A captain accused of helping lead hundreds of troops in a failed 2003 mutiny in the Philippines escaped from a court where he was awaiting a hearing on the case today.

From palace ashtrays and pillows to jeeps and a grand piano, the spoils of war are disappearing fast in Iraq.

Thirteen al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay naval base have been without food for five days in a hunger strike that has encouraged scores of others to skip meals, US military officials said today.