Sheikha Hala, Wife of Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Dies   

Dubai: Sheikha Hala bint D'aji Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain's crown prince, has died. The state-run Bahrain News Agency announced Sheikha Hala's death early this morning. It offered no details, nor gave her age.

Sheikha Hala was married to Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The couple had four children, including their son Prince Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who is second in line to the throne after his father. Sheikha Hala kept a low profile, but launched an anti-child abuse program in the island kingdom in 2003. She also did other charity work.

Bahrain, off the coast of Saudi Arabia, is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet and a British naval base. The kingdom is in the midst of a yearslong crackdown on all dissent.

AP