ENGLAND: A holidaymaker ran up a phone bill of over £2,600 (€3,146) after downloading a Neil Diamond album while abroad.

An increasingly disturbing picture of the Israeli army’s conduct in the Gaza war has emerged as more troops described wanton vandalism to Palestinian homes, humiliation of civilians and loose rules of engagement that resulted in unnecessary deaths.

A private investigator has accused convicted fraudster and former media mogul Conrad Black of hiding money by moving around £27m (€40m) between accounts across the world.

Nine youths allowed to leave the Church of the Nativity after 23 days of siege were in Israeli custody, but an army officer said they would be released this morning.