LATEST PULSE

Across Southeast Asia, thousands of people are leaving their homes each year, driven by war, violence, poverty, and climate disasters. For many, migration is not a choice but a last attempt to survive. Their stories reveal both the suffering they endure and the hope they still hold onto.   The Struggle for Survival One of the most painful examples is the tragedy of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar. Since 2017, they have faced ...

On November 17, the Kuala Lumpur High Court rejected appeals from Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his son Mohd Nazifuddin Najib to delay their bankruptcy proceedings over massive unpaid tax bills.   Instead, the court ordered them to settle their bills. Najib will have to pay RM 1.69 billion ($407 million), while his son will pay RM 37.6 million ($9 million).   In addition to this tax case, Najib faces a numbe...

The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, first uncovered in 2015, remains one of the world’s most infamous financial crimes. The world was left shocked when it emerged that around RM 20.1 billion (about $4.5 billion) intended for Malaysia's economic development was stolen and hidden across banks from New York to Zurich to Abu Dhabi.   The scandal, which relied on exploiting weak Western financial systems, led to the downfall ...

The Philippines and Canada are joining forces to beef up military ties as tensions with China heat up in the South China Sea.   On November 2, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty signed a new agreement in Manila. It allows troops from both countries to train together, swap knowledge, and coordinate on disasters and cybersecurity. The deal is similar to what the Philippines already ...

In a surprise move, US president Donald Trump is attempting to broker peace between Morocco and Algeria, rivals locked in a decades-long dispute over Western Sahara. The effort aims to end more than 60 years of hostility in North Africa’s Maghreb region, a zone critical to global energy routes and counterterrorism efforts.   Trump aims to achieve a breakthrough within the next two months. The push follows his announcement of a fragil...