Gitmo So 'Fun,' Miss Universe 'Didn't Want to Leave'

(AP) - Miss Venezuela was the fairest of them all, again. Stefania Fernandez won the 2009 Miss Universe pageant in the Bahamas last night, receiving the crown from her predecessor, fellow countrywoman Dayana Mendoza. The sparkling tiara fell to the floor at one point, as Fernandez danced in joy. Beauty-obsessed Venezuela has won the Miss Universe pageant six times. More»

Miss Venezuela wins crown on curves

(NEWSER) - For the second year in a row the US contestant in the Miss Universe pageant tripped and fell during the competition, AP reports. Miss USA Crystle Stewart of Texas took a tumble when she stepped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance in the pageant, which was held this year in Vietnam. The 26-year-old beauty queen was unhurt. Miss Venezuela, who was once a kidnap victim, won the crown. More»

Officials scrambling to find out how photos landed on jihadist website

(NEWSER) - US officials are at a loss to explain how apparently recent photos of the suspected 9/11 master plotter ended up on a jihadist website . They fear the photos may have been taken and smuggled out of Guantanamo Bay. The photos show a calm, often smiling Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other detainees, reports NBC News . In one, a beatific-looking Mohammed appears to be reading the Koran. The shots seem to have been taken in the high-security Gitmo detention facility in Cuba where Mohammed is currently facing a military tribunal with four others on 9/11 murder and terrorism charges. More»

3 years later, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 4 others set for arraignment

(NEWSER) - It's been three years since President Obama paused the case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged planners of the 9/11 attacks. Tomorrow, the case resumes in a military tribunal at Guantanamo after efforts to move the proceedings to a civilian court failed . Things could be a little different this time around, however: While Mohammed once said he'd welcome the death penalty, now, "I don't think anyone is going to plead guilty," says a lawyer for another defendant, Ramzi Binalshibh. More»

Trump organization backs down on Jenna Talackova controversy

(NEWSER) - The Trump organization appears to have had a change of heart about a Canadian beauty who had a change of sex. Jenna Talackova—a transgender contestant booted from the Miss Universe Canada pageant —will be allowed to take part "provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada and the standards established by other international competitions," according to a lawyer for Donald Trump, who owns the competition. More»