China Accused of Freezing Out Miss World Favorite

Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize win has caused quite a backlash in China, where authorities are still cracking down on his supporters—and now the backlash has hit the Miss World contest, held this weekend on a Chinese island. Miss USA Alexandria Mills, 18, was crowned the winner amid speculation that frontrunner Miss Norway was purposely ignored by the Chinese judges—because of Beijing’s anger at Norway over awarding Liu the prize.

Mariann Birkedal, 23, the early favorite to win, didn’t even make the top five, the Daily Mail reports. “They must have mixed politics and business,” says a former Norwegian Miss World contestant. Birkedal herself, however, says “it is kind of stupid to start thinking that if this or that had not occurred I would perhaps have been Miss World 2010. I do believe everything happens out of a reason.” For more, click here.