Trump threatens to pull US from WTO 'if we have to'
Monaca (US), Aug 14: President Donald Trump has threatened to pull the United States out of the World Trade Organization if conditions are not improved.
"We will leave if we have to," Trump told a cheering audience of workers at a Shell chemical plant in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
"We know that they have been screwing us for years and it's not going to happen again," he said.
Trump has made the WTO the target of many previous attacks, and threatened before to withdraw, claiming unfair treatment toward the US and saying Washington does not have to abide by WTO rulings.
He is especially critical about the terms granted to China when it joined the organization, given US complaints about Chinese theft of American technology.
But the United States in fact has a successful track record of winning disputes mediated by the global trading body. While calling for reforms to the institution's rules, the Trump administration also has effectively paralysed its work.
By blocking naming of new members to the appellate panel part of the Dispute Settlement Body that arbitrates disputes, the system will grind to a halt by the end of the year.
Chad Bown, a trade expert with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the moves weakening the WTO have done "lasting damage," not all of which can be reversed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi's air quality 'very poor'
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi choked under a thick blanket of smog on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 332, in the 'very poor' category.
The air quality was 'very poor' at 30 stations while it was 'severe' at one station, Jahangirpuri, which recorded an AQI of 405.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in 'very poor' till Saturday. The outlook for the subsequent six days also states that the air is likely to remain in the very poor band, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS).
The national capital's air quality settled at 8 degrees Celsius, 0.6 notches below normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent.
According to the IMD, the maximum temperature during the day is expected to settle at 25 degrees Celsius.
