The Delhi High Court has stayed proceedings in a criminal defamation case filed against Sudarshan TV and its editor Suresh Chavhanke in connection with allegations that his channel made false accusations against a madrasa. The case against Chavhanke was filed by Mohammed Tufail Khan
The Trump Intervention That Got the DOJ Off Live Nation’s Back Antitrust case started out aiming to force the concert giant to sell Ticketmaster. After two White House meetings, a deal kept the company intact. Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 14:02:07 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link The
China said on Sunday (August 23, 2026) it was postponing its planned ambitious Chang'e-7 lunar mission, which was set to carry out explorations including searching for water ice on the moon. The Chang'e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch
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An Indian national was killed in a shooting incident in New York on Friday night, said the Indian consulate general in the city. The man, Gurdeep Singh, was killed on Crescent Street in the city’s Brooklyn area, in what police believe may have been a road rage incident, CBS News reported
A group of former cricket captains, including Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and one of England's longest-serving skippers Sir Alastair Cook, have called on Pakistan to ensure its ex-PM Imran Khan be given proper care while in custody. The cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since
Fewer than 20 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday (August 24, 2026), as Iranian and U.S. blockades restrict traffic through the chokepoint for energy shipments. Four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday (August 23, 2026)
India had asked the United States not to allow reporters to ask questions during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France in June, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Saturday
WTO chair rules out reform deal at next major meeting, document shows
WTO reform talks are progressing, but a comprehensive deal is unlikely at the March 2026 meeting. The US is frustrated by the consensus rule hindering plurilateral agreements and seeks to reform the Most Favoured Nation principle, facing significant opposition from other members who view MFN as crucial for multilateralism.
Countries are making progress on reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) but will fall short of clinching a deal at a major meeting early next year, the ambassador leading the talks said in a confidential document. Observers say reforms at the 30-year-old trade watchdog are urgently needed, with some believing the future of the organisation is at stake. The WTO did not immediately comment. In particular, the consensus rule whereby all 166 members must agree to pass new trade deals has gridlocked negotiations for years, blocking even those that enjoy near universal support.
Norway's WTO ambassador Petter Olberg wrote in the December 12 document seen by Reuters that the range of ideas for reforming decision-making meant that the issue cannot be resolved at a ministerial meeting in March 2026. However, he said progress was being made and ministers meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon should agree on a framework to move forward.
The U.S. voiced frustration in a communication sent to members that blockages in the consensus-based system were stopping members from joining plurilateral agreements. These deals allow groups of interested members to strike deals among themselves, with an option for others to sign on later.
It warned that this threatened the organisation's viability and could drive countries to negotiate new deals outside it.
The U.S. also called for reform discussions to address one of the WTO's core principles - Most Favored Nation (MFN) - which requires members to treat others equally. It said MFN was designed for an era where trade partners were expected to adopt open, market-oriented trade policies.
"That expectation was naive, and that era has passed," it said in a statement.
"If the WTO does not reform by making tangible improvements in those areas that are central to its mission, it will continue its path toward irrelevancy," the U.S. said in the communication.
A diplomatic source cautioned that the U.S.' position was not widely supported by members.
"The U.S. views on WTO reform are far from those of most members and even challenge the WTO's purpose and core principles. Simply put, without MFN, there's no real multilateralism," the source told Reuters. Since U.S. President Donald Trump began imposing higher import tariffs this year on most trading partners, the share of global trade conducted under the WTO's Most-Favoured-Nation terms is down from about 80% to 72%, WTO data shows. (Reporting by Emma Farge and Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Ed Osmond)Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: WTO reform,Most Favored Nation principle,plurilateral agreements,global trade,trade negotiations,US trade policy,March 2026 meeting,Yaounde meeting
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