Miss Lebanon returns to the nation's screens

The Miss Lebanon pageant has returned to TVs around the country for the first time in three years.

Veteran Miss Lebanon Maya Reaidy’s reign finally came to an end on Sunday evening with the crowning of the 2022 Miss Lebanon, Yasmina Zaytoun.

It was the first Miss Lebanon pageant to take place since 2018.

Lebanon has been thrown from crisis to crisis, with an economic collapse that began in October 2019 followed closely and compounded by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

And in 2020, a massive explosion in Beirut’s port killed more than 200 people and destroyed a large part of the city.

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The prolonged economic crisis has brought a breakdown in basic services such as electricity and water, and chronic shortages of wheat and medicine.

Journalism student Yasmina Zaytoun, 20, from Kfarchouba, won the modified title of "We Miss Lebanon", a nod to Lebanon’s prolonged adversity.

Seventeen women from around Lebanon competed for a grand prize of $100,000 and the chance to compete in pageant competitions Miss World and Miss Universe.

Notable among them was Congolese-Lebanese Dalal Hoballah, who came in fourth place and whose run as a contestant made waves on social media.

When asked by one of the judges what cause she would champion, she answered, “There is beauty in diversity.”

Ms Hoballah was the only racially diverse contestant.

The We Miss Lebanon event was held in collaboration with Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism.

The ministry has in recent months encouraged tourism to the country – specifically from the sprawling Lebanese diaspora – to try to restart the economy.

The event was coloured by a touch of nostalgia and longing for a return to normality for the struggling nation.

Third-placed Jacinta Rashed told judges Lebanon’s economic hardships had caused her to migrate to Italy.

“But I’ll return to my village. That’s a promise,” Ms Rashed told judges.

Those watching on TV probably related to fourth-placed Lara Hraoui’s story:

“We couldn't get the medicine for my dad, nor could we get our money out of the bank to get his medical care,” she said. “Despite everything, my dad lived.”

Ms Hraoui was referring to the chronic medicine shortages plaguing Lebanon, and the capital controls imposed by Lebanese commercial banks, which have stopped depositors withdrawing the full value of their savings since 2019.

“My father is like Lebanon. Although death came for him, he returned to life.”

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Kumulus Water

Started: 2021

Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid

Based: Tunisia

Sector: Water technology

Number of staff: 22

Investment raised: $4 million

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TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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Summer special

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

The winners

Fiction

‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb

RACE SCHEDULE

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm

Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm

Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.	United States
2.	China
3.	UAE
4.	Japan
5	Norway
6.	Canada
7.	Singapore
8.	Australia
9.	Saudi Arabia
10.	South Korea

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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.

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Schedule:

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

Company%20Profile

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