The initial stages of the Mrs World pageant are under way in the US, with 58 married beauty queens all hoping to earn a place in the competition's final and take home the crown.
The event, founded in 1984, celebrates “the uniqueness of married women” as well as their families and communities, according to its organisers. It has taken place in countries around the world, from India and Russia to South Africa and South Korea.
For the first time, the UAE is represented in the competition. A former employee of Emirates airline, Debanjali Kamstra, 35, is an architect and opened her first interior design business, Veloche, in Dubai a decade ago. A resident of the UAE for 13 years, she has since started two more companies, one selling home interiors and the other dealing in healthy snacks and drinks.
Kamstra flew to the US in December to enjoy a trip to New York before knuckling down to prepare for the competition.
This year, the final is taking place in Las Vegas, and those who can’t be there can still watch all the action live. Here’s how:
When is the Mrs World final taking place?
The new Mrs World will be crowned on Saturday, January 15, after a four-hour event at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The final will start at 5pm Pacific Time.
How can you watch the final of Mrs World?
You can watch the final via a live stream, which is being organised by sister competition Mrs America. It will be available to those who purchase tickets in advance from the official Mrs World website.
How much are tickets?
Tickets for the live stream cost $24.99 and will need to be purchased in advance. Once tickets have been purchased, you will be sent a link to the live stream, which will be activated once the pageant begins.
What else do you need to know?
A minimum of 1.5Mb download internet speed is required to watch the live stream at the best quality. It will work with most operating systems on desktop and mobile devices, and is also available in a lower bitrate feed that will work over most 3G and 4G services.
Those who purchase a live-stream ticket will also be able to watch a replay of the final, which will remain available for 72 hours afterwards.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
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Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
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