As 2011 draws to a close, we look back at the year's top stories

Actress Natalie Portman was named the Best Actress at the 83rd annual Academy Awards. She won the accolade for her role in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, which revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's play by a New York ballet company.

Portman defeated Annette Bening who was nominated for her role in lesbian film The Kids Are All Right. Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Lawrence were also nominated for awards.

Also in this month, BBC Radio's 5 Live examined the growing number of female Muslim couples who marry in a ceremony known as a 'nikah'. Mirroring a similar feature which ran in DIVA magazine, the show's team spoke to a UK couple and an American Imam who'd conducted same-sex Muslim weddings in the UK, despite controversy.

Finally, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon (pictured) became a mother for the third time - after her lesbian partner gave birth to a baby boy. Christine Marinoni, who kept the pregnancy secret from the public, delivered the child in the early hours. A spokesman for the couple confirmed that the boy is named Max Ellington Nixon-Marinoni.