Beauty blow for Venezuela
Mariangel Ruiz: Following in a long tradition of 'Misses'
For years Venezuela has been renowned for its beauty queens - their success a source of national pride.
But this year, for the first time in more than four decades, the country will not be taking part in the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
Venezuela's economic and political crisis has, it seems, shattered the dreams of the reigning Miss Venezuela, Mariangel Ruiz, to compete in Panama on 3 June.
The Miss Venezuela organisation on Friday said they could not get the dollars needed to pay her entry fee because of the government's tight currency controls.
These were imposed in January to stop panic buying of dollars and so protect the country's dwindling international reserves.
Miss Venezuela organisers said in a statement on their website that they had tried every means to obtain the money.
"But the serious political and economic crisis Venezuela is going through has posed an insurmountable obstacle for the moment."
Dollar fee
The organisers felt deep sorrow at being obliged to pull out of the pageant, the statement added.
They hoped the country's crisis would soon be over so "once again the intelligence and beauty of Venezuelan women can stand out in the international sphere."
The organisation's president, Osmel Sousa, said they needed $80,000 to send Mariangel Ruiz, a tall 23-year-old brunette, to Miss Universe, the Associated Press news agency reported.
They have the funds in the local currency, the bolivar, but cannot exchange them into dollars.
Miss Ruiz said she was "deeply affected" by the situation, as she was hoping to represent the country's "hopes and expectations" in the competition, Reuters news agency reported.
Venezuela has won more international beauty contests in the past 25 years than any other country.