A long-standing agreement that gives the US military access to the Marshall Islands in exchange for financial aid and other benefits lapsed on September 30, The South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

The number of uncounted individuals in the Maui wildfire disaster is down to 12, according to the name list announced by Maui Police Department Friday. 

The department released its sixth credible list of names, indicating that 12 people are still missing, down from 22 last week.

The task of identifying victims in the horrific blaze continues, following the tragic loss of at least 97 lives in August. 

It has taken more than a month for Maui County and federal investigators to whittle down the list from thousands shortly after the disaster to dozens now.  

n defiance of international norms and rules, U.S. officials are laying claim to the large oceanic area in the central Pacific Ocean that is home to the compact states.

The Philippines is taking steps to retake Scarborough Shoal, a disputed chain of rocks and reefs in the South China Sea that has been effectively controlled by China since 2012.

“Since the new administration took office, we have already strategized how we can take control once again of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), especially the lagoon,” Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.

Beijing warned Manila on Tuesday not to "stir up trouble" after the Philippine Coast Guard said it removed a floating barrier at a disputed reef that was allegedly deployed by China to block Filipino fishermen from the area.

Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea has long been a source of tension between the countries. China seized the ring of reefs from the Philippines in 2012 and has since deployed patrol boats.

In defiance of international norms and rules, U.S. officials are laying claim to the large oceanic area in the central Pacific Ocean that is home to the compact states.

The Philippine coastguard has removed a “floating barrier” installed by China in a disputed area in the South China Sea, calling it a “decisive action” in “upholding international law”.

Authorities carried out “a special operation” that was “in compliance” with the instructions given by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Philippine coastguard spokesperson Jay Tarriela posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday evening.

President Joe Biden will host a second summit with Pacific island leaders this week, part of a U.S. charm offensive to block further Chinese inroads into a strategic region Washington has long considered its own backyard.

During the three-day meeting, the U.S. will announce diplomatic recognition for two Pacific islands, promise new money for infrastructure, including to improve Internet connectivity via undersea cables, and honor regional leaders at an NFL game.

Manila is exploring legal options against China over its alleged destruction of coral reefs within the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the disputed South China Sea.

Manila has accused Beijing of causing environmental damage at Iroquois Reef in the Spratly Islands and is currrently assessing the extent of the damage.

The Chinese military base on Mischief Reef, off the Philippine island of Palawan, loomed in front of our boat, obvious even in the predawn dark.

Radar domes, used for military surveillance, floated like nimbus clouds. Lights pointed to a runway made for fighter jets, backed by warehouses perfect for cruise missile launchers. More than 900 miles from the Chinese mainland, in an area of the South China Sea that an international tribunal has unequivocally determined does not belong to China, cellphones pinged with a message: “Welcome to China.”