News Summary: NKorea sanctions squeeze aid groups

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: New international sanctions aimed at thwarting North Korea's nuclear weapons program are halting money transfers by foreign humanitarian groups working to help those most in need.

MUST CARRY CASH: The difficulties are linked to the Bank of China's decision this month to follow Washington's lead and sever ties with the North's Foreign Trade Bank, the main money transfer route for most foreign organizations. With that line cut, aid workers say they are left with few options to receive foreign currency for expenses. They warned they may be forced to suspend their operations.

LIVING LARGE: Some trade restrictions are meant to sting the country's elite by crippling the import of luxury goods, such as yachts, fancy cars and jewelry. But high-end merchandise is still reaching the upper class in an impoverished country where two-thirds of its 24 million people don't have enough to eat.