Is this the globe's most eligible woman? Miss World 2014 goes to bilingual medical student from South Africa who wants to prove she's beauty AND brains

She beat 120 international contestants each deemed to be not only the most beautiful in their home countries, but the best example of what it means to be a modern woman.

So, who is Rolene Strauss - aka Miss World 2014 - and is she really one of the world's most eligible women? 

This year's crop which made it to the final in London - the city where the competition started 63 years ago - far from being the stereotypical 'dumb beauty queens', were pretty and polished.

Germany was the best team in the World Cup from start to finish

The Germans had the deepest team and they deserved to win. 

Germany won the 2014 World Cup final on Sunday evening when 22-year-old Mario Götze chested down a gorgeous ball from 23-year-old André Schürrle and buried a left-footed volley in extra time, giving the team a 1-0 lead it would hold onto.

The most breathtaking photo from the World Cup final in Brazil 2014

As the sun set on the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, cameras caught this beautiful shot of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the Maracanã.

Messi was brilliant, but James Rodriguez should have won the Golden Ball

On Sunday Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the World Cup Golden Ball, the award for the tournament’s most outstanding player, just after his team lost to Germany in the World Cup final. It was a bittersweet moment for Messi.

Germany Defeats Argentina in FIFA World Cup Final 2014 Brazil

Mario Götze of Germany scored the game-winning goal in the second period of extra time.

RIO DE JANEIRO — For years, Brazilians had a phrase they would inevitably utter when things went wrong. “Imagina na Copa,” they told one another after an endless traffic jam or a construction accident or an ugly rash of violence dominated the news — imagine if this happened during the World Cup. It was a foreboding warning, a pre-emptive sigh of the presumed disasters that lay ahead.

Gaza crisis: Death toll from Israeli strikes 'hits 100'

Gaza is under attack now and children and civilians in fear and horror Please make pray for Gaza , don't go without #share this video ,all people Must Watch and know What's going on in Gaza!

The death toll from Israeli air strikes on Gaza has risen to 100, Palestinian sources say. 

The latest deaths were of two people in a car in the Bureij area on Friday, they said. 

Brazil vs Germany World Cup 2014: Was the 7-1 semi-final defeat the worst of all-time?

The defeat could go down as the very worst ever to happen in football

Embarrassed, humbled, crushed, thumped, battered, destroyed... however you want to put it, Brazil were thoroughly humiliated by Germany in Belo Horizonte. 

The magnitude of the defeat in a World Cup semi-final will forever be remembered. The manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, described it as the "worst day of my life" and the "worst loss" in Brazil's history.

Hurricane Arthur makes landfall near Cape Lookout, N.C.

Hurricane Arthur made landfall late Thursday on the southern end of North Carolina's barrier islands, battering the shore with sustained winds of up to 100 mph. 

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that the eye of the storm came ashore at about 11:15 p.m. ET over the Shackleford Banks between Cape Lookout and Beaufort. An automated weather station on Cape Lookout reported sustained winds of 77 mph, with a gust of 101 mph.

A Late Entry Helps the Dutch Avert an Exit

SALVADOR, Brazil — With a World Cup quarterfinal in the closing moments of extra time on Saturday, Louis van Gaal, the coach of the Netherlands, made a move that was as bold as it was rare.

Why Roger Federer will beat Novak Djokovic and win record 8th Wimbledon title

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both won their semifinal matches on Friday to set up an epic Wimbledon final. For The Win previews Sunday’s match, which could bring Federer his record-setting eighth Wimbledon championship or give Djokovic his second title at the All England Club.

World Cup 2014: Argentina Ousts Belgium, 1-0

Argentina beat Belgium, 1-0, on Saturday, holding on after Gonzalo Higuaín's half-volley gave them an early lead. Belgium pushed forward throughout the rest of the game but was lacking in offensive fluency, often resorting to floated crosses that Argentina's defense cleared with relative ease.

Brazil-Colombia will be the best match of the World Cup

The World Cup’s best game might be played in the quarterfinals. 

Brazil squeaked by Chile on penalties and Colombia handily beat Uruguay in the round of 16, and the two sides are set to face each other in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. We should all be giddy with excitement.

Brazilian players console heartbroken Colombian star

Colombia’s James Rodriguez had an incredible World Cup, scoring six goals in five games including his team’s only goal in its loss against Brazil. So when his team couldn’t fight back enough to get over a two-goal deficit, it’s not surprising he was completely heartbroken — it’s the World Cup after all and he seemed to give it his all.

Don't let Neymar's injury ruin the most exciting game of the World Cup

Neymar grimaces in pain after the Brazilian striker was injured late in the team's quarter-final match against Colombia at the FIFA World Cup.

Neymar has sparkled for Brazil this summer. In front of his home country, in his first World Cup, the Brazilian striker has been nearly flawless. 

Brazil punched its ticket to the semifinals behind another shining performance from the 22-year-old. The team will face Germany Tuesday. Neymar will not.

Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard will beat Petra Kvitova to win Wimbledon title

Eugenie Bouchard

After converting her sixth match point in Thursday’s Wimbledon semifinal, Eugenie Bouchard gave a small fist pump and flashed a so-quick-you-could-miss-it smile. It was hardly the reaction expected from a 20-year-old whose meteoric rise over the past year will culminate with her first Grand Slam final on Saturday.

Everything you need to know about Brazil-Colombia

In one of the most anticipated games of the tournament, Brazil will take on Colombia for a chance to go to the semifinals of the World Cup. 

Brazil got here by taking care of business in Group A and then hanging on for a penalty-shootout win over Chile in the first round of the knockut stages.

7 reasons James Rodriguez is the breakout star of the World Cup

James Rodriguez

You will be forgiven if you hadn’t heard of Colombia’s James Rodriguez before this World Cup. The 22-year-old attacker plays his club football for AS Monaco, a team that plays in the French first division, which is a league that isn’t televised very often in the U.S. Now that he’s made his debut on the world stage, though, you’re going to hear a lot more about him.

Argentina advance to quarterfinals behind late winner vs. Switzerland

Angel Di Maria celebrates scoring the extra-time winner for Argentina

Angel di Maria broke Swiss hearts with a late goal in extra-time to lead Argentina into the World Cup quarterfinals 1-0 on Tuesday night. 

Lionel Messi was once again the man of the moment for La Albiceleste, picking out di Maria with an inch-perfect cross to set up a low, hard strike to the far post.

Tim Howard Lost, But He Just Had the Best Match of the World Cup

Tim Howard (C) reacts as Belgium's players celebrate.Tim Howard sets new World Cup record after making 15 saves for USA against Belgium

After losing 2-1 to Belgium on Tuesday, the U.S. men’s national team will be left to contemplate its future; after years of steady improvement, there are hints U.S. men’s soccer has hit a plateau. But one American left the tournament with a strong argument for his international quality: Goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Neymar Making the Most of Being the World Cup Poster Boy

How quickly he has grown, and how dependent a nation of 200 million people has grown upon Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior. 

Neymar scored the first goal of this World Cup two weeks ago and then the 100th goal of a tournament that still has not reached its second, knockout phase. But what is remarkable about Neymar is that he not only lives with the stardom and the expectancy placed on his slender shoulders, he embraces it.

Edward Snowden Responds To Release Of E-mail By U.S. Officials

Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden responded to questions from The Washington Post following the release of an e-mail he had sent while working for the National Security Agency. 

Q: How do you respond to today’s NSA statement and the release of your email with the Office of General Counsel? 

The NSA’s new discovery of written contact between me and its lawyers - after more than a year of denying any such contact existed - raises serious concerns. It reveals as false the NSA’s claim to Barton Gellman of the Washington Post in December of last year, that “after extensive investigation, including interviews with his former NSA supervisors and co-workers, we have not found any evidence to support Mr. Snowden’s contention that he brought these matters to anyone’s attention.”