Miss Universe contestants from more than 130 countries have landed in Thailand ahead of the November 21 finale, where the 2025 winner will be crowned.
Now in its 74th year, the long-running pageant is one of the most popular annual competitions in the world, watched by an estimated global audience of 500 million.
In historic firsts, an Emirati will represent the UAE at the competition, while Palestine is making its debut. Miss Universe UAE Mariam Mohamed and Miss Universe Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub, were seen posing together for photographs in Bangkok last week.
Other regional representatives include contestants from Iraq, Lebanon and the winner of Miss Universe Persia, a contest open globally to the Iranian diaspora. Miss Universe Bahrain has not been held this year.
Contestants will be taking part in several preliminary events and interviews, ahead of the grand finale on November 21, to be held at the Impact Challenger exhibition centre in the city of Pak Kret, about 30 minutes' drive from Bangkok.
Here's a list of the contestants from the Middle East who have been announced so far.
Miss Universe UAE: Mariam Mohamed
Mariam Mohamed, 26, will make history by becoming the first Emirati to take part in the long-running pageant. A fashion student in Dubai, she is a keen falconer and camel riding enthusiast who "loves traveling around the world and meeting different cultures".
“The UAE has given me the confidence to dream big. I want to be a voice for women who are ambitious, curious and driven," she said. "Miss Universe UAE is not just about beauty, it is about impact."
Read The National's interview with Mohamed here.
Miss Universe Palestine: Nadeen Ayoub
Crowned Miss Palestine in 2022, Ayoub will make history by being the first from her country to walk the Miss Universe stage.
A certified wellness and nutrition coach with a degree in literature and psychology, the 27-year-old was raised between Palestine, the US and Canada by her father, who's a lawyer, and her mother, an educator.
She told The National she's going to the competition to “carry the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced”.
“When you have that power, you have a responsibility to speak out. And I feel a huge responsibility,” she said. “Miss Universe is a huge platform, and there's a big responsibility in speaking out about what's happening in Gaza. No one should be silent about the injustice that's happening. This is the time when Palestine needs to be represented on all platforms everywhere.”
Miss Universe Iraq: Hanin Al Qoreishy
An American citizen who immigrated from Iraq at the age of 12, Al Qoreishy was named Miss Universe Iraq in June. A resident of Houston, Texas, the 27-year-old is a self-made entrepreneur and, inspired by her own past, an advocate for child refugees.
She has pageant experience, having been crowned Miss Grand Nevada in 2024.
“Hanin Al Qoreishy will carry our flag, our voice, and our legacy to the Miss Universe stage as Miss Universe Iraq 2025. The universe is about to witness the power, beauty, and brilliance of our homeland,” Miss Universe Iraq posted on Instagram, announcing her participation.
Miss Universe Lebanon: Sarah Boujaoude
The second-place winner at Miss Lebanon 2024, Boujaoude, 20, was named her country's representative at Miss Universe 2025 in June. She is a fashion model and a finance student at the American University of Beirut.
“My cause is to empower women by promoting self-acceptance and inner beauty,” she said, following her announcement. “In an age where unrealistic beauty standards are imposed, I urge every woman, especially young women, to appreciate themselves as they are and to believe that true beauty starts from within – from confidence, strength, and uniqueness that cannot be measured by appearances.”
Miss Universe Persia: Sahar Biniaz
Biniaz, who is Canadian, has unfinished business with the Miss Universe competition. Now 40, she was crowned Miss Universe Canada in 2012, but a foot injury prevented her from taking part in the international competition.
“I stand for the woman who has endured restrictions but never surrendered. The woman who has wept but still smiled,” she said after she was named Miss Universe Persia 2025. “Persian women are not only beautiful, we are powerful. We are unbreakable. We are still here.”
Miss Universe Egypt: Sabrina Erian
A model from Cairo, Erian, 23, has worked with many top brands, including L'Oreal, Calvin Klein and Reebok. Of Egyptian-Moldovian heritage, she says she will honour both cultures on the Miss Universe stage.
"I am deeply proud to come from two beautiful cultures that shaped who I am today," she says. "From my Egyptian father, I carry the strength, history and passion of Cairo. From my Moldovan mother, I hold the grace, resilience and warmth of Eastern Europe. Together, they have given me roots that are rich, diverse, and full of love. This journey is not just about wearing a crown – it’s about honouring both sides of my heritage, embracing where I come from, and carrying it with pride into everything I do."
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
