In response to North Korea's third nuclear test, the UN Security Council voted on Thursday, March 7 to tighten financial restrictions on Pyongyang and crack down on its attempts to ship and receive banned cargo in breach of UN sanctions, Reuters said.

The U.S.-drafted resolution, which was approved unanimously by the 15-nation council, was the product of three weeks of negotiations between the United States and China after North Korea's third nuclear test on February 12.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, welcomed the council's move, saying in a statement that the resolution "sent an unequivocal message to (North Korea) that the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons."