Our daily voyage around the world

🇹🇷 Turkish President Recep Erdogan canceled several days of planned campaigning after falling ill on live TV. Erdogan, who faces a presidential election on May 14, has remained out of public view since a TV interview of his abruptly ended late Tuesday due to what his campaign described as a severe stomach bug. Recent polling suggests the upcoming election will be the toughest contest yet for Ergodan, who’s been serving either as Turkey’s PM or president since 2003.

🇮🇷 The Iranian government seized a Turkish oil tanker headed for the US. In a statement to Iranian state media, officials accused the tanker of colliding with an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf and attempting to escape before it was captured and impounded yesterday. The US military condemned Iran’s seizure of the Chevron-chartered oil tanker, calling it a violation of international law. Over the past two years, Iran has seized at least five commercial ships sailing in the Middle East, including two Greek tankers as retribution for the US seizing an Iranian tanker in Greek waters.

🇻🇦 Pope Francis will allow women to vote at an influential bishops’ meeting for the first time. The new rules grant five religious sisters voting rights at the synod, a council of ~300 bishops that formally advises the Pope, the next time it meets in October. Pope Francis also announced that the synod will gain an additional 70 non-clerical voting members from the religious community, with an emphasis on “the presence of young people” and women among this group.