Nigeria delays Miss World contest to avoid Ramadan

NIGERIA BOWED to pressure from its powerful Muslim community yesterday by announcing the postponement of its Miss World contest.

President Olusegun Obasanjo's wife, Stella, said the contest had been postponed by a week until 7 December to avoid the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan. Nigerian Muslims have attacked the contest as "a parade of nudity" and it is unclear whether the government's decision will make any difference to planned protests by Muslims.

The country won the right to host the event after a Nigerian, Agbani Darego, was crowned at the last Miss World contest, in South Africa. But it has also been dogged by a growing international boycott since an Islamic court upheld a verdict in August against a mother who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. On Thursday Costa Rica joined a boycott byFrance, Belgium, Norway, Ivory Coast and Kenya.