Mon 13 December 2021:
Harnaaz Sandhu of India has been crowned the 70th Miss Universe, beating out a field of 80 contestants in a pageant marred by politics and the pandemic.
Andrea Meza of Mexico, the previous Miss Universe, crowned her successor, a 21-year-old model, early Monday in the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat.
To accommodate the primetime schedule in the United States, the pageant was held in the middle of the night, concluding at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Monday.
Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane was crowned second runner-up with Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu taking the crown and Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira the first runner-up.
Prior to Sandhu, two Indians had won the Miss Universe title: Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.
Boycott calls
In recent weeks, the competition has also received attention for other reasons, with several contestants defying pressure to boycott in support of Palestinians.
To protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, a grassroots Palestinian-led boycott movement urged contestants to skip the event.
“We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights,” wrote the Palestinian Campaign for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
Miss Morocco Kawtar Benhalima and Miss Bahrain Manar Nadeem Deyani were among the 80 contestants, both from Muslim-majority countries that normalized relations with Israel last year.
Only Indonesia and Malaysia, which do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, did not send a representative, citing the global COVID-19 situation rather than Israel’s record on human rights.
South Africa, which is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, has withdrawn its support for the country’s representative due to her participation, alleging “atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians”.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel last year and welcomed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on a historic visit on Sunday, did not send a candidate.
The UAE, on the other hand, said that this was due to “time constraints” in choosing its national winner.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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