Eddie Murphy's ex-wife Tracey Edmonds claims her new partner Sean 'Diddy' Combs is wittier than the comedian.

Media baron Conrad Black signed a contract promising not to compete with a company he himself controlled, an ex-employee of his Hollinger International newspaper empire, who said she sent him a £1.35m (€1.99m) cheque in return, told a court.

As chairman of the far-flung Hollinger newspaper empire, tall, silver-haired, magnificently tailored Conrad Black reigned supreme as one of the world’s most powerful media moguls.

AT Hollinger International’s 2003 annual meeting, Conrad Black tried to disarm critics who alleged that he and top executives enriched themselves at shareholders’ expense.