GeoPulse

Middle powers are quietly building their own arms supply chains. The Badr memorandum was signed Oct 21. Turkey brings the tech. Pakistan and Indonesia bring manufacturing. Qatar brings the money. Here's what to know 🧵

Malaysia just won a major court appeal in its $3.78 billion 1MDB case. 🇲🇾 • $7.4B already recovered • The claim against Jho Low and Larry Low is alive again • PM Anwar: recovery continues The long road back is still moving forward.

Only 36% of Madagascans had reliable electricity this May. In Oct, Madagascar’s sovereign wealth fund (FSM) announced a partnership with London-based Gemcorp Capital Management to seek $5 billion over four years for energy, infrastructure and mining. Here’s what to know 🧵

After the US election, ASEAN capitals are asking one question: what actually changes? Possibly changes: pressure over the Iran war. Doesn’t change: tariff powers, push for critical minerals, competition with China. Our take: Southeast Asia cannot get its hopes up 🧵

Singapore gets about 95% of its electricity from natural gas. Its fix: wind turbines off Vietnam, a nearly 800 km undersea cable, and Malaysia in the middle. Cost: up to $10 billion. First power: 2035, if the money and the rules line up 🧵

On Oct 29, hackers stole more than $6.3 billion from Binance in about 20 minutes. The US FBI attributes it to TraderTraitor, a hacking unit linked to North Korean intelligence. It’s the largest crypto theft on record.

The Philippine military reported 54 Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea between Oct 20-26, up from 31 the week before. ASEAN defense ministers met in Cebu days later. Here’s what you need to know🧵

Singapore has conditionally approved 13 projects to import 9.25 GW of low-carbon power. None has reached financial close. A forecast puts clean imports at 15% of generation by 2035, against a target of about one-third. Why it’s stuck 🧵

On Nov 2, US forces struck Iranian targets on Qeshm Island near Hormuz. Days earlier, Oman proposed a regional non-aggression pact that would bring Iran into a new Gulf security framework. Here’s what you need to know 🧵

Western sanctions were meant to pressure Putin. Our analysis: they’ve done the opposite. The EU has frozen over $30 billion in private assets, and 97% of Russians’ bank deposits sit in sanctioned institutions. That actually helps Putin. Read more 👇