Turkey: Official suspended for being carried in snow
A Turkish official has been suspended after photos emerged of him being carried by farmers to avoid getting his shoes dirty in the snow, it's been reported.
Nedim Zurnaci, head of the rural services department in the eastern Manisa province, was on a visit to assess the damage done by heavy snowfall in the area. But Mr Zurnaci's footwear was not up to the task, and two more appropriately clad local men were pictured carrying him over the snow-covered ground to keep his feet dry, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Photos of the incident were published widely in the Turkish media, and it wasn't long before local authorities became involved. Mayor Cengiz Ergun said the behaviour "did not comply with the municipality's attitude of service, citizen relations and values", and announced Mr Zurnaci had been suspended while an investigation was carried out, Today's Zaman reports. "The villager is the master of the nation," he added in a statement, a phrase attributed to Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Some social media users are equally unimpressed, with one declaring it "the first shameful moment of 2015".
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