BBC news with Marion Marshall

President Obama has asked his Vice President Joe Biden to come up with concrete proposals for curbing gun violence by next month, following the mass shooting at a school in Connecticut. Mr. Obama said he would use all the powers of his office to tackle the problem, but would also need the support of the American people. From Washington, Paul Adams.

Barack Obama seems to be a man in a hurry. He has asked Joe Biden to report back in a matter of weeks on gun control. The president indicated that proposals might include banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as a more wide-reaching system of background checks. But he also emphasized other aspects of a complex problem, saying that access to mental healthcare should be at least as easy as access to a gun, and that the country is a whole needed to look at a culture, which he said, all too often glorified violence.

South Korea has elected its first female president. She's the conservative governing party's candidate, Park Geun-hye, whose father ruled the country for 18 years after seizing power in a coup. Ms. Park's liberal rival, Moon Jae-in, admitted defeat after a closely-fought contest. Addressing supporters, Park Geun-hye spoke of a new era of national happiness. A victory means both North and South Korea would be led by the children of former military rulers.

There has been strong condemnation at the United Nations after Israel approved the construction of a new Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem. Representatives from all U.N. Security Council members, except the United States, criticized Israel's plans, saying they threatened a two states solution. The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plans, saying they threatened the peace process.