North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles: South Korea
The intelligence authorities of Seoul and Washington were analyzing the details, the ministry added.
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump ally Jeffrey Clark should be disbarred over 2020 election effort, DC panel says
Jeffrey Clark, the former Justice Department official who aided President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, should be stripped of his law license, a Washington disciplinary panel ruled on Thursday. Clark, who is now overseeing a federal regulatory office, played a key role in Trump's efforts to challenge his election loss to Joe Biden and clashed with Justice Department superiors who refused to back his false claims of fraud. The D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility's recommendation will now go to the D.C. Court of Appeals for a final decision. Under the second Trump administration, Clark has been serving as acting head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a part of the Office of Management and Budget that is responsible for reviewing executive branch regulations. OMB spokesperson Rachel Cauley said in a post on X that, 'this latest injustice is just another chapter in the Deep State's ongoing assault on President Trump and those who stood beside him in defense of the truth. JEFF CLARK has been harassed, raided, doxed and blacklisted simply for questioning a RIGGED election and serving President Trump,' she wrote. At issue in the D.C. bar proceedings was a letter that Clark, as an assistant attorney general in the first Trump administration, drafted that said the Justice Department was investigating various irregularities and had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the election in Georgia and other states. Clark wanted the letter sent to Georgia lawmakers but Justice Department superiors refused. The board said disciplinary counsel proved that Clark made intentionally false statements when he continued to push for the Justice Department to issue the letter after being told by superiors that it contained falsehoods. 'Lawyers cannot advocate for any outcome based on false statements and they certainly cannot urge others to do so,' the board's report said. 'Respondent persistently and energetically sought to do just that on an important national issue. He should be disbarred as a consequence and to send a message to the rest of the Bar and to the public that this behavior will not be tolerated.' Clark's attorney, Harry MacDougald, argued during disciplinary hearings last year that the letter was part of the debate that normally occurs between lawyers and that punishing Clark in those circumstances would have a chilling effect. Clark's conflict with Justice Department superiors culminated in a contentious hourslong meeting at the White House on Jan. 3, 2021, in which Trump openly considered installing Clark as acting attorney general, according to a Senate Judiciary report. Several officials in the Jan. 3 meeting told Trump they would resign if he put Clark in charge at the Justice Department. Another close Trump ally, Rudy Giuliani, was disbarred in Washington last year months after he lost his law license in New York for pursuing false claims Trump made about his 2020 election loss.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Border clashes on the rise as global system fails
There is an unshakable sentiment in the world today that something is loose. There is an unshakable feeling that the world is in a state of freewheeling. This is not new but has been going on for the past decade. One indication of this situation is the undeniable fact that the frequency of military border clashes between countries is increasing. And this signals a period where issues could become bigger and more dangerous. While all eyes are locked on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, as well as Iran's proxies and Israel, other conflicts are sprouting up across the globe, but mainly in Asia. Nothing comes out of a void and these conflicts have historical roots; clashes have taken place throughout previous decades. Yet, this time, and despite past skirmishes at the border, the evolution is less controlled. The most recent was the one between Thailand and Cambodia. There is now a real trend of countries taking matters into their own hands, as the existing global order seems unable to resolve issues decisively. If we dig into the history of this conflict, it was born, like so many other border conflicts, from lines being drawn on maps by former colonial powers such as France and Great Britain. They carved out territories and left issues to linger as modern states gained their independence. This situation and many others like it also show that the global institutions conceived at the end of the First World War and born after the Second World War are no longer capable of meeting the challenges of today's world. While states accepted the status quo for decades, there is now a clear willingness — or window of opportunity — to take matters into their own hands. When it comes to the situation between Thailand and Cambodia, the border dispute was supposedly resolved with rulings from the International Court of Justice in 1962 and 2013. This should have ended the Preah Vihear temple dispute between Phnom Penh and Bangkok. But these rulings have been considered ambiguous because, while they confirmed Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple itself, they did not clearly define the surrounding territorial boundaries. In 1962, the court ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia but did not specify who controlled the adjacent 4.6 sq. km of land, which Thailand continued to claim. In 2013, following renewed clashes, the International Court of Justice reaffirmed Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple and the land on which it stands. It also commanded Thailand to withdraw troops from the area. Nevertheless, it still did not provide a precise demarcation of the border or resolve the competing interpretations of colonial-era maps. This is where the main issue probably lies: global institutions are only able to give broad and often vague decisions, leaving many issues on hold. It is a side note, but this is reminiscent of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's ruling in the case of the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which gave a half-guilty verdict and never brought the real culprit to justice. When it comes to Thailand and Cambodia, this legal vagueness has maintained both claims and this has, in turn, increased nationalist sentiments, leading to recurring tensions and military confrontations. Yet, even if this is not the first time the two countries have clashed, this time the tone is different, even as they agreed to a ceasefire. While there is clear agency from these countries, there is also a change in the world order, as well as proxy conflicts and proxy resolutions. The deadly border conflict that erupted between Cambodia and Thailand was the most serious escalation in more than a decade. While the fighting began in late May near Chang Bok and intensified around the Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear temple areas, it escalated with the use of heavy artillery, as well as the deployment of Thai F-16 jets. This resulted in at least 43 deaths and displaced more than 300,000 people. A ceasefire was brokered on July 28 and has largely held, although the situation remains fragile. Further negotiations are scheduled for Aug. 4, as both sides seek a long-term resolution. Media reports have blamed recklessness by both political leaderships, with domestic issues having an impact. Yet, there is inherently a failure of the global system. There is also an undeniable undercurrent of shadow war between the US and China. Cambodia maintains close ties with Beijing. Like a growing number of countries in the region, China is its main investor as well as a key military partner. Phnom Penh has been historically close to Beijing for economic support and regional backing. On the other hand, Bangkok is a long-standing US ally. This is why America and China both intervened diplomatically during the crisis. There is a real trend of countries taking matters into their own hands, as the global order seems unable to resolve issues. Khaled Abou Zahr While this resolution supports Association of Southeast Asian Nations-led peace efforts — the bloc promotes economic cooperation, political stability and peaceful dialogue among its members — there is little chance of this regional institution stepping in to palliate the global system's failure. At least not today. The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict echoes that of Armenia-Azerbaijan, but with China and the US in the background instead of Russia and the US (via Turkiye). While Azerbaijan's military dominance led to a rapid change in the regional balance in the South Caucasus, the situation in Southeast Asia is more uncertain. The global system's failure to resolve conflicts could lead to more frequent confrontations as regional powers test the emerging order. It is also clear that, as Russia remains stuck in Ukraine, China is increasingly replacing it on the global stage, with a shadow war emerging with the US. This situation worryingly resembles the end of the interwar period. It feels increasingly uncontrolled and with a domino effect in play.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Economists blame lax regulation, call for reforms to resolve Pakistan's recurring sugar crisis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani economists on Thursday blamed weak enforcement of regulations by the government and lack of transparency for the recurring sugar crisis in the country, stressing the urgent need for reforms in the sugar industry to resolve the problem. In Pakistan, high sugar prices have often triggered public outcry and become flashpoints for opposition criticism, with recurring allegations of hoarding and cartelization, especially during election years or periods of economic volatility. Sugar crisis has once again started to make headlines in Pakistan, with retailers and suppliers reporting that prices of the commodity have risen sharply to Rs200 [$0.71] per kilogram in many parts of the country. This development takes place despite the government's announcement earlier this month that it has capped sugar's retail price at Rs173 [$0.61] per kilogram. 'The sugar crisis is not new, it recurs every two to three years regardless of which party is in power, even under military regimes,' Dr. Kaiser Bengali, a leading economist, told Arab News. 'This pattern continues due to weak enforcement, lack of transparency in stock reporting and poor regulatory oversight at all levels.' The economist said the crisis was caused primarily by a powerful cartel of sugar mill owners who manipulated prices by influencing both the federal and provincial governments' policy decisions. Bengali explained that these sugar mill owners, many of whom were politically connected, created artificial shortages to drive up prices and maximize their profits. 'Each year, mill owners pressure the government to allow sugar exports, claiming they need to clear old stock to begin the crushing season,' Dr. Bengali said. He said mill owners also demanded subsidies under the pretext of covering price differentials, only to later cause domestic shortages and raise sugar prices. Pakistan's Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain refuted reports of a sugar shortage in the country, alleging that a perception was being created as if there were major issues regarding the availability, supply and pricing of sugar. 'The government launched a crackdown on hoarders and profiteers, including retailers and even mill owners, in an effort to curb market manipulation,' Hussain told Arab News after addressing a press briefing on the issue. 'We have also fined shopkeepers Rs180 million ($639,000) who were selling [sugar] at higher prices,' the minister said. In a press statement released by his ministry, Hussain said Pakistan currently has 5.8 million metric tons of sugar from this year's production in stock and with the buffer stock of 500,000 metric tons, the total availability stands at 6.3 million metric tons. He said this is sufficient to meet the annual domestic consumption requirement, which is also around 6.3 million metric tons. The statement said Pakistan exported 750,000 metric tons of surplus sugar last year, earning $402 million. The ministry said this export decision was not an 'abrupt' one but was taken after thorough verification of data from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other departments. Responding to criticism over the government's export and import decisions, Hussain told Arab News said such narratives ignored a ten-year trend in Pakistan where sugar exports typically followed the crushing season and were sometimes followed by imports of the commodity. He acknowledged that initial projections for the 2024–25 season estimated sugar production at 7 million metric tons, slightly above the previous year. However, the adverse effects of climate change affected agricultural output, including sugarcane yield. 'As a result, actual production dropped to 5.8 million metric tons,' he said. 'NO QUICK FIXES' Pakistani business reporter Shehbaz Rana, who has extensively reported on the matter, said the control of sugar mills by politically powerful families was the major reason for the crisis. 'The only viable solution is full deregulation of the sugar supply chain, removing government controls over production, pricing, imports and exports to dismantle cartel structures and foster true market competition,' Rana said. Economist Dr. Khaqan Najeeb, Pakistan's former finance adviser, said the sugar sector's crisis underscored the urgent need to move beyond 'reactive firefighting' and adopt structured, tech-driven, and market-aligned frameworks. 'Addressing this challenge requires deep policy expertise and a commitment to serious, evidence-based reform,,' he told Arab News. He pointed out the need for six key sugar sector reforms: improving per-acre yields, promoting ethanol and bagasse power, deregulating the market, enforcing anti-cartel laws, using technology to monitor the supply chain, and setting transparent, formula-based pricing with timely farmer payments. 'These are not quick fixes — they demand consistent, hard work, but after years of misaligned interventions through poorly timed exports and imports, one thing is clear, there is no easy solution, only the hard path of structural reform,' he added.
