WTO : US & China clash over trade turbulence, S&DT, future of MTS (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The United States appears to have rejected China's submission on "Heightened Trade Turbulence and Responses from the WTO" during the World Trade Organization's General Council (GC) meeting on 7 October.

Trade : Global trade to grow in 2025, but US tariffs cloud 2026 outlook (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Global merchandise trade is expected to grow by 2.4% in volume terms this year - up from an earlier projection of 0.9% in August - while the forecast for next year has been sharply lowered to 0.5% (from 1.8%), amidst continued turbulence in international trade due to the unilateral tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) economists on 7 October.

UN : Special Rapporteur hails new investigative mechanism for Afghanistan (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Mr. Richard Bennett, on 7 October welcomed the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan, describing it as an important additional tool to advance justice for international crimes and violations of international law committed in the country over decades.