Pakistanis stage a rally in Peshawar on July 31, 2020 to show support for a teenager who killed an Ahmadi on trial for blasphemy during a court hearing in the city. AP Photo
Pakistanis stage a rally in Peshawar on July 31, 2020 to show support for a teenager who killed an Ahmadi on trial for blasphemy during a court hearing in the city. AP Photo
Pakistanis stage a rally in Peshawar on July 31, 2020 to show support for a teenager who killed an Ahmadi on trial for blasphemy during a court hearing in the city. AP Photo
Pakistanis stage a rally in Peshawar on July 31, 2020 to show support for a teenager who killed an Ahmadi on trial for blasphemy during a court hearing in the city. AP Photo

Pakistan's Ahmadi community living in fear after spate of killings


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Mahboob Khan was waiting for a bus after visiting his daughter when his assassin struck.
The 82-year-old retired public health official was shot once in the neck at point-blank range and died on the spot.
His killing last week in the Pakistani city of Peshawar left a 70-year-old widow and four children without their father.
For the fearful members of his persecuted Ahmadi sect, the murder of one of their faith was only the latest in a new wave of killings against an already beleaguered community. It was the fourth such killing since the summer and follows decades of persecution of the religious minority.
Community leaders say the attacks have again shown their lack of protection from extremists.
"This is just religious hatred, religious terrorism, extremism," said one member of the community in Peshawar, who declined to be named for his own safety. "Hatred without any reason, without even knowing the person you are killing."
"There is definitely a level of anxiety in every Ahmadi family and they feel threatened most of the time going out, or in their jobs, or in their shops, or their place of work."
The Ahmadis consider themselves to be Muslims, but their recognition of the sect's founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as a "subordinate prophet" is viewed by many of the Sunni majority as heretical to the Islamic tenet that the Prophet Mohammed was God's last direct messenger.
Pressure from orthodox Muslim groups has seen Ahmadis' personal and political rights eroded over the years and they face constant discrimination and harassment.
According to Pakistan's constitution and penal code, Ahmadis may not call themselves Muslims, use Islamic terms or customs, and are banned from "insulting the religious feelings of Muslims".
Rights groups say the religious minority, numbering around half a million in Pakistan, is one of the most relentlessly persecuted communities in the country.

The latest wave of killings began with the brazen shooting of a man on trial for blasphemy inside a Peshawar courtroom on July 29.
Tahir Ahmad Naseem, a Pakistani-American former member of the Ahmadi faith, had been accused of calling himself a prophet.
He was shot six times in what should have been a high-security bail hearing, after his killer apparently smuggled a pistol through three security checks.
The US State Department criticised the killing, urging Pakistan to repeal blasphemy laws to prevent crimes triggered by religious hatred.
Yet the 15-year-old boy charged with the murder has since been feted as a hero. Thousands have rallied for his release, while lawyers compete to represent him. Delegations of well-wishers are reported to have visited his family's home in Peshawar to congratulate them. In a selfie shared widely after his arrest, the teenager poses with police guards, several of them smiling and one giving a thumbs up.
The killing of Naseem, 57, even though he had left the Ahmadi faith, is feared to have again focused attention on the community.
"All Ahmadis in Pakistan are at risk of extremist violence and even targeted campaigns," said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
"If you look at blasphemy-related violence in Pakistan, it comes in waves. It hits once and then there is attention on the issue. So then you either have people doing copycat attacks, you have people just being reminded that this is something that they can or should do.
"My intuition is that a high-profile killing or incident is often followed by a series of these events. With the Ahmadis the general situation is so awful. They are essentially the easiest community to go after."
Other attacks on Ahmadis have followed in Peshawar. In August, a gunman shot dead Miraj Ahmed, a 61-year-old medicine trader.
In October, an Ahmadi professor was shot dead as he was driving through the city. Police said Prof Naeemuddin Khattak's killing came the day after he had had a heated argument with a colleague over religion.
"The community is in great stress and very scared nowadays, in Peshawar particularly, because of these killings in the last months," said Salim ud Din, a national spokesman for the Ahmadi community.
Pakistan's authorities are accused of doing nothing to protect the Ahmadis. 
"They just say it's a family murder, it's a property dispute. They can't face the real thing that it's religious hatred," said the Peshawar community member.
"If they utter a good word for the Ahmadi's they will no longer hold their positions."
The stigma around the community was highlighted soon after Imran Khan was elected prime minister in 2018. Mr Khan had promised to bring a respected Ahmadi economist, Atif Mian, into his team as an adviser. He was quickly forced to backtrack on the appointment of the Princeton academic under intense pressure from hardline Islamists.
While some of the estimated 200 Ahmadi families in Peshawar are leaving, the community member said, most intended to remain.
"They are holding the fort, they are here. They know things will change. It comes and goes. It came in 1934, it came in 1953, it came in 1974, it came in 1984. Such waves they do come," he said.

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FIGHT%20CARD
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'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Company%20profile
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French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

THE%C2%A0SPECS
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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.

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

England ODI squad

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
England squad

Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh 

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

BRIGHTON 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 3

McTominay 44'

Mata 73'

Pogba 80'