One of the most notorious cold cases in modern US history is thought to have been solved, as an independent group of investigators say they have decoded the mystery of the Zodiac Killer.
The Zodiac Killer is a serial killer who terrorised San Francisco and Northern California from 1968 until the early 1970s. He was known for his regular communication with the police and newspapers during his killing spree, and the cryptograms he sent, which he said would reveal his identity when decoded.
He was known for a crosshair-like symbol, which he used when signing off his letters.
The group of investigators, known as the Case Breakers, have named a man who they believe is the Zodiac Killer, saying he died in 2018.
Before now, he's frequently been referenced in popular culture, and there have been several documentaries and podcasts dedicated to trying to solve the infamous cold case.
Here, we round-up podcasts, documentaries and films about the Zodiac Killer:
'The Most Dangerous Animal of All'
FX's The Most Dangerous Animal of All is a four-part TV mini-series about Gary L Stewart, who suspects his biological father is the Zodiac Killer after years spent trying to find him.
The documentary series is based on The New York Times best-selling book of the same name.
'Zodiac: A to Z'
Michael Butterfield's podcast Zodiac: A to Z reports on facts and debunks myths surrounding the murderer.
The podcast debuted in September 2019, with new episodes released as recently as last month. Episodes are long, ranging from about 45 minutes to more than an hour and a half, with shorter bonus content peppered in.
'Monster: The Zodiac Killer'
The second season of iHeartRadio's Monster podcast focuses on the killings of the Zodiac Killer. Released in 2019, with the narrative starting at Christmas 1968, the 15-episode series explores the notorious unsolved serial killing and tries to answer the question: who is the murderer?
The episodes range from 35 to 49 minutes long, and explore copycat killers, the Zodiac Killer's relationship with police and the press, and his legacy 50 years on.
'True Crime Garage'
Crime podcast True Crime Garage is presented by duo Nic and the Captain, and started in 2015. The pair tackle a different crime each week, but released a five-part series on the Zodiac Killer in March.
The podcast goes through Zodiac's confirmed kill timeline, with speculation on who they think it could have been.
'The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer'
In 2017, the History Channel released a five-part series titled, The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer.
The mini-series focuses on expert code breakers who are trying to crack the riddles left behind by the Zodiac Killer with a team of investigators. During the series, the team managed to break one major code.
It can be watched on YouTube.
'Zodiac Speaking'
Presented by Christopher J Garcia, podcast Zodiac Speaking does a deep dive into the case, but not with the intention of solving it, as many others endeavour to do.
The podcast instead focuses on the cultural impact of the Zodiac Killer. The facts that the killings started five years before Garcia was born and that the man killed members of his parents' generation heavily influence the series. The podcast focuses on the victims more than the killer and the suspects, and the families left behind.
The Zodiac Killer in film
It is not only documentary retellings of the Zodiac Killer that are prevalent in popular culture, as he has been referenced a number of times in film, music and TV.
In 1971, when the killer was still active, The Zodiac Killer was released and starred Hal Reed and Bob Jones. In the same year, Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry was loosely based on the killer. The film is about a murderer who has named himself Scorpio, a Zodiac sign, and is tracked down by Eastwood's character, San Francisco Police Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan.
Later on, the 2007 film Zodiac stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr and Mark Ruffalo. Directed by David Fincher, the film is based on Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked: The Identity of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer, two non-fiction books by Robert Graysmith. The film is set in San Francisco between 1968 and 1983. It is available to watch on Netflix in the UAE.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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.
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Countries recognising Palestine
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
