People

Rama Duwaji, New York’s Gen Z First Lady And Face Behind Mamdani’s Victory

After years, Gracie Mansion, the New York mayor’s official residence, will have a first lady. Rama Dwaji, the 28-year-old wife of New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — who mostly opts to stay out of the spotlight — was on stage with him when he declared his victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo.

A Syrian-American artist and illustrator, Duwaji moved to the US in 2021 and married Mamdani in a City Hall ceremony earlier this year. US media credits her for being one of the people who helped build Mamdani’s brand identity when he first kicked off his campaign, including the bold iconography and font used on his yellow, orange and blue campaign materials.

Rama Duwaji is the first Gen Z first lady of New York City at Gracie Mansion
She is a Syrian-American artist and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York
Duwaji helped build Zohran Mamdani’s campaign brand and social media presence

Apart from being a major support in his private life, she is also credited with boosting her husband’s digital and large social media presence. However, despite her apparent backstage efforts, Duwaji has not appeared on joint television shows with Mamdani or agreed to a splashy magazine profile.

Even her Instagram page, where she promotes her artwork depicting Middle Eastern women and the plight of Palestinians, shows her apparent association withMamdani, apart from one carousel from the day of the June Democratic primary, where the couple feature together.

But with Mamdai’s victory on Tuesday, Duwaji too created history, becoming the first member of Gen Z to serve as New York City’s first lady.

Who Is Rama Duwaji?

The Dubai-educated Syrian-American is based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally listed on her Instagram as being from Damascus, her campaign says she is “ethnically Syrian” and was born in Texas.

She met Mamdani several years ago on the dating app Hinge. The couple held a private engagement and a Nikkah ceremony in Dubai in December 2024, followed by a wedding at the New York City Clerk’s office earlier this year.

“Rama isn’t just my wife; she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms,” Mamdani wrote in a May 12 post on Instagram, announcing they had been married three months earlier.

Duwaji earned a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work has been featured by The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE, and the Tate Modern in London.

Duwaji became the first member of Gen Z to serve as New York City’s first lady.

Rama Duwaji is the first Gen Z first lady of New York City at Gracie Mansion

She is a Syrian-American artist and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York
Duwaji helped build Zohran Mamdani’s campaign brand and social media presence

But with Mamdai’s victory on Tuesday, Duwaji too created history, becoming the first member of Gen Z to serve as New York City’s first lady.

Who Is Rama Duwaji?

The Dubai-educated Syrian-American is based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally listed on her Instagram as being from Damascus, her campaign says she is “ethnically Syrian” and was born in Texas.

She also creates ceramics, particularly hand-illustrated blue-and-white plates. Duwaji has nearly 235 thousand followers on Instagram, where she shares her artwork, political commentary, and other milestones.

People

UAE Urges Public to Improve Online Safety

The UAE Cybersecurity Council has urged the public to begin the new year by adopting smarter cybersecurity habits.

In an official post on its social media channels, the council highlighted the importance of following simple guidelines to stay safe online. These include securing home Wi-Fi networks, keeping devices and software up to date, verifying the safety of websites and applications before use, regularly reviewing app permissions, and deleting old or unused accounts.

The council also stressed the need to encrypt emails, use secure digital networks when connecting to public Wi-Fi, and back up important data.

It added that adopting these measures can help individuals better protect themselves and their information as the new year begins.

Story by Gulf News

People

Beyoncé becomes fifth billionaire musician: Forbes

Grammy-winning artist joins husband Jay-Z and artists like Taylor Swift following the success of Cowboy Carter tour

Beyoncé is now a billionaire, according to a report from Forbes – becoming the fifth musician to obtain the status.

The Grammy award-winning artist, 44, has joined the world’s wealthiest people following the success of her Cowboy Carter tour, which grossed more than $400m in ticket sales, and an additional $50m in merchandise sales. Her previous Renaissance world tour brought in about more than $579m.

Her husband, Jay-Z, was the first musician to become a billionaire on Forbes’s list in 2019. Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have also achieved the elite status.

Though Beyoncé has launched several ventures including a hair care brand, Cécred, a whiskey label called SirDavis and a clothing line called Ivy Park, most of her personal wealth comes from her music – including revenue from her catalogue and from her global tours – according to Forbes.

In 2010, she founded Parkwood Entertainment, a management and production company, bringing control of all her artistic ventures – including music, concerts and documentaries – in house.

Her 2024 album Cowboy Carter was critically acclaimed, winning Beyoncé her first album of the year Grammy. The tour that followed the album’s release was the world’s highest-grossing music tour of 2025. The three-hour production included guest appearances by her husband, children and former Destiny’s Child bandmates.

“Across any category of the entertainment industry, there is practically no enterprise more lucrative than a musician who can sell out stadiums,” Forbes wrote – noting that the concert tour employed 350 crew members, used 100 semi-trucks worth of equipment, and required eight 747 cargo planes to move the show from city from city.

Beyoncé began her career as a member of the pop group Destiny’s Child before launching her solo career in the early 2000s. She holds the record for most-awarded and most-nominated artist in Grammy history. The artist also made an estimated $50m for the 2024 “Beyoncé Bowl” half-time show for the NFL’s Christmas game, and $10m for starring in Levi’s commercials.

The artist – who sang on her track Pure/Honey, “It should cost a billion to look this good / But she make it look easy ‘cause she got it” – has now officially got it.

In 2025, there are more than 3,000 billionaires around the world, according to Forbes.

The Gurdian

People

George Clooney and wife Amal granted French citizenship

The actor said privacy laws protecting children from paparazzi were a key factor in the family’s decision

George Clooney has been granted French citizenship, along with his wife Amal Clooney and their two children, according to an official decree in France’s government gazette.

The publication confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he praised French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi.

“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” the actor told RTL radio at the time – in English.

“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he said.

The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe that predates his 2014 marriage to his wife, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French.

Clooney owns an estate in Italy’s Lake Como region, purchased in 2002, and he and his wife also bought a historic manor in England.

Their property in southern France – a former wine estate called the Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles – was purchased in 2021.

They also own a New York apartment and a property in Kentucky, but reportedly sold homes in Los Angeles and Mexico over the past decade.

The couple are parents to eight-year-old twins.

Clooney told RTL that although the family travels frequently, their home in France “is where we’re happiest”.

Clooney is also a director and producer, and has won two Oscars: one for best supporting actor in 2006’s Syriana and another as a producer on 2012’s Argo.

Clooney is not the only Hollywood figure seeking French citizenship. The US director Jim Jarmusch told France Inter radio on Friday that he also plans to apply for French nationality.

“I would like a place that will allow me to escape from the United States,” he said, adding that he was also drawn to French culture.

Story by the Guardian