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WORLD NEWS Monday 24 June 2019

China's Qu Dongyu elected

as new FAO general director

ROME (AP) — Qu Dongyu,
China's deputy agricultural
minister, was elected Sun-
day as the new director
general of the U.N. Food
and Agriculture Organiza-
tion, the first person from a
Communist country to hold
Britain's Conservative party leadership candidate Boris Johnson the influential FAO post.
gestures during the first party hustings at the ICC in Birmingham, The agency's 194 member
England, Saturday June 22, 2019. countries convened at the
Associated Press FAO headquarters in Rome

UK: Police visit to choose a successor to Qu Dongyu from China, one of the candidates for the Director-
José Graziano da Silva of
General position of the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organi-
Brazil for the 4-year term.
incident dogs Johnson's Qu, 55, a biologist by train- zation), addresses a plenary meeting of the 41st Session of the
Conference, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Saturday, June
ing, won 108 votes, fol-
22, 2019. The new FAO Director-General will be voted on Sun-
leadership campaign lowed by France's Cath- day. Associated Press
erine Geslain-Laneelle with
71 votes and Georgia's
LONDON (AP) — The lead- ister. Asked about the po- Davit Kirvalidze with 12, field for more than 30 years. reducing poverty through
ing contender to become lice visit several times dur- according to official re- "This is a special day," he science and technology
Britain's next prime minister ing a Conservative forum sults. The United States had said in his speech accept- and building a quality as-
was under pressure Sunday on Saturday, Johnson said backed Kirvalidze. ing the post. "This is our sessment system for pro-
to address a visit police of- the public did not want The FAO, which has over day." duce.
ficers made to his London to "hear about that kind 11,500 employees around Qu said he was "grateful to From 2008 to 2015, he
apartment after a reported of thing." He said people the globe, works closely his motherland," but then worked in the government
quarrel with his girlfriend. should judge his charac- with other U.N. agencies to added he would be faith- of the Ningxia Hui Autono-
Political rivals questioned ter from his track record as achieve the goal of a hun- ful to the FAO's missions. mous Region, where he
Boris Johnson's refusal to London's mayor and on his ger-free world by 2030. To- Ahead of his election, he applied new approaches
comment on the incident plans for leading the U.K. day, more than 800 million rejected claims that he to agricultural publications
that brought officers to his But the incident continued people are facing hunger would be beholden to and rural tourism and pro-
door early Friday, when a to dominate Britain's head- and many experts doubt instructions from Beijing, vided startup micro-lend-
neighbor reported hearing lines Sunday. The other that the 2030 goal will be pledging that China would ing to young and female
shouting, screaming and candidate in the runoff reached. follow "FAO regulations and farmers.
banging from the home for Conservative leader, Prior to the vote, Qu said rules." He also defended his Since being appointed
Johnson shares with part- Foreign Secretary Jeremy he aims to focus on hun- credentials, saying he is "a vice-minister in 2015, Qu
ner Carrie Symonds. Hunt, said Johnson should ger and poverty eradica- scientist" educated in Eu- has spearheaded mea-
The former British foreign not "shy away" from ques- tion, tropical agriculture, rope, America and China. sures such as reforms for
secretary and London tions. drought land farming, digi- Before joining China's agri- rural areas; using informa-
mayor emerged from five "I'm not going to comment tal rural development and culture ministry, Qu worked tion technologies to help
rounds of voting by Conser- on Boris' personal life ... But better land design through at the Chinese Academy agriculture; instituting ex-
vative Party lawmakers as what Boris needs to do is transformation of agricul- of Agricultural Sciences, change mechanisms on
the runaway favorite to fol- to engage properly in this tural production. An expert where he focused on con- urban agriculture and pro-
low Theresa May as party leadership debate," Hunt on agriculture and rural ar- ducting research and inno- moting brands and spe-
leader and U.K. prime min- told Sky News.q eas, he has worked in the vation, raising rural income, cialty industries.q