Miss Nepal beauty pageant to be held in September or October

October 10th, 2009 LONDON - Hungarian women are celebrating fake beauty in a pageant where contestants showing breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts are bidding for the title of Miss Plastic Hungary 2009. The competition for unnatural beauties is promoting the benefits of plastic surgery in a country where artificial enhancements are viewed mostly with a wary eye.

October 8th, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - A Malay beauty pageant contender has revealed that she is very excited to wear a saree for the competition, and hopes her act will encourage others to wear the attire. University student Suguna Tan Sui Mei, 20, who is among the finalists of the annual Deepavali Saree Queen contest, said she decided to take part in the competition following encouragement from family and friends.

October 3rd, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - Indian origin law student Thanuja Ananthan has been crowned the Miss World Malaysia 2009 title. The 23-year-old faced disappointment at last year's pageant but returned determined for a second chance.

September 29th, 2009 LONDON - Miss World Singapore 2009 Ris Low, who was revealed to be a convict of a credit card fraud, has reportedly asked people to forgive her. Many Singaporeans wanted her to be stripped of her title, while others requested her not to represent Singapore in the finals of the Miss World pageant to be held in South Africa in December.

September 24th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Despite repeated warnings by the former Maoist guerrillas, Nepal's biggest and most popular beauty pageant Miss Nepal was off to a flying start Thursday after being forced to shelve the contest last year. Compered by a former Miss Nepal Malavika Subba and having another former Miss Nepal Sugarika K.C.

September 24th, 2009 KATHMANDU - A 20-year-old popular Buddhist model and music video star Thursday prevailed over Nepal's Maoists as well as 14 other contenders to walk off with the Miss Nepal 2009 crown held under the shadow of Maoist threats. Zenisha Moktan, the winner, comes from the Tamang community, one of the poorest and underprivileged communities in Nepal and the worst victims of human trafficking.

September 22nd, 2009 KATHMANDU - After being blocked by the Maoists, Nepal's oldest and best known beauty pageant, Miss Nepal, is finally scheduled to be held Thursday without drawing attention to its Indian sponsor, Dabur Nepal, which is thought to be the actual target of the former guerrillas. The Dabur Vatika Miss Nepal contest, which was sponsored by Indian ayurvedic product manufacturer Dabur to promote its Dabur Vatika range of cosmetics for women, has now been repositioned as the Fem Miss Nepal 2009 pageant in a bid to downplay the role of the Indian company that the Maoists have been pressuring the pageant organisers to replace.

August 24th, 2009 ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND - Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez was crowned Miss Universe 2009 here Monday, beating 84 contenders in the 58th edition of the annual pageant. Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela placed the glittering $120,000 crown on 18-year-old Fernandez who looked pretty in a red evening gown.

August 24th, 2009 TORONTO - In the biggest South Asian beauty pageant in North America, 25-year-old Aanchal Dogra was crowned Miss India-Canada 2009 here Sunday night. Hailing from Mississauga on the outskirts of Toronto, Dogra was also the oldest contestant among 16 Indian-Canadian girls who vied for the title.

August 24th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Pop stars from Nepal and India are teaming up for a series of concerts in Nepal's main cities for an anti-trafficking campaign sponsored by MTV. Indian crooner Sunidhi Chauhan and Nepali pop icon as well as Coke's poster boy Nima Rumba will join local stars Kranti Ale and Nalina Chitrakar for the campaign that kicks off with a concert in Kathmandu Sep 5, the first in a series of free "MTV EXIT Live in Nepal" concerts, said a statement by the American embassy here.

August 24th, 2009 NASSAU - Indian hopes were dashed when Miss India Ekta Choudhry failed to make the top 15 in the Miss Universe 2009 contest. Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez, was eventually named winner of the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.

August 19th, 2009 TORONTO - Defying all odds and unfavourable conditions, a Pakistani beauty queen is competing in the world's fifth largest beauty pageant- Miss Tourism Queen International 2009 being held in Shanghai. Ayesha Gilani, who hails from Lahore, is in Shanghai to compete with other 81 beauties from around the world.

August 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Out of the shadow of a Maoist government that focused on moral policing during its brief stint in power, Nepal's oldest and best known beauty pageant that had been stopped by the former guerrillas is now hoping for resurrection. Miss Nepal, the country's most popular beauty contest that was started 15 years ago but was obstructed by the women's wing of the Maoist party last year, is once more calling for young, unmarried and tall beauties to come forward with their applications by this month to win the crown that brings a cash prize as well as the opportunity to take part in the Miss World contest.

July 19th, 2009 Sarah Slocum has been crowned as the new Miss Arkansas 2009. The 23-year-old Miss Ouachita River, Slocum won the title of Miss Arkansas on Saturday.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Miss California Carrie Prejean, who sparked a furor at the Miss USA pageant by taking a stand against gay marriage, has been stripped off her crown. She was fired on Wednesday for failing to fulfill her obligations, according to a release by K2 Productions, the independent producers of the Miss California USA pageant, under license from Miss Universe, reports Fox News.