Tina, a new authorised documentary about Tina Turner, has just released on HBO Max and is winning over fans and critics alike for its re-telling of the famed American-Swiss singer's harrowing life story.
The film is told in two parts. The first delves into her childhood and the neglect she faced, as well as the spousal abused endured while married to Ike Turner from 1962 to 1978.
The second part is more uplifting, as it looks at her personal triumph and career resurrection from the 1980s with hits such as The Best and What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as her journey towards finding happiness.
Here are five things we learnt about Tina Turner in 'Tina':
1. She felt rejected by her mother
The documentary looks at the singer's early years and family, specifically her mother, Zelma, who suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her father before they both abandoned their young daughter, leaving Tina's grandparents to raise her.
Even when Tina reunited with her mum after becoming a superstar, she said she still felt that her mother was cold and unloving.
"Mum was not kind. When I became a star, of course back then she was happy because I bought her a house. I did all kinds of things for her, she was my mother. I was trying to make her comfortable because she didn't have a husband, she was alone, but she still didn't like me," the Private Dancer singer says in the documentary.
“She didn’t want me, she didn’t want to be around me, even though she wanted my success. But I did for her as if she loved me.”
2. Ike Turner forced her to change her name
While most of us know her as Tina Turner, she was actually born Anna Mae Bullock, but the name change wasn't her decision. In the documentary, she discusses how enraged Ike became because she wouldn’t change her name.
“First, he was verbally abusive. Then, he picked up a wooden shoe stretcher. Ike knew what he was doing. If you play guitar, you never use your fists in a fight. He used the shoe stretcher to strike me in the head – always the head."
3. She hated 'What’s Love Got To Do With It'
It’s one of her biggest tracks, but she admits she didn't love the song the first time she heard it. “It was terrible. It was awful,” she says. “I was rock ‘n’ roll … This was a pop song."
Even Terry Britten, who co-wrote and produced the track, wasn’t a fan.
"What's Love was probably the worst thing I've ever done to this date," he says in the documentary about his original demo, which he describes as "very white, very pop. And nothing remotely would say 'Tina Turner'."
4. She has forgiven Ike
Despite their incredibly toxic marriage, Tina says she forgives Ike and no longer hates him. She credits her Buddhist faith for helping her find forgiveness.
She says: “For a long time I did hate Ike, I have to say that. But then, after he died, I really realised that he was an ill person. He did get me started and he was good to me in the beginning. So I have some good thoughts. Maybe it was a good thing that I met him, that I don’t know.
“It hurts to have to remember those times, but at a certain stage forgiveness takes over, forgiving means not having to hold on.
“It was letting go, because it only hurts you. By not forgiving, you suffer, because you think about it over and over. And for what?”
5. She suffers from a form of PTSD
Tina is now 81 and plagued by ill health issues after suffering a stroke and overcoming cancer. But she also has a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, we learn. Although Ike died in 2007, her now-husband Erwin Bach, whom she married in 2013, says she still has nightmares.
"She has dreams about it, they’re not pleasant. It’s like when soldiers come back from the war. It’s not an easy time to have those in your memory and then try to forget," Bach says.
Tina, who first tried to escape from Ike with a sleeping pill overdose in 1968, admits: “That scene comes back. You’re dreaming it. The real picture is there, it’s like a curse.”
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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