Lebanese-born woman crowned Miss USA

A Lebanese-American woman beat out 50 other contestants late on Sunday to be crowned "Miss USA," the first woman of Arab descent to win the coveted beauty pageant title.

Rima Fakih, 24, a resident of the city of Dearborn, Michigan was selected by a panel of celebrity judges including real estate entrepreneur Donald Trump, who also is one of the organizers of the annual event, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

US news reports said Ms Fakih's family moved to the United States while she was a baby and that she was raised in New York City, where she attended a Catholic school, until 2003 when her family moved to Michigan.

She told pageant organizers her family celebrates both Muslim and Christian faiths.

Ms Fakih, who earned a college degree in economics from the University of Michigan, said she hopes to become an attorney. Her favourite past times are travel, running, dancing and kickboxing, according to pageant officials.