Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was following up on the case of an eight-year-old girl whose body was found in a sack in a river.
The case has prompted outrage across Turkey over women’s and children’s rights. Narin Guran’s body was found by a search and rescue team on Sunday in a stream a few kilometres from where she lived with her family, in a village outside Diyarbakir in south-eastern Turkey. She had gone missing more than two weeks earlier.
“We will hold those who took the life of our delicate girl accountable,” Mr Erdogan said. “I will personally follow up on the matter so that the murderers who killed the innocent child receive the harshest punishment.”
Diyarbakir Governor Murat Zorluoglu said Narin’s body had been put in a bag and left on the bank of the Egertutmaz stream, before being covered with tree branches and stones “in a way that would not arouse suspicion and to give a natural appearance”.
Two dozen people, including Narin’s parents, brothers and uncles, have been arrested in connection with her death, Turkish media reported. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late on Tuesday that police were taking statements from suspects in custody. One man had confessed to a role in the crime and was referred to a criminal court, Turkish news agency ANKA reported.
A 10-hour-long autopsy was complicated by decay to the body and it was not possible to make any conclusive statement about the cause of death, authorities said.
Narin was buried near her family home yesterday, amid public criticism over the fact a bridal veil was placed on her coffin.
"Women's dreams are not just to wear a wedding dress. Of course, there may be women who prefer this. But there are also women who don't," said lawyer Esin Ozel Uysal, who works with Turkish civil society organisation We Will Stop Femicides Platform. "They shouldn't try to normalise such traditions through children, through an eight-year-old child. That's why there's so much anger directed at this."
Her death has led to protests across the country, including in Istanbul and the capital Ankara, with demonstrators demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice and calling on authorities to implement more stringent protection policies if there are concerns about a child.
"Of course, Narin's case should be followed up after her death, but the real duty of the country's administrators is to effectively carry out their duties before the children die ... when the issue is first brought up, and to intervene in this," Ms Uysal told The National.
Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Goktas said her ministry was providing psychosocial support in the neighbourhood where the incident took place, and added that authorities will “do everything we can to ensure that the person or persons who took Narin from her life receive the most severe punishment”.
Campaigners have long criticised authorities for failing to prevent murders of women and children, often at the hands of family members.
The We Will Stop Femicides group has recorded the killing of 14 girls this year. Nine were killed together with their mothers.
“Perpetrators use children as a threat when women want to make decisions about their lives,” the platform said in its latest six-monthly report. It gave the example of a man who shot his two daughters, killing one of them, because his former wife refused to reconcile with him.
Turkey is a signatory to the Lanzarote Convention, a Council of Europe pact aiming to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation of children. In 2021, the country pulled out of the Istanbul Convention, a similar treaty aiming to prevent and combat violence against women.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
England v West Indies
England squad for the first Test Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (captain), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson, Woakes, Crane
Fixtures
1st Test Aug 17-21, Edgbaston
2nd Test Aug 25-29, Headingley
3rd Test Sep 7-11, Lord's
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