Latest news for 15 September 2025

TURKEY

On the edge.

There’ve been large anti-Erdogan protests ahead of today’s (Monday’s) court decision on whether to oust the leader of the main opposition party over alleged vote rigging. That leader (Özel) says it’s a judicial coup against the opposition. (DW)

Comment: If the court ousts Özel, it’ll shake markets as investors brace for more turmoil amid the seeming politicisation of Turkey’s institutions. We all saw how that panned out for Turkey’s central bank (inflation is down but still in the 30s).

ROMANIA

More drones, more problems.

Another NATO ally (Romania) reported a Russian drone incursion over the weekend — it involved a single drone rather than Poland’s 20 last week, which left everyone on high alert. Russia has yet to comment. (BBC)

Comment: Meanwhile, President Trump has written to NATO allies urging them to hit China with 50-100% tariffs for buying Russian oil — it’s hard to see members like Turkey and Hungary pausing their own Russian oil purchases, let alone tariffing China.

CHINA

No deal.

Talks for China’s mega retailer JD.com to buy the Argos consumer chain off the UK Sainsbury’s supermarket giant have collapsed, with Sainsbury adding the deal is no longer in the best interests of its shareholders. (Financial Times $)

Comment: For China’s JD.com, it’s part of a broader effort to diversify outside China amid slowing e-commerce there (it launched a bid for a German retailer in July, and failed to buy Britain’s Currys electronic retailer last year).

SPAIN

Thou shall not pass.

Organisers have declared Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard the overall winner of the annual Vuelta a España cycling race, after demonstrations against an Israeli team forced the cancellation of the event’s final Madrid stage. (Reuters)

Comment: The chaos has played into Spain’s political polarisation, with the left-leaning government voicing pride in the protests, while the conservative opposition (which also runs Spain’s capital city) described the events as “an international embarrassment televised worldwide”.

CANADA

Places to live.

Ottawa has announced a new federal agency called Build Canada Homes aimed at ramping up housing supply as a way to tackle affordability. The new agency has ~US$10B earmarked to help build an initial 4,000 homes before scaling up. (CBC)

SINGAPORE

Loophole?

Singapore Post has launched a new service to help senders get small parcels to the US in a way that complies with DC’s decision to ditch ‘de minimis’ tax exemptions for low-value packages. (CNA)

Comment: The UN’s postal agency has said at least 88 postal operators were fully or partially suspending US services in response to DC’s new tax rules. This new Singapore model might be a preview into how the rest of the world adapts, with national operators helping senders calculate their US tax burden up-front.

ALGERIA

Cabinet shift.

President Tebboune has announced a cabinet reshuffle, promoting his industry minister from acting to actual prime minister, and tapping the chief executive of the country’s power firm, Sonelgaz, as energy minister. (New Arab)

Comment: It’s possibly a response to public discontent amid low growth, high inflation, and poor service delivery (there was a deadly bus crash in Algiers last month).