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

Imogen Foulkes gained rare access to one of the world's four major gold refineries in Switzerland for a look at this highly secretive industry.

More than a dozen tornadoes slammed into the US Gulf Coast, destroying homes and plunging tens of thousands of them into darkness.

A cinema adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children, will be released in Europe on Wednesday.

The month of December in Brazil has become a time for celebrating the roots of samba music, and the ''samba train'' has become a popular tradition.

Chinese authorities say they have rescued 89 children and arrested hundreds of suspects following a crackdown on trafficking rings across the country.

A man alleged to have lured two US volunteer firefighters to their deaths in Webster, New York state, left a long note outlining his plans, police say.

A look back at the stories that shook the showbiz world in 2012.

The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones reflects on his technology highlights of 2012.

Freezing rain and sleet made for a sloppy Christmas trek in parts of the nation's midsection, while residents along the Gulf Coast braced for thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes that were doing damage in some areas.

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It turns out Rudolph wasn't the only reindeer with a bright red nose. All reindeer have red noses, and a new study in the British Medical Journal explains why. Their noses are packed with lots of blood vessels to warm cold air on the way in and soak up heat from their breath as they breathe out.

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The Keystone pipeline is supposed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Texas — a route that runs right through David Daniel's land. To try to save his woods from bulldozers, Daniel built tree houses 80 feet in the air and protesters climbed up into them.

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The ex-con who lured two firefighters to their deaths in a blaze of gunfire left a rambling typewritten note saying he wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people," police said as they recovered burned human remains believed to be the gunman's missing sister.

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The Queen has used her Christmas message to reflect on a year of major events in the UK, saying she was 'humbled' by the public's response to her Diamond Jubilee.

Christmas Day has been celebrated across the globe in a variety of different ways, with rain in Australia and the UK failing to deter some seasonal traditions.

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.

Fifty members of a community in India said to be descended from one of the biblical lost tribes of Israel have flown to Tel Aviv to settle there.

Few people today remember E.T.A. Hoffmann, but most everyone is familiar with his most famous creation: The Nutcracker. NPR's Robert Siegel traces the history of everyone's favorite Christmas ballet all the way back to its much darker original version.

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Every UK serviceman and woman based in Afghanistan is having a traditional Christmas lunch, with many also taking part in pantomimes, carol services and sporting competitions.