Hundreds have been treated in hospitals, the majority of those people being the homeless.

Bono and Sinead O'Connor took shoppers in Dublin's Grafton Street by surprise by holding an impromptu concert on Christmas Eve.

A panda in a Chinese zoo is feeling much better after having a piece of steamed corn bread removed from its oesophagus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he sees no reason not to sign a bill into law that would ban Americans adopting Russian children.

A Japanese architect is building a cardboard cathedral in New Zealand's earthquake devastated city of Christchurch.

US President Barack Obama has cut short his holidays in Hawaii and is flying to Washington to try to reach a deal to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff".

A state of emergency is declared as at least six people die in tornadoes, storms and blizzards that are sweeping across southern and central areas of the United States.

Gun owners in Los Angeles are being asked to exchange their firearms for gift cards to buy groceries.

Consumers have much more choice when it comes to tablets, smart phones and e-readers, than they did at this time last year, says the BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.

Mixed weather conditions in the UK in 2012 meant there were winners and losers amongst the country's wildlife - slugs and seals did well but bees struggled.

Sixteen people have been hurt after an aquarium burst at a shopping mall in Shanghai.

The new chief executive of the Post Office Paula Vennells has been spending time in branches to find out how things work at the busiest time of the year, the run up to Christmas.

What were the top 10 films of 2012? Talking Movies' Tom Brook gives his verdict

Spanish police have confiscated 11 tonnes of hashish and arrested 35 people in one of their biggest-ever drugs seizures.

Chinese snow sculptors are braving sub-zero temperatures to carve their way into the record books.

China has become home to the world's longest high-speed rail route with trains travelling at up to 300km/hour.

Retail analysts are expecting almost £3billion to be spent in the Boxing Day sales.

The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to British forces fighting in Afghanistan in a Christmas radio broadcast to troops serving overseas.

At least two people have been killed and another 11 injured after a plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Burma, officials say.

BBC's Sophie van Brugen reports from Westfield, London, where shoppers have been queuing throughout the night