Registration is now open for worshippers hoping to attend Pope Francis's public Mass during his landmark tour of Bahrain next month.
Thousands of people are expected to congregate at the Bahrain National Stadium on November 5, in a milestone moment for the Catholic faith in the country.
The stadium has a capacity of 24,000 and is mostly used for football matches. It is not yet known how many people will be in attendance for the event, which will begin at 8.30am.
The official website for the papal visit states that registration will be online only, with places reserved for members of the Southern Vicariate.
The open-air Mass will be a highlight of a busy four-day visit to the region, which starts on November 3, during which the Pontiff will also meet national and religious leaders and visit churches and a local school.
Registration details can be found on the official Bahrain papal visit website.
“Since spaces are limited, a system of registration, strictly reserved for the faithful of the Southern Vicariate who seriously intend to attend the Papal Mass, is implemented online only,” the website said.
Pope returns to Middle East
Pope Francis embarked on a historic three-day visit to the UAE in February 2019, the first made by a leader of the Roman Catholic Church to the Arabian Peninsula.
More than 150,000 gathered for Mass in Abu Dhabi as Pope Francis blessed the congregation and sent out a message of peace.
Tens of thousands of people queued up overnight at free transport centres across Dubai to travel to the capital and catch a glimpse of the Pope.
The Document on Human Fraternity, signed by Pope Francis and Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, during the visit, has been hailed for promoting inter-faith harmony. It aims to unite people in a spirit of respect and tolerance.
Bahrain awaits historic visit
On arrival in Bahrain on November 3, Pope Francis will visit Bahrain’s King Hamad at the Sakhir Royal Palace.
This will be followed by a welcome ceremony in the courtyard and a meeting with diplomats, government officials and members of the public, according to the Holy See press office.
On Friday, November 4, the Pope will speak at the closing session of the Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Co-existence.
More than 200 global faith leaders and scholars are taking part in the conference and discussions will cover the role of religious heads in addressing global challenges and interfaith dialogue for world peace.
After a private meeting with Dr Al Tayeb, Pope Francis will address members of the Muslim Council of Elders, of which Dr Al Tayeb is the chairman.
He will say a prayer for peace at the Our Lady of Arabia Cathedral at 5.45pm.
After addressing thousands of worshippers at the November 5 Mass, Pope Francis will meet young people at a local school.
On the morning of Sunday, November 6, the Pope will address a prayer meeting with bishops, priests and church workers at the Sacred Heart Church in Manama, before he departs at noon for Rome.
The message of the papal visit to Bahrain is “peace on Earth to people of goodwill” and the logo shows the flags of the Holy See and Bahrain cradling an olive branch, symbolising peace.
This emblem represents, “the commitment of people and nations to encounter each other free from prejudice and in a spirit of openness as brothers and sisters”, the Holy See press office said.
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Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
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South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
Royal wedding inspired menu
Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea
Avocado ranch dip with crudites
Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches
Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Specs
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
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Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
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Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
