The 63rd Miss World beauty pageant has opened in Indonesia after protests by Muslim hardliners confined the event to the predominantly Hindu resort island of Bali.

Muslim hard-liners have resumed protests against the Miss World beauty pageant, as organisers insisted the event will go ahead this weekend on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Miss World has axed the famed bikinis from this year’s pageant in Indonesia, replacing the skimpy swimsuits with conservative beach sarongs amid mounting protests from hardline Muslim groups, organisers said.

Protests have started breaking out in parts of the Muslim world against an anti-Islam film which prompted violent protests at US embassies in the Middle East earlier this week.