New York City’s new First Lady, Rama Duwaji, is drawing attention for her fashion choices, particularly her support for Middle Eastern brands and her embrace of rented designer pieces.
At her husband's Zohran Mamdani's historic inauguration as the first Muslim mayor of New York City on Thursday, Duwaji, a Syrian-American, chose a coat by Palestinian-Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej and her brand Renaissance, Renaissance. Featuring a three-tiered fringe pattern, the custom faux fur and wool coat was made in Beirut and based on a design from the brand's autumn/winter 2023 collection.
“On her first official day as First Lady of New York, Rama is wearing a small, independent woman designer from the Middle East,” wrote Duwaji's stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson on her Substack later. “That representation resonates. It reverberates. Because fashion communicates. It sends a message.”
Earlier in the day, Mamdani was officially sworn in at the stroke of midnight on January 1 for legal purposes. At a decommissioned subway station beneath City Hall, Mamdani placed his hand on a Quran held by Duwaji as he was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
For the occasion, Duwaji chose a vintage Balenciaga coat rented from Albright Fashion Library.
“Thrifting is something Rama does often. She’s an exceptionally savvy shopper, so renting second-life fashion felt like the most authentic way to approach a moment of this magnitude,” said Karefa-Johnson. “In both process and result, it’s abundantly clear she has no intention of showing up as anything other than herself in this new role.”
Duwaji, 28, has worn Middle Eastern designers before. At Mamdani's victory speech in November, she wore a dark denim square-neck blouse by Palestinian-Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi, paired with a black Ulla Johnson skirt.
“I am truly at a loss for words to express how deeply shocked I've been by the response from last week,” Hijazi wrote on Instagram later.
“I am profoundly grateful to you, Rama, the First Lady of NYC, and above all, a remarkably kind, talented and visionary creative who creates beautiful illustrations.
“Perhaps it was due to my ethnicity, but I often felt that opportunities in this space were beyond my reach. Today I know with certainty that this space belongs to all of us.”
Through her work as an illustrator, Duwaji frequently depicts women of colour, focusing on their individuality, beauty and the nuances of their experiences. She uses her platform to create visual narratives that address current events and advocate for marginalised communities, particularly in the Arab world.
She has been vocal about her support for Palestine, for instance. In 2021, she shared an image showing three people standing together, joining elbows firmly. The words “we won't leave” are written across the piece in Arabic.
“In solidarity with Palestine and the families of Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood who are facing displacement from their own homes, a literal ethnic cleansing,” she said in the post.
Last year, she shared an illustration about the hunger crisis in Gaza. “As I was making this, Israel has been bombing Gaza non-stop with successive air strikes. Keep your eyes on Gaza and support @goprojecthope,” she said.
At his inauguration speech at City Hall on Thursday, Mamdani thanked Duwaji. “Thank you to my wife, Rama, for being my best friend and for always showing me the beauty in everyday things,” the mayor said.
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Napoleon
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
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
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3 (Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
