Turks' demand for used phones grows as prices of new ones soar

STORY: Turks' demand for used phones grows as prices of new ones soar DATELINE: Oct. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:54 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of people on the streets with cell phones 2. various of phone shops 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): GUVEN ISIK, Smartphone shop owner 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): OZAN SENOL, University student STORYLINE: With new smartphone prices skyrocketing due to a declining national currency, Turkish consumers, especially young people, are increasingly turning towards purchasing more affordable secondhand ones. "The secondhand smartphone market is very vibrant these days," said Faruk Kocabas, Türkiye CEO of MediaMarkt, a German consumer electronics retailer. "Consumers are looking for cheaper alternatives in the face of high prices. They are turning to secondhand or refurbished smartphones," he told Milliyet Daily, predicting that 300,000 to 500,000 refurbished phones would be sold in the country this year. The main reason for the price hike of smartp

Türkiye sees substantial tax hikes on fuel

STORY: Türkiye sees substantial tax hikes on fuel DATELINE: July 18, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:23 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Istanbul city 2. various of petrol station 3. various of exchange office 4. various of people shopping in supermarket STORYLINE: Türkiye has raised the special consumption tax on fuel, the latest in a string of tax hikes after the presidential elections in May, local media reported on Monday. The tax on gasoline was increased to 7.52 Turkish liras (0.29 U.S. dollars) per liter from 2.52 liras, Milliyet Daily said, citing an announcement published in the Official Gazette. The tax on diesel oil surged to 7.05 Turkish liras from 2.05, it added. Gasoline prices increased from 28.05 to 34.05 liras per liter and diesel from 26.32 to 32.32 liras. The latest hikes come after the Turkish government substantially raised taxes on services and goods as well as consumer loan taxes earlier this month. The value-added tax on goods and services

Turkey detects "mine-like object" off Istanbul coast

STORY: Turkey detects "mine-like object" off Istanbul coast DATELINE: March 27, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:00 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Turkey CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. mine-like object drifting on the water surface in Istanbul, Turkey 2. various of Turkish defense ministry Twitter account 3. coast guard boats and military ships taking security measures in the area where the mine-like object is located 4. various of the northern part of the Bosphorus facing the Black Sea, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey STORYLINE: Turkey's Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that a "mine-like object" was detected in the waters of Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea. Underwater defense teams were soon sent to secure and deactivate the object after it was spotted by a civilian merchant ship, the ministry said in a tweet. The object was found at the northern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait, off the coast of Sariyer district in northern Istanbul, according to the Milliyet daily,