US Slaps New sanctions

              The US government has slapped new sanctions on North Korea,targeting illegal trade in arms,drugs and luxury goods,as it steps up the pressure over the sinking of a South Korean warship.      The treasury department announced Monday it was imposing sanctions on four people and eight organizations accused of aiding the secretive communist government through illicit trade. President Barack Obama issued an order freezing assets and imposing travel bans,in the latest action over the sinking of the South Korean navy ship in March which washington and Seoul have blamed on North Korea. Obama also expanded the scope of US sanctions to cover those involved in the trade in arms,drugs and luxury goods to and from the dirt-poor nation.Among those targeted was a secretive branch of the Korean Worker's Party, known as Office 39,which is suspected of selling methamphetamine in China and South Korea and acquiring luxury items for North Korea's leaders.