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world news Diabierna 9 OctOber 2020

World Trade Organization to be led by a woman for first time

(AP) — The World Trade Mohamed, a former trade The previous WTO director-
Organization announced minister from Kenya; Mo- general, Roberto Azevedo of
Thursday that South Korea's hammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri, Brazil, made a surprise an-
trade minister and a Harvard- a Saudi former economy nouncement in May that he
trained former Nigerian fi- minister, and British former would leave the job a year
nance minister have qualified International Trade Secretary early, citing a "personal deci-
as the two finalists to become and Brexit proponent Liam sion." He left without a suc-
the next director-general, en- Fox. cessor on Aug. 31.
suring a woman in the top "Deeply grateful and hon- Azevedo's seven-year ten-
job for the first time. ored to be selected for the ure was marked by intense
A selection committee said final round in the selection pressure from U.S. Presi-
that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of process of the next @WTO dent Donald Trump, who
Nigeria and Yoo Myung-hee Director General!" tweeted repeatedly accused the WTO
of South Korea qualified for Yoo, who has a law degree of "unfair" treatment of the
the final round in a race ex- from Vanderbilt University. U.S. and started a trade war
pected to end in the coming "We need a capable & expe- with China in defiance of the
weeks. They were picked out rienced new leader who can WTO system. In the past,
of a pool of five candidates. rebuild trust and restore rel- Trump has threatened to pull highest court, the Appellate bly at the expense of Western
"Both of the women that evance of the @WTO. I look the United States out of the Body, which has unable to businesses hoping to tap the
are in the final round are forward to your continued trade body altogether. address new disputes since expanding Chinese market.
remarkably well qualified. support! Thank you!!!" The WTO's dispute settle- last year. China rejects the allegations.
This is something on which Okonjo-Iweala on Twitter ment system is perhaps the The next director-general The WTO, which was creat-
everyone has agreed," WTO thanked WTO members for world's best-known venue will face the daunting task ed in 1995 out of the former
spokesman Keith Rockwell their support and wrote that for resolving international of keeping the United States General Agreement on Tar-
told reporters. "We've been she was "happy to be in the trade disputes - such as those on board if Trump wins a iffs and Trade, has never had
impressed with them from final round." pitting plane-makers Boeing second term, amid Washing- a woman director-general or
the very beginning." A previous round had cut the and Airbus in recent decades. ton's allegations that China national from Africa as its
The Geneva-based WTO's list of candidates from eight But the United States has is engaged in unfair practices leader. It operates by consen-
General Council, made up of to five. The winner is expect- clogged up the dispute settle- such as excessively subsidiz- sus, meaning that any single
envoys from the 164-mem- ed to be announced no later ment machinery by block- ing industries and stealing member country can block
ber body, eliminated Amina than early November. ing any new members for its intellectual property — nota- decisions.

North Korea may show new missiles at weekend military parade

(AP) — For months, North people and stress a self-reli- anniversary. ravaged by border closures an and U.S. militaries said
Korea has been relatively ant policy to quell their com- North Korea typically cel- amid the coronavirus pan- Kim ordered troops to shoot
uncombative, as leader Kim plaints and draw their loy- ebrates major state anniversa- demic, which significantly smugglers and others illegal-
Jong Un grapples with the alty," said Nam Sung-wook, a ries with big military parades reduced its trade with China, ly crossing its border as part
coronavirus pandemic, natu- professor at Korea University during years that end in zero its major ally and economic of anti-virus measures. Last
ral disasters and the deep- in South Korea. "To do so, and five. But it has some- lifeline. The heavy floods and month, North Korean sol-
ening economic pain under he would need new weap- times made those parades strong typhoons that battered diers fatally shot a South Ko-
years of tough U.S.-led sanc- ons, powerful weapons that less provocative when it was the North's major farming rean found in its waters, an
tions. would send a message to the seeking better relations with regions this summer will cer- incident that prompted Kim
But ahead of the 75th found- entire world." the outside world. tainly worsen the country's to apologize to Seoul.
ing anniversary of his ruling Recent satellite images During a parade marking the chronic food shortages, out- "Kim has nothing show to his
party this weekend, specula- showed thousands of troops 70th birthday of its social- side observers say. people on the 75th anniver-
tion has risen that Kim may assembling in formation ist government in Septem- "It's clear that the North is sary. Can he say his economy
hold a massive military pa- along with vehicles in an ap- ber 2018, Kim didn't speak running out of foreign cur- is doing well, his people are
rade and unveil newly devel- parent rehearsal at an airfield and avoided displaying any rency and the country could being fed well or his govern-
oped, powerful missiles. The on the outskirts of Pyong- of his long-range missiles, as be approaching a point ment is overcoming the coro-
goal, experts say, would be yang, where the North Ko- the event came three months where it leads to instability navirus?" said Kim Yeol Soo,
to bolster internal unity and reans have practiced past pa- after he held his first sum- in exchange rates and market an analyst with South Korea's
draw U.S. attention amid rades. South Korean Defense mit with President Donald prices, which would make Korea Institute for Military
deadlocked nuclear diploma- Minister Suh Wook told Trump in Singapore on the people's everyday lives hard- Affairs. "So he will stage a pa-
cy between the countries. lawmakers Wednesday that future of his nuclear arsenal. er and thus create a political rade to unite his people who
"His people are considerably North Korea is expected to In celebrations marking his burden for Kim," Lim Soo- are demoralized."
wearied and his economy is unveil unspecified "strategic late grandfather's birthday ho, an analyst at Seoul's In- The new weapons systems
in trouble ... so Kim Jong Un weapons" during a military in 2012 and 2017, Kim still stitute for National Security that North Korea could un-
would want to mobilize his parade marking the Oct. 10 paraded his intercontinental Strategy, said. veil this weekend could be a
ballistic missiles in a display The National Assembly Bud- new solid-fueled interconti-
of military might as he raised get Office in Seoul, a South nental ballistic missile, a mis-
the stakes in the standoff with Korean parliamentary re- sile with multiple warheads,
the United States. search arm, said in a recent an upgraded submarine-
Kim met Trump two more report that North Korea's launched ballistic missile or a
times, but their nuclear di- imports from China declined sophisticated missile launch-
plomacy has been stalled for by nearly 67 % and its exports er, Kim Yeol Soo said.
more than a year because of to China about 72 % during It's unclear whether Kim
disputes over exchanging the first half of this year. The would make a public speech
sanctions relief and disarma- report said China accounted during the event at Pyong-
ment steps. for more than 95 % of North yang's Kim Il Sung Square. If
Kim entered 2020 declaring Korea's external trade last he does, there won't be much
his intent to strengthen his year. for Kim to say other than
nuclear deterrent and achieve North Korea has steadfastly calling for his people to stay
a "frontal breakthrough" argued it hasn't had a single united and resilient in the
against U.S.-led economic coronavirus case, a claim fight to overcome national
pressure. But the North's widely disputed by foreign hardship.
broken economy was further experts. The South Kore-