51.   Japanese leaders on Sunday welcomed the trade agreement reached with the United States in three important areas but regretted US moves toward sanctions over the unresolved issue of automobiles.

52.   Larfaoui said a special FINA Congress in Rio de Janeiro would examine rules, regulations and sanctions over drugs.

53.   Mugabe also took aim at the European Union, which is also considering sanctions over rights abuses under his government.

54.   Mugabe is already under US and European Union sanctions over his increasingly autocratic rule, and Washington on Thursday said it was considering further punitive measures.

55.   Mugabe, once hailed for leading a peaceful and prosperous nation, finds himself the target of sanctions over his autocratic style and his violent crackdown on dissent.

56.   North Korea warned Friday that it would regard sanctions over its suspected nuclear arms development as a declaration of war against it.