign in 2001 and was recently named a "woman of the year". To support her campaign, she collected evidence on DVD from other rural residents reporting health problems including cancer, Parkinson's disease, ME and asthma they believe could be linked to crop spraying.

She accused the Government of failing to address countryside residents such as herself, "who are repeatedly exposed to mixtures of pesticides and other chemicals throughout every year, and in many cases, like mine, for decades".

Mr Justice Collins, sitting in London, allowed her application for judicial review.

The judge said: "I recognise that it is not easy to attribute a particular cause to many chronic illnesses, and a view that a cause has been identified may be wrong. But there is evidence that some long-term illnesses may be attributable to exposure. The DVD (from Miss Downs) makes it clear that those effects do in many cases amount to more than merely transient and trifling harm."

The judge added: "There is in my judgment solid evidence produced by Miss Downs that residents have suffered harm to their health - her own health is an an example - or, at the very least, doubts have reasonably been raised as to the safety of pesticides under the regime which presently exists".

The judge said Hilary Benn, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary, must now rethink and reassess the risks and how to safeguard the public against them.

He ruled Defra's current approach to assessing safety, which involved considering the impact of spraying on "a bystander" who might be close to crops, was "defective and inadequate" as it did not take into account the real impact on rural residents. It also contravened the 1991 EC Directive that harmonised the regulation of "plant protection products" throughout the EU.

Later a Defra spokesman said: "We will look at this judgment in detail to see whether there are ways in which we can strengthen our system further, and also to consider whether it could put us out of step with the rest of Europe and have implications for other member states."

-Nova

wow thats just crazy

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was important that world leaders came to decisions on measures to reverse the massive global economic down turn.

Speaking in Washington where world leaders have gathered for the G20 summit of the world's leading economies, Mr Brown said they faced a "difficult" set of negotiations.

"I think these are difficult talks. I think it is obviously important to make decisions today about what can be done," he said.

"There are a lot of countries with their own interests and their own policy directions at the moment that will have to change. But I believe we are making progress."

Mr Brown dismissed an attack by shadow chancellor George Osborne that the Government's plans to stimulate the economy through tax cuts could cause the "collapse of sterling".

"I believe that at a time when nations are coming together all over the world to deal with these problems, I think people are looking to politicians to be responsible and to show leadership," he said. We are taking the policy that is absolutely essential to take people through these difficult times.

"The Governor of the Bank of England has made it absolutely clear that it is not only right to cut interest rates, but it is perfectly reasonable to have a fiscal stimulus."

Mr Brown expressed disappointment that the Tories had abandoned their previous bipartisan support for the Government over the financial crisis.

"I now regret the partisan talk from the Opposition," he said.

Mr Brown said that he hoped the talks would be able to agree timetables for the reform of the international financial system and the conclusion of world trade talks. He is also pressing other countries to adopt a "fiscal stimulus" package of tax cuts and spending increases, similar to that due to be announced in Britain in the Pre-Budget Report.

-Nova

Energy firms make some of their biggest profits from their poorest customers, the UK's main consumer watchdog claims.

Consumer Focus (CF) said it estimated power suppliers were making more than half a billion pounds a year in extra charges from people on pre-payment meters. Typical customers using the devices were often those on the lowest incomes, it added.

Jonathan Stearn, CF's campaigner on disadvantage, said energy firms were using customers who pay for their gas or electricity through pre-payment meters to help subsidise cheaper deals for others.

He told the BBC: "Companies could be making up to £550 million a year from extra charges they charge on pre-payment meters.

"The energy companies are making the most money out of those on pre-payment meters and often those are the people on the very lowest incomes."

Energy awareness group National Energy Action (NEA) said pre-payment metered customers paid on average £359 more a year than those with normal meters.

This contrasts with the extra annual cost of between £85 and £100 to maintain the pre-payment boxes - a sum estimated by energy industry regulator Ofgem, the charity added.

An NEA spokeswoman told the BBC that 1,000 people a day are being put on pre-payment meters, with many forced to do so after falling into debt.

She added: "Once you are in debt you are effectively blocked from switching to cheaper deals."

Ofgem has estimated that pre-payment meter customers are missing out on savings worth £250 million.

-Nova

Gordon Brown has demanded "responsible" behaviour from the Tories after George Osborne warned that he was pushing sterling towards "collapse".

The shadow chancellor was accused of breaking convention and putting extra strain on the crucial G20 financial talks by "talking down" the pound.

In an interview with The Times, Mr Osborne delivered a ferocious attack on the Government's economic policy, insisting that increasing state borrowing in a bid to fight off recession brought major risks.

"The more you borrow as a government the more you have to sell that debt and the less attractive your currency seems," he said. "Sterling has devalued rapidly against the euro and the dollar. We are in danger, if the Government is not careful, of having a proper sterling collapse, a run on the pound."

But, speaking at the summit of world leaders in Washington, the Prime Minister said politicians should not make "partisan" points at a time of crisis.

"I now regret the partisan talk from the Opposition," he said. "I believe that at a time when nations are coming together all over the world to deal with these problems, I think people are looking to politicians to be responsible and to show leadership. We are taking the policy that is absolutely essential to take people through these difficult times.

"The Governor of the Bank of England has made it absolutely clear that it is not only right to cut interest rates, but it is perfectly reasonable to have a fiscal stimulus."

Labour accused Mr Osborne - who has been criticised over his response to the global financial crisis and holiday links with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska - of a "desperate last ditch throw of the dice to save his career".

"At their conference in October, the Tory leadership said they would support the Government in the difficult decisions we had to take to keep the economy on track," a party spokesman said. "Just a few weeks later, a panicking George Osborne is trying to talk down the economy in a desperate last throw of the dice to save his career."

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable branded Mr Osborne's comments "baffling". "Many people will be baffled that George Osborne has apparently failed to notice the fact we've already had a run on the pound, but it's happened gradually rather than in one dramatic moment as with the ERM under the last Tory government," he said.

-Nova

Around 400 workers at the Port of Dover took part in a rally ahead of industrial action against proposals to outsource their jobs.

Members of trade union Unite employed by Dover Harbour Board waved placards and banners as they marched from the town centre to the company's headquarters on the seafront.

They were voicing their concerns ahead of Tuesday's planned 48-hour strike in protest at the port's chief executive Bob Goldfield's refusal to negotiate on plans to outsource work to private contractors.

Unite regional industrial organiser, Jane Jeffery, described the rally as "fantastic." She said that the 83.8% of Unite members who had voted in favour of the strike felt they were left with no choice but to take industrial action as they had been left "angry" by the way they had not been listened to so far.

Outside Harbour House demonstrators were addressed by Unite national secretary Brendan Gold, regional secretary Steve Hart and MP for Dover and Deal, Gwyn Prosser.

Speaking afterwards Mr Prosser said that many workers had been employed by the board for as long as 30 years.

The Labour MP said: "In recent years the workforce has shown enormous flexibility. They've shown the company they're able to compete with the best.

"So with that background the town is absolutely stunned by the behaviour of the chief executive, Bob Goldfield.

"They've shown great loyalty to the port through good times and bad and are being rewarded by being told their jobs are just going to be hived off without any negotiations at all."

Dover Harbour Board has vowed it will be business as usual during the walk-out as non-striking staff have completed a programme of training in mooring and security skills. The port operates 52 tourist and freight departures, and 14 freight-only departures every day and employs 570 staff in total.

-Nova