CHINA BANNED MOST IMPORTS OF NORTH KOREAN COAL AND IRON ORE

China banned most imports of North Korean coal and iron ore, the country's main exports, in a significant increase in pressure on the North under UN sanctions against its nuclear and missile tests. 

China buys an estimated two-thirds of impoverished North Korea's exports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has intensified nuclear activities in defiance of UN sanctions, conducting his country's fourth nuclear test explosion in January and test-firing missiles.

In a sign of growing frustration with its ally, China signed onto Security Council sanctions last month that include mandatory inspections of cargo bound to and from North Korea. The council called on all countries to “redouble their efforts'' to enforce the sanctions.