Sara Duterte-linked 'hitman' probe narrows persons of interest to 20

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has narrowed down its list of persons of interest to less than 20 in the hunt for an alleged assassin linked to Vice President Sara Duterte. The investigation is proceeding alongside the impeachment trial against the Vice President. During the impeachment proceedings, Senator Raffy Tulfo raised concerns about minority senators allegedly being given longer speaking times during their interjections, highlighting the need for fair trial proceedings. Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, tensions remain high. Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro raised a long list of Manila's grievances against China during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. These included incidents at Ayungin Shoal and a racist 'monkey' video attributed to Chinese individuals. Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States remains willing to negotiate an end to the Iran crisis, but expressed skepticism about Tehran's seriousness in talks. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that the cost of US operations in Iran has reached $37.5 billion so far.