Thailand-Cambodia: Trump's announcement proves empty, fighting continues

Today's headlines: three Filipino fishermen in action with Beijing Coast Guard water cannons in the South China Sea. Death toll from Storm Byron rises to 14 amid the ruins of the Gaza Strip. South Korea, Japan, and Singapore join Washington's “Pax Silica” for artificial intelligence supply chains. Lionel Messi's Indian tour begins amid chaos and angry fans at the stadium in Kolkata.

THAILAND-CAMBODIA

Fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces continued in the early hours of today, despite statements by US President Donald Trump last night that he had agreed a ceasefire with the two countries. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump that Bangkok is ready to take this step only after the withdrawal of all Cambodian forces and the removal of landmines. Both sides reported new bombings and artillery exchanges along the border, where at least 21 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since the start of the new wave of clashes.

CHINA-PHILIPPINES

The Manila Coast Guard reported that three Filipino fishermen were injured and two fishing boats suffered “significant damage” when Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons at a fleet of fishing boats in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard said it had driven away several Philippine boats and taken “control measures.” Sabina Shoal, which China calls Xianbin Reef and the Philippines calls Escoda Shoal, is located in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, 150 km west of Palawan province. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a maritime route through which more than trillion worth of trade passes each year. In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal ruled that Beijing's broad claims have no basis in international law, a decision that China rejects.

PALESTINE

At least 14 Palestinians have died in the last 24 hours due to the sharp drop in temperatures and the collapse of buildings during Storm Byron in Gaza, according to the Wafa news agency. The death toll includes at least three children who died of hypothermia. The bad weather caused at least 15 other homes to collapse in the Strip, which has been devastated by two years of war, forcing rescue teams to race against time to recover people from the rubble.

IRAN-USA-CHINA

A US special forces team in the Indian Ocean last month carried out an operation off the coast of Sri Lanka against a ship bound from China to Iran, seizing military supplies. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials. The cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran's conventional weapons, adding that the shipment was destroyed. The vessel then continued on its voyage.

SOUTH KOREA-JAPAN-USA

The United States and six allied countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Israel, and Great Britain) adopted a declaration yesterday in Washington called Pax Silica for the construction of an ecosystem of “reliable” supply chains for artificial intelligence and critical minerals in a context of growing rivalry with China. The name Pax Silica refers to the refined silicon compound, a chemical element essential for computer chips.

INDIA

Soccer star Lionel Messi's Indian tour began in total chaos with incidents of vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The fans' anger was triggered by the near impossibility of catching a glimpse of the Argentine star, surrounded by a large crowd of security guards and dignitaries. Messi was quickly whisked away from the stadium, considered the home of soccer on the subcontinent and chosen to kick off his first tour of India in 14 years, complete with a statue in his honor over 20 meters tall. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the “mismanagement” of the event and apologized to Messi, who has already left for Hyderabad.

UZBEKISTAN

Yurts, the traditional tents of Kyrgyzstan's nomadic culture, Kazakhstan, and Karakalpakstan, have been added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage during a session held in New Delhi on December 12, as announced by the head of the Uzbek presidential administration and daughter of the president, Saida Mirziyoyeva, who had combined the mountainous regions of Uzbekistan with the requests of the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz.