Shah Mari, a father of six who chronicled Afghanistan for 20 years as a photojournalist, was killed in an explosion in Kabul on Monday. Ben Sheppard / AFP
Shah Mari, a father of six who chronicled Afghanistan for 20 years as a photojournalist, was killed in an explosion in Kabul on Monday. Ben Sheppard / AFP

Journalists’ protection is vital in getting to the truth



It wasn’t long ago that wearing a flak jacket bearing the word "press" granted a measure of protection in conflict zones. From the Balkans to Baghdad, from Sierra Leone to Sri Lanka, journalists covering warzones were respected as transmitters of truth. Their freedom to report from the frontline was a reminder of the fourth estate’s indispensability in performing a public service. Yet those guarantees are being shattered around the globe as it marks World Press Freedom Day tomorrow. Journalists are now not only being killed with impunity in the line of duty but are being actively targeted.

In the latest incident, nine journalists reporting from the site of a bomb blast in Kabul were blown up by a suicide bomber disguised as a photographer; another journalist was shot dead by gunmen in Khost Province. Among the dead was the photographer Shah Marai, who chronicled Afghanistan for 20 years and rose to become AFP's chief photographer in Kabul. The father-of-six rejected repeated pleas by his family to migrate to Europe because he believed he was serving his community and country. Marai's courage and selflessness are also what motivated Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times journalist killed in 2012 by the Syrian regime as she covered the siege of Homs and Yaser Murtaja, targeted and killed by Israeli soldiers as he photographed protests at the Gazan border.

An increasingly hostile atmosphere also meets journalists away from conflict zones. Last year, the Maltese investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, who worked on the Panama Papers expose, was killed in a car bomb. Hundreds of journalists have been hacked to death, intimidated or thrown into jails in Pakistan and India. Turkey remains the worst of all offenders; its jails host a record number of journalists. Myanmar continues to imprison two Reuters journalists for uncovering the government's barbaric treatment of the Rohingya. Even in the US, reporters face growing antagonism from a president unwilling to have its actions scrutinised or questioned. The intimidation of reporters, however, only amplifies the importance of honest journalism in an age where truth and fake news are increasingly hard to disentangle. If journalists are not protected, the loss is not simply to their news outlets but to society as a whole.

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

What is an ETF?

An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.

There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.

The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash. 

The team

Videographer: Jear Velasquez 

Photography: Romeo Perez 

Fashion director: Sarah Maisey 

Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 

Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG 

Video assistant: Zanong Maget 

Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud  

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

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Sector: Generative AI
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Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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