South Africa has won its bid to host the Miss World Beauty Pageant after the contest was moved from Ukraine over safety concerns in neighbouring Georgia, an official said Wednesday.

"Johannesburg was chosen (from) among a number of cities around the world to host the prestigious event," Johannesburg tourism company chief executive, Lindiwe Mahlangu, said in a statement.

The company hoped to use the December 13 event in Johannesburg to showcase the city's world class facilities and promote it as a tourism destination, she said.

A POWYS lovely is set to represent Wales in the world final of a beauty pageant after winning the title Miss Earth Wales 2008.

Jamie Williams, 22, of Llanymynech, clinched the award, which is based on beauty and the contestants' environmental awareness, at a ceremony held at The Royal Theatre in Leamington Spa on Saturday, August 30.

The psychology graduate will now represent the country in the Miss Earth 2008 grand final to be held in the Philippines on November 9.

Jamie, who also won Miss Beauty Queen 2008 earlier this year, said: "It feels great to have won Miss Earth Wales and that all my hard work is now paying off.

"As people will know I have entered a lot of these competition now, so to start winning some is fantastic.

Newly-crowned Miss Vietnam 2008 Tran Thi Thuy Dung didn’t make any mistake, stated the organisers of the pageant at a press conference this morning.

Chief organiser Duong Xuan Nam and Head of the Government Office’s Cultural and Social Department Chu Tien Duc chaired the brief conference to explain the case of Miss Vietnam 2008 Thuy Dung, about whom it was said she had not graduated high school yet, while the regulations of Miss Vietnam pageant set by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism clearly stipulate that contestants must have at least a high-school diploma.

Nam said Thuy Dung didn’t violate the contest’s rules because the organisers only insisted contestants be studying at high school, not that they had to have graduated from high school.

He added that in her documents submitted for the Miss Vietnam 2008 pageant, Thuy Dung noted that her learning was at the high school level, not high school graduation, so she didn’t cheat the organisers.

The contemporary skills and talent competition brought out laughter and applause for the four young ladies running for Miss Navajo Nation 2008-2009 on Tuesday evening at the Navajo Nation Museum auditorium.

The auditorium was standing-room only and packed to capacity with spectators who came out to watch the competition, which included the four contestants competing in contemporary skills, public speaking, contemporary talent, evening gown and impromptu questions.

Each portion of the competition was timed and watched by five judges.

The contestants this year are Latasha Tom from Blue Canyon, Ariz., Rikki Jane Watchman from Yahtahey, Danielle Coralynn Goldtooth from Farmington and Yolanda Jane Charley from Chichiltah.

“What contemporary skills are is actually something you learn that can help you make a living ... because a skill is knowledge that’s acquired, that you have to work at and practice and learn,” said mistress of ceremony former Miss Navajo Nation Jocelyn Billy.