
UAE rescues crew of British ship attacked in the Red Sea
The assault caused structural damage to the ship, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel amid challenging maritime conditions.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) confirmed that the UAE's rescue operation successfully saved all 22 individuals onboard, including crew members and security personnel.
The operation was conducted in close coordination with specialized maritime authorities, including the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and other relevant international organizations, adhering to the highest standards of safety and emergency response.
This swift response underscores the UAE's unwavering commitment to safeguarding international maritime navigation and its humanitarian solidarity with the global community in addressing growing challenges in critical waterways.

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Arab Times
20-07-2025
- Arab Times
‘Miracle' Air India survivor haunted by nightmares and guilt
LONDON, July 20: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the devastating Air India Flight AI171 crash, is struggling to cope with the psychological aftermath of the tragedy that claimed 241 lives, including that of his brother. His family says he suffers recurring nightmares in which he relives the moment of impact and sees 'everyone die.' Ramesh, 40, a British citizen seated in 11A during the ill-fated flight, escaped with cuts to his face and minor chest injuries. Despite the physical recovery, he remains deeply tormented, carrying what relatives describe as an overwhelming sense of survivor's guilt. Dubbed the 'miracle man' and 'God's child' by Indian media, Ramesh has become a symbol of hope. However, his recovery has been overshadowed by grief. His cousin Krunal Keshave, 24, from Leicester, shared: 'He sleeps but not properly. When he does, he dreams he's on the flight again—he saw everyone die in front of him.' The crash, which occurred when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad and burst into flames upon hitting a residential building, killed 241 of the 242 people on board, including 52 British nationals. Ramesh's brother, Ajay, 35, was among the victims. The brothers had been running a fishing business in Diu, India, returning to the UK during the off-season. Ramesh, still visibly shaken, told The Sun: 'It's a miracle I survived. I'm OK physically, but I feel terrible that I couldn't save Ajay.' The two had tried booking seats together but were forced to sit separately in row 11. 'If we had sat together, maybe we both would've survived,' Ramesh said. 'But I lost my brother right in front of my eyes. I keep thinking—why couldn't I save him?' Ramesh was seated near an emergency exit and managed to crawl through a gap in the wrecked fuselage. He even tried to re-enter the burning wreckage to save Ajay. Emergency responder Satinder Singh Sandhu recounted: 'He was disoriented and covered in blood. He kept telling us, 'My brother is in there, burning—I have to save him.'' Ramesh later carried his brother's coffin during the funeral in Gujarat, where he broke down in tears and had to be escorted away. One relative said, 'He feels guilty for being the only one who lived. That's a lot to carry.' Evaluation of the crash has since shifted focus to possible human error in the cockpit. A preliminary investigation suggests that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, may have inadvertently triggered engine failure by switching off two key fuel-related switches, despite his calm demeanor during the incident. First Officer Clive Kunder, 32, who was piloting the aircraft at the time, reportedly panicked as the engines lost power. According to sources familiar with the U.S. probe, the cockpit voice recorder captured a brief exchange in which one pilot questioned the other's actions regarding the switches, with both denying responsibility. The switches were flipped off a second apart, then reactivated ten seconds later—too late to avert disaster. Air India, in a statement, said it 'stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident' and pledged full cooperation with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and other authorities involved in the investigation. As the probe continues, Ramesh remains a living reminder of the human cost of the tragedy—a man burdened not only by survival but by the haunting loss of his brother and the lives of hundreds more.

Kuwait Times
19-07-2025
- Kuwait Times
UK ‘princes in the tower' murder probe clears Richard III
It is one of history's most intriguing 'murders' -- the mysterious disappearance over five centuries ago of two young princes from the Tower of London. Nearly 200 years after they disappeared, two small skeletons were found in a wooden box at the historic tower and reburied at Westminster Abbey. The remains were believed, but never proved, to be those of the two brothers -- heir to the throne Edward, 12, and Richard, nine, the sons of King Edward IV of England, who were reputedly murdered at the behest of their uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester. William Shakespeare later immortalized him in Richard III as a scheming hunchback who did away with his royal nephews so he could take the crown himself, sealing his reputation as a child killer. Now British author Philippa Langley, who helped unearth Richard's body from a central England carpark in 2012, has claimed that the princes -- far from being killed -- actually survived. The elder prince, Edward, was heir to the throne at the time of his disappearance and would have ruled as King Edward V of England. Langley decided to delve into the mystery after coming to believe that the conventional narrative in which Richard had the young princes killed smacked of 'history being written by the victors'. She was finally spurred into action after reading an article about Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral in 2015 which questioned whether the nation should honor a 'child killer'. 'I think I'd always realized that the story sort of developed during the reign of the Tudors,' she said, adding that it was then 'repeated and repeated over time' until it became 'truth and fact'. An undated handout picture released on February 4, 2013 from the University of Leicester shows the skeleton of king Richard III found at the Grey Friars Church excavation site in Leicester. --AFP photos An Uber boat passes The Tower of London on The River Thames under a cloudy sky in London. Tudor mud The last English king to die in battle, Richard ruled from 1483 until his brutal death at the Battle of Bosworth near Leicester in 1485, aged 32. Bosworth was the last major conflict in the Wars of the Roses and changed the course of English history because the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII captured the crown from Richard's Plantagenets. Langley attributes the accepted story that Richard had the boys murdered to King Henry VII, a 'very, very intelligent individual, but suspicious and highly paranoid'. 'He had a massive spy network working for him. And he was able to completely control the narrative,' she said, adding that Richard ended up 'covered in Tudor mud'. Taking a cold case review approach to the historical 'whodunnit', Langley says she assembled a group of investigative specialists, including police and lawyers, to advise her. 'They said: 'Look, if you haven't got any confirmed, identified bodies, then it has to be a missing persons investigation and you have to follow that methodology'. 'They said: 'You have to actively look for evidence'. That's when it really started to get interesting.' Langley put out an appeal for volunteers to scour archives, only to be inundated with offers of help from people ranging from ordinary citizens to medieval historians. The result was the decade-long Missing Princes Project which she says unearthed a significant amount of information pointing to the survival of both young princes. Survival theory Langley now believes that it is up to Richard's detractors to disprove the survival thesis, which she outlines in the new book 'The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case'. 'The onus is now on them to find the evidence that the boys died. 'They cannot say Richard III murdered the princes in the tower any more because we found numerous proofs of life everywhere,' she said. Key to Langley's conviction that both boys survived are documents discovered supporting a rebellion by 'Edward IV's son'. During the rebellion in 1487, Lambert Simnel, a pretender to the throne who came forward after Richard's death, was crowned in Dublin. According to fresh references found by the project, the boy was 'called' or said to be 'a son of King Edward', which she believes points to Simnel being the elder prince, son of Edward IV. The reaction to Langley's research has been mixed. Michael Dobson, director and a professor of Shakespeare studies at the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute, expressed scepticism. 'Given the ways of dynastic monarchy, I think Richard would have been taking a very big risk in leaving those princes alive,' he said. 'The chances of their having accidentally gone missing while incarcerated on his orders in the Tower of London seem pretty remote.' — AFP

Kuwait Times
17-07-2025
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait bids farewell to four women diplomats
Indonesian ambassador Lena Maryana, British Ambassador Belinda Lewis, Head of the NATO Office at the NIRC, Nora-Elise Beck and Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawani take a group photo. KUWAIT: The departure of four women ambassadors from Kuwait's diplomatic corps was marked on Wednesday with a farewell lunch hosted by Indonesian Ambassador Lena Maryana at her residence in Mishref. The gathering honored British Ambassador Belinda Lewis, Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawani, US Ambassador Karen Sasahara, and Head of the NATO Office at the NIRC, Nora-Elise Beck. Ambassador Maryana described the gathering as more than a farewell — it was a tribute to the connections formed through shared purpose, respect and sisterhood. 'It's a bitter situation,' she said, referring to the departure of what she described as 'four strong ladies.' British Ambassador Belinda Lewis who completed her tenure with a focus on education, security, and cultural exchange, expressed gratitude for the solidarity she found among fellow women diplomats. 'I've learnt a great deal from so many of you, and I will take that sense of camaraderie and strength with me wherever I go.' Lewis spoke candidly about the challenges that come with leadership roles and the comfort found in having a trusted circle of peers. 'Sometimes we just have hard days,' she said. 'There are times where I sit there and I'm not sure who to ask, and I'm nervous or scared that I'll get it wrong. But knowing there are people you can turn to, who will listen and not judge you — that's worth its weight in gold.' Canadian Ambassador Aliya Mawani reflected on her three-and-a-half years in Kuwait with a similar tone of gratitude. 'So many people in this group have been instrumental in my learning about Kuwait, in my really feeling at home,' she said. 'This isn't just a network — it's a group of women who lifted each other and helped each other grow.' She also highlighted the practical value of having a supportive community. 'Many of us are first-time ambassadors and working parents. Just hearing someone say, 'You don't have to show up to everything — I know you have things to do,' made all the difference.' Nora-Elise Beck, who headed NATO's presence in Kuwait, reflected on her experience as a woman in the security field, often having to counter gender-based assumptions. 'I get asked, 'As a woman, how do you do your job in security?' And my response is always, 'As a man, how do you?'' she said. 'That kind of question wouldn't even be asked of them.' She added, 'One of the reasons I'm able to do my job is because of the support I got from all the women in Kuwait.' Despite her extensive experience across the Middle East, Beck noted that the professional solidarity she found in Kuwait was unlike anything she had encountered before. 'This kind of professional backing among women — I haven't experienced it before. I hope it's not unique to Kuwait. I hope we can replicate it in other environments.' Although US Ambassador Karen Sasahara was unable to attend due to departure preparations, she was remembered fondly by her peers and honored for her leadership and warmth throughout her time in Kuwait. Ambassador Maryana concluded her remarks with a heartfelt message to the departing diplomats: 'Though your time here will be finished soon, the mark you've left is lasting.'