LATEST PULSE

After years of legal drama, the $15 billion Sulu arbitration is expected to come to a close in the Paris Court of Appeal on December 9. Eight Filipino claimants claiming to be descendants of the Sultanate of Sulu have taken their case against Malaysia from London to Madrid, Sabah, Luxembourg, The Hague, and Washington. Every court has rejected the claim, and Spanish courts even convicted arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa to jail for defying repeated orde...

A powerful Chinese naval flotilla has entered the Philippine Sea, alarming security officials in the region and raising fears about Beijing’s growing military presence in the region. It is not clear where the flotilla is heading, although some say it is sailing toward Australia.   Analysts say the latest movement shows how fast China is expanding its reach and how serious the contest for power in the Indo-Pacific and surrounding area...

The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal shocked the world. Over RM 20.1 billion ($4.5 billion) meant for Malaysia’s development ended up funding a life of luxury and Hollywood excess.   At the center was Jho Low, the flamboyant Malaysian financier who partied with Paris Hilton in Saint-Tropez and allegedly bought $7 million in jewelry for model Miranda Kerr—all with money stolen from the Malaysian people.   Fast ...

In October, Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) finalized a powerful new military agreement that could reshape security in the Pacific and influence tensions in the South China Sea. Both countries have long pushed for freedom of navigation in the disputed waters, where China’s growing claims continue to alarm nations from the Philippines to Vietnam.   Under the deal, Australia gets access to PNG’s military bases, while up to 1...

The battle over the Sulu claim has exploded into one of Asia’s most dramatic and pricey legal fights.     A group of Filipino citizens claiming to be descendants of the old Sultanate of Sulu wants Malaysia to pay nearly $15 billion over an 1878 agreement involving land in Sabah. Flaring up in 2019, the once quiet historical issue turned into a years-long legal war stretching from Kuala Lumpur to Madrid to Paris. A final dec...