A US court strikes down an Illinois law that bans carrying concealed guns, the last full state ban in the country.

Harry Reid, the top Democrat in Congress, says it will be hard to agree a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff before Christmas.

President Obama says the US formally recognises Syria's opposition coalition as the sole "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people.

Donna Summer, the disco diva who died this year, joins the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside rappers Public Enemy and six other inductees.

A gunman opens fire at shopping centre near Portland in the US state of Oregon, police say, with at least one death reported.

North Korea says it has successfully launched its rocket to put a satellite in orbit, in defiance of international warnings.

Chinese oil and gas producer PetroChina agrees a deal to buy ​BHP Billiton's stake in the Browse liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia.

Sitar player Ravi Shankar, who popularised Indian music around the world, dies hospital in the United States at the age of 92.