Fashion designer and Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel made history on Saturday night to become the first Filipino-American to win the Miss Universe crown. Ahead of her win, Gabriel was also the first Filipino-American to win Miss USA as well as the Miss Texas crown.
The Houston native, 28, is only the third mixed-heritage Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe, one of the longest-running and most-watched beauty competitions in the world.
The US has won Miss Universe the most number of times, with nine wins, while the Philippines has won the crown four times.
R'Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universe 2022
Born to a Filipino father and an American mother in San Antonio, Texas, Gabriel is a model and fashion designer who runs her own label, R'Bonney Nola.
She is 170cm tall and graduated from the University of North Texas.
Following her Miss USA win in October, she said she now feels a “big responsibility” to share her multicultural background and empower others to embrace their identities.
"My dad moved to America from the Philippines on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. He wanted to pave a new life for himself. He met my mom in Texas, who is a countrywoman from Beaumont,” she told ABC News. “I'm a very proud Filipina-Texan."
Gabriel has always been interested in pageantry.
Her journey with beauty contests began when she took part in the Miss Friendswood competition in 2021. Gabriel is from Friendswood, a city on the outskirts of Houston. She then participated in Miss Texas 2021, finishing second after winner Victoria Hinojosa.
Not one to give up easily, Gabriel participated again in Miss Texas 2022 in July and won, earning her a spot in the Miss USA pageant.
At Miss Universe 2022 on Saturday, Gabriel went up against another mixed-heritage Filipina, Celeste Cortesi, who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 in April.
Cortesi, 24, is Filipino-Italian. She was raised in Italy before moving to the Philippines five years ago to pursue a career in pageantry.
Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018
Australian-Filipina Catriona Gray won the Miss Universe crown in 2018.
Born in Queensland to an Australian father and a Filipino mother, Gray moved to Manila after high school to pursue a career in modelling.
Like other pageant queens before her, Gray participated in a number of beauty contests before her big Miss Universe win. After she was crowned Miss World Philippines in 2016, she went on to represent her country at the Miss World contest, another major competition, where she placed in the top five.
Deciding that her journey in the world of pageantry was far from over, Gray participated in the long-running Binibining Pilipinas, the competition that sends the Philippines's representatives to the Big Four international beauty pageants, and beat 39 other contestants to the title.
At the Miss Universe pageant, Gray, who was then 24, was the front-runner throughout the competition, winning the judges and fans with her easy charm and well-thought-out answers.
Gray won the title over 93 contestants from across the world, becoming the fourth Filipina to win Miss Universe.
Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015
Wurtzbach's win in 2015 was historic in many ways. She brought the Miss Universe crown home after 42 years, a long spell for her country known for its penchant for beauty pageants. Then there was that infamous flub when host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner, upon which the crown was awkwardly removed from her head and placed on Wurtzbach's.
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, to a German father and Filipino mother, Wurtzbach was only 9 when her parents separated. She started modelling and taking part in talent shows at age 11 to support her family, which included her mother and younger sister, after they moved to Manila soon after the separation. She first took part in Binibining Pilipinas in 2013, placing second, and participated again in 2014, but only placed in the top 15.
The 2015 Binibining Pilipinas was her third attempt. Firmly believing that she had the potential to go far, Wurtzbach beat 33 other hopefuls to the title that year, winning the chance to represent her country at Miss Universe.
At the Miss Universe pageant where 80 countries were represented, Wurtzbach, who was then 26, was a crowd favourite right from the start and scored high with the judges.
Owing to Harvey's botched announcement, however, Wurtzbach was unable able to make her winner's walk as Miss Universe, as the live broadcast was suddenly cut after the host admitted his mistake.
She was able to finally do her walk as the winner during her homecoming celebrations in the Philippines, a few weeks following her win.
"42 years of drought and now it finally reigns," Wurtzbach wrote on Instagram soon after her win.
Scroll through the gallery below for pictures of the evening gown round at Miss Universe 2022
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
