International News from Monday, March 16th, 2026

The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, disputing a claim by China's embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory.

Japan and Australia have announced they have no plans to dispatch naval vessels to escort vessels in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing through the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 10 people were killed in a fire that broke out in the trauma care unit of a hospital in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Monday, officials said.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Sunday that the UK will provide over 5 million pounds ($6.62 million) of emergency funding to support the humanitarian work of the Lebanese government amid conflict in the region.