latifa maktoum... in the videos, princess latifa al maktoum says she was captured and drugged when she fled dubai by boatk to her home, where she's been kept captive. her messages have now stopped — and friends are now urging the un to step in. we begin with this exclusive report from bbc arabic correspondent nawal al—maghafi. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum, ruler of dubai. here she is, skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she is a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018, as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, "i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want." with the help of her friend tina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck whic

al—maghafi, has the story. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoumubai. here she is skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tiina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but, eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, my, god, they're here." she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. princ

al—maghafi, has the story. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum dubai. here she is skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tiina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, oh, my god, they're here." she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. p

al—maghafi, has the story. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoumubai. here she is skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tiina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, my, god, they're here." she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. prince

sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum says princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. donald trump has heavily criticised the leader of the republican party in the us senate, mitch mcconnell, saying the party would never again be strong with leaders like him. just days after his acquittal in his second impeachment trial, the former president described mr mcconnell as dour and sullen. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi has begun behind closed doors. ms suu kyi faces a new charge of violating the country's natural disaster law and an initial charge of possessing illegal communications. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar. the radio 2 presenter jo whiley says she is living "a nightmare" after her 53—year—old sister who has learning disabilities and diabetes, tested positive for coronavirus after an outbreak in her care home. jo whiley revealed that she has been offered a vaccine before her younger sister, frances, possibly she thinks because she is a carer for her sister. and she said she wanted to speak up

sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum says princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. president biden is taking questions from the public in his first town hall debate, so he can broadcast his post—trump agenda and promote his coronavirus relief package proposal. viewers are accustomed to televised town halls with election candidates, but debates like the one in wisconsin with presidents occur much less often. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi has begun behind closed doors. ms suu kyi faces a new charge of violating the country's natural disaster law and an initial charge of possessing illegal communications. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar. now on bbc news, global questions. with schools, colleges and universities around the world closed by covid—19, how can we stop this cruel disruption to young lives becoming a global generational disaster? hello, and welcome to global questions, with me, zeinab badawi. nearly1 billion students worldwide have suffered massive disruption to their education from cov

latifa maktoum claims she is a prisoner. >> i have been by myself, solitary confinement. >>datehter of sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum, the wealthy and well conducted ruler of dubai. three years ago latifa tried to escape from her father's kingdom by boat with her former martial arts instructor tina jauhiainen. off t cst of indi the commander unit. latifa was kidnapped kicking and screaming. and the rest of us were kidnapped as well and taken to u.a.e. >> reporter: jauhiainen was eventually let go and returned to finland, but latifa she says vanished. the only news came in a series of secret cell phone recordings. >> every day i am worried about my safety and my life. don't really know if i am going to survive the situation. the police tell me that they will take me outside and shoot me if i don't cooperate with them. >> reporter: then a few months ago the videos stopped, so the free latifa campaign released the ones they had to the bbc. that prompted the u.n. to ask dubai for proof that latifa is alive. >> we raised our concerns about the situation, in light of the disturbing video that emerged this week. >>

al—maghafi. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum is skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tina, they managed to flee dubai on board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, my, god, they are here." she continued screaming and kicking and try to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. nothing has been heard from he

sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum says princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. president biden is taking questions from the public in his first town hall debate, so he can broadcast his post—trump agenda and promote his coronavirus relief package. viewers have become accustomed to televised town halls with election candidates — debates with presidents, like this one in wisconsin, are unusual. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader, aung san suu kyi, has begun behind closed doors. she faces a new charge of violating the country's natural disaster law, on top of an earlier charge of possessing illegal communications equipment. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. thousands of indian farmers are keeping up their long—running protest against modi government farm law reform. but india's pinister has faced down a host of opponents in the past. is modi versus the farmers a defining moment for india? my a defining moment for india? my guest today

al—maghafi has this exclusive report. princess latifa, daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east — sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoumg. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says she's a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018 as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. with the help of her friend tina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, my, god, they are here." she continued screaming and kicking and try to get away. that's the last time i've seen my friend. princess latifa was taken off the boat by force in international waters. she disappeared. nothing has been heard from her since un

high court in london found that her father, sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum, had "ordered and orchestrated" princess latifa's daughter of one of the most powerful men in the middle east, sheikh mohammed bin rashid al—maktoum, ruler of dubai. here she is, skydiving. it looks like the perfect life, but it's not one that she wanted any more. she says that she is a princess held captive. she filmed this video in 2018, as she was about to flee. i'm feeling positive about the future. just waking up in the morning and thinking, "i can do whatever i want today, i can go wherever i want. " with the help of her friend tina, they managed to flee dubai and board a yacht. the plan was to cross the indian ocean and seek political asylum in the united states. but eight days later, as they were about to reach india, her pursuit for freedom was shattered. we started hearing noises from the upper deck which sounded like gunshots. basically, the boat was taken over by indian special forces. latifa was saying, "oh, my god, oh, my god, they're here. " she continued screaming and kicking and trying to get away, and that's the las

dubai's princess latifa continues, last heard from via a smuggled mobile phone in solitary confinement. she blames herfather, dubai's powerful ruler sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoumg not heard from herfor months. now the un wants answers. given the serious concerns about sheikha latifa, we have requested that the government's response comes as a matter of priority. we did ask for proof of life. two years ago, the uae released these photos as proof sheikha latifa was ok when similar concerns were raised after she tried to flee the city—state. but the other person pictured here, the former un human rights commissioner mary robinson, says she was horribly tricked after taking part. campaigners don't want to see the same mistake again. we would like to see the united nations bring an independent team to visit princess latifa wherever she is in the uae, verify proof of life themselves, be given free after mounting international pressure, the uae embassy in london released a statement, saying: but that has made her supporters even more nervous. our concern is now that they may well be drugging her and she is no doubt in a worse situation than she was before. as the pri

bbc news reported on the plight of princess latifa, who claimed she was being held captive by her father — the ruler of dubai — sheik mohammad rashid al maktoumllegations that latifa's sister — shamsa — was also abducted by their father while she was living in the uk, and an investigation by cambridgeshire police which was closed due to insufficient evidence. special correspondent nawal al—maghafi reports. sheikh mohammed rashid al maktoum. the billionaire ruler of dubai, and one of the most powerful men in the middle east. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter, princess latifa. in them, she claims he is responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. the messages sparked international concerns. but latifa is not the only daughter of the sheik to try to escape. 20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19. she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter written by princess latifa

industry, dubai's ruler mohammed bin rashid al maktoum, is set to come under increased scrutiny following news of the continued detention of his daughter princess latifathe matter with the united arab emirates. sheikh mohammed is the founder and owner of the hugely successful godolphin racing operation. our senior sports news reporter laura scottjoins us now. laura, what reaction has there been within horse racing to this story? well very little today, actually. the british horseracing authority which is the governing body for the sport in britain has declined to comment on the matter. i think the feeling is that they want to wait for government and law enforcement to explore the matter. and before they make any comment. but it is worth noting that they do have criteria within its ownership guidelines which would mean that assessments regarding suitability would give regard to things such as adverse findings in court. and any offences relating to violence, dishonesty, fraud and those relating to sexual conduct. they do have criteria that is quite close to the fit and proper persons test in football. but they haven't commented. it's worth noting, we wo

bbc news reported on the plight of princess latifa, who claimed she was being held captive by her father — the ruler of dubai — sheik mohammad rashid al maktoumer sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter, written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says shamsa has "strong links with england. "herfondest memories are of her time here. "your help and attention could free her." we've pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider, and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to push all the boundaries, and she wasn't what you would call "a princess", you know? she was full of life and adventure. she dreamt of going to university, but says that her father wouldn't allo

al maktoum, the billionaire ruler of dubai. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter, princess latifa.nsible for her abduction and imprisonment. but latifa is not the only daughter of sheikh mohammed to try to escape. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19. she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. but now the bbc has obtained a letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says... cambridgeshire police have told us that the letter will be considered in their ongoing review of shamsa's case. we've pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to push all the boundaries and she wasn't what you would call a princess. you know? she was full of life and adventure. shamsa dreamt of going to university,

latifa's sister, shamsa, was also abducted by their father, while she was living in the uk, and that an investigation by cambridgeshire police was closed, due to insufficient evidence. nawal al—maghafi reports. sheikh mohammed rashid al maktoume claims he is responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. the messages sparked international concerns. but latifa is not the only daughter of sheikh mohammed to try to escape. 20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says shamsa has "strong links with england. "herfondest memories are of her time here. "your help and attention could free her." we've pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to

this is sheikha latifa, a princess, but also a prisoner, in solitary confinement somewhere in dubai. she says she�*s a hostage of herfather, sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoume queen and owns huge swathes of land across britain. the princess�*s friends released these videos to rouse international support. the foreign secretary said the case was troubling and people would want to see she was alive and well. we are concerned about her. i think anyone at a human level would watch the footage and be concerned about it. i think the right mechanism is via the un which is already under way and we obviously support that and watch what they find and what we see further in the developments on that very closely. that un process will be led by the office of the high commissioner for refugees in geneva which said it would raise the case with the uae. the princess�*s friends said they were reassured the international community was listening, but others said more action may be needed. the uk government and other governments should look to impose sanctions on the uae authorities if they don�*t uphold human rights. we have the laws in our country and in other countries to d

latifa to cambridgeshire police — with a plea to reopen her sister's case. our special correspondent nawal al—maghafi reports. sheikh mohammed rashid al maktoum. she claims he is responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. the messages sparked international concerns. but latifa is not the only daughter of to try to escape. 20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19. she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says... we have pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to push all the boundaries and she wasn't what you would call "a princess". you know? she was full of life and adventure. she dreamt of go

mohammed rashid al maktoum — the billionaire ruler of dubai and one of the most powerful men in the middle east. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter princess latifa.. in them, she claims he is responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. the messages sparked international concerns. but latifa is not the only daughter of sheikh mohammed to try to escape. 20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says... cambridgeshire police have told us the letter will be considered in their ongoing review of shamsa's case. we have pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to

rashid al maktoum, one of the most powerful men in the middle east, who happens to share a passion for horses with the queen and owns huge swathes of land across britain. friends campaigning for latifabbc to try to rouse international support. the foreign secretary said the case was deeply troubling and people would want to see if she was alive and well. well, we don't really have a direct locus in this case, there is not a british national, there is not a particular british link. i think the right mechanism is via the un, which is already underway, and we obviously support that and watch what they find and what we see further developments on that very closely. that un process will be led by the office of the high commissionerfor human rights. its spokesman, rupert colville, said... other parts of the un human rights system, with relevant mandates, may also become involved once they have analysed the new material or received specific allegations. forfriends of latifa, this is a moment of hope. i was incredibly happy to wake up this morning with this news, knowing that finally, the international community is listening, and that the likes of dominic raab is getting involved. it makes

rashid al maktoum, one of the most powerful men in the middle east, who happens to share a passion for horses with the queen and owns huge swathes of land across britain. friends campaigning for latifahere is not a particular british link. i think the right mechanism is via the un, which is already underway, and we obviously support that and watch what they find and what we see further in the developments on that very closely. that un process will be led by the office of the high commissionerfor human rights. its spokesman, rupert colville, said... we will certainly raise these new developments with the uae. other parts of the un human rights system, with relevant mandates, may also become involved once they have analysed the new material or received specific allegations. forfriends of latifa, this is a moment of hope. i was incredibly happy to wake up this morning with this news, knowing that finally, the international community is listening, and that the likes of dominic raab is getting involved. it makes me feel more reassured that we made the right decision. i don't want just pictures to show us a sign of life or, you know... it just seems that everything they are doing is to ke

al maktoum. the billionaire ruler of dubai, and one of the most powerful men in the middle east. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter, princess latifa20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says shamsa has "strong links with england. "herfondest memories are of her time here. we've pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to push all the boundaries, and she wasn't what you would call "a princess", you know? she was full of life and adventure. she dreamt of going to university, but says that her father wouldn't allow it. so in the summer of the

mohammed rashid al maktoum — the billionaire ruler of dubai and one of the most powerful men in the middle east. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter, princess latifarey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, yeah, after two months, they found her. the police launched an investigation, but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says... cambridgeshire police have told us the letter will be considered in their ongoing review of shamsa's case. we have pieced together shamsa's extraordinary story. she was a passionate horse rider and loved spending summers at her father's estate in the surrey countryside. shamsa was cheeky, liked to push all the boundaries. and she wasn't what you would call "a princess", you know? she was full of life and adventure. she dreamt of going to university but says that her father wouldn't allow it. so in the summer of the year 2000, she drove a black range rover

bbc news reported on the plight of princess latifa, who claimed she was being held captive by her father — the ruler of dubai — sheik mohammad rashid al maktoummaktoum, the billionaire ruler of dubai, and one of the most powerful men in the middle east. last week, the bbc released secret recordings of his daughter, princess latifa. in them, she claims he is responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. the messages sparked international concerns, but latifa is not the only daughter of sheikh mohammed to try to escape. 20 years ago, her sister shamsa ran away from the family estate in surrey. in 2000, my sister shamsa, while she was on holiday in england, she was 18 years old, going on 19, she ran away. so, after two months they found her. the police launched an investigation but it hit a dead end. now the bbc has obtained an exclusive letter written by princess latifa from her captivity. in it, a plea to reopen her sister's case. the letter, delivered by her friends yesterday to cambridgeshire police, says shamsa has strong links with england and herfondest memories are of her time here and your help and attention could help free her. we ha

rashid al maktoum, one of the most powerful men in the middle east, who happens to share a passion for horses with the queen and owns huge swathes of land across britain. friends campaigning for latifa a particular british link. i think the right mechanism is via the un, which is already underway, and we obviously support that and watch what they find and what we see further in the developments on that very closely. that un process will be led by the office of the high commissionerfor human rights. its spokesman, rupert colville, said... forfriends of latifa, this is a moment of hope. i was incredibly happy to wake up this morning with this news, - listening and that the likes - of dominic raab is getting involved. knowing that finally— the international community's listening and that the likes - of dominic raab is getting involved. it makes me feel more reassured j that we made the right decision. | i don't wantjust pictures to show us a sign of life or, you know... it just seems that everything they're doing is to keep us quiet in some ways orjust to keep us happy. but we need to see her free, we need to see her well, we need to see her looked after. but if latifa is not freed soo