World briefs 11/10/03

Miss Afghanistan wins 'beauty for a cause' award

MANILA, Philippines -- Miss Afghanistan Vida Samadzai, condemned in her homeland for parading in a bikini at the Miss Earth contest, won the pageant's first "beauty for a cause" award on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Samadzai, the first Afghan in three decades to take part in a beauty contest, failed to make it to the contest's semifinals.

But judges announced that, for the first time, they were handing out a "beauty for a cause" prize. They awarded it to Samadzai for "symbolizing the newfound confidence, courage and spirit of today's women" and "representing the victory of women's rights and various social, personal and religious struggles."

Samadzai could face prosecution if she returns to her native country because of her attire at the Manila pageant, a senior Afghan justice official said Saturday.

South Korean workers, students clash with police

SEOUL, South Korea -- Fire bombs lit up the evening sky in Seoul on Sunday as labor activists and students battled riot police in one of the most violent protests in years. Dozens of students and workers were injured, witnesses said.

Police hauled away dozens of workers and students bleeding from their heads, while protesters lobbed hundreds of fire bombs, which exploded in flames.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which organized Sunday's protest, said at least 43 workers were hospitalized, one of them unconscious. Police reported 16 officers injured, said South Korean news agency Yonhap.

In one clash, hundreds of police cornered a score of students in an alley and pummeled them with plastic shields and batons. Television footage showed police stomping on protesters sprawled on the pavement.

U.S. detains 18 people in fatal hotel attack

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops have arrested 18 people in connection with last month's fatal missile barrage against Baghdad's Al-Rasheed hotel, a U.S. military official said Sunday.

Lt. Col. George Krivo, a spokesman for the U.S. command, said the suspects were taken into custody by the 1st Armored Division, which is in charge of security in Baghdad. Krivo did not say when the arrests occurred.

Iran to suspend uranium enrichment in 'few days'

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Sunday that it will suspend uranium enrichment in the coming days, a move it has promised to take amid pressure to prove it is not trying to make nuclear weapons.

It was the firmest timetable yet by Tehran to carry out the step, which the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency has been seeking for weeks. Iran has also said that this week it will firm up its promise to allow snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities.

"Within the next few days uranium enrichment will be suspended," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

Enriching uranium is a process that creates fuel for nuclear plants but also can be used to build weapons.

Insecurity in Iraq may delay constitution

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A senior Iraqi official warned Sunday that the escalating anti-American insurgency may delay work on the country's new constitution, slowing steps toward the U.S. administration's goal of a democratic government here.

The U.S. command Sunday announced the death of another soldier, who was killed late Saturday when his vehicle struck a land mine in Baghdad.

Three paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division were wounded in Fallujah, the military also reported. Witnesses said a British soldier was wounded Sunday by a land mine in the southern city of Basra.

"We are on offensive operations," a U.S. officer said on condition of anonymity. "You can expect to see an increase in the level of intensity and the amount of activity that is occurring, especially in those 'challenging' areas."

Cabinet lineup leaves security forces to Arafat

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia announced the formation of a Cabinet on Sunday, backing down from a bitter confrontation with Yasser Arafat and leaving the veteran Palestinian leader in firm control of the security forces.

Qureia's defeat in his power struggle with Arafat left him severely weakened and threatened to complicate efforts to restart talks with Israel and begin implementing the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.

Israel and the United States, who have worked to sideline Arafat, were disappointed at the outcome. They had pushed for the consolidation of disparate Palestinian security forces under the prime minister, a measure they see as crucial to cracking down on Palestinian militant groups.

Still, Israeli officials -- who face public pressure to resume some sort of peace process -- stopped short of saying they would boycott Qureia because Arafat remains effectively in control of government.

-- From wire reports