Israel

Shares in Bunzl were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading after the outsourcing firm reported a rise in revenue and pre-tax profit in the year ended 31 December 2010.

Voters in the ongoing referendum in South Sudan on independence from the rest of the country have been given a very interesting choice on their ballot papers.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Thursday Israel needs to revise its position over peace talks and settlement-building to reach a final accord with the Palestinians.

With Champions League qualifiers decided, the draw for the Group stages comes fairly immediate today with Europe's top teams joined by Tottenham Hotspur, Hapeol Tel Aviv and Slovak champions MSK Zilina.

The Israeli government has said that it will loosen the land blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, in a move that is aimed at allowing more civilian goods into the area, while maintaining an embargo on weapons.

Shares in British banks continued to decline on the FTSE 100 thanks to ongoing concerns over sovereign debt in the eurozone.