Kosovo Heads to Early Parliamentary Election Amid Prolonged Political Deadlock 
California Drops Lawsuit Over Federal Funding Cuts to High-Speed Rail Project 
Christmas Eve Jazz Concert Canceled After Kennedy Center Renaming to Include Trump 
U.S. Judge Blocks Deportation of British Anti-Disinformation Campaigner Imran Ahmed Amid Free Speech Dispute 
China’s One-Child Policy Legacy Resurfaces After Death of Former Population Chief 
Kim Jong Un Signals Continued Missile Development as North Korea Plans Five-Year Military Modernization 
US Airstrikes Target Islamic State Militants in Northwest Nigeria Amid Rising Security Concerns 
Zelenskiy to Meet Trump to Advance Ukraine Peace Talks and Security Guarantees 
Hanwha Signals Readiness to Build Nuclear-Powered Submarines at Philly Shipyard for U.S. Navy 
U.S. Shifts Strategy Toward Economic Pressure With Venezuelan Oil Quarantine 
Myanmar Election 2025 Faces Global Scrutiny Amid Civil War and Political Repression 
Argentina Congress Approves 2026 Budget Under Milei, Marking First Legislative Passage Since 2023 
Thailand-Cambodia Ceasefire Holds After Deadly Border Clashes 
Najib Razak Jailed 15 More Years in Landmark 1MDB Verdict With Major Political Impact 
Palau Agrees to Accept Up to 75 U.S.-Transferred Migrants in Deal Tied to Increased American Aid 
Zelenskiy and Trump Meet in Florida as Ukraine Peace Talks Face Major Hurdles 
Japan Approves Record ¥122.3 Trillion Budget as Takaichi Seeks Fiscal Balance 
In an effort to counter China’s attempts at encroaching on its maritime territory, the Philippine Coast Guard said it has boosted its presence in the highly contested South China Sea. The boosted presence would also aim to protect fishermen amidst previous incidents of harassment by Chinese vessels.
In an interview on Monday, Philippine Coast Guard chief Admiral Artemio Abu said the coast guard has boosted its presence in the waters, such as deploying additional vessels and conducting more sorties and overflights in order to protect its maritime territory and the fishermen. Abu explained that the PCG’s acquisition of more advanced vessels allowed it to increase the number and duration of patrols in the contested waters.
“We’re making sure that the presence of coast guard vessels is felt by the fishermen in the area,” said Abu, who was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought to pursue ties with China.
“We are strengthening our presence,” Abu continued. “At a moment’s notice, the coast guard vessels will be there because they are exclusively and primarily dedicated for that purpose.”
This follows an incident last month, where the PCG received a report that a Filipino fishing boat was forced out of the Second Thomas Shoal, also known locally as the Ayungin Shoal. The shoal also happens to be within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
The PCG has 25 primary ships that could be used for deployment and patrols. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed that the Philippines will not cede an inch of its territory to any foreign power, drawing praise from advocates of the 2016 tribunal arbitration that ruled against China’s claims to most of the South China Sea, saying that the claims have no basis under international law.
On Saturday, Indonesia is looking to ramp up talks over a code of conduct in the South China Sea, according to its foreign minister, as the country takes over as the chair for the ASEAN bloc this year. Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said during a news conference after a meeting with the bloc’s foreign ministers that negotiations over the COC were discussed with the ministers expressing that the talks be concluded as soon as possible.
