The underdog

More than 100 beautiful women from across the globe will vie for the Miss World crown in the Chinese resort of Sanya on Saturday in a pageant sure to deliver sex appeal and glamour.

More than 100 beautiful women from across the globe will vie for the Miss World crown in the Chinese resort of Sanya on Saturday in a pageant sure to deliver sex appeal and glamour.

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British bookmaker William Hill listed Norway’s Mariann Birkedal, 23, who earned an automatic spot in the final by clinching the preliminary Top Model title, as the hot favourite for the crown.

Such a result could anger officials in Beijing, where the government is already furious that the Oslo-based Nobel committee awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.