Men In Black III tops the charts

The third Men In Black alien action comedy bumped the mighty Avengers from the top of the movie box-office charts.

MIB 3, starring Will Smith, racked up $55m (¤43.6m) in the United States and Canada from Friday to yesterday, according to studio estimates.

The movie also topped box offices in 104 countries around the world, and is expected to haul in a global $202m (¤160m) over the bank holiday weekend, distributor Sony Pictures said.

Footballer set for assault trial

Sunderland footballer Titus Bramble was due to go on trial today accused of sexually assaulting two women.

He is charged in connection with alleged incidents during a night out in Yarm, Teesside, on September 28 last year.

Bramble (30), of Wellington Drive, Wynyard, near Middlesbrough, faces four charges -- all of which he denies.

The charges include indecently touching one alleged victim.

Meerkats face survival fight

They are known for their comical behaviour and ability to live in large social groups or "clans".

But a new study of meerkats in the wild has found that almost half are affected by inbreeding, impacting upon their chances of survival.

The University of Edinburgh said researchers examined data from almost 2,000 meerkats in groups at the Kuruman River Reserve in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

They found that 44pc of the meerkats studied showed some evidence of inbreeding.

Pakistan -- US kills 5 militants

Pakistani intelligence officials say an American missile attack has killed five suspected Islamist militants close to the Afghan border.

The attack late yesterday in North Waziristan was the fourth in less than a week, signaling that Washington has no intention of heeding demands by Islamabad to stop the strikes.

The officials said five missiles hit a vehicle and a house in Makeene Kili village close to the town of Miran Shah.

They spoke on condition of anonymity.