US Hits North Korea on Coal, Oil, and ... Statues

The Treasury Department applied new sanctions Tuesday intended to squeeze North Korea even tighter. 

The sanctions were mostly against Chinese and Russian companies and individuals that the US accuses of conducting illegal business with Pyongyang and thus helping its nuclear weapons program, reports the Washington Post. 

The big hits were against Chinese firms that import about $500 million worth of coal from the North, as well as Russian firms that deliver oil to the nation, per Politico. Also of note: The US went after two companies that help North Korea with an unusual but lucrative business: building statues overseas. 

Read the full story on Newser.com

• Mom Gives Birth, Then Dies in Freak Elevator Accident
• Last Surviving US Defector to North Korea Is Dead
• Breitbart Slams Trump 'Flip-Flop' on Afghanistan