Türkiye's Istanbul feels strain as inflation, cost of living soar

STORY: Türkiye's Istanbul feels strain as inflation, cost of living soar SHOOTING TIME: May 10, 2024 DATELINE: May 14, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:13 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Istanbul in Türkiye 2. various of local shops 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): ISMAIL HAKKI, Local clothing shop owner 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): FERRUH BUYUKOGLU, Stationery shop owner 5. various of Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek speaking at the press conference in Ankara, Türkiye STORYLINE: Business has been sluggish for Ismail Hakki, who owns a once-thriving clothing shop in Istanbul's old Tahtakale neighborhood. "Business declined to only a fraction of what it used to be," Hakki said as he navigated through the rows of discounted garments in his shop. Hakki's woes mirror the broader struggle gripping Istanbul, Türkiye's economic hub, where inflation has outpaced the already-crippling national rate of 69.8 percent in April, according to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerc

Turks struggle to afford children's school supplies amid rising living cost

STORY: Turks struggle to afford children's school supplies amid rising living cost DATELINE: Sept. 9, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:28 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY/EDUCATION SHOTLIST: 1. various of Istanbul 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): SEYMANUR ARSLAN, Istanbul resident 3. various of a market in Istanbul and customers 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): FERRUH BUYUKOGLU, Stationer 5. various of market in Istanbul 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): NURDAN BULUT, Istanbul resident 7. various of market in Istanbul STORYLINE: Amid the rising cost of living, Turkish families have been struggling to pay for the required school supplies to meet their children's aspirations. This year, however, prices increased by more than 50 percent compared to last year, making it uneasy for families to make ends meet, especially those living on minimum wages. Even stationery shops in Istanbul's old Tahtakale neighborhood, where school supplies used to be sold at the lowest prices, have had no choice but to raise their prices due to rising c