Middle East

World News

Voters in Turkey could be on track to unseat long-time leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan

11:18am May 14, 2023

Voters go to the polls in a Turkish election that could unseat the president who's dominated politics and been a controversial world figure for 20 years.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seen here in September, is facing a united opposition in Sunday's election that threatens his grip on power.

How Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkey's most powerful leader

8:20am May 13, 2023

by H.J. Mai

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing a united opposition in Sunday's election that threatens his grip on power. But how did Erdogan manage to stay untouched for so long?

Saudi Arabia is using sports to reform its image on the world stage

8:12am May 13, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated about the ways in which Saudi Arabia is spending money on sports, possibly to bolster its image on the world stage.

Erdogan lashes out at main rival as voters prepare to go to the polls Sunday

6:34am May 12, 2023

by Peter Kenyon

Analysts are calling the election the most challenging election President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced. The one-time reformer now faces opposition over a bad economy and his own heavy-handed rule.

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Morning news brief

5:39am May 12, 2023

The pandemic border policy known as Title 42 has ended. Turkey's president faces stiff opposition heading into Sunday's election. Just how much learning did students miss during the pandemic?

A poster of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, on a truck near an election poster of presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Istanbul, Turkey, May 8.

World News

Turkey's president has built vast power over 20 years. But he may lose on Sunday

5:00am May 12, 2023

A struggling economy and slow earthquake response add up to a tough election for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for the past 20 years.

A year after Palestinian-American journalist's death, her family still seeks answers

4:29pm May 11, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

It's been a year since Palestinian-American Shireen Abu Akleh was killed reporting on an Israeli raid in the West Bank. Israel never prosecuted anyone and her family still seeks accountability.

Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed a year ago

9:50am May 11, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks with Robert Mahoney of the Committee to Protect Journalists, which released a new report showing the faces of 20 journalists killed by Israeli military fire since 2001.

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Turkey's presidential election is expected to seal Erdogan's political fate

6:05am May 11, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Presidential and parliamentary elections take place this Sunday in Turkey, and could bring an end to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-decade rule.

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Israel targeted airstrikes in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip

5:08am May 10, 2023

Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza Tuesday — targeting the Islamic Jihad. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Dov Lieber of The Wall Street Journal.