STORY TO BE TOLD

Ivian Sarcos, Miss Venezuela, was crowned the 61st Miss World winner during a spectacular event held in London on November 6th. She is now her country's sixth Miss World titleholder and earns a record 19th grand slam title for Venezuela, the powerhouse of beauty.

And Miss World 2011 is… VENEZUELA!

Miss Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos, was crowned Miss World 2011 during a spectacular event that took place in Earls Court Two in London, England, on November 6th. Sarcos had been a favorite for the title since her arrival and became the 6th winner of the Miss World crown for her country, Venezuela.

The 1st runner-up was also top bet Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais. Ruais is the first winner under new national directorship in the country, headed by Cory Quirino. The 2nd runner-up was Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Vilanova.

Sarcos, Ruais and Vilanova will now tour the world promoting the slogan Beauty with a Purpose, as well as attending activities related with the Miss World license.

The show implemented a new scoreboard system which added suspense to every moment. The Top 30 beauties were chosen on screen and points were added after revealing each fast-track’s result. During 2003-2010, the winner of each fast-track advanced to the semi finals, but starting in 2011, it will only add points to the cumulative score. The system was very well received by viewers around the world.

Miss World 2011: Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos Colmenares
1st runner-up: Philippines, Gwendolyn Ruais
2nd runner-up: Puerto Rico, Amanda Vilanova

Top 7 Finalists:

England, Alize Mounter
Korea, Kyung Min Doe
Scotland, Jennifer Reoch
South Africa, Bokang Montjane

Top 15 Semi Finalists:
Indonesia, Astrid Ellena
Italy, Tania Bambaci
Kazakhstan, Zhanna Zhumaliyeva
Spain, Carla Garcia Barber
Sweden, Nicoline Artursson
Ukraine, Iaroslava Kuiracha
US Virgin Islands, Esonica Vieira
Zimbabwe, Malaika Mushandu

Top 30 Qualifiers:

Australia, Amber Greasley
Botswana, Karabo Sampson
Brazil, Juceila Bueno
Canada, Riza Santos
Chile, Gabriela Pulgar
Guatemala, Lourdes Figueroa
Hungary, Linda Szunai
India, Kanishtha Dhankhar
Japan, Midori Tanaka
New Zealand, Mianette Broekman
Paraguay, Nicole Huber
Russia, Natalia Gantimurova
Saint Barthelemy, Johanna Sansano
Serbia, Milica Tepavac
Thailand, Patcharida Blatchford
Trinidad & Tobago, Lee Ann Forbes

Beach Beauty Winner: England
Top Model Winner: Kazakhstan
Talent Winner: Chile
Sports Woman Winner: Dominican Republic
Beauty with a Purpose Winner: Tie: Ghana and Indonesia

Continental Queens of Beauty

Africa: South Africa
Caribbean: Puerto Rico
Americas: Venezuela
Asia Pacific: Philippines
Europe: England

Do click here for more photos - Miss World 2011 pageant held on November 6, 2011

Grandma slashes child in a fit
By M. KUMAR
kumar@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: An 80-year-old woman savagely attacked her three-year-old grandchild with a meat cleaver in a fit of anger before falling to her death from a nearby apartment block.

Police are investigating the motive behind the 11.15am attack at the family’s terrace house in Bandar Baru Ampang yesterday.

The day had started like any other Sunday for a 40-year-old mother of two who was getting ready to send her eldest son, 10, for tuition.

Her husband was asleep.

As she was leaving, she turned to tell her mother-in-law that there was no need to cook as she would be buying food.

The older woman suddenly grabbed the cleaver and started attacking the toddler.

The child’s mother screamed when she saw blood gushing out of her daughter’s head.

According to her police report, upon hearing her screams, her mother-in-law ran out of the house.

Her body was later found on the ground of an apartment building near the family’s home.

Police believe she had jumped to her death. The family rushed the injured girl to Hospital Ampang.

She was then transferred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Amiruddin Jamaluddin said the girl’s condition had stabilised.

“We are still trying to figure out the reason behind this attack,” he said yesterday.

Police have opened two investigation papers for this case – under Section 324 of the Penal Code for causing injuries with a weapon and sudden death.

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Girl brings toddler to school

Unrelenting media attention has brought hope and also a lot of disturbance to a 10-year-old Chinese girl struggling through a difficult life.

Long Zhanghuan won widespread sympathy after a photo went online showing her carrying her two-year-old cousin to school.

Long and her five-year-old brother - from Haoyou village in Central China's Hunan province - have been living with their grandparents since their parents divorced five years ago.

Her father has custody but has not been home for three years.

The grandparents are raising eight of their grandchildren, all left behind by parents seeking jobs in other places.

Long's grandfather Long Wanting, 59, is suffering from a long-term illness and her 54-year-old grandmother's workload is too demanding.

Throughout the week, reporters from newspapers, magazines and TV from across the country have been flocking to her school, said Wu Yansheng - principal of Shanjiang Primary School.

"Initially I wanted more people to know about students in similar difficulties, but it quickly got too aggressive for the girl and I had to cancel further visits.

"She is too young and inexperienced to deal with such enormous media exposure. She broke down in tears after repeated interviews," he said.

Long's hardship as a left-behind child is very common in Fenghuang county, where 52.4% of the 46,207 primary and secondary school students are facing the same fate.

The children often take on the role of an adult at home, doing housework and taking care of smaller siblings, whom they sometimes bring to school to ease the burden on adults.

Although the media exposure has disrupted Long's normal life, it brought her unexpected help from philanthropists.

Last week, a charity group arrived and donated 30 pairs of shoes to kids in disadvantaged households, including Long.

According to the group, a philanthropist offered to donate 2,000 yuan (RM982) a month for five years to Long’s family so they could hire a helper and ease the children's burden.

Wanting was grateful for the offer and thanked the media for exposing their plight. - China Daily

Published Nov 6, 2011

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Hospital throws away newborn by mistake

A hospital in South China's Guangdong province hs mistakenly diagnosed a premature baby as stillborn and threw him away.

The issue has stoked public anger and stirred a new round of debate regarding the country's hospital management system.

Liu Dongmei, 22, gave birth to a baby boy in the 32nd week of her pregnancy with the help of two nurses at Nanhai Red Cross Hospital in Foshan Oct 26.

The baby was believed to be not breathing or crying and the skin had turned purple.

The nurses assumed he was dead, wrapped him in a plastic bag and discarded him in a restroom but Liu's family rushed to the hospital 30 minutes later to find that the baby was still alive.

Huang Lichuan, director of the hospital’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, confessed that the nurses had mistakenly diagnosed the stillbirth due to a shortage of experience.

Wang Haizhang, Liu's husband, said they called the doctor on duty many times that night but no one came to help them.

Hospital authorities explained that the doctor on duty was treating a patient who was suffering from a massive haemorrhage at the time.

Local health authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The obstetrical director, doctor on duty at the time of the incident and the nurses have been suspended from duty.

Those who were responsible for the accident failed to follow proper procedure during the birth that a doctor must be present, said Pan Yongtong - standing deputy director of the health department of the Nanhai district.

The fact that the nurses did not report the supposed stillbirth to the doctor on duty before disposing of the baby is also part of the problem, Pan said. - Xinhua

Images: CFP

Published Oct 6, 2011

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