Maldivian President Yameen Abdul Gayoom asked the parliament to approve a 15-day extension to the country's current state of emergency, which is set to end Feb. 20, Reuters reported Feb. 19. Deputy Secretary of the Parliament Gen. Fathmath Niusha told the legislature that the political crisis necessitating the state of emergency had not changed. The crisis has been an opportunity for China to assert an increased naval presence in the Indian Ocean, intensifying its regional rivalry with India.