World briefs 12/13/04

Chinese prepare for first plastic-surgery pageant

BEIJING -- Her hair is jet black and curly, her figure trim, her face free of wrinkles. Liu Yulan looks at least a decade younger than her 62 years -- thanks to four visits to a cosmetic surgeon. Liu is one of 19 finalists in China's first beauty pageant for women who have undergone plastic surgery, part of the country's increasingly fevered pursuit of beauty as the economy soars and people spend more money and time on their looks. The government says the country's fast-growing cosmetic surgery industry rakes in $2.4 billion a year as patients rush to go under the knife to widen eyes, narrow faces and fill out lips and breasts, emerging as "renzao meinu" -- manmade beauties. The finalists, aged 18 to 62, will vie for the top prize next Saturday after a week of rehearsals. Other individual prizes will also be awarded for best figure, biggest change and best stage demeanor.

Bin Laden 'definitely' in Aghanistan, Karzai says

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that Osama bin Laden is "definitely" in the region and eventually will be caught, even though American and Pakistani generals admit the trail is cold. Speculation on bin Laden's whereabouts has long focused on the mountains along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the al-Qaida leader slipped away from Afghan and U.S. forces three years ago. "It's very difficult to say where he is hiding. He cannot be away from this region. He's definitely in this region," Karzai told CNN's "Late Edition." "We will get him sooner or later, trust me on that."

-- From wire reports

Radicals may pounce if Turkey fails in EU bid

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- It's the sort of scene that rattles Turkey's Western-looking establishment: angry demonstrators raising fists for Islam and waving posters supporting Chechen separatists, the Iraq insurgency and hard-line Palestinian factions such as Hamas. Radical cries from the fringe are driving concerns that the Muslim nation's push toward Europe may stir momentum in the opposite direction. Ahead of a key European Union vote Friday, pro-Islamic political groups appear ready to seek gains if Ankara's bid to join the EU falters.

-- From wire reports