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The 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) has been extended by one day, until Thursday 16 June, in order to facilitate outcomes on the main issues under discussion. WTO said in a press statement. 

Following the consultations by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with the MC12 Chair, Timur Suleimenov, the Vice-Chairs, and the Minister Facilitators, delegations were informed that MC12 will be extended until 16 June, with the closing session scheduled to begin at 3 pm Geneva time.

At the meeting of Heads of Delegation (HoDs) late on 14 June, DG Okonjo-Iweala called on members to go the extra mile to find convergence on the various issues at stake at the ministerial gathering and to be mindful that time is running out to conclude meaningful agreements. The 12th Ministerial Conference was initially scheduled to close today at 6 pm Geneva time.

Microsoft is finally retiring the consumer version of Internet Explorer, BBC reported.

It announced the plan last year, making Internet Explorer 11 its final version.

Internet Explorer debuted on Windows desktop computers in 1995 and by 2004, had cornered 95% of the market. 

But now, Google Chrome, Apple's Safari and Mozilla Firefox are dominant.

Users wanting to stick with Microsoft are being directed to Microsoft Edge, launched in 2015, alongside Windows 10.

Internet Explorer's popularity was dented by the launch of faster browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, as users seized on new applications to navigate platforms including Google Search, Facebook and YouTube.

The rise of smartphones then arguably delivered the fatal blow, with Apple's pre-installed Safari browser and Google Chrome on Android phones helping to shift internet access and usage into the mobile realm, according to BBC.

Mobile and tablet internet usage overtook desktop worldwide for the first time in October 2016, according to independent web analytics company StatCounter. 

And earlier that year, StatCounter saw Google Chrome account for more than 60% of desktop internet usage worldwide, with Internet Explorer and Edge's combined share of the desktop market narrowly falling behind that of Firefox for the first time, BBC reported.

Nepal reported 21 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 856 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 19 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 049 people underwent antigen tests, of which six were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 15 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 97 active cases in the country.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index plunged by 29. 89 points to close at 1,966.37 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index fell 4. 60 points to reach 378. 90 points.

A total of 4,182,369 units of shares of 229 companies were traded for Rs 1.49 billion.

Likewise, all sub-indices saw red in today’s market. Life insurance topped the chart with 189. 58 points.

At the end of the day, total market civilization stands at Rs 2. 80 trillion.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Govinda Prasad Sharma Koirala clarified that the government has not made any preparation to sign the State Partnership Program (SPP) agreement.

He said so while speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Minister Koirala made it clear that neither the government nor any side have urged the concerned authority to sign the agreement.

Responding to the queries on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Minister Koirala said that the US government welcomed the interpretative declaration on the same day when the $500 million pact was endorsed from the Parliament. Hence, he urged not to be in doubt as the declaration was part of the agreement.

A woman was arrested with one round of bullet from the Tribhuvan International Airport on Tuesday.

Kiran Kumari Singh (36) of Haripur Municipality-7, Sarlahi was apprehended with one round of bullet from the hand baggage checking area of the airport, police said.

Singh was nabbed while she was about to board a flight of Buddha Airlines.

Police said that they are looking into the case.

Amazon says it will begin delivering parcels to shoppers by drone for the first time later this year, pending final regulatory approval, BBC reported.

Users in the Californian town of Lockeford will be able to sign up to have thousands of goods delivered by air to their homes, it said.

The shopping giant has promised drone delivery for years but has faced delays and reported setbacks. 

But it said it planned to roll out the service more widely after Lockeford.

"The promise of drone delivery has often felt like science fiction," it said in a blog post. "[But] later this year, Amazon customers living in Lockeford, California, will become among the first to receive Prime Air deliveries.

"Their feedback about Prime Air will help us create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere."

Amazon said the drones will be programmed to drop parcels in the backyards of customers in Lockeford, which has a population of about 4,000 people, according to BBC.

They will be able to fly "beyond-line-of-sight", meaning they don't have to be controlled by a visual observer and instead use sensors to avoid other aircraft, people, pets and obstacles.

The aim is to get packages to customers safely in less than an hour, the retailer said, BBC reported.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Rajendra Lingden said that the US intervention has increased significantly in Nepal after the endorsement of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, he urged the government not to act in a way that would create imbalances in non-aligned foreign policy.

“The US intervention has increased in Nepal after the ratification of the MCC,” Lingden said, adding, “Let’s not do anything that will create imbalances in non-aligned foreign policy.”

Meanwhile, saying that the federal election is approaching nearer, leader Lingden demanded that the independent election government should be formed to hold the election in a free, fair and transparent manner.