Sixty-four-year-old grandmother Tayyibe Demirel is singlehandedly taking on the operators of a coal mine in a bid to save her land and village.
Behind the lush greenery of Demirel's olive groves in south-western Turkey lies a vast, grey expanse.
The rolling hillside has been eaten by the nearby mine.
On the horizon, heavy smoke billows from the power plant it feeds - the country's largest.
"I have been crying at night until dawn. Six years ago, when I was picking olives, the excavations of these mine companies had not come this close. When the farmers were shaking olive tree branches, I was worried. That was when this struggle began."
Demirel said that the area beyond her fields had once been carpeted with wildflowers.
'A hell pit'
"I love green. I am in love with green. I am in love with birdsongs, the green and the nature that God created. Once my sister was crawling in the fields that are now destroyed. Three or four years before this was demolished, she was posing for photos among tulips, daisies and poppies. This is no more. Which is better, a hell pit - as I call it - or nature? What do you think?"
Five villages have already disappeared as the mine expanded. Hers could be next.
"They say all the land around will be dug and plundered, and your olive grove will be stuck in the middle. I object. I will continue my struggle despite my sickness. I will seek my rights stemming from the laws."
Turkish authorities are pushing to more than double coal power capacity, as the country tries to wean itself off imports.
The Yatagan Power Plants said its operations respect the environment and are carried out under supervision of relevant ministries.
Campaigners say the equivalent of nearly 8,000 soccer fields has been lost to mining in the last four decades across the Mugla province.
Activists such as Deniz Gumsel say coal pollution has led to major health issues, alongside environmental damage.
Court battle to halt mine expansion
But Gumsel says there's reason to hope - thanks to the resistance of the women, like Demirel, from nearby villages.
"... the woman villagers, the female villagers of Ikizkoy, Milas are carrying out an incredible fight against this unjustice business - coal business and they were very successful to stop or slow down the progression of the mines for instance."
Last month, Demirel won a court case leading to a halt of the mine's expansion towards her village.
She still fears her six-acre property is still under threat - but won't give up without a fight.
"One day, my grandson will ask me, 'Grandmother where is your village? Where were you born?' I was not born in the city. I was born here, married here and lived here and I want to live here until the end of my life and die here. Don't take me away from my village."
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Honeymoonish
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
