Heena Sharma Blog

The Philippines' Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 at a gala ceremony in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home country. Gray is the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe. Celebrations were especially buoyant in Oas town in the northeastern province of Albay, from where Gray's Filipina mother hails. The office of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate the winner. "when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress." The 24-year-old Gray wore a sparkling red dress, which she said was inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favoured Southeast Asian contestants. Read More Business Standard

At least 54 people were killed in the Philippines on Sunday after Typhoon Mangkhut wreaked havoc in the island nation as the storm continued its devastating path and made landfall in Hong Kong and mainland China. The typhoon, dubbed as the world's strongest storm of the year, had made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday. With winds reaching a speed of up to 165 mph, the storm sent debris flying, toppling roofs of houses, crashing down trees and flattening huts, CNN reported. According to government officials on Sunday, 42 people were missing and rescue operations to trace those missing will resume on Monday. Over 250,000 people were affected by the storm across the island nation, forcing them to seek shelter in evacuation centres in the northern Philippines, a region which has seen 51 incidents of landslides. Read Complete Article