World briefs 11/30/03

U.S. military offers condolence to S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea -- The top U.S. military commander in South Korea offered condolences Saturday over the death of a South Korean woman in a traffic accident involving an American soldier. Kee Kyeong-sun, 22, died early Friday in a vehicle-on-vehicle collision near Osan Air Base south of Seoul, South Korean police said. The U.S. military charged Sgt. Jerry S. Olken, 33, with leaving the scene of the accident Friday. Olken is a member of the 1-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion, based in Suwon, just south of Seoul.

Pakistani arrested for daughter's 'honor killing'

MULTAN, Pakistan -- Pakistani police arrested a man on charges he killed his 23-year-old daughter for choosing her own husband, an official said Saturday. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf had learned of the Nov. 12 killing of Afshin Musarrat from Pakistan's Human Rights Commission and demanded an investigation. Musarrat's father, Musarrat Sahu, confessed in custody, said Hamid Mukhtar Gondal, the city's police chief. Sahu was arrested Thursday. Gondal said Sahu will be formally charged with her death next week.

Congo plane crash kills all 22 people aboard

KINSHASA, Congo -- A Soviet-made plane crashed Saturday in central Congo, killing all 22 people aboard, a Congo government spokesman said. The craft went down just after takeoff at the city of Boende, some 550 miles northeast of the capital, Kinshasa, government spokesman Vital Kamerhe said. Government officials said they did not know whether the aircraft was carrying members of the military or civilians. Hamadoun Toure, a U.N. spokesman, said the plane was not one of those belonging to Congo's U.N. military mission, which is overseeing cease-fires and peace deals in the central African nation after a five-year war.

Pop stars perform at Mandela's AIDS concert

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Beyonce Knowles, Bono, Peter Gabriel and other musicians from around the world took to the stage Saturday for an AIDS benefit concert hosted by former South African President Nelson Mandela. More than 30,000 people filled Cape Town's Greenpoint Stadium for the show, part of Mandela's campaign to fight AIDS. The concert will be screened globally by MTV on World Aids Day on Monday.

Japanese destroy rocket because of malfunction

TOKYO -- Japan's space program suffered a setback Saturday after a rocket carrying two spy satellites meant to keep an eye on North Korea malfunctioned following liftoff and had to be destroyed, officials said. One of the H2-A's two rocket boosters failed to separate, making it impossible for the rocket to reach orbit. The agency ordered the malfunctioning rocket blown up 10 minutes after liftoff. Tokyo put its first two spy satellites into space in March as part of a project to watch North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

-- From wire reports