Outlaw N. Ireland group promises to stop attacks

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland's largest and most violent outlawed group, the Ulster Defense Association, announced Sunday that it will desist from further attacks and wants to rejoin peacemaking efforts.

The statement from the anti-Catholic group - which has killed more than 400 people in a self-proclaimed "war" against Irish Republican Army supporters - represented a potentially significant step forward in the province's decade-old peace process.

The UDA issued its statement two days after Britain said it accepted that the group was observing a credible truce again after years of violations.

Reports: Japan princess to wed, lose royal title

TOKYO - Japan's Princess Sayako, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, will announce her intentions to marry a 39-year-old city government official in the coming weeks, an official said Sunday.

Sayako, 35, also known by her royal title Norinomiya, and her husband-to-be, Yoshiki Kuroda, have already received the blessings of the emperor and empress, public broadcaster NHK TV said Sunday. The national Asahi newspaper carried a similar report.

Under the Imperial Household Law, Sayako will become a commoner once she is married. She has two brothers, Crown Prince Naruhito, 44, and Prince Akishino, 38. The last time a member of Japan's royal family became a commoner through marriage was the emperor's cousin, Princess Masako, in 1983.

Cubans rush to trade in dollars before deadline

HAVANA - Cubans and tourists lined up to change U.S. dollars into local currency Sunday, the last day to do so without paying a 10 percent surcharge that is part of a government measure to eliminate the dollar from circulation on this communist-run island.

As of last week, dollars no longer were accepted at Cuban stores, restaurants, hotels or other businesses. The 10 percent surcharge taking effect today is meant to further discourage people from bringing currency from Cuba's No. 1 enemy to the island.

Elsewhere...

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL? Iran agreed Sunday to freeze its uranium enrichment program in a deal with the European Union to avoid U.N. Security Council sanctions, several wire services reported, each quoting unnamed diplomats. The unnamed sources said the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency received the letter from Iran on Sunday evening. Details of the deal were unclear Sunday night. U.S. officials expect European diplomats to brief them today.

IVORY COAST EMBARGO: African leaders backed an arms embargo and other immediate U.N. sanctions against Ivory Coast on Sunday, isolating President Laurent Gbagbo's hard-line government even further in its deadly confrontation with its former colonial ruler, France.

FINE FOR ANTHEM BLUNDER: A woman who fumbled a few phrases of Mexico's national anthem while singing the song before a soccer game in Guadalajara has been fined $40 for the blunder. Guadalupe Madrigal acknowledged she got the words wrong before an Oct. 30 soccer match, Mexico's Interior Department announced Saturday.

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