Superhero origin stories have been all the rage at the multiplex this summer, with Marvel Comics alone accounting for two such films, ‘Thor’ and ‘X-Men: First Class’, both of which happily surpassed critics' expectations.

US president Barack Obama lobbied Olympic leaders to give the 2016 Games to his home town Chicago, saying the US "is ready and eager to assume that sacred trust".

PRINCESS Caroline of Monaco’s controversial third husband, a German prince, is reported to be in a coma in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the principality.