The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly banned Christmas celebrations, and has ordered citizens to worship his grandmother Kim Jong-Suk instead of Jesus Christ on Christmas day.
North Korea has ridiculed the outgoing United Nations secretary general for his apparent ambitions to run for president of South Korea, calling Ban Ki-moon an opportunistic "chameleon in a human mask" with a "hollow dream."
The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to impose new sanctions on North Korea, including strict new limits on exports of coal, in response to its latest nuclear test in September.