COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption The US has warned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (fourth from left) to end his weapons testing North Korea has branded a US security document citing the possible use of "overwhelming force" against Pyongyang as "criminal", state media report. Its foreign ministry accused President Donald Trump of seeking "the total subordination of the world" with his new US national security strategy. Mr Trump said on Monday that Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by Pyongyang's weapons programmes. It comes as the UN is due to vote on tougher sanctions against North Korea. A spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry said  the US national security strategy  was "nothing but the proclamation of aggression", state news agency KCNA reports. He accused the US of attempting to "stifle our country and turn the entire Korean peninsula into an outpost for seeking that hegemony". ...

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Bitcoin plunged on Friday, extending a fall that saw the crypto-currency lose more than a third of its value from a record of nearly $20,000 (£15,000). The crypto-currency's price dipped below $11,000 on Friday, according to the Coindesk exchange website,  before recovering to about $12,000. Amid the swing, three Bitcoin-related exchanges suspended certain trades. Bitcoin has had a blistering trip over the past 12 months. Its price at the start of the year was $1,000. It is now on track for its worst week since 2013. Charles Hayter, founder and chief executive of industry website Cryptocompare, said: "A manic upward swing led by the herd will be followed by a downturn as the emotional sentiment changes." He said a lot of traders would have been cashing in on the spectacular gains made over the year. Is Asia driving the Bitcoin craze? What is Bitcoin? 'Be ready to lose your money' What's going on? The past f...

Image copyright AFP Image caption North Korea has said fresh sanctions will make it accelerate its nuclear programme The United Nations Security Council has voted to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent ballistic missile tests. The US-drafted resolution includes measures to reduce the nation's petrol imports by up to 90%. China, North Korea's main trading partner, voted in favour of the resolution. The country is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU. Washington has been imposing sanctions on Pyongyang since 2008, freezing the assets of individuals and companies linked to its nuclear programme and banning the exports of goods and services to the country. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the sanctions sent an "unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation". North Korea crisis in 300 words Can the world live with a nuclear No...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Cyril Ramaphosa is one of South Africa's wealthiest politicians The new leader of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC), Cyril Ramaphosa, has pledged to fight corruption and pursue a policy of "radical economic transformation". Closing the party's conference, he said tackling unemployment and poverty should also be key party policies. Mr Ramaphosa was elected on Monday to succeed President Jacob Zuma as party leader. He is in a strong position to become president at elections in 2019. "This conference has resolved that corruption must be fought with the same intensity and purpose that we fight poverty, unemployment and inequality," he told delegates at the end of the five-day conference. "We must also act fearlessly against alleged corruption and abuse of office within our ranks." He acknowledged that the gathering had approved the seizure of land without compensation, but...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (C) is backed by vice-presidents Martin Vizcarra and Mercedes Araoz Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has made a last-minute plea on the eve of an appearance before Congress that could remove him from office. In a judicial appeal he argued he had been "convicted in advance". Mr Kuczynski's opponents want to impeach him for allegedly receiving illegal payments from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. Peru's two vice-presidents have pledged their support for Mr Kuczynski, who denies the allegations against him. Correspondents say his chances of survival appear slim. Ninety-three lawmakers have backed an impeachment vote where only 87 votes are needed for it to go ahead. If removed, he would be the first sitting president to be forced out in the Odebrecht scandal which has spread through a number of countries in Latin America and beyond. In a televised address, President Kuczyn...

Media caption US tax bill: the winners and losers US President Donald Trump has hailed sweeping tax reforms after they were given final approval by Congress, despite fierce criticism by Democrats. "We are making America great again," a jubilant Mr Trump said. He is expected to sign his first major legislative achievement - the biggest rewrite of the US tax code in a generation - in the coming days. The bill slashes taxes for corporations and the wealthy, while offering mixed, temporary relief to working people. Democrats have labelled the Republican tax bill "government for sale", with prominent Senator Elizabeth Warren describing it as a "heist". Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump WE ARE MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! 10:44 PM - Dec 20, 2017   18,766 18,766 Replies     17,441 17,441 Retweets     69,776 69,776 likes Twitter Ads inf...