Turkish police seize smuggled gold worth 1.4 mln USD in border province

STORY: Turkish police seize smuggled gold worth 1.4 mln USD in border province SHOOTING TIME: May 2, 2024 DATELINE: May 3, 2024 LENGTH: 0:01:05 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. police removing smuggled gold bars hidden in the trailer of a truck in Edirne, Türkiye 2. smuggled gold bars and bracelets seized in the operation being exhibited at the police headquarters in Edirne, Türkiye STORYLINE: Turkish police seized smuggled gold bars and bracelets worth 1.4 million U.S. dollars in an operation on Thursday at the northwestern border province of Edirne, local media reported. The Haberturk Daily said the security forces seized two trucks arriving in Türkiye from the Kapikule border gate with Bulgaria, confiscating 23 gold bars and 22 gold bracelets weighing nearly 19 km. The seized gold is worth 45.2 million Turkish liras or 1.4 million dollars, said Haberturk. Rampant inflation, a weakening currency and geopolitical tensions are boosting demand for gold in Türkiye, acco

Dense fog disrupts life, transport in Istanbul

STORY: Dense fog disrupts life, transport in Istanbul SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 29, 2024 DATELINE: March 1, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of the fog 2. various of street views in Istanbul STORYLINE: A thick blanket of fog on Thursday cloaked Türkiye's largest city, Istanbul, lowering visibility and disrupting air, sea, and land traffic. The ship traffic in the Bosphorus Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea, has been temporarily suspended in both directions, local authorities announced. Ferry services between the Asian and European sides of the city were canceled, resulting in a surge in road traffic density. Flights at Sabiha Gokcen Airport, situated on the Asian side, encountered significant disruptions due to dense fog, with aircraft facing fuel constraints redirected to nearby airports, according to Haberturk Daily. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul,

3 killed, 2 injured in fire in Türkiye's Istanbul

STORY: 3 killed, 2 injured in fire in Türkiye's Istanbul SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 15, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 16, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:01 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. footage of fire recorded in the security camera 2. various of rescue site STORYLINE: Three workers were killed and two others injured in a fire that broke out in a company compound in Türkiye's largest city Istanbul on Monday, according to the governor's office. The fire erupted in the container where the workers of a private company were staying in the Sultanbeyli district on the Asian side of the city, the office said in a statement. It noted that the injured workers, one in critical condition, had been rushed to a hospital. The fire was extinguished with the intervention of the fire brigade, the statement said, adding that an investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident. According to the Haberturk, a daily newspaper, the fire erupted when the workers tried to light the stove in the container with thi

Türkiye's iconic Hagia Sophia to charge foreign visitors

STORY: Türkiye's iconic Hagia Sophia to charge foreign visitors SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 31, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 1, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Türkiye STORYLINE: Foreign tourists will have to pay a fee to visit Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, an iconic mosque, starting Jan. 15, 2024, Türkiye's culture and tourism minister said on Tuesday. "It will remain free for Turkish worshippers," Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in a televised address in Istanbul broadcast live by Haberturk television channel. The minister noted that the decision was made upon advice from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). No entrance fee has been in place since the mosque, located on the European side of Istanbul, was converted from a museum three years ago. The 1,500-year-old building is one of the most popular tourist spots in the country. It was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. In September, Turkis

Türkiye hikes passage fee through its straits

STORY: Türkiye hikes passage fee through its straits DATELINE: June 7, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:14 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of cargo ships passing through the Dardanelles 2. various of Bosphorus in Türkiye 3. various of cargo ships passing through the Bosphorus in Türkiye 4. various of cargo ships in the Marmara Sea, Türkiye STORYLINE: Türkiye will introduce a new tariff for passage through its strategic straits which connect the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, local media reported Tuesday. The vessel passage fee through Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits will be raised by 8.3 percent in dollar terms, daily HaberTurk reported. The new toll will become effective on July 1. The increase is expected to bring an additional 900 million U.S. dollars to the Treasury, the newspaper said, citing unidentified sources. The new tariff will be applied to the passage of multi-purpose commercial ships, including those involved in grain trade from the Black Sea ports, the daily noted

226 detained in Türkiye over illegal border crossing attempt

STORY: 226 detained in Türkiye over illegal border crossing attempt DATELINE: July 27, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: LAW/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the fishing boat carrying migrants (courtesy: Ihlas News Agency) STORYLINE: At least 226 illegal migrants and three organizers were detained in Türkiye's western city of Canakkale while attempting to illegally cross the sea border in the Aegean Sea, the Haberturk daily reported on Tuesday. A fishing ship sailing on a suspicious route towards Italy was intercepted by two Coast Guard boats, revealing a human smuggling scheme, it said. Organizers were arrested with charges of human trafficking, and 226 migrants were transferred to a "processing center" pending legal procession or deportation, it added. Amid the soaring costs of living and a deteriorating global economy, many cross illegally into Türkiye either with hopes of establishing a new life or reaching Europe. Turkish law enforcement is on a campaign to com

Turkey targets 35-bln-USD tourism revenue in 2022 despite Ukrainian crisis: minister

STORY: Turkey targets 35-bln-USD tourism revenue in 2022 despite Ukrainian crisis: minister DATELINE: May 13, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:18 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1 various of tourists STORYLINE: Turkey's tourism sector is negatively affected by the Ukrainian crisis, but the country is optimistic to increase its revenue for 2022 by targeting Western tourists. Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told the HaberTurk broadcaster on Thursday that the government has set a target of 42 million tourists and 35 billion U.S. dollars in tourism income for 2022. According to the minister, Turkey had a record number of tourists in 2019, but its tourism revenue regressed in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the government wanted to attract more foreign holidaymakers in the summer, but the Russia-Ukraine crisis has dealt a blow to the tourism industry. However, the Turkish government aims to attract more visitors from Western countries. Russia

GLOBALink | Russia-Ukraine talks continue, more U.S. sanctions on Russia

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russia-Ukraine conflict continued on Thursday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution. Following are the latest developments of the situation: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russia and Ukraine are continuing negotiations but there remains a long way to go, stressing that Moscow would like Kiev to be more active during the negotiations. The withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev region was to facilitate the peace talks, he told France's LCI broadcaster earlier in the day. - - - - The Ukrinform news agency reported Wednesday that in an interview with Turkey's Haberturk television channel, Zelensky said "in any case, we must find even small opportunities for the negotiation process. Without this, I think it is difficult to end the war." Zelensky emphasized the importance of the mediation by other countries, including Turkey, in the talks. - - - - Zelensky instructed the government to formalize the cessation of

Turkey has no intention of joining sanctions against Russia: foreign minister

STORY: Turkey has no intention to impose sanctions on Russia: foreign minister DATELINE: March 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:21 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of televised interview of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Turkish TV news channel Haberturk 2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, Turkish Foreign Minister STORYLINE: Turkey has no intention of joining international sanctions against Russia, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said to Turkish TV news channel Haberturk. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, Turkish Foreign Minister "As a principle, we didn't participate in such sanctions in a general sense. We have no intention of joining these sanctions, either." Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on the same day that Turkey does not favor the opinion of imposing sanctions against Russia. Turkey has commercial relations with Russia in natural gas, tourism and agriculture. Tourism is a significant source of the Turkish economy