Events

1648 – Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück is signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.

1649 – King Charles I of England is beheaded.

1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed two years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.

1667 – The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth cedes Kiev, Smolensk, and left-bank Ukraine to the Tsardom of Russia in the Treaty of Andrusovo.

1703 – The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master.

1790 – The first boat specializing as a lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne.

1806 – The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.

1820 – Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.

1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.

1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but fails and is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen.

1841 – A fire destroys two-thirds of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

1847 – Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.

1858 – The first Hallé concert is given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of the Hallé Orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.

1862 – The first American ironclad warship, the is launched.

1889 – Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling.

1902 – The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance is signed in London.

1911 – The destroyer makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of James McCurdy 10 miles from Havana, Cuba.

1911 – The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy.

1913 – The United Kingdom's House of Lords rejects the Irish Home Rule Bill.

1925 – The Government of Turkey throws Patriarch Constantine VI out of Istanbul.

1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.

1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies.

1943 – World War II: Second day of the Battle of Rennell Island. The is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese torpedoes.

1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.

1944 – World War II: United States troops land on Majuro.

1945 – World War II: The ''Wilhelm Gustloff'', overfilled with refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, leading to the deadliest known maritime disaster, killing approximately 9,400 people.

1945 – World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance liberate 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.

1948 – Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi known for his non-violent freedom struggle is assassinated by Pandit Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.

1956 – American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1959 – , said to be the safest ship afloat and "unsinkable" like the , struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank, killing all 95 aboard.

1960 – The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.

1964 – Ranger program: Ranger 6 is launched.

1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyen Khanh overthrows General Duong Van Minh's military junta in South Vietnam.

1969 – The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.

1971 – Carole King's Tapestry album is released, it would become the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sell 24 million copies worldwide.

1972 – Bloody Sunday: British Paratroopers kill fourteen unarmed civil rights/anti internment marchers in Northern Ireland.

1972 – Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.

1975 – The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.

1979 – A Varig 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.

1982 – Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner".

1989 – The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes.

1994 – Péter Lékó becomes the youngest chess grand master.

1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.

1996 – Gino Gallagher, the suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army, is killed while waiting in line for his unemployment benefit.

2000 – Off the coast of Ivory Coast, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169.

Births

58 BC – Livia, First Roman Empress the wife of Emperor Augustus (d. 29)

133 – Marcus Severus Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (d. 193)

1563 – Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian (d. 1641)

1615 – Thomas Rolfe, American colonial settler (d. 1675)

1661 – Charles Rollin, French historian (d. 1741)

1697 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flautist and composer (d. 1773)

1720 – Charles De Geer, Swedish industrialist and entomologist (d. 1778)

1754 – John Lansing, Jr., American statesman (d. 1829)

1775 – Walter Savage Landor, English writer (d. 1864)

1781 – Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer (d. 1838)

1816 – Nathaniel Prentice Banks, American politician (d. 1894)

1822 – Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist (d. 1899)

1832 – Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1897)

1841 – Félix Faure, French politician (d. 1899)

1852 – Ion Luca Caragiale, Romanian playwright and poet (d. 1912)

1859 – Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (d. 1944)

1861 – Charles Martin Loeffler, German composer (d. 1935)

1862 – Walter Johannes Damrosch, German composer (d. 1950)

1866 – Gelett Burgess, American literary humorist (d. 1951)

1873 – Georges Ricard-Cordingley, French painter (d. 1939)

1878 – Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (d. 1940)

1882 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States (d. 1945)

1889 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet and dramatist (d. 1937)

1890 – Bruno Kastner, German actor (d. 1932)

1894 – Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria (d. 1943)

1899 – Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1972)

1901 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (d. 1959)

1902 – Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian (d. 1983)

1910 – Chidambaram Subramaniam, Indian politician (d. 2000)

1911 – Roy Eldridge, American musician (d. 1989)

1912 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist (d. 1988)

1912 – Francis Schaeffer, American theologian and pastor (d. 1984)

1912 – Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian (d. 1989)

1913 – Percy Thrower, British Television Gardener (d. 1988)

1914 – Luc-Marie Bayle, French naval officer and artist (d. 2000)

1914 – John Ireland, Canadian actor (d. 1992)

1914 – David Wayne, American actor (d. 1995)

1915 – Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (d. 1976)

1915 – John Profumo, British cabinet minister (d. 2006)

1917 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (d. 2008)

1918 – David Opatoshu, American television actor (d. 1996)

1919 – Nikolay Glazkov, Russian poet (d. 1979)

1919 – Fred Korematsu, Japanese-American civil rights activist (d. 2005)

1920 – Michael Anderson, English film director

1920 – Carwood Lipton, American WWII veteran (d. 2001)

1920 – Delbert Mann, American film director (d. 2007)

1922 – Dick Martin, American comedian (d. 2008)

1923 – Walt Dropo, American baseball player (d. 2010)

1924 – Lloyd Alexander, American writer (d. 2007)

1925 – Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist

1925 – Dorothy Malone, American actress

1927 – Ahmed Abdul-Malik, American musician (d. 1993)

1927 – Olof Palme, Swedish politician (d. 1986)

1927 – Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist (d. 2005)

1928 – Hal Prince, American stage producer and director

1929 – Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian surgeon and aid worker (d. 1996)

1930 – Sandy Amorós, Cuban baseball player (d. 1992)

1930 – Samuel Byck, American criminal (d. 1974)

1930 – Gene Hackman, American actor

1930 – Magnus Malan, South African politician (d. 2011)

1931 – John Crosbie, Canadian politician

1931 – Allan W. Eckert, American naturalist and author

1931 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian author

1932 – Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician

1933 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist (d. 2006)

1935 – Richard Brautigan, American writer and poet (d. 1984)

1936 – F. Vernon Boozer, American politician

1936 – Patrick Caulfield, British painter and printmaker (d. 2005)

1936 – Horst Jankowski, German pianist (d. 1998)

1937 – Ed Hansen, American film director and editor (d. 2005)

1937 – Vanessa Redgrave, English actress

1937 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player

1938 – Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan

1941 – Gregory Benford, American author and scientist

1941 – Dick Cheney, Vice President of the United States

1941 – Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer

1942 – Marty Balin, American musician (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and KBC Band)

1943 – Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager

1945 – Michael Dorris, American author (d. 1997)

1947 – Les Barker, English poet

1947 – Steve Marriott, English musician (Humble Pie and The Small Faces) (d. 1991)

1948 – Nick Broomfield, English documentarian

1948 – Paul Magee, Irish Republican Army figure

1948 – Miles Reid, English mathematician

1949 – Peter Agre, American biologist, Nobel laureate

1950 – Trinidad Silva, American actor (d. 1988)

1951 – Phil Collins, English musician (Genesis and Brand X)

1951 – Charles S. Dutton, American actor

1951 – Bobby Stokes, English footballer (d. 1995)

1952 – Doug Falconer, Canadian football player

1953 – Fred Hembeck, American cartoonist

1955 – John Baldacci, American politician

1955 – Curtis Strange, American golfer

1955 – Judith Tarr, American author

1955 – Mychal Thompson, Bahamian basketball player

1955 – Tom Izzo, American college basketball coach

1956 – Jeremy Gittins, English actor

1956 – Darko Rundek, Croatian musician, actor and theatrical director (Haustor)

1956 – Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver

1957 – Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)

1958 – Brett Butler, American actress and comedian

1959 – Mark Eitzel, American singer and musician (American Music Club)

1959 – Jody Watley, American singer (Shalamar)

1960 – Tony O'Dell, American actor

1960 – Alex Titomirov, Russian-born American businessman

1961 – Dexter Scott King, American actor and film maker, son of Martin Luther King, Jr.

1962 – King Abdullah II of Jordan

1963 – Tina Malone, English actress

1964 – Otis Smith, American basketball player

1965 – Julie McCullough, American model and actress

1966 – Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player

1967 – Jay Gordon, American musician (Orgy)

1968 – Trevor Dunn, American musician (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, and Tomahawk)

1968 – Prince Felipe of Spain

1968 – Tony Maudsley, British film actor

1969 – Carolyn Kepcher, American businesswoman and reality contestant on ''The Apprentice''

1971 – Darren Boyd, British actor

1971 – Kimo von Oelhoffen, American football player

1972 – Lupillo Rivera, Mexican singer

1972 – Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player

1973 – Jalen Rose, American basketball player

1974 – Christian Bale, Welsh actor

1974 – Olivia Colman, English actress

1974 – Jemima Khan, English socialite

1975 – Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer

1975 – Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese singer (Puffy Amiyumi)

1976 – Andy Milonakis, American actor and comedian

1977 – Dan Hinote, American ice hockey player

1977 – Tom Malchow, American swimmer

1977 – Deltha O'Neal, American football player

1978 – Carmen Küng, Swiss curler

1978 – John Patterson, American baseball player

1979 – Trevor Gillies, Canadian ice hockey player

1980 – Leilani Dowding, British model

1980 – Josh Kelley, American singer

1980 – Pavel Ponomaryov, Russian-Estonian actor

1980 – Joãozinho, Brazilian footballer

1980 – Georgios Vakouftsis, Greek footballer

1980 – Wilmer Valderrama, American actor

1981 – Jonathan Bender, American basketball player

1981 – Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer

1981 – Peter Crouch, English footballer

1981 – Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver

1982 – Jorge Cantu, Mexican baseball player

1982 – DeSagana Diop, Senegalese basketball player

1982 – Mark Nwokeji, English footballer

1984 – Jeremy Hermida, American baseball player

1984 – Kid Cudi, American rapper and musician (WZRD)

1984 – Xi Zhang, American Painter

1985 – Torrey Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player

1985 – Trae Williams, American football player

1986 – Sam Duckworth, British singer-songwriter

1986 – Nick Evans, American baseball player

1987 – Rebecca Knox, Irish wrestler

1987 – Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer

1987 – Arda Turan, Turkish footballer

1988 – Rob Pinkston, American actor

1989 – Tomás Mejías, Spanish footballer

1989 – Khleo Thomas, American actor and rapper

1990 – Joe Colborne, Canadian ice hockey player

1990 – Eiza Gonzalez, Mexican actress and singer

1990 – Nils Miatke, German footballer

1990 – Luca Sbisa, Swiss ice hockey player

1990 – Jake Thomas, American actor

1995 – Misaki Iwasa, Japanese singer (AKB48)

2005 – Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah II of Jordan

Deaths

1030 – William V, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)

1181 – Emperor Takakura of Japan (b. 1161)

1384 – Louis II of Flanders (b. 1330)

1574 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher (b. 1502)

1606 – Everard Digby, English conspirator (b. 1578)

1649 – King Charles I of England (b. 1600)

1730 – Tsar Peter II of Russia (b. 1715)

1836 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress (b. 1752)

1849 – Jonathan Alder, American settler (b. 1773)

1858 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist (b. 1778)

1867 – Emperor Kōmei of Japan (b. 1831)

1869 – William Carleton, Irish novelist (b. 1794)

1889 – Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (b. 1858)

1926 – Barbara La Marr, American actress (b. 1896)

1928 – Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger, Danish scientist, Nobel laureate (b. 1867)

1929 – La Goulue, French dancer (b. 1866)

1934 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher (b. 1862)

1948 – Arthur Coningham, New Zealand air commander (b. 1895)

1948 – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Father of Nation, India (b. 1869)

1948 – Orville Wright, American aviator (b. 1871)

1951 – Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian automotive engineer (b. 1875)

1958 – Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (b. 1878)

1958 – Ernst Heinkel, German aviation engineer (b. 1888)

1962 – Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (b. 1894)

1963 – Francis Poulenc, French composer (b. 1899)

1969 – Dominique Pire, Belgian monk, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)

1980 – Professor Longhair, American musician (b. 1918)

1982 – Lightnin' Hopkins, American musician (b. 1912)

1984 – Luke Kelly, Irish singer (The Dubliners) (b. 1940)

1984 – Lee McCall, South African bank robber (b. 1950)

1987 – Harold Loeffelmacher, Polka musician (Six Fat Dutchmen) (b. 1905)

1989 – Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, Spanish pretender to the French throne (b. 1936)

1991 – John Bardeen, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1908)

1991 – Clifton C. Edom, American photojournalism educator (b. 1907)

1991 – John McIntire, American actor (b. 1907)

1994 – Pierre Boulle, French author (b. 1912)

1995 – Gerald Durrell, British naturalist and television presenter (b. 1925)

1998 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor (b. 1927)

1999 – Huntz Hall, American actor (b. 1919)

1999 – Ed Herlihy, American broadcaster (b. 1909)

2001 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor (b. 1911)

2001 – Johnnie Johnson, British fighter pilot (b. 1915)

2001 – Joseph Ransohoff, American neurosurgeon (b. 1915)

2005 – Martyn Bennett, Canadian musician (b. 1971)

2005 – Wes Wehmiller, American musician (Missing Persons) (b. 1971)

2006 – Coretta Scott King, American activist; widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. 1927)

2007 – Nikos Kourkoulos, Greek actor (b. 1934)

2007 – Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)

2008 – Jeremy Beadle, British television host (b. 1948)

2008 – Marcial Maciel, Mexican religious figure (b. 1920)

2008 – Roland Selmeczi, Hungarian actor (b. 1969)

2009 – John Gordy, American football player (b. 1935)

2009 – H. Guy Hunt, American politician (b. 1933)

2009 – Ingemar Johansson, Swedish boxer (b. 1932)

2009 – Neiliezhü Üsou, Indian Baptist preacher (b. 1941)

2010 – Bernard Arcand, French-Canadian anthropologist (b. 1945)

2010 – Aaron Ruben, American television director (b. 1914)

2011 – John Barry, English film score composer (b. 1933)

2012 – Doeschka Meijsing, Dutch novelist (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

* Aldegonde

* Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)

* Balthild

* Hippolytus of Rome

* Hyacintha Mariscotti

* King Charles the Martyr (Society of King Charles the Martyr, Anglicanism)

* Martina

* Mutien-Marie Wiaux

* Savina

* Three Holy Hierarchs (Eastern Orthodox)

* January 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi-related observances:

* Martyrs' Day (India)

* School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On this day in Canada

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Category:Days of the year Category:January

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name	Haifa Wehbe
background	solo_singer
birth place	Mahrouna, Lebanon
genre	Arabic pop, World
occupation	Singer, model, Designer, Actress
years active	1990s- (model) 2002–present (Singer) 2007–present (Actress)
website	http://www.haifawehbe.com }}

Haifa Wehbe (Arabic: هيفاء وهبي) (born 1974 in Mahrouna, Lebanon), is a Lebanese model, actress, and singer born to a Lebanese father and Egyptian mother who rose to fame in the Arab world as runner up for Miss Lebanon and later through the release of her debut album ''Houwa El-Zaman'' (Arabic: هو الزمن) in 2002. She is known through her music for her sex appeal, provocative mannerisms and image. She has so far released four studio albums and made her acting debut in 2008 Pepsi-produced film ''Sea of Stars''. Wehbe is one of the most well-known female singers in the Arab World and is considered one of the most successful Lebanese singers. In 2006, she was on People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people list.

Early life

Wehbe was born in Mahrouna, a small Shia farming town in Lebanon, to a Lebanese father, Nadim antar, and Egyptian mother, but shortly after her family had moved to Beirut where she grew up listening to jazz and R&B; and began to work as a full-time model at a young age. Wehbe won the title of ''Miss South Lebanon'' at the age of sixteen. Wehbe was a runner-up at the Miss Lebanon competition.

Wehbe also made a name for herself when she starred in a music video clip for the famous Arabic crooner, George Wassouf. By 1996, she had appeared on over one hundred magazine covers.

Career

Houwa El-Zaman (2002–2003)

In 2002, Wehbe released her first album, titled ''Houwa El-Zaman'' (Arabic: هو الزمن, English: "It Is The Time"), which became a commercial success, in part thanks to the popularity of her first single "Agoul Ahwak" (Arabic: أقول أهواك, English: "I Say I Love You").

Baddi Eish and Television Career (2004–2007)

Wehbe released her second studio album ''Baddi Eesh'' (Arabic: بدي عيش, English: "I Want to Live") in early 2005 and lived up to expectations due to the success of its lead single "Ya Hayat Albi." Released after the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri, the title single of the album is about "freedom, considered to be among the most basic of human rights". Her follow-up single became her biggest hit to date, "Ana Haifa" (Arabic: أنا هيفاء, English: "I Am Haifa"), which became her novelty song. In 2006 she released a follow up single "Bus al-Wawa" (Arabic: بوس الواوا, English: "Kiss the ''booboo''"), the song was later used in a Pepsi advertisement. The song was also voted Song of the Year in 2006 by Radio Scope and Sawt Al Musika.

In July 2005, Wehbe, along with 14 other celebrities from the Arab world, appeared on the live pan-Arab reality series Al-Wadi (Arabic: الوادي, English: The Farm‎), based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités. Wehbe's role featured songs from her then new album.

Wehbe was the first Arab artist appear on the Italian television channel Rai Uno at Piazza Navona in Rome, performing in front of celebrities and fashion designers. Haifa Wehbe has also performed with artists from outside the Arab world. On June 10, 2006, Wehbe became the first artist in the Arab world to perform with rapper 50 Cent when she performed the opening act for his first concert in Lebanon, at BIEL in Beirut.

In summer 2006 she was a spokesperson for Pepsi, and worked on Pepsi ads with football star Thierry Henry which were aired on Lebanese television during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Film Career Beginnings and Habibi Ana (2008–2009)

Wehbe starred in the Pepsi-produced film Sea of Stars released in early 2008, along with Carole Samaha, Ahmad el Sherif, Wael Kfoury, Brigitte Yaghi, and Ruwaida al-Mahrooqi

On July 4, 2008, Wehbe released her third studio album Habibi Ana (Arabic: حبيبي أنا, English: "My Love") which contains 15 songs including the lead single "Mosh Adra Astana". In the Middle East album sales struggled due to Haifa's lack of promotion as she was concentrating more on her acting and film career.

In 2009 Wehbe starred in Dokkan Shehata, a high-grossing Egyptian drama film. The film was produced by Khaled Youssef. It was released in June 2009 and immediately became a huge success in the Middle East whilst gaining tremendous publicity.

Baby Haifa (2010–present)

After a lengthy delay, Wehbe released a children's album titled ''Baby Haifa'' in March 2010 under Rotana Records.

Wehbe was scheduled to work on the Egyptian movie Leilet El-Baby Doll, but canceled due to her overbooked schedule. The singer will be starring in another movie with producer Muhammad Al Sabki scheduled for sometime in 2011.

In April 2010, Wehbe was featured on French DJ David Vendetta's album ''Vendetta'' on the song ''Yama Layali''. Wehbe is working on her fifth studio album, “Bukra Bafarjeek”. In September 2011 ''Al Bawaba'' reported that Wehbe was threatening to leave her label Rotana "for neglecting her and not paying any attention to her work". Haifa is now working on releasing the album soon and her music video for "Bukra Bafarjeek".

Other works

Wehbe occasionally works as a television host and has also designed her own selection of diamond jewellery.

Personal life

Wehbe is a Lebanese Muslim, and she has three sisters. Wehbe's brother died at the age of 24 during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Wehbe's daughter has been living with her father since her parents divorce. In 2008 Wehbe's daughter was married in a private ceremony. As of 2010, Zeinab Zaza and her father are living in Kuwait.

In 2005, Wehbe announced her engagement to a Saudi businessman Tariq Al-Jaffali. After only a few weeks, she and her fiancé decided to split for personal reasons and family issues.

On June 25, 2007, Wehbe survived an accident while filming a music video for the song "Hasa Ma Bena" in Lebanon. In the video, a single engine airplane was to chase Wehbe as she drove a car. However, the airplane inadvertently hit the car, taking off the front windshield of the convertible she was driving. Despite the severity of the accident, Wehbe suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

Wehbe married Egyptian businessman Ahmad Abu Husheima on April 24, 2009 in Beirut. Among the guests at the wedding party were singer Anastacia, Googoosh, Kim Kardashian, Samar Ibrahim, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Najwa Karam, Ragheb Alama, Ahlam, and Sherine.

Criticism and controversy

Elissa rivalry

Haifa is known for her enmity and rivalry with Lebanese singer Elissa. In 2009 Haifa compared the two singers to 'cars' by saying that Elissa is an 'old car' while she is a 'new' one. This statement was highly publicised and talked about in the media and press, causing anger between fans. Elissa refused to reply and just stated carelessly: "When someone compares me to a car, is there anything left for me to say?". This enmity stopped when Nishan had Elissa live on his show and called Haifa. Both Elissa and Haifa were surprised, but assured people that there are no problems or issues between the two singers.

Further controversy started when Haifa claimed that Elissa's perfume, "Elle D'Elissa", was supposed to be hers, but Elissa didn't reply and said that the perfume is hers and only hers yet again, Haifa and Elissa announced the love and peace between them. During the Murex d'Or 2010, after Haifa had finished her performance and accepted her award, she said that Lebanon is a country of love and that all Lebanese people love and respect each other. And to prove to people that what she was saying was true, she said "There's no problem with Elissa, and this is the proof to all people," she shook hands with Elissa and congratulated her on her success.

Allegations of Racism

In 2009, lyrics in one of Wehbe song's Baba Fein (from her unreleased 2010 kids album) seemed to refer to Nubians as "monkeys". Exact translation: "''Where is my teddy bear and the Nubian monkey?''". Black Egyptians accused the artist of racism and singing a song that fueled racism and discrimination against them. In 2010 a lawsuit filed against Wehbe was dropped.

Another incident occurred after the 2009 Egypt–Algeria World Cup dispute, adding to the diplomatic tension between the two countries. Wehbe went on to make statements that she would not be performing in Algeria anytime soon, because Algerians "''...wouldn't understand her music''". Algerian officials and many Algerians responded to Wehbe's statements stating she would not be welcome in Algeria anyway. Algeria's cultural minister stated that Wehbe would be banned from performing in Algeria for insulting Algeria and the Algerian people regardless of whether she apologizes.

Wehbe went on to explain her initial comments to Lebanese host Tony Khalife, saying that she didn't mean to offend Algerians or Algeria as a country but was condemning the actions of a few Algerians during the match. She then added saying: "I couldn’t help it but cry when I saw the blood of an Egyptian woman on the stadium!".

Political views

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, she left her home, in Verdun, Beirut and moved to Egypt for the duration of the conflict. In a concert in the Lebanese town of Jounieh, Wehbe congratulated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for his stand against Israel during the war.

In a further interview with Reuters, Wehbe stated that Israel attacked Lebanese civilians intentionally while Hezbollah attacked only military targets: }}

Wehbe also refused to perform at any concert during the 34 days of the war including fundraisers, saying that there were more ways than one to show support for Lebanon.

Wehbe has also urged fans to support Japanese victims of the Tsunami.

2007 Lebanon elections and concert in Beirut

Wehbe wore a shirt with the face of President Michel Suleiman during her performance at the election celebrations in downtown Beirut.

Lebanese newspapers said scores went onstage when Haifa appeared, despite attempts by police to prevent them from reaching the pop star. She also sang the Fairuz classic "Ya Hawa Beirut" ("Oh my love Beirut"), which is nostalgic song written during the Lebanese Civil War that reminisces on the "Glorious Days" of Lebanon prior to 1975.

Image

Wehbe was ranked 49th in the 2006 Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the website AskMen.com. Wehbe was also ranked number 6 in the AskMen.com's 10 Hottest Arab Women article.

Some in the more conservative Arab countries deem her revealing outfits scandalous. One Bahraini member of parliament called her a sexual singer who spoke with her body, not her voice. Wehbe said she was aware of the efforts to ban her from performing at the concert but had chosen to ignore their attempts to silence her.

''"I am a performer and not a politician,"'' Haifa said. ''"I know my fans want me I am there for them.'' ''I am not concerned with the other issues."''

In April 2008, the Islamist-dominated parliament of Bahrain passed a motion urging the government to ban Haifa Wehbe's show in the country. As a result of the motion, Wehbe performed in Bahrain with more modest dress, wearing a long green gown with a low V-neckline during the performance.

Discography

Studio albums

Houwa El-Zaman (2002)

Baddi Eesh (2005)

Habibi Ana (2008)

Malikat Jamal Al Kawn (2012)

Other albums

Baby Haifa (2010)

Soundtracks

2008: ''Sea of Stars''

Singles

"Agoul ahwak"

"Wa7di"

"Ma Sar"

"Ya 7ayat albi"

"Bedi 3ich"

"Ragab"

"Ana Haifa"

"Fakerni" (radio only single)

"Ma Khadtesh Bali" (radio only single)

"Leik el wawa"

"Naughty" (radio single only)

Tigi El Zay

"Mosh Adras Astana"

"Ma t2oulch el 7ad"

"Hasa Ma Bena"

"Yaben el Halal"

"Sanara"

"Baba Fein/Lama El Shams Trawa7

"Enta Tany"

"80 Million Ehsas"

"Yama Layali"

"Boukra Bafarjik"

"Ya Majnoun"

Concert Tours

2011

January 29- Amsterdam, Netherlands (TBA)

2010

November 18- Al Massa Hotel, Cairo

November 17- Movempic Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon

July 31 – Movempic Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon

July 24 – Chouf, Lebanon

July 22 – Batroun, Lebanon

July 16–19 – Casablanca, Morocco

July 4 – PRIVATE CONCERT, Monaco

July 2 – Zahle Festival, Zahle, Lebanon

May 8 – Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut

March 13 – Houston, Texas

Filmography

Films

Sea of Stars (produced by Pepsi) – released July, 2008

Dokkan Shihata – June 2009

Television

Al Wadi (2005) – reality television show based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités.

Awards

2002: The "Golden Lion" Award in Egypt. 2004: Best Young Female Arab singer in Egypt. 2005: The Oscar for "ninashnash" for her song ''Baddi Eesh'' from her second album. 2005: The "Murex d'Or" award with the title "Best Artist of the Year". 2006: The "Murex d'Or" award with the title "Best Artist of the Year". 2009: The "Murex d'Or" award with title "Most Popular Lebanese Singer"

2010: The "Murex d'Or" award with the title "Best singer actress"

2010: The "ART" Award for her role in her first Egyptian Film "Dokkan Shehata"

2011: World's Most Desirable Woman List No. 49 Rank 2011: Most beautiful Arabian model cum actress list Ranked #2 2011: Murex d'Or best song award, for "Yama Layaly."

References

Further reading

Arab youth revel in pop revolution by Sebastian Usher, May 21, 2007, BBC

External links

Most Desirable Arabian:Haifa Wehbe

Haifa Wehbe.com: Official website

Haifa Fans: Official FanClub

Haifa Wehbe Music Videos

Haifa's Official Fanpage

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people

Category:Lebanese female singers Category:Rotana artists Category:Lebanese female models Category:Lebanese people of Egyptian descent Category:Lebanese Shi'a Muslims Category:People from South Lebanon

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fullname	Taarak Mehta
Occupation	columnist, humorist,writer }}

Tarak Mehta (born 1930) is an Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright. best known for the column ''Duniya Na Undha Chasma'' in Gujarati Language. He has translated and adapted several comedies into Gujarati, and has been well-known figure in the Gujarati theatre.

The humorous weekly column first appeared in Chitralekha in March 1971 and ever since has been looking at contemporary issues from a different perspective. He has published 80 books, over the years, three books are based on the columns he wrote in Gujarati newspaper, ''Divya Bhaskar'' while rest were compiled from the stories in ''Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah''.

In 2008 SAB TV, a popular entertainment channel in India, started a show ''Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah'' that is based on his column., and soon it became the flagship show of the channel.

Personal life

He stays in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where he moved in year 2000, with second wife, Indu of over 30 years, His first wife, Ila who later married Manohar Doshi, (died 2006), also stayed in the same apartment building. He has daughter from his first marriage, Ishani, who stays in US, and has two children, Kushan and Shaili.

Bibliography

Duniya ne Oondha Chashmah

Aa Duniya Panjarapole

Action Reply ½

Albelun America Vanthelun America

Bagicha Ni Hadvi Havama

Bahero Hase Be Vay...!

Champaklal Tapuni Jugalbandhi

Betaj Batali Baj Popatlal Taraj

Taarak mehta ka oolta chashmah

References

http://www.glamsham.com/dramas/features/tarak_mehta.pdf - contains a lot of information about Tarak Mehta

Category:Living people Category:1930 births Category:Indian columnists Category:Gujarati-language writers Category:Indian humorists Category:People from Ahmedabad Category:Indian translators