Miss India Wins Miss Universe Held in Israel despite Boycott Calls

India's Harnaaz Sandhu waves after being crowned Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
India's Harnaaz Sandhu waves after being crowned Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Miss India Wins Miss Universe Held in Israel despite Boycott Calls

India's Harnaaz Sandhu waves after being crowned Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
India's Harnaaz Sandhu waves after being crowned Miss Universe 2021 during the 70th Miss Universe pageant, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe in the Israeli city of Eilat early Monday, with several contestants defying pressure to boycott in support of the Palestinians.

The 70th edition of the annual pageant, held in Israel for the first time, has also faced complications from the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reported.

Sandhu took the top prize in the Red Sea resort with Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira first runner-up and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane taking the second runner-up spot.

South Africa's Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts had urged its contestant to stay away from Eilat, citing "atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians."

The call echoed Palestinian groups who pleaded with contestants to avoid the event.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote: "We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel's apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights."

The 80 contestants also included Miss Morocco Kawtar Benhalima and Miss Bahrain Manar Nadeem Deyani, whose majority Muslim nations normalized ties with Israel last year.

In an interview with AFP in Jerusalem late last month, the outgoing Miss Universe Andrea Meza, of Mexico, said the pageant should steer clear of politics.

"Miss Universe isn't a political movement, nor a religious one. It's about women and what they can offer."

Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, have not sent contestants but both cited complications related to the pandemic, not Israel's rights record.

The United Arab Emirates, which also normalized ties with Israel last year and where Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made a historic visit Sunday, has also not sent a candidate.

But the UAE said that was "due to time constraints," in selecting its national winner.

- 'Criticism' -
Contestants for the pageant landed in Israel late last month and have since toured sites, sometimes coming under criticism for cultural insensitivity.

In one stop in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the candidates wore robes with traditional Palestinian embroidery while rolling grape leaves -- which Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez tweeted was a "Day in the life of a Bedouin."

The Bedouin are a traditionally nomadic people who belong to the community of Palestinian citizens of Israel. They have long complained of discrimination in housing and education.

"Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place," tweeted Ines Abdel Razek of the advocacy group the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.

Participants in the pageant, which was co-owned by Donald Trump before he became US president, must be between the ages of 18 and 28 and may never have married or had a child.

According to organizers, the coronation ceremony will be watched by 600 million viewers in 172 countries.



Acropolis to Close in the Afternoon Due to Heatwave

People stand in a shade while visiting the Acropolis, at the start of a 3-days heatwave with temperatures expected to overpass 40 Celsius degrees, in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
People stand in a shade while visiting the Acropolis, at the start of a 3-days heatwave with temperatures expected to overpass 40 Celsius degrees, in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
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Acropolis to Close in the Afternoon Due to Heatwave

People stand in a shade while visiting the Acropolis, at the start of a 3-days heatwave with temperatures expected to overpass 40 Celsius degrees, in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
People stand in a shade while visiting the Acropolis, at the start of a 3-days heatwave with temperatures expected to overpass 40 Celsius degrees, in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Greece's culture ministry on Tuesday ordered a partial closure of the Acropolis, the country's top monument, to protect visitors amid heatwave conditions.

The ministry in a statement said the site would be closed from 1:00 to 5:00 pm (1000 to 1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures."

The four-day heatwave that began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June.

Temperatures in the country are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens.

Similar temperatures are expected Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily.

Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023.