Regional

MAJURO — The death earlier this month of a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army from the Micronesian island of Kosrae, who was an ardent advocate for healthcare benefits for island veterans, highlights the ongoing lack of promised U.S. healthcare support for those who served in the U.S. armed forces.

SUVA (Fiji Sun/Pacnews) — A new online travel platform, MaharajTravel.com/, aims to make it simpler — and in some cases more affordable — for American travelers to book flights and holiday packages to Fiji and the South Pacific.

“Guam has moved beyond holding the line and into a moment of possibility,” the Governor said. “The question before us is no longer whether we can recover. Recovery is underway. The question now is whether we are willing to do the harder, more important work — the work of resurgence.”

THE HAGUE (Reuters) — Judges at the International Criminal Court have ruled that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, 80, is fit to attend pre-trial hearings and will hold a confirmation of charges hearing on Feb. 23, the court said on Monday.

MANILA (Reuters) — The death toll from a ferry boat accident in the Southern Philippines has reached at least 15, with 316 people rescued, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Monday as the search continued for the dozens still missing.

SYDNEY (Reuters) — An Australian boy had died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbor, his family said on Saturday after a series of shark attacks along the country’s east coast.

HAGÅTÑA (Office of the Guam Governor) — Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio met with a high-ranking delegation visiting Guam on behalf of the Japanese government.

LONDON (Reuters) — By approving China’s plans for a mega-embassy in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has gambled on winning closer trade ties and investment from China at the risk ​of angering politicians in Britain and the United States.

PARIS/OSLO (Reuters) — President Donald Trump has linked his drive to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought “purely of Peace” as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) — European Union ambassadors reached broad agreement on Sunday to intensify efforts to dissuade President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on European allies, while also preparing retaliatory measures should the duties go ahead, EU diplomats said.