Does the World Trade Organisation matter anymore?



The World Trade Organisation's last minute deal is falling apart, say diplomats. The trade body is hoping for agreement this week on a new global commerce pact that would lower tariffs and subsidies on agriculture and manufactured goods, setting the stage for an overall trade accord by the end of the year. Using some of the strongest language yet at a crucial set of talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), David Shark, a US trade official, told the organisation's 153 members that the US had "swallowed hard and accepted" a compromise proposal to open up trade in manufactured goods and agriculture.

But he criticised India for rejecting the package laid out by the WTO and lambasted China for backing out of terms it committed to last week. Their actions, he said, threatened seven years of work. Does the World Trade Organisation matter anymore?

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap​​​​​​​
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal​​​​​​​
Rating: 3.5/5

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE