For a tiny island, Bahrain has certainly welcomed a lot of big stars
Not only have some of the most recognisable names in modern-day music and film visited the kingdom on holiday, but a number of them actually made it their home.
Here are a few of the most famous past and present island residents.
James Arthur
The 2012 X Factor winner and global chart-topping singer-songwriter moved to Bahrain with his mother and two sisters when he was just 9 years old, in 1997. He was there for four years, attending the British School of Bahrain – where he was known for starring in school plays. In April 2001, the family moved back to England.
Michael Jackson
After his acquittal of child abuse charges following a 14-week trial in America in 2005, the King of Pop moved to Bahrain.
But the king’s son, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, later sued Jackson in the British High Court, saying the pop star reneged on a contract after he accepted millions of dollars in advances.
He was supposed to produce a new album, an autobiography and a stage play with the advances, but didn't. The pop star ended up settling with the prince out of court.
Jermaine Jackson, Michael's brother, has also been to Bahrain and reportedly converted to Islam after a trip to the island in 1989.
Misha Nonoo
The British-Bahraini fashion designer, who is said to have introduced close friends Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, was born and grew up in Bahrain. While she did her early education on the island, she later went to schools in London and Paris and ended up opening her eponymous line of women's ready-to-wear in 2011, famous fans of which include Markle, Pippa Middleton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker. Read more about Nonoo's experience of giving birth to her first child amid the coronavirus outbreak here.
Sandi Thom
Scottish singer Sandi Thom is best known for her hit 2006 single I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair). A lesser known fact about her is that she currently lives on the small Gulf island, running the Bahrain Animal Rescue Centre.
Thom moved to Bahrain three years ago, after her husband was offered a job there. She plans to stay for another year or two at least. Read our interview with the star about her time on the island here.
Jacqueline Fernandez
The Bollywood actress and winner of the 2006 Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant was born in Bahrain: her family moved there in the early 1980s.
She went to school on the island and even began a career in TV presenting, hosting a show called Tic-Tac-Toe when just 14. She went on to do her higher education in Australia.
Shakira
It is widely reported that Colombian pop superstar Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known more commonly as Shakira (which is Arabic for "grateful" or "thankful"), lived on the island as a little girl, briefly attending the Bahrain School.
The Waka Waka singer, who speaks Arabic, even references the country in her song Ojos Asi when she sings in Spanish the words: "I travelled from Bahrain to Beirut".
Shemar Moore
The American actor and former fashion model, best known for his role as Derek Morgan in the hit TV show Criminal Minds, moved to Bahrain at the age of 4.
His mother was a teacher and Moore attended a private British school there for three years.
Kitty Aldridge
While British actress Kitty Aldridge, who was born in Bahrain in 1962, hasn't acted in anything since 1998, she is remembered for starring in A Room with a View (1985) and TV series The Paradise Club (1989).
She turned to writing in her thirties and has been married to renowned singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler since 1997. The pair have two children. She lived in Bahrain for the first four years of her life.
Mamta Mohandas
The award-winning Indian actress and playback singer – best known for her work on King (2008), Kadha Thudarunnu (2010) and Two Countries (2015) – was born in Bahrain in 1985.
Mohandas grew up there, attending the Indian School until 2002. She often visits the island, as she still has family there.
Flamingods
Three out of four of the members from four-piece alternative rock band Flamingods were brought up in Bahrain.
Kamal Rasool, the band’s founder, Sam Rowe and Charles Prest all went to school on the island and still visit to this day. While they currently live in London, the members spent lengthy periods living apart in different countries and so they craft much of their music via the internet. Rasool also spent quite a bit of time in Dubai.
Bruno Campos
You might recognise Brazilian-American actor and lawyer Bruno Campos from his role in the award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck. Or else you might just remember his voice from animated film The Princess and the Frog, in which he played Prince Naveen.
The son of an international banker and actress, Campos moved around a lot when he was younger, growing up across Brazil, Canada, America and, of course, Bahrain.
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Read more:
Why UK chart-topping singer Sandi Thom moved to Bahrain to help animals
'In the kitchen, every single second counts': Tala Bashmi on her mission to reinvent Bahraini cuisine
48 reasons to love Bahrain: from its Unesco world heritage sites to Manama’s souq
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Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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Scream%20VI
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
Stage result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Andor
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The%20specs
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The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
More on animal trafficking
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
More on animal trafficking
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
SQUADS
UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
WE%20NO%20LONGER%20PREFER%20MOUNTAINS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
Company%20profile
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Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
