BAGHDAD: Iraq pressed UN Secretary Kofi Annan today to push for the lifting of sanctions, only days after the country's leadership threatened to break all cooperation with UN weapons inspectors.

``Annan must act effectively to bring justice to Iraq and make the Security Council respect its commitments'' to lift the eight-year-old embargo, said official Iraqi newspaper Al-Jumhuriya. Recalling Annan's success in defusing the previous crisis over UN weapons inspections in February, the newspaper urged the UN chief to ``implement immediately'' the resolution providing for the removal of sanctions once UN experts certify the elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles.

Pakistani jailed on sodomy charge

KUALA LUMPUR: A Pakistani man, Munawar Anees, was sentenced to six months' jail today for allowing ousted deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim to sodomise him, the official Bernama news agency reported. Sodomy is a punishable offence under theMalaysian penal code, the agency said. The sentence was passed by a sessions court here, five days after Munawar was detained under the country's powerful internal security act which allows for detention without trial, it added.

Action sought against Taslima critics

DHAKA: As some Muslim fundamentalist groups mounted their protests against controversial feminist writer Taslima Nasreen in Bangladesh, a leading pro-1971 liberation organisation has demanded stern action against those who are threatening to kill her.

In a joint statement ``kattuerer ghatak dalal nirmul committee'' (committee for elimination of killers and collaborators of 1971) and another pro-liberation organisation ``muktijuddhor smriti sangrakkhan kendra'' (centre for preservation of memorials of Bangladesh war) today expressed strong resentment over the instigating statements by fundamentalist groups against Nasreen.

China to ban leaded petrol

BEIJING: China has banned production and sale of leaded gasoline in thecountry by the end of next year to help control rising pollution, official reports said today. The state council, China's highest government body, said gas stations will have to replace leaded with unleaded petrol by July one.The government will raise taxes on leaded gas from January one next to keep the price at least as high as unleaded gasoline.