AKIPRESS.COM - President Obama has signed off new expanded sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear programme, weeks after it launched a long-range rocket.

The country has refused to stop its nuclear programme and the bill was easily passed last week by Congress.

The sanctions attempt to cut off money North Korea needed to develop miniaturised nuclear warheads.

The US and China are negotiating over a UN Security Council resolution on new sanctions, reports BBC.

China has said some of the measures could cripple North Korea's economy.

The bill also allows for $50m (£35m) to support humanitarian programmes and transmit radio broadcasts into North Korea.

North Korea recently fired a long-range rocket, which critics said was a test of banned missile technology.

State television announced that North Korea had "successfully placed a satellite in orbit".

The morning after that launch, Mr Obama said: "This is an authoritarian regime. It's provocative. It has repeatedly violated UN resolutions, tested and produced nuclear weapons, and now they are trying to perfect their missile launch system."

South Korea said it would begin discussing with the US the deployment of a missile defence system.

Analysts say Kim Jong-un is looking to appear powerful before his important Seventh Party Congress in May.