MISS PHILIPPINES WINS MISS WORLD

BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- Miss Philippines, Megan Young, was crowned Miss World on Saturday amid tight security on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, where the contest's final round was moved following protests by Muslim hardliner groups.

"I promise to be the best Miss World ever," Young, 23, said after winning the 63rd annual event, as a large number of Filipino fans who traveled with her celebrated by jumping and waving the country's flag.

Despite threats from the Islamic Defenders Front to disrupt the contest, police said no rallies were staged Saturday. The group has demonstrated for weeks, calling for the government to cancel the pageant because members say it shows too much skin and goes against Islamic teachings.

The 127 contestants vying for the crown were introduced Saturday wearing evening gowns shimmering in sequins, many of them with plunging necklines and slits up the leg. Four candidates dropped out earlier, mainly due to illnesses, said Syafril Nasution, one of the local organizers.

Young, who took the crown from Wenxia Yu of China, the 2012 winner, was born in the United States. When she was 10 she moved to the Philippines, where she has appeared in films and as a television host.

Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, 20, took second place, while Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, 22, came in third.

REPUBLICAN LED STATES RESIST INSURANCE MARKETS

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- With new online health insurance exchanges set to launch Tuesday, consumers in many Southern and Plains states will have to look harder for information on how the marketplaces work than their counterparts elsewhere.

In Republican-led states that oppose the federal Affordable Care Act, the strategy has ranged from largely ignoring the health overhaul to encouraging residents not to sign up and even making it harder for nonprofit organizations to provide information about the exchanges.

Health care experts worry that ultimately consumers in these states could end up confused about the exchanges, and the overall rollout of the law could be hindered.

"Without the shared planning and the cooperation of the state government, it's much harder for them to be ready to implement this complicated law," said Rachel Grob of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has studied differences in how states are implementing segments of the law.

Several of the 14 Northeast, Midwest and Western states running their own insurance exchanges have spent weeks on marketing and advertising campaigns to help residents get ready to buy health insurance. At least $684 million will be spent on publicity explaining what people need to do next and persuading the doubtful to sign up for coverage, according to data compiled The Associated Press.

By contrast, most states across the South have declined federal grants to advertise the exchanges and ceded the right to run the marketplaces themselves. And early Sunday, the Republican-led U.S. House added to legislation that would avert a partial government shutdown a one-year delay of the creation of the marketplaces. Democrats have said delaying the health care law would sink the bill, and the White House promised a veto.

Governors from the Carolinas to Kansas have decried the exchanges and the rest of the law, which was passed by Congress in 2010 and many argue reaffirmed when voters re-elected President Obama in 2012. The Supreme Court in 2012 upheld the constitutionality of most of the law; a piece of the Medicaid expansion was an exception.

NASA PREPARING TO LAUNCH 3-D PRINTER INTO SPACE

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. (AP) -- NASA is preparing to launch a 3-D printer into space next year, a toaster-sized game changer that greatly reduces the need for astronauts to load up with every tool, spare part or supply they might ever need.

The printers would serve as a flying factory of infinite designs, creating objects by extruding layer upon layer of plastic from long strands coiled around large spools. Doctors use them to make replacement joints and artists use them to build exquisite jewelry.

In NASA labs, engineers are 3-D printing small satellites that could shoot out of the Space Station and transmit data to earth, as well as replacement parts and rocket pieces that can survive extreme temperatures.

"Any time we realize we can 3-D print something in space, it's like Christmas," said inventor Andrew Filo, who is consulting with NASA on the project. "You can get rid of concepts like rationing, scarce or irreplaceable."

The spools of plastic could eventually replace racks of extra instruments and hardware, although the upcoming mission is just a demonstration printing job.

Click to read full story