Anti-government demonstrators flooded the streets of cities in southern Iran on Friday after internet services were cut off, activists said.
Security forces surrounded a mosque at the centre of weekly rallies in the province of Baluch on the border with Pakistan. The region has been the focal point of an anti-government movement that started last September.
"We swear on our comrades' blood to stand strong until the end," hundreds of demonstrators could be heard chanting in a video from the flashpoint city of Zahedan posted by the activist news agency Hrana.
The Baluch Activists Campaign (BAC) posted footage on Telegram showing protesters brandishing placards with slogans including "Death to the dictator" as they marched through the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province.
The province of Baluch has suffered repeated killings by security forces in recent years.
At least 66 people were killed in the deadliest crackdown since September 30, in Zahedan, according to Amnesty International.
The demonstrations were sparked by the death 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody, She was arrested for breaking the country's strict hijab policy, which requires women to entirely cover their hair and bodies.
As with previous bouts of unrest, authorities appeared to have disrupted internet services on Friday.
"Confirmed: Real-time network data show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Zahedan, #Iran; the incident comes amid a growing security presence during Friday protests," NetBlocks, an internet monitor, said.
Friday prayers at the city's main place of worship, the Grand Makki Mosque, have during the protest movement been marked by outspoken sermons by senior Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid, who has supported the protesters and been bitterly critical of the authorities in Tehran.
Some reports suggested that the internet blocking was intended to prevent people from following his sermon online.
"Listen to the people and the opposition," activists including the BAC cited Mr Abdolhamid as telling the government in his latest sermon.
"If you cannot solve the problems of the people, step aside and let someone who can come and solve the problems," he said.
Iranian state media did not mention or publish a statement about Friday's reported protests. Tehran previously said the protests are being instigated by the government's foreign enemies.
While the nationwide unrest has diminished in recent weeks, probably because of executions and crackdowns, acts of civil disobedience have continued , from anti-government graffiti to unveiled women appearing in public.
With reporting from agencies
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.”
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
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