World roundup: September 15 2025

Stories from the UAE, China, Venezuela, and elsewhere

TODAY IN HISTORY

September 15, 1821: The Captaincy-General of Guatemala—encompassing the modern states of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua—declares its independence from Spain. The date is commemorated as independence day in all five of those countries.

September 15, 1894: The Imperial Japanese Army captures the city of Pyongyang from Qing Dynasty China in one of the earliest engagements of the First Sino-Japanese War. China opted to abandon Korea to the Japanese, and when the war ended with a Japanese victory the Korean peninsula came under Japan’s regional sphere of influence.

MIDDLE EAST

TURKEY

The court that was supposed to rule on the Turkish government’s attempt to nullify the opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2023 congress postponed Monday’s hearing instead, until at least October 24. An estimated 50,000 CHP supporters demonstrated in Ankara on Sunday, arguing that the case represents a politically motivated effort to cripple the party ahead of next year’s general election. Turkish officials unsurprisingly insist that the case is rooted in legitimate allegations of corruption by CHP leadership. It’s unclear why the court postponed the hearing or whether the protests had anything to do with that decision.