South Korea and Poland agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk describing Seoul as a key ally second only to the United States. The upgrade formalizes a deepening security and economic relationship between the two countries, with Poland emerging as a significant customer for South Korean defense exports amid Europe's sustained military buildup following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. South Korea has become a major arms supplier to Poland, delivering tanks, artillery systems, and fighter aircraft under contracts signed in recent years. The partnership elevation creates a framework for expanded cooperation across defense procurement, technology transfer, and potentially industrial co-production, which would deepen Polish dependency on Korean defense platforms while giving Seoul a strategic foothold inside NATO. Whether the partnership translates into accelerated delivery timelines or new contract volumes is the metric to track.
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.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
