Lord Darzi was the victim of a watch robbery during a holiday to the Italian island of Capri. Bloomberg
Lord Darzi was the victim of a watch robbery during a holiday to the Italian island of Capri. Bloomberg
Lord Darzi was the victim of a watch robbery during a holiday to the Italian island of Capri. Bloomberg
Lord Darzi was the victim of a watch robbery during a holiday to the Italian island of Capri. Bloomberg

Former UK minister Lord Darzi robbed of £175,000 Richard Mille watch on Capri


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

Renowned surgeon and former UK minister Lord Darzi was robbed of his rare luxury watch during a holiday on the Italian island of Capri.

The theft happened on Sunday evening near the island’s main piazza as Lord Darzi and friends walked along Via Vittorio Emanuele, an upmarket street lined with designer shops, as they returned to his yacht.

Two men attacked Lord Darzi and stole his Richard Mille RM 07 watch, valued at more than £175,000, from his wrist before escaping on a waiting motorboat, police said. Lord Darzi was not injured in the attack.

Police are studying CCTV of the incident and have released images of two casually dressed men.

Ara Darzi, 65, holds the Paul Hamlyn chair of surgery at Imperial College London, the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research.

Police have released CCTV images of two suspects. Capri Police
Police have released CCTV images of two suspects. Capri Police

He was knighted for his services to medicine and surgery in 2002 before being made a peer in 2007 when he joined Gordon Brown’s government at a health minister.

Speaking to MailOnline, Lord Darzi said his family were “all shaken up” by the incident which happened while they were on holiday after “a very busy year in the NHS”.

“The watch was a gift from the father of a patient whose life I saved six years ago,” he said.

“Sadly, like too many Brits abroad, I’ve now experienced street crime first hand. My advice to fellow holidaymakers is simple: be careful and leave your valuables at home.”

Capri's mayor, Paolo Falco offered his sympathies to Lord Darzi “on behalf of the entire administration and citizens” and “our full willingness to co-operate with the investigation”.

Mr Falco stressed such incidents were rare on the island, which is known as a popular destination for wealthy holidaymakers.

“What happened is certainly an anomaly for an island that is, and remains, profoundly safe and welcoming,” he said in a statement.

“Indeed, we fear that this was a targeted and planned action. In any case, we will strengthen security measures, even in the most central and tourist-frequented areas.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

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The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester

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Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder

Transmission: Continuously variable transmission

Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)

Fight card

Preliminaries:

Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)

Main card:

Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)

Title card:

Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)

Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)

Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

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Updated: July 15, 2025, 8:38 AM