This Week in Explainers: How ultra-rich Pakistanis have stashed their wealth in Dubai

The world saw many shocking developments this past week.

Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico was hospitalised this week after being shot in an assassination attempt.

An investigative report revealed how the rich and famous of Pakistan, which is strapped for cash, owned properties worth billions in Dubai.

In the Netherlands, a 29-year-old woman has been granted the right to take her own life.

Thailand may be forced to move its capital amid rising sea levels. And a Swiss company has announced that their new weight loss wonder drug has even outperformed Ozempic.

All this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from the world.

1. The shooting of Fico in Handlova left many shaken. The 59-year-old was hospitalised with ‘life-threatening’ injuries after being shot.

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The assassination attempt on Fico put many in mind of the last time such an incident occurred –  when Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic was killed in 2003.

Fico, thankfully, is out of danger after spending several hours in surgery.

But who is Fico? What happened? And what do we know about the assailant? This piece gives you the low down.

2. Pakistan is drowning in debt and red ink. But rich Pakistanis such as  president Asif Ali Zardari’s three children and the son of former Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa are decidedly not.

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A new report entitled Dubai Unlocked shows that the ultra-rich of Pakistan have between 17,000 and 22,000 properties worth a whopping $12.5 billion in Dubai.

But how many Pakistani citizens have stashed their wealth in Dubai? Which bigwigs have been named? And how have they reacted to the report?

3. News out of the Netherlands that a woman has been granted permission to end her own life has sparked much debate.

Zoraya ter Beek, 29, is said to be suffering from chronic depression, anxiety, trauma and an unspecified personality disorder.

She was given the go-ahead by authorities on grounds of mental suffering.

Beek said she has tried many treatments but to no avail.

“In therapy, I learned a lot about myself and coping mechanisms, but it didn’t fix the main issues. At the beginning of treatment, you start out hopeful. I thought I’d get better. But the longer the treatment goes on, you start losing hope,” Zoraya told The Guardian.

But what do we know about Beek? And what does the Dutch law say about euthanasia? What do experts think about her case?

4. Scientists have been warning humans about climate change for decades.

Now, the day of reckoning for many is drawing nearer and nearer.

Officials in Thailand have admitted that the country may have to consider moving its capital Bangkok due to rising sea levels.

Pavich Kesavawong, deputy director-general of the government’s department of climate change and environment, told AFP,  “I think we are beyond the 1.5 (degrees Celsius) already.”

“Now we have to come back and think about adaptation. I imagine Bangkok will be under water already, if we stay in our (current) circumstance.”

But how serious is it really? How is Thailand being affected by climate change? And what is it doing to solve the problem?

5. Paris is known as the city of love.

The Olympic village – comprising young athletes at the very peak of their physical prowess – too has garnered a reputation as being a hotbed of sexual activity over the years.

One can only imagine what you get when you combine the two.

As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympics, a number of ‘anti-sex’ beds have arrived.

Made of cardboard, some have speculated that these beds have been specifically built to deter athletes from having sex.

But is that really true? What do we know about the beds? Who made them? And what do the competitors say about them?

6. Ozempic has become known as the magic weight loss drug.

From movie stars to politicians and business leaders, many in the public eye are thought to be on it.

But now a new anti-obesity medication may leave Ozempic in the dust.

Swiss pharma giant Roche has said that its drug CT-388 is displaying some remarkable results in a recent clinical trial.

The medication is said to be outdoing current weight loss champions Wegovy and Ozempic.

So, how does CT-388 work? What do the results show? How soon will it be available.

7. “Looks like he’s going straight to hell.”

That was one of the many dark reactions on social media to the King Charles’ new portrait.

The painting, by British artist Jonathan Yeo, shows the monarch with a sword in hand and a butterfly hovering over his shoulder

But it is the background of the painting that took many aback.

Yeo in a statement released by the royal family said, “Much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.”

“I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face. In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st-century monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity.”

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