Bahrain

Leading members of Bahrain's royal family have thrown their weight behind hard-line Sunni Muslim groups, some of whom share the outlook of Al Qaeda, in an attempt to counter a perceived Shiite threat, government officials and critics say. The strategy, first exposed in a government report that surfaced last year, has revealed a rift within the court of the ruling Khalifa family. One faction believes in reconciliation with the Persian Gulf nation's disenfranchised Shiite Muslim majority.

A male sailor shot and killed two female sailors in the barracks of the U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain base, officials said. The suspect was critically wounded, said a Navy official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. A State Department official in Washington said that although initial reports suggested the incident might have involved a love triangle, it now appeared that a jilted boyfriend shot his ex-girlfriend and then himself.

An uneasy calm returned to the oil-rich Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain on Wednesday after a week of clashes between Shiite Muslim opposition groups and forces of the Sunni-dominated government. The street fighting, sparked by the death of an activist, was some of the worst since a 1990s Shiite uprising and led to an undetermined number of injured and the arrest of dozens.

More than a dozen people detained in Bahrain during recent Shiite protests were charged with attempted murder or illegal assembly and rioting, a defense lawyer and a local rights group said. Defense lawyer Mohammed Jashi said three people were charged with attempted murder in clashes with riot police, and 11 with illegal assembly and rioting.

The father and daughter get lost a lot. He can't remember the sleepy streets of this tiny island nation in the Persian Gulf, not after so many years. As for her, she never knew them. They sit side by side in the darkness of their little Honda, the brake lights of passing cars washing their faces in red. Their eyes quiver over gates and signposts. They are looking for a landmark. "Isn't it back the other way?" Hussain Ali asks his daughter. "I think ...

A tour boat carrying as many as 150 people capsized Thursday night in the Persian Gulf off Bahrain, and at least 57 people were killed, the country's coast guard chief said. Coast guard chief Youssef Katem said at least 63 people survived. Television footage showed survivors, their hair still wet, squatting on the floor of a hospital. Many covered themselves with blankets. One man was shown being treated for cuts to the head. Some with blood streaming down their faces hugged each other.

Pop star Michael Jackson began a vacation on the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, looking for privacy and relaxation in a secret location, his royal host said Thursday. Jackson arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday night as a guest of the royal family. His host is the king's son, Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who flew in with the singer from Europe on a private plane. The prince would not say where Jackson was staying in the Rhode Island-sized kingdom.

Does anyone know a good mover in the Santa Ynez Valley that can handle a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and zoo animals? Michael Jackson's attorney said Thursday the pop singer has made the Middle Eastern nation of Bahrain, not Neverland ranch, his permanent home. Attorney Thomas A. Mesereau Jr. declined to comment on local speculation that Jackson planned to sell Neverland ranch, but said the singer is very happy in his new home. "He's looking much better.