China and the Philippines have each unfurled their national flags on tiny sandbars in the South China Sea, staking competing sovereignty claims in strategic waters seen as a potential flashpoint for global conflict.

The rival photo opportunities unfolded on Sandy Cay, a string of three uninhabited sandbars which lie near a Philippine military outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands.

The release of the images comes as US and Philippine forces hold their largest-ever annual joint military drills in nearby waters – and just weeks after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to enhance America’s military alliance with the Philippines to “reestablish deterrence” to counter “China’s aggression” in the region – during his first trip to Asia.

Bracketed by China and several Southeast Asian nations, parts of the vital South China Sea are claimed by multiple governments, but Beijing has asserted ownership over almost all of the waterway, in defiance of an international court ruling.

Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports.

The public relations wrestling match over Sandy Cay risks further stoking long-running tensions between the Philippines and China. It also poses a key test to the Trump administration on how it will respond, especially as key cabinet officials have repeatedly emphasized the need for the US to focus its attention and resources on countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Competing claims

The latest maritime dispute surfaced last week, when China’s state-controlled media claimed that China Coast Guard “implemented maritime control” and “exercised sovereign jurisdiction” over Tiexian Reef – the Chinese name for Sandy Cay – in mid-April.

A photo aired on China’s state broadcaster Saturday showed four Chinese officers in black uniforms walking along the white sandbar as a fifth officer held an inflatable boat by the water. Another photo showed four officers holding up a Chinese flag in what the broadcaster described as “a show of sovereignty.”

“China Coast Guard officers landed on Tiexian Reef to conduct patrols and recorded video evidence of the illegal activities carried out by the Philippine side,” said the state broadcaster CCTV. It added that the officers also cleaned up leftover plastic bottles, wooden sticks and other debris on the reef.

The Philippines was quick to unleash its own publicity move in response, sending teams to multiple sandbars.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for the Philippines Coast Guard said the country’s navy, coast guard and police deployed four teams in rubber boats to Pag-asa Cay 1, Cay 2 and Cay 3 – names the Philippines uses to refer to Sandy Cay.

During the inter-agency operation, the officers “observed the illegal presence” of a nearby China Coast Guard vessel and seven Chinese maritime militia vessels.

An image posted by Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson, Jay Tarriela, on X showed five officers holding the national flag on a white sandbar.

In a statement late on Sunday night, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard said six personnel from the Philippines had “illegally landed” on the Tiexian Reef despite “warnings and dissuasion” from the Chinese side.

“China Coast Guard law enforcement officers then boarded the reef to verify and deal with the situation in accordance with the law,” spokesperson Liu Dejun said, urging the Philippines to “immediately stop its infringement.”

At a press conference Monday, Tarriela said each team had brought with them a Philippine flag to pose for photos on the sandbars on early Sunday morning.

“The other objective of our operation is to check whether the Chinese government installed different infrastructure or monitoring devices or whatsoever,” Tarriela told reporters.

“(From) the photos and videos we have already, we can totally debunk the lie and disinformation the People’s Republic of China that they have already occupied the Pag-asa cays.”

Military alliance

Confrontations between China and the Philippines in the contested waters have become increasingly fraught in recent years, fueling fears of a global conflict that could drag in the US, a mutual defense ally of Manila.

Sandy Cay lie near Thitu Island, known as Pag-asa Island by Manila and the site of a Philippines military facility. In 2023, Manila opened a coast guard monitoring base there to counter what it called Chinese aggression in the vital waterway.

Under the Biden administration, US officials repeatedly assured the Philippine that the US would come to its defense if attacked in the South China Sea.

US President Donald Trump is a more mercurial figure who has long viewed historical US agreements through a more mercantile lens and has called for allies to pay more for protection.

But Trump’s cabinet contains vocal China hawks, notably Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have both spoken publicly on needing to push back against China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

On April 21, the US and the Philippines kicked off their annual Balikatan – meaning “shoulder to shoulder” – military exercises, which are expected to run for three weeks and have grown in scale each year.

This year, the US military has deployed an anti-ship missile launcher for the first time on the northern tip of the Philippine archipelago, just across the strait from Taiwan, a self-governing democracy Beijing has vowed to take by force if necessary.

The Philippines also hosted Japanese forces as full-fledged participants for the first time as party of the multinational military drills, a sign of strengthening security cooperation between Manila and Tokyo.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The US military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country’s decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The US military’s Central Command, in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign. The strikes have drawn controversy in America over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks.

“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.”

It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada.

Graphic footage shows aftermath

Graphic footage aired by the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Houthi-run Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site.

The rebels’ Civil Defense organization said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack.

Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.

A woman’s voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.

African migrants caught in middle

Ethiopians and other African migrants for years have landed in Yemen, braving the war-torn nation to try and reach Saudi Arabia for work. The Houthi rebels allegedly make tens of thousands of dollars a week smuggling migrants over the border.

Migrants from Ethiopia have found themselves detained, abused and even killed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the war. An Oct. 3, 2022, letter to the kingdom from the U.N. said its investigators “received concerning allegations of cross-border artillery shelling and small arms fire allegedly by Saudi security forces, causing the deaths of up to 430 and injuring 650 migrants.”

Saudi Arabia has denied killing migrants.

Monday’s alleged strike recalled a similar strike by a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis back in 2022 on the same compound, which caused a collapse killing 66 detainees and wounding 113 others, a United Nations report later said. The Houthis shot dead 16 detainees who fled after the strike and wounded another 50, the U.N. said. The Saudi-led coalition sought to justify the strike by saying the Houthis built and launched drones there, but the U.N. said it was known to be a detention facility.

“The coalition should have avoided any attack on that facility,” the U.N. report added.

That 2022 attack was one of the deadliest single attacks in the years long war between the coalition and the Houthi rebels and came after the Houthis struck inside the UAE twice with missiles and drones, killing three in a strike near Abu Dhabi’s international airport.

US military: 800 strikes conducted so far

Meanwhile, US airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen’s capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign.

The overnight statement from Central Command also said “Operation Rough Rider” had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.

“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,” the statement said. “The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime.”

“We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added.

The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are also the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

US discusses deadly port strike

The US is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.

On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign. Central Command on Monday offered an explanation for why it hit the port.

“US strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel, which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory they hold to the outside world. It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite internet receivers should “quickly hand over” the devices to authorities.

“A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,” the Houthis warned.

Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.

Nearly nine years after billionaire reality TV star Kim Kardashian was bound, gagged and robbed at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week, the trial of nine men and one woman accused of carrying out the dramatic heist opened Monday at a packed courthouse in the French capital.

The case centers on the October 2016 theft of nearly $10 million in cash and jewelry, including a $4 million engagement ring that was never recovered. The defendants, who range in age from their 30s to their 70s, are facing charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy. Eight of them deny involvement, while two have admitted to lesser offenses.

As the trial proceedings began, several of the defendants, including Aomar Ait Khedache and Yunice Abbas, made their way into the courtroom. Ait Khedache, often alleged to be the mastermind of the robbery, entered with the support of a cane and wearing hearing aids.

The defendants’ families arrived moments later, taking their seats next to the press.

The robbery unfolded just before 3 a.m. at the “No Address” hotel, a discreet luxury residence in Paris where Kardashian was staying. Disguised as police officers, the thieves forced the concierge to lead them to Kardashian’s apartment, where they tied her up at gunpoint. According to court documents, the group tracked Kardashian’s movements through her social media posts, helping them to orchestrate the attack.

Kardashian is scheduled to testify on May 13, when she will face the alleged robbers in court for the first time. A heightened police presence is expected outside the courthouse during her appearance.

The trial has been delayed for years partly because of major cases like those related to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.

Of the original 12 suspects, one has since died and another defendant who has Alzheimer’s disease has been ruled unfit to stand trial. If convicted, some of the remaining defendants could face up to 30 years in prison.

The trial is scheduled to run through May 22, with a verdict expected on May 23.

A widespread and unexplained power outage knocked out electricity in most of Spain and Portugal on Monday, shutting off traffic lights and causing chaos at airports, train stations and on the roads.

Portugal’s grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) said electrical supply was lost across the entire Iberian peninsula, and in parts of France, on Monday. It could be several hours until power is fully restored, Spain’s grid operator said, meaning parts of the two countries could be plunged into darkness once the sun sets.

The outage took out screens, lighting and power sockets, and caused traffic lights and subway systems to suddenly fail. Some power began to trickle back across Spain hours later, but efforts to fully revive the grid and to investigate the cause have not yet been successful.

The cause of the blackout was unclear, but its impact was dramatic: transport hubs shuttered and governments in both countries, which share a population of around 60 million people, hastily co-ordinated a response.

Madrid’s mayor José Luis Martinez Almeida asked people to minimize their movements and only call emergency services if it was truly urgent. He also called on people to stay clear of the roads for emergency workers. Later in the day, Madrid’s emergency services provider urged the country’s government to declare a national emergency.

Portugal’s grid operator said restoring power was a “complex operation.”

“At the moment it is impossible to predict when the situation will be normalized,” it said.

Efforts could stretch into the night. “The experience of other similar events that have taken place in other countries indicate to us that this process – the total reestablishment of the electrical supply – will take several hours, Eduardo Prieto, director of services for system operation at Red Eléctrica, had earlier told broadcaster La Sexta.

“We could be talking about six to 10 hours, if everything goes well, until we reestablish supply to every last customer,” he said.

Dozens of Iberian cities, like Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia, are major hubs for transport, business and tourism. Two of the five busiest airports in the European Union in 2023 were Madrid’s and Barcelona’s, according to EU data.

Portugal’s National Institute for Medical Emergencies said it had “activated its contingency plan,” running its telephone and IT systems through a back-up generator. Spain’s health ministry said the same process happened in hospitals there.

But flights at major airports in the region were suddenly delayed or cancelled, with travelers scrambling to adapt; online flight trackers reported that several airports saw their frequent departures suddenly halted after midday. Portugal’s flag carrier TAP Air Portugal told people not to travel to the airport until further notice.

Spanish train operator Renfe said trains had stopped and departures were canceled. And in subway tunnels, passengers were plunged into darkness. Video posted on social media showed blackened subway cars stuck in standstill on platforms in Madrid, where the metro was suspended and entrances to stations were taped off.

Sporting events were impacted too. Tennis fans at the Madrid Open filed out of courts after the outage caused play to be suspended.

Some parts of southern France, near the Spanish border, felt a more sporadic impact.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Israel on Monday boycotted a hearing at the United Nations’ top court on its decision to ban a UN aid agency that has served millions of Palestinians since it was established in 1949.

The hearings will look at Israel’s obligations, both as a member of the United Nations and as an occupying power, toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The aid agency provides education, healthcare and social services to nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

The hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which began in The Hague on Monday following a request by the UN General Assembly, are scheduled to last all week, with 40 countries, including the United States, set to speak as part of the proceedings. The ICJ will issue an advisory opinion about Israel’s obligations at a later stage, after the hearings conclude.

The court’s advisory opinions have no binding force, but they carry tremendous significance. They are “often an instrument of preventive diplomacy and help to keep the peace,” according to the court. They also help interpret and shape international law.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called it “another shameful proceeding” designed to delegitimize his country. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem in lieu of the hearing on Monday, Sa’ar accused UNRWA of being “an organization that is infested with Hamas terrorists.” He said Israel had submitted its written position but would not take part in “this circus.”

UNRWA has repeatedly denied these accusations in the past, saying there is “absolutely no ground for a blanket description of ‘the institution as a whole’ being ‘totally infiltrated.’”

At the opening of the hearings on Monday, the UN’s legal counsel said Israel had a clear obligation as an occupying force to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid for Gazans.

“In the specific context of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories, these obligations entail allowing all relevant UN entities to carry out activities for the benefit of the local population,” Elinor Hammarskjöld said.

Ammar Hijazi, the Palestinian representative at the hearing, said “there can be no doubt about the court’s jurisdiction in these proceedings,” pointing to two previous ICJ cases involving Israel.

In January 2024, the ICJ ruled that Israel must take “all measures” to prevent a genocide in Gaza. Then in June, it said in an advisory opinion that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is illegal.

“Israel is starving, killing and displacing Palestinians, while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organizations trying to save their lives,” Hijazi said.

Amir Weissbord, an official with Israel’s foreign ministry, claimed on Monday that “1,462 UNRWA workers in Gaza are confirmed terrorists,” which he said was based on intelligence. Israel has not provided evidence to support the accusation of such a high number. Weissbord said the number would be even higher once Israel began looking into UNRWA’s female employees.

After the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, Israel alleged that 12 of UNRWA’s 14,000 staffers in Gaza were involved in the assault. A subsequent UN investigation found that nine employees “may have” been involved in the attack. UNRWA said at the time that their contracts had been terminated.

‘Campaign to discredit UNRWA’

In October, Israel’s parliament passed a law banning UNRWA from activity within Israel and revoking the 1967 treaty that allowed the agency to carry out its mission. The ban was expected to severely restrict UNRWA’s ability to operate in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said at the time that the move violated international law and was “the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role toward providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees.”

In early April, Israel raided six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem, ordering them to close within 30 days. Lazzarini promised that the agency would not be cowed by Israel’s actions.

“UNRWA is committed to stay & deliver education and other basic services to Palestine Refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution mandated to the Agency,” he said on social media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been pushing to dismantle UNRWA well before the October 7 attacks, arguing that the agency perpetuates the Palestinian “refugee problem.” UNRWA’s definition of Palestinian refugees includes the descendants of those Palestinians who were forced out of their homes during Israel’s creation in 1948. Israeli officials have rejected that definition, arguing that descendants don’t qualify as refugees and thus don’t have the right to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.