Canada looks to Turkey for new partnership
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Turkey on Thursday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit is the first by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey. The two leaders promptly announced a new “strategic partnership” focused on expanding cooperation in defense and energy — Erdogan is particularly interested in Canadian support for nuclear power production. Although Carney, a liberal, and Erdogan, an Islamist, are not ideologically aligned, Canada’s PM is putting realism ahead of politics as he looks to strengthen ties with other middle powers wary of getting pushed around by the US and China. The visit is also part of Carney’s broader efforts to diversify Canada’s economic and security relationships and reduce the country’s long-standing dependence on an increasingly hostile United States.
El Salvador’s president threatens Haiti’s gangs
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has announced a military operation to rescue four Salvadoran soldiers kidnapped in an ambush in Haiti. The soldiers were serving with the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF). Bukele, whose controversial hardline policies have crushed gang activity in El Salvador, demanded the soldiers’ return and threatened wider action if they are harmed: “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.” It’s unclear how Bukele would follow through on his threat, which could entail a substantial overseas military operation in Haiti. The GSF, for its part, was deployed in April to help retake control of Haiti’s capital from powerful gangs. Attacks on the force have risen in recent months, and the UN estimates that gang violence has killed or injured more than 5,700 people since January.
North Korea blares at South Korea again
Frictions on the Korean Peninsula are intensifying again, quite literally. North Korea has announced it will resume using gigantic speakers to blast propaganda across the border into South Korea. The move comes a little more than a year after both sides suspended the practice. Relations between the two Koreas have taken a nose dive since 2024, when North Korea formally rejected any goal of reunification and began heavily fortifying its side of the Demilitarized Zone which splits the two countries. Since coming to power last year, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has tried to ease tensions, but the North has maintained a hard line, criticizing the South’s long-standing alignment with the US and refusing substantive talks. Both sides have a history of baiting each other with cross-border propaganda. No word yet on whether North Korea will also revive its policy of launching southbound balloons loaded with garbage and excrement.
