What do the likes of Lord Coe, Pippa Middleton, Kim Jong-un and Julian Assange hope to achieve in the new year?

A West End star lost part of the £1.7m settlement he was awarded following the break-up of his civil partnership, after the Court of Appeal ruled that his "home-making" role did not entitle him to a larger slice of the couple's assets.

Michael Shannon is evil General Zod in the new Man of Steel. James Mottram meets the actor who wowed critics in Take Shelter

Laurence Fishburne will play Perry White in 'Superman: Man of Steel'.

The Man of Steel may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he may struggle to jump over this staggeringly comprehensive DVD collection of Superman movies released by Warner.

The commodities trading giant Glencore has narrowed the price range for its $11bn (£7bn) initial public offering this week, raising the mid-point – and the group's expected valuation – amid strong investor interest in the flotation despite the recent volatility in raw material prices.

After Christopher Nolan's success at rejuvenating the Batman movies, fans of the Superman series reacted with understandable glee when it emerged that he was in line to produce a new film about the caped hero. Yesterday they discovered he will be joined by a director lauded for his comic book adaptations, Zach Snyder.

Bryan Singer takes a break from superhero movies (X-Men, Superman Returns) to tell the story of a real-life hero.

This morning, Steve Kenyon will be far from the madding crowd of 40,000 Great North Runners. "I've booked a stall to sell records in Bolton town centre," he said. "I've got a hobby, buying and selling vinyl records. I've got a big collection from the 1960s. I'm a big fan of the Beatles. I'm showing my age there."