Tiaras in turmoil at Miss Universe

This year’s Miss Universe that is being held here has been marred by ugly drama, with allegations of an insult to a beauty queen’s intellect, a walkout by pageant contes­tants and a tearful tantrum by the host.

More than 120 women from across the world have gathered in Thailand, vying to be crowned Miss Universe in a contest consi­dered one of the “big four” of global beauty pageants.