Dubai’s royal family on Friday said that Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was being “cared for at home” after the UN demanded proof that she was still alive following “disturbing” footage aired this week.
The UN Human Rights Office said it had asked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for evidence after the BBC published video shot by the daughter of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum saying she was being held captive and feared for her life.
Sheikh Mohammed is the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, of which Dubai is one of the seven emirates.
Photo: FREE LATIFA CAMPAIGN / EPA-EFE
His 35-year-old daughter has not been seen in public since a foiled attempt to escape from the emirate in March 2018.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it had spoken to the UAE’s diplomatic mission in Geneva on Thursday.
“We did raise the case yesterday with the permanent mission here in Geneva,” office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told reporters.
“We did ask for proof of life,” she added.
The BBC said the clips it broadcast on Tuesday were filmed about a year after Latifa was captured and returned to Dubai, showing her crouched in a corner of what she says is a bathroom.
The undated videos were aired as Latifa’s friends voiced concern that they are no longer receiving secret messages from her, the BBC reported.
In a statement issued by the UAE’s embassy in London, the Dubai royal family said: “We want to thank those who have expressed concern for her well-being, despite the coverage which certainly is not reflective of the actual position.”
“Her family has confirmed that her highness is being cared for at home, supported by her family and medical professionals,” it said.
The embassy did not provide any accompanying footage or images.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of