Türkiye's weak lira boosts tourists, revenues

STORY: Türkiye's weak lira boosts tourists, revenues DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:39 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of hot air balloons and Cappadocia 2. tourists at the beaches of Türkiye 3. tourists at the old city center of Amasra, Türkiye 4. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): KAAN SAHINALP, Türkiye representative of German tourism giant TUI STORYLINE: Helped by a weakening currency, Türkiye's crucial tourism industry is recording a robust post-pandemic rebound. Tourism revenues are vital to the economy as the government's economic program focuses on flipping the current account deficits to a surplus, prioritizing exports, production and investments, and aiming to curb inflation. The number of foreign visitors arriving in Türkiye climbed 88 percent year on year from January through October this year to 39.1 million, on pace to match the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. The rebound has also been driven by a major leap in demand from Europe as the European continent grapples with an ene

Coal mine blast kills 41 in N. Türkiye: Turkish president

STORY: Coal mine blast kills 41 in N. Türkiye: Turkish president DATELINE: Oct. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:49 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of rescue work of incident STORYLINE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that the death toll in an underground coal mine explosion in northern Türkiye rose to 41. The explosion occurred 300 meters below ground at 6:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT) a day earlier at the Amasra Hard Coal Enterprise in the Bartin province, trapping 110 workers. According to the local officials, 58 of the trapped workers later managed to get out on their own, and 11 others were injured and hospitalized. Arriving at the scene in the town of Amasra, Erdogan vowed to "exert our best effort" to put the history of mining accidents to an end. He told reporters that administrative and judicial authorities will investigate the incident to reveal what caused the explosion and who, if anyone, is responsible. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez s

At least 14 killed in mine blast in northern Türkiye: minister

STORY: At least 14 killed in mine blast in northern Türkiye: minister DATELINE: Oct. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:37 LOCATION: AMASRA, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of rescuers working STORYLINE: At least 14 workers were killed on Friday in an underground coal mine explosion in the northern Bartin province of Türkiye, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. "An explosion occurred at the minus 300-meter elevation at 6:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT) at the Amasra Hard Coal Enterprise," Bartin province said in a statement. The rescue teams managed to pull out 14 miners, while at least 49 were still trapped. The mine has intense methane gas, and they have a suspicion of a firedamp explosion, said Mayor of Bartin's Amasra District Recai Cakir. A total of 149 searches and rescue personnel, with five National Medical Rescue Team vehicles, 31 ambulances, and one emergency response vehicle were dispatched to the scene, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted. Xinhua News Agency corre