Published: 7:32PM GMT 12 Dec 2009
Miss Gibraltar wins Miss World 2009
Miss Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino, is crowned Miss World 2009 at the finals pageant in Johannesburg. Photo: EPA
Miss Aldorino, 22, said she "had no words" to describe her feelings following her win at a glitzy awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa. However she did manage to say she was "really happy".
Miss England, otherwise known as Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, 22, a soldier in the Royal Anglian Regiment, failed to make it through in the sports heat after spraining her ankle during training.
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"I'm sad to say none of us UK girls made it through to the final round, but I never expected to even be here," she said.
"There are a few tears here backstage and some of the girls are not talking to anyone."
L/Cpl Hodge was drafted in to compete in the contest last month after the original Miss England winner Rachel Christie relinquished her title following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl.
But the soldier was magnanimous in defeat, praising Miss Aldorino.
She said: "I was so proud to represent England in Miss World in front of two billion viewers; I'm chuffed to bits for Miss Gibraltar, the winner.
"She is a real natural beauty who wasn't expecting to win at all."
She added:
"I've enjoyed every minute of it and looking forward to my six months' reign as Miss England when I get back, as I want to use my title to promote the British Army. Well done Gibraltar!"
Also taking part in the finals in Johannesburg were Miss Scotland - Katharine Brown, Miss Wales - Lucy Whitehouse, and Miss Ireland - Laura Patterson.
L/Cpl Hodge, who was first runner-up in the 2009 national contest, was promoted after Miss Christie, 21, stepped down as she wanted to concentrate on clearing her name, the Miss England organisers said.
She was given five weeks' leave from her duties to represent England in South Africa.
Since arriving in Johannesburg she reached the last 20 in the Miss World talent round in the run-up to the final but then suffered the injury.
She explained: "I was so disappointed not to make the final in the sports round as it involved an assault course - I saw that round as my best chance, being a soldier."
After being named Miss England, L/Cpl Hodge told how she hoped her role as an all-action beauty queen would be positive for young people who only saw digitally enhanced models in the media.
She has already served in Iraq but said she was hoping to join comrades on the frontline in Afghanistan after stepping down as Miss England in July next year.
The soldier, whose parents live in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, added: "We are taught in training that we are first and foremost a soldier.
"When I am a soldier I have my hair scraped back and no make-up."
She was given an award by her unit in the Royal Anglian Regiment for her actions during a posting in Basra and has earned the nickname "Combat Barbie" L/Cpl Hodge.
First runner-up was Miss Mexico, Perla Beltran Acosta, while Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar, was the second runner-up.
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Californian is new Miss USA
By AFP news agency (Agence France-Presse)
California beauty wins Miss USA pageant LOS ANGELES, June 20, 2011 (AFP) - California beauty Alyssa Campanella won the 2011 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas on Sunday, beating out her competition for a spot in the Miss Universe pageant in Brazil in September. Alyssa Campanella, 21, this year's Miss California, took home the crown at the event held at the Planet Hollywood Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. She had earlier wowed the judges parading in a turquoise gown, and a polka dot bikin...
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* By Liz Monteiro, Record staff
* Fri Jun 10 2011
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8 Recommend
Muslim women seek to dispel misconceptions
Uzma Bhutto, Nevine El Gendy, Nazneen Zaidi, Minna Ella and Fauzia Mazhar are members with the Coalition of Muslim Women, K-W.
Fighting misconceptions Uzma Bhutto, Nevine El Gendy, Nazneen Zaidi, Minna Ella and Fauzia Mazhar are members with the Coalition of Muslim Women, K-W.
Philip Walker/Record staff
KITCHENER — If you see a Muslim woman with her head covered, do you assume she is oppressed?
Many do, and a group of local Muslim women want to set the record straight.
They are not abused by their husbands, they are not second-class citizens within their families, and they are not victims. They have a voice and they want you to hear it.
“We don’t want to be defined by being covered or not covered. We want to go beyond the hijab (head covering). We have passions, personalities and purposes in life,’’ said Fauzia Mazhar, co-ordinator of the Coalition of Muslim Women, Kitchener-Waterloo.
“People don’t know about Muslim women. They have misconceptions and stereotypes,’’ said Mazhar, a health worker at the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre.
On Saturday, the women’s group will hold a Day of Dialogue with Muslim Women at Kitchener City Hall.
A panel presentation will address five topics: education and leadership; rights and responsibilities; religious duties; Islamic dress and the hijab; and marriage and divorce.
Following a question-and-answer period, participants will be able to have one-on-one conversations with Muslim women in what the group calls the “human library.”
Nazneen Zaidi of Kitchener said many people assume her husband controls her because she covers her head.
“Men and women are equal under the eyes of God and the law of Islam,’’ said the mother of three. “Roles are different but the responsibilities to the family are the same. There is not leadership.’’
Zaidi, who was born in Montreal and has a master’s degree in educational technology from Concordia University, started covering her head by wearing the hijab — a covering over the head — as a graduate student.
“I loved it. It was respect and real freedom,’’ she said. “You get to know me from what’s up here (pointing to her head).’’
Mazhar said the decision to cover one’s head or not is an individual decision made by every Muslim woman. Some decide to cover their heads as children, others as teens and some wear hijabs and then take them off later in life.
Nevine El Gendy said it’s imperative for women to seek knowledge about their Muslim faith in order to make the decision that is best for them. Women can also work or choose to raise their children at home, she said.
The Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, requires modesty of women and men in their dress, but it’s when cultural practices are interpreted as religious responsibilities that there is confusion, the women say. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, women must cover their heads, they don’t have a choice.
Uzma Bhutto, who came to Canada from Pakistan in 2005, doesn’t cover her head.
“I’m not courageous at the moment,’’ said Bhutto, who is related to former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007. They were second cousins.
“I have huge respect for those who do (cover their heads),’’ said Bhutto, who works at the downtown health centre and is a master’s student at the University of Waterloo. She was a medical doctor in Pakistan.
Minna Ella of Waterloo started wearing the niqab — a covering over the head and face, showing only the eyes — when she was 17. She was eight when she covered her head.
“My father didn’t force it upon me and my husband didn’t force it upon me,’’ said Ella, who was born in London, Ont. and then lived in the United States, Egypt and Germany before moving in Waterloo in 2007.
“This is a sign of faith, of Muslim identity,’’ said Ella, a mother of three.
Ella said she often asks people what they think of her when all they can see of her face is her eyes.
“I get the same answer, oppression. It’s out there,’’ she said.
For more information on Saturday’s event, go to the group’s website at www.cmw-kw.org
lmonteiro@therecord.com
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