Category: English

BANGKOK — A Saudi tourist swam for more than five hours to reach shore and find help for his wife after their jet ski capsized in Pattaya Bay, Thailand, local authorities said on Thursday.

On Saturday, Abdulrahman Mahdi M. Al-Amri and his wife, Atheer Saeed A. Al-Amri, were reported missing at 6:30 p.m., prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by Pattaya City authorities.

“We received a call at 6:30 p.m. from a jet ski operator that one of their jet skis and the clients were missing. So, we set out on a search operation,” Pattaya City Sea Rescue’s Nattanon Chamnankul, who led the search and rescue mission, told Arab News (AN).

The rescue team had been searching for more than five hours and was navigating the dark seas, strong winds and drizzle to no avail. But as their boat returned to Pattaya’s Jomtien beach, authorities found Abdulrahman swimming toward the shore.

“The husband had swum for five hours to reach the shore and was worried about his wife. He used the lights on the beach as a guide,” Chamnankul said, adding that the 26-year-old man was in a state of extreme fatigue when he was rescued.

The rescue boat then took him on board and continued the search for his wife.

“We found his wife at 2 a.m., six hours after the search began,” Chamnankul said. “At first the sea was dark, but we heard a small voice in the sea and it was her.”

Their jet ski had capsized in the middle of the ocean and its engine was damaged by seawater, according to Nipon, an officer at the Pattaya Tourist Police.

After the jet ski ran out of fuel, Abdulrahman decided to swim to shore to get help.

Although Atheer had a minor injury to her left leg, Nipon said the couple had no serious medical issues and had since returned to their home country after settling a damage cost with the jet ski operator for 50,000 Thai baht ($1,400).

Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Saudi travelers since the normalization of ties between the Southeast Asian country and Saudi Arabia in 2022.

The Gulf state is considered a high-potential market by Thai tourism experts, with about 178,000 Saudi tourists visiting in 2023, and another 188,000 between January and October this year, the highest number among visitors from that region.

The latest data shows that the number of Saudi tourists has almost doubled compared with 2022, when the number was about 96,000.

AN

SANAA — At least nine people were killed and several others wounded on early Thursday morning by Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital here and the Red Sea ports in the western province of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

“Seven were killed in the port of As-Salif, and two others killed in the port of the Ras Issa oil facility,” said the TV broadcaster, adding that at least three others were wounded in the airstrikes.

Residents of Hodeidah posted videos on social media showing fires burning at several facilities in the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif, adding that the fires were still burning.

In Sanaa, al-Masirah TV said the Israeli airstrikes had targeted the Hizyaz and Dhahban power stations, south and north of Sanaa, respectively.

The airstrikes on Sanaa shook the entire city and smashed the windows of houses near the power stations.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, uses the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif to import fuel and cooking gas and sell them to the residents in the areas under their control.

According to al-Masirah TV reports, the Israeli airstrikes came a day after the U.S. navy launched an airstrike that targeted the Houthi-controlled defense ministry building in downtown Sanaa, causing extensive damage to the building, and a few hours after the Houthi group launched a long-range rocket toward Israel.

Accusing the Houthis of “forcing millions of (Israeli) civilians to take cover in bomb shelters” on Wednesday night, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed the airstrikes, saying that the Israeli army had conducted “precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned Houthi leaders in a statement that “Israel’s long arm will reach you as well” and his country “will not allow the continuation of missile fire and threats.”

Since October 2023, Houthi forces have been attacking Israel, including launching drones and surface-to-surface missiles, in support of Palestinians.

XINHUA

GUIYANG — A court in southwest China’s Guizhou Province upheld the death sentence for Yu Huaying, a woman convicted of abducting and trafficking 17 children, in a second trial on Thursday.

Yu was found to have abducted children from Guizhou, Chongqing and Yunnan along with her accomplices, and sold them for profit in the city of Handan in Hebei Province between 1993 and 2003.

Yu was initially sentenced to death by the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court in September 2023 after being found guilty of abducting and trafficking 11 children. Yu immediately appealed.

In November 2023, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People’s Court held a second trial and, in January 2024, ordered a retrial of the case after the police discovered that Yu was implicated in more child trafficking cases.

The retrial, conducted in October by the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court, revealed that the number of children involved in the case had risen from 11 to 17. Yu was once again sentenced to death and, as before, submitted another appeal.

On Thursday, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People’s Court rejected her appeal and reaffirmed the death sentence. The ruling will be submitted to the Supreme People’s Court for examination and approval.

Yu was also deprived of her political rights for life and all of her personal property will be confiscated.

XINHUA

GHAZNI, Afghanistan — At least 44 commuters have been confirmed dead and 76 others were injured in two separate road accidents in east Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Wednesday night, a local official reported Thursday.

The mishaps took place on the outskirts of Ghazni city and in the Andar district of the province, along the highway linking the capital Kabul with the southern Kandahar province, said Mullah Hamidullah Nesar, provincial director of information and culture.

According to Nesar, all the injured have been shifted to health centers for treatment, but most of their conditions were reported as critical.

XINHUA

BUENOS AIRES — A pilot and copilot were killed Wednesday when a private business jet crashed after overshooting the runway at a small airport near Buenos Aires, local media reported.

The jet, owned by the family of Jorge Brito, president of football club River Plate and head of Banco Macro, one of the country’s largest banks, had only the two-man crew on board, said the country’s transportation safety authorities.

XINHUA

LONDON — Britain on Thursday unveiled a package of £225 million ($286 million) in new military aid to Ukraine for next year, including drones, boats and air defense systems.

The move came after the UK’s Defense Secretary John Healey visited Kyiv on Wednesday, holding talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov and vowing to step up British support to Ukraine in 2025.

Three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine “the depths of his miscalculation are clearer than ever, as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defy all expectations with their unbreakable spirit,” Healey said.

“But they cannot go it alone,” Healey added, vowing the UK’s support for Kyiv was “ironclad” and Britain would always stand “shoulder to shoulder to ensure Putin cannot win.”

In July, the new Labour government vowed to commit £3 billion a year in military aid to Ukraine until 2030-2031.

The new package will include £92 million for equipment to bolster Ukraine’s navy, including small boats, reconnaissance drones and uncrewed surface vessels, the defense ministry said in a statement.

A further £68 million will be used for air defense equipment including radars, and 1,000 counter-drone electronic warfare systems at a cost of £39 million would be supplied to the Ukrainian army.

Healey said the UK would also boost a training program for Ukrainian soldiers run with key allies on British soil known as Operation Interflex, under which 51,000 recruits have been trained since mid-2022.

“With Putin resorting to sending as many as 2,000 Russian soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield each day, it is critical that Ukraine is supported with a supply of properly trained and equipped soldiers,” the ministry statement said.

Umerov thanked the UK for its support and said in a statement that the “stable delivery of ammunition, especially for artillery, is critically important for our defense efforts.”

AN-AFP

DUBAI — A series of intense airstrikes shook Yemen’s Houthi-held capital early Thursday, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel.

It wasn’t immediately clear who launched the strikes on Sanaa, which the Houthis have held for over a decade.

American forces have launched a series of strikes on the Houthis over nearly a year due to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor. US military officials did not acknowledge a request for comment.

The strikes happened just after the Israeli military said its air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered the country’s territory.

AN-AP

GAZA — At least 16 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday night by Israeli bombings in northern Gaza, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

At least 10 people were killed and some others injured when the Israeli aircraft bombed the house of the Al-Najjar family in the town of Jabalia, WAFA said.

Six more people were killed due to Israeli bombing on the house of the Al-Zaytouniya family near the Al-Tabi’in School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood, east of Gaza City, it added.

The Israeli army has not commented on these incidents.

XINHUA

NEW DELHI — At least 13 people were killed Wednesday after a speedboat belonging to the Indian Navy crashed into a passenger ferry off Mumbai.

According to the Indian Navy, the speedboat was undergoing engine trials in the sea when it lost control and collided with the passenger ferry.

A statement issued by Indian Navy said that an Indian Navy craft “lost control while undertaking engine trials in Mumbai Harbour due to engine malfunction.”

“As a result, the boat collided with a passenger ferry which subsequently capsized. 13 fatalities have been reported so far,” it added.

Officials said 99 survivors have been sent to different hospitals.

“Survivors rescued from the incident site are being shifted to nearby hospitals. Search and rescue efforts have been immediately launched wherein four naval helicopters, 11 naval crafts, one Coast Guard boat and three marine police crafts have been pressed in action for recovering the survivors. 99 survivors have been rescued when reports last came in,” Navy further said.

A video aired on television shows the speedboat carrying four men zig-zagging in the water before ramming into the ferry carrying passengers.

The boat was sailing from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, which houses famous Gharpuri caves, a tourist destination.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the collision between passenger ferry and the Indian Navy craft.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the collision between passenger ferry and Indian Navy craft in Mumbai Harbour. Injured personnel, including naval personnel and civilians from both vessels, are receiving urgent medical care,” Singh said in a statement. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Extensive search and rescue efforts are ongoing by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, deploying multiple assets, to locate missing persons.”

Indian President Droupadi Murmu has also condoled the deaths of passengers and Navy personnel in the accident.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said during a press briefing that the incident took place at around 3:55 p.m. (1025 GMT).

XINHUA

ANKARA — At least 38 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll since last year to 45,097, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Wednesday.

A ministry statement added that some 107,244 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 38 people and injured 203 others in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

ANADOLU, Dec 18, 2024