North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw a test of missiles equipped with cluster warheads, state media reported. The test marks a notable expansion in the demonstrated offensive capability of North Korea's missile arsenal, moving beyond conventional unitary warheads toward munitions designed to disperse submunitions across wider target areas. Cluster warhead systems are engineered to maximize area-denial and anti-personnel or anti-materiel effects, raising the tactical utility of the missiles against dispersed or entrenched targets. The test adds pressure on South Korea, Japan, and U.S. Forces Korea to reassess defensive postures and layered missile defense coverage. Analysts and allied military planners will watch for follow-on tests, production signaling, or any doctrinal statements from Pyongyang that indicate deployment timelines or intended target sets within the region.
Venezuela's earthquake death toll has reached 1,430 with the US Geological Survey warning fatalities could top 10,000, placing it among Latin America's deadliest in a century. US military planes are landing in Caracas, Washington is mobilising $150 million in aid, and rescue teams from 17 countries are on the ground.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
