TEHRAN (Reuters):

Iran's supreme leader yesterday threw his weight behind a gasolene rationing scheme which sparked angry protests and left more than a dozen petrol stations burnt out in the world's fourth-largest oil exporter.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority under its system of clerical rule, hailed the government's "bravery" in a speech to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and senior officials, state television reported.

Despite huge energy reserves, the Islamic Republic has limited refining capacity and imports to 40 per cent of its fuel needs, a sensitive issue when world powers are threatening new United Nations sanctions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Seeking to rein in costly imports and soaring consumption of heavily subsidised fuel, the government in May raised the litre price by 25 per cent and on Wednesday, launched a delayed plan to ration the sale of gasolene.

Many motorists complained the amount of fuel they are allowed to buy, just 100 litres a month, is not enough and some lawmakers have called for a review of the allowances.

But Khamenei, who has also previously defended the government against criticism on some issues, made clear he backed the move.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters):

Pope Benedict yesterday called on China to lift restrictions on religious freedom that "suffocate" the Church and sow divisions among Catholics, in his most significant address on China to date.

But the Pope also called for greater dialogue with the officially atheist state, writing in a 55-page open letter that he sought to restore full diplomatic ties with Beijing that were severed two years after the 1949 Communist take-over.

The Pope, writing to China's bishops, priests and faithful, lamented that millions of Catholics in China were still forced to worship under a state-controlled church that refuses to recognise his authority.

Millions of others worship in "underground" churches loyal to the Pope, and the Pontiff said the divisions had weakened the Church in China.

"It is true that in recent years the Church has enjoyed greater religious freedom than in the past," the Pope said. "Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that grave limitations remain that touch the heart of the faith and that, to a certain degree, suffocate pastoral activity."

China's foreign ministry responded with a short statement saying it was willing to continue "frank, constructive dialogue with the Vatican".

BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (Reuters):

A rocket attack on Cote d'Ivoire's prime minister has shaken the West African state's fledgling peace process but his rebel movement vowed yesterday to press on with reuniting the war-divided state.

A rocket hit the plane of premier Guillaume Soro, who also leads New Forces rebels who control the north of the world's top cocoa grower after a 2002-03 civil war, as it touched down in the main rebel city, Bouake, on Friday, killing four aides.

"Those planting bombs can carry on if they want, but they should know these actions are destined to fail," New Forces spokesman Sidiki Konate said yesterday at a meeting to reassure residents in the rebel city of Bouake that there was no dispute among New Forces military commanders.

KIEV (Reuters):

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, in an article published yesterday, urged his rival, Ukraine's president, to sign a pact upholding the outcome of a September election to keep the country clear of a new political crisis.

Pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved parliament in April and called a snap parliamentary election after months of sniping with the prime minister.

Yanukovich, who gets much of his support in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, resisted the dissolution order in weeks of battles over legal procedures. He agreed to take part in the poll, while insisting it be conducted in strictly legal fashion.

Writing in the weekly Zerkalo Nedeli, he said an agreement with the president and all political parties was vital to avoid plunging Ukraine into new disputes.

"If we fail to do this, we will head straight into crisis right after the election. To ensure that the electoral process take place without turbulence, we need new political agreements, new guarantees of mutual trust," Yanukovich wrote.