Mireia Lalaguna Royo wins Miss World title

Risingbd Desk: Spain`s Mireia Lalaguna Royo has been named the winner of the Miss World 2015 competition in the southern Chinese island resort of Sanya, an event dogged by controversy over China`s refusal to allow Canada`s entrant to attend.

Sofia Nikitchuk of Russia was the runner-up and Indonesia`s Maria Harfanti took third place in the Saturday night final following a lengthy competition featuring 114 women.

Each had won the right to represent their country in a series of local and regional competitions.

The victory marked the first-ever win for a Spanish contestant.

Not present was Miss Canada, Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, who had been prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Sanya from Hong Kong last month after China refused her a visa.

Lin is an outspoken critic of Chinese religious policy and a follower of the Falun Gong meditation practice, which was outlawed by China in 1999.

Neither Beijing nor the London-based Miss World Organization has commented on the controversy.

Source: Agencies

Risingbd/ Dec 20, 2015/Mukul