Search Site

Trends banner

SAIB reports $139 million Q1 net profit

its assets increased by 20.08 percent to $43.65bn.

Nissan forecasts $5.3bn annual net loss

Last year, it announced 9,000 job cuts worldwide.

Saudia to acquire 20 wide-body aircraft

10 of these being acquired for its flydaeal low-cost airline

ADIB’s Q1 net profit $517 million

Q1 2025 net profit before tax increased 18% YoY.

Emirates Islamic Q1 profit $394m

The bank's profit crossed AED 1bn mark for the first time.

A camel beauty contest with $275,000 cash prize

A cameleer carries a calf during the first Qatar Camel Festival, at Lebsayyer area of al-Shahaniyyah, around 25 Km northwest of the Qatari capital, on March 8, 2022. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP)
  • The animal, named Mangiah Ghufran, was declared winner of the one million riyal ($275,000) top prize at the first Qatar Camel Festival
  • Previous festivals were more local but now Qatar has allowed in camels from across the region

The lips pouted to perfection, the neck was long and poised, and the judges were sure that no Botox was involved as they awarded Qatar’s largest cash prize for a camel beauty contest in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Hundreds of spectators, who poured into the isolated desert venue in Land Cruisers and Jeeps, threw up their scarves in celebration as the animal, named Mangiah Ghufran, was declared winner of the one million riyal ($275,000) top prize at the first Qatar Camel Festival late Tuesday.

The animal paced nervously in the paddock as his owner Fahed Farj Algufrani collected the cheque and told how it had taken “years” to prepare the prize-winning beast.

Previous festivals were more local but now Qatar has allowed in camels from across the region, drawing breeders from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with millions of dollars in prizes at stake.

Organizers were on alert after a recent festival in Saudi Arabia, where 43 camels were disqualified after it was found they were given drug enhancements to make their lips droopier and their humps more shapely, according to official media.

“Work was done to combat tampering, which is the use of Botox and fillers and other things,” said Hamad Jaber Al-Athba, the chief festival organizer.

“We had a professional veterinary staff and advanced equipment and we worked to combat tampering and limit the spread of cosmetic materials,” he told AFP. The camels are put through X-rays and other monitoring.

“Corruption was fought seriously at the Qatar Camel Festival.”

To pick the winners, the judges look at “the size and beauty” of the head, the length of the neck and and the position of the camel’s hump. “These are the most important points,” said Al-Athba.

For black camels the size of its head can be a deal-breaker, but for white camels, the consistency of the color counts.

Authorities in Qatar and its neighbors are seeking to give traditional practices a higher profile as they compete with mega events such as football’s World Cup and Formula One grands prix.

Al Athba said the festival had been a success, drawing Qatar’s growing urban population as well as its desert-dwelling Bedouin.