File - Passport applicants scan their fingerprints at the TPI Palembang Immigration Office, South Sumatra, on May 25, 2022. (ANTARA FOTO/Nova Wahyudi/aww)
JAKARTA (Bernama-ANTARA) – The Ministry of Law and Human Rights is trying to restore immigration services as soon as possible after the National Data Centre (PDN) experienced system disruption.
“We are working to restore applications and data by utilising PDN backup data in Batam, and we are trying to restore services as soon as possible,” he said in an official statement on Thursday, reported ANTARA.
Services at immigration offices, passport service units, work units, and checkpoints at airports and ports are temporarily experiencing problems due to the disruption.
FILE – Passport applicants scan their fingerprints at the TPI Palembang Immigration Office, South Sumatra, on May 25, 2022. PHOTO: ANTARA FOTO
However, Karim assured that prospective international passengers at airports will continue to be served by immigration officers.
Despite the system outage, the immigration is continuing to provide optimal services to prospective international passengers to help them depart as per their flight schedule as well as assist arriving international passengers.
On account of the system disruption, Karim advised prospective international passengers to arrive early at the airport to anticipate longer immigration queue inspections.
Meanwhile, people who are scheduled to come to the immigration office for passport services will continue to be served as usual, he added.
However, the processing of one-day passport applications cannot be done yet and will start again as soon as the system returns to normal, he said.
“The Directorate General of Immigration will immediately inform the public when the PDN system has returned to normal and immigration services can fully operate,” Karim said.
The PDN is managed by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics.
Firemen on the scene after an express bus skidded and plunged into a ravine at Batu 9, Jalan Silam. - Pic courtesy of Fire and Rescue Dept.
LAHAD DATU (Bernama) – All nineteen individuals survived when an express bus crashed into a ravine at Batu 9 Jalan Silam Thursday night, but four of them were injured and received treatment at the Lahad Datu Hospital.
Lahad Fire and Rescue Station chief Datu Sumsoa Rashid said the 19 individuals comprising 16 passengers, two drivers and a bus conductor were traveling from Semporna to Kota Kinabalu.
“The bus plunged 50 metres into a ravine but some individuals managed to get out of the bus by themselves.
Firemen on the scene after the express bus skidded and plunged into a ravine. PHOTO: Sabah Fire and Rescue Dept
“Four individuals who were injured and are now stable at Lahad Datu Hospital,” he said when contacted by Bernama on Friday.
The media reported that they received a call regarding the incident at 9:24 pm and 20 members of the Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue Station and three members of the Silam Volunteer Fire Brigade went to the scene of the incident.
Chang Ho-jin, director of the presidential National Security Office, speaks in a briefing in Seoul Thursday. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD
SEOUL (ANN/HOREA HERALD) – South Korea announced on Thursday it would review its arms support to Ukraine and expressed serious concern over a North Korea-Russia summit, where the two nations agreed to mutual military assistance.
National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin stated that additional sanctions on North Korean and Russian individuals and institutions are planned, and the government will reconsider arms support for Ukraine.
This follows Seoul’s condemnation of a new military and economic cooperation treaty between North Korea and Russia, which Seoul criticised as “irresponsible rhetoric,” given both nations’ histories of initiating the Korean War and the Ukraine conflict.
Any aid to North Korea’s military buildup violates UN Security Council resolutions and is subject to international sanctions, the office said, stressing that as a UN Security Council member Russia is undermining security and harming its relations with South Korea by supporting North Korea.
“The government will firmly respond to any threats to its security in cooperation with the international community and will strengthen ROK-US extended deterrence and ROK-US-Japan security cooperation to neutralize North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” a government statement read by Chang said, referring to South Korea, which is formally the Republic of Korea.
Chang Ho-jin, director of the presidential National Security Office, speaks in a briefing in Seoul Thursday. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD
On weapon support to Ukraine, the office elaborated that could be one of many options aimed at pressuring Russia.
“Regarding the review of arms support, I won’t specifically comment on whether they are lethal weapons or not. Weapons are just one of many options,” a senior presidential official said on condition of anonymity.
“There are various ways to classify them as lethal or nonlethal. Russia will find it increasingly interesting, and there’s no need to give an answer in advance,” he said. “Revealing it gradually will create pressure.”
Earlier in the day, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul also pledged stern actions jointly with its allies and the international community against any provocations in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday.
“We express grave concern over Russia and North Korea signing the comprehensive strategic partnership pact and openly commenting on military technology cooperation, which is a clear violation of UN resolutions, despite a series of warnings from the international community, including ourselves,” Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, said in a briefing Thursday.
“After shrewdly analysing and assessing the outcome of (Putin’s) visit to North Korea, we will take stern actions correspondingly, against any threat to our national security, together with the international community including our allies and friendly nations.”
Also in response to the pact, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed concern that Putin did not rule out military technology cooperation with North Korea after his summit with Kim on Wednesday, at a press briefing Thursday.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday declined to comment on questions asking about China’s position on the elevated ties between North Korea and Russia, saying it is a bilateral matter. The spokesperson also declined to comment on where China stands in the confrontation between the Russia-North Korea bloc and the bloc comprising South Korea, the US and Japan.
The pact, released a day after Kim and Putin signed it Wednesday in Pyongyang, acknowledged that each country would provide “all available military and other assistance if the other faced armed aggression,” effectively reviving the automatic military engagement clause in the 1961 treaty signed between North Korea and the Soviet Union.
The two countries will take joint action to strengthen defence capabilities, according to the pact released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Additionally, neither North Korea nor Russia would sign any treaty with a third country infringing on the interest of the counterpart of Wednesday’s pact, and neither would allow a third country to infringe on security or sovereignty on their territory.
Also under the pact, Pyongyang and Moscow will cooperate on issues of mutual interest at the United Nations, on a range of technologies for space, “peaceful use” of nuclear energy and artificial intelligence and on the construction of a motorway bridge across the border of two countries along the Tumen River.
A source from the Unification Ministry said on condition of anonymity Thursday, “We see that the two countries boasted of an anti-West, anti-US coalition by elevating the two countries’ ties with a major focus on military cooperation,” when asked about the impression of the Kim-Putin talks Wednesday in Pyongyang just before the pact was announced.
“North Korea could garner support from Russia over its possible confrontation with the bloc comprising South Korea, the US and Japan, while Russia could assure North Korea’s support in the ongoing war with Ukraine,” the source added.
“Russia also looks to break Western isolation and at the same time exert its influence on the Korean Peninsula.”
When asked about the difference between the 1961 bilateral pact and the pact signed Wednesday, the official said that Wednesday’s “automatic military intervention” clause in the pact is in accordance with the respective laws of both North Korea and Russia, as well as the UN Charter’s Article 51 stipulating the “inherent right of individual or collective self-defense” in the event of an armed attack.
“We should find out why these are included,” the Unification Ministry official said.
Argentina's players celebrate Julian Alvarez's opening goal against Canada during a Copa America Group A soccer match in Atlanta, Thursday, June 20. PHOTO: AP
ATLANTA (AP) – Lionel Messi’s through ball led to Julián Álvarez’s goal in the 49th minute, then he assisted on Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 88th as Argentina began the defence of its Copa America title with a 2-0 victory over Canada on Thursday night.
Argentina is seeking its third straight major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup.
With South America’s championship moved to the United States for the second time, Messi set a Copa America record with his 35th match, one more than Chile’s Sergio Livingstone from 1941-53. Messi extended his own record with his 18th assist.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi controls the ball during a Copa America Group A soccer match against Canada in Atlanta, Thursday, June 20. PHOTO: AP
Messi, who turns 37 on Monday, created the first goal when following a throw-in he headed a pass through the defence for Alexis MacAllister. The midfielder side-footed a pass to Álvarez while crashing into an onrushing goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau about 8 yards out.
Álvarez had a virtually empty net and kicked the ball in over a sliding defender for his eighth goal in 32 international appearances.
Messi extended his Copa America record when he ran through the centre of the midfield and rolled a pass to Martínez, who got his 25th international goal.
Messi’s best scoring chance was in the 65th minute, when Crépeau made a diving stop and Messi’s attempt off the rebound was blocked by the head of defender Derek Cornelius. Messi put a chip wide after he came in alone on Crépeau in the 79th.
He was shaken up by a sliding tackle from defender Moïse Bombito in the 82nd minute, but remained in the game.
Argentina plays Chile on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey, then closes the first round against Peru on June 29 at Miami Gardens, Florida. Canada faces Peru on Tuesday at Kansas City, Kansas, and finishes the group stage against Chile on June 29 at Orlando, Florida.
Fourteen U.S. stadiums are hosting the tournament, which runs through June 14 and ends at Miami Gardens, Florida. Six nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean were added to the 10 South American teams, just as in the centennial Copa America in 2016.
Argentina’s players celebrate Julian Alvarez’s opening goal against Canada during a Copa America Group A soccer match in Atlanta, Thursday, June 20. PHOTO: AP
Slow starts did not prevent the Albiceleste from winning their previous two tournaments. Argentina opened the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia and began the 2021 Copa America with a 1-1 draw against Chile.
Canada made its Copa America debut and played its first competitive match under American coach Jesse Marsch, hired on May 13.
Grass was installed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a Major League Soccer game Saturday on the usual artificial turf.
Argentina started eight players who began the 2022 World Cup final victory over France, inserting central defender Lisandro Martínez, left back Marcos Acuña and Leandro Paredes for Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico and Enzo Fernández.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was tested in the 43rd minute, when he used his left hand to bat away a bounced header by Stephen Eustáquio.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump enters at a campaign event Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Racine, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
MIAMI (AP) – Former President Donald Trump said in an interview posted on Thursday he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges, a sharp departure from the anti-immigrant rhetoric he typically uses on the campaign trail.
Trump was asked about plans for companies to be able to import the “best and brightest” in a podcast taped Wednesday with venture capitalists and tech investors called the “All-In.”
“What I want to do and what I will do is you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically as part of your diploma a green card to be able to stay in this country. And that includes junior colleges too, anybody graduates from a college. You go there for two years or four years,” he said, vowing to address this concern on day one.
Immigration has been Trump’s signature issue during his 2024 bid to return to the White House.
His suggestion that he would offer green cards — documents that confer a pathway to US citizenship — to potentially hundreds of thousands of foreign graduates would represent a sweeping expansion of America’s immigration system that sharply diverges from his most common messages on foreigners.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump enters at a campaign event Tuesday, June 18, in Racine, Wisconsin. PHOTO: AP
Trump has blamed immigrants who are in the country illegally for committing crimes, stealing jobs and government resources, and suggested that they are “poisoning the blood of our country.” He has promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history if elected.
Trump and his allies often say they distinguish between people entering illegally versus legally. But during his administration, Trump also proposed curbs on legal immigration such as family-based visas and the visa lottery programme.
Right after taking office in 2017, he issued his “Buy American and Hire American” executive order, directing Cabinet members to suggest reforms to ensure that business visas were only awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers.
He has previously said the H1-B program commonly used by companies to hire foreign workers temporarily — a program he has used in the past — was “very bad” and used by tech companies to get foreign workers for lower pay.
During the conversation with “All-In,” Trump blamed the coronavirus pandemic for being unable to implement these measures while he was president.
He said he knows of stories of people who graduate from top colleges and want to stay in the US but can’t secure visas to do so, forcing them to return to their native countries, specifically naming India and China.
He said they go on and become multibillionaires, employing thousands of workers.
“You need a pool of people to work for your company,” Trump said. “And they have to be smart people. Not everybody can be less than smart. You need brilliant people.”
Donald Sutherland, left, and his son Kiefer Sutherland pose for a portrait in Los Angeles to promote the film "Forsaken." Donald Sutherland, the towering Canadian actor whose career spanned "M.A.S.H." to "The Hunger Games," has died at 88. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
(AP) – Famous fans, colleagues and family pay tribute to actor Donald Sutherland, the star of “M.A.S.H.” “Klute” and “The Hunger Games” who died Thursday at age 88.
“Donald was a giant, not only physically but as a talent. He was also enormously kind and generous. … It’s never easy losing the caliber of a human being and actor like Donald Sutherland, but this one really profoundly hurts because Donald was like my brother, and a big part of my own career.” — Sutherland’s “M.A.S.H.” co-star Elliott Gould, in a statement to The Associated Press.
“I was blessed to direct him in #Backdraft. One of the most intelligent, interesting & engrossing film actors of all time. Incredible range, creative courage & dedication to serving the story & the audience with supreme excellence.” — Ron Howard, on X.
“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.” — Actor and Sutherland’s son, Kiefer Sutherland, on X.
Donald Sutherland, left, and his son Kiefer Sutherland pose for a portrait in Los Angeles to promote the film “Forsaken.” Donald Sutherland, the towering Canadian actor whose career spanned “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” has died at 88. PHOTO: AP
“Donald Sutherland was one of the smartest actors I ever worked with. He had a wonderful enquiring brain, and a great knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. He combined this great intelligence with a deep sensitivity, and with a seriousness about his profession as an actor.
This all made him into the legend of film that he became.” — Actor Helen Mirren, who co-starred with Sutherland in 2017’s “The Leisure Seekers,” in a statement.
“We’ve lost one of the greats. Donald Sutherland brought a level of brilliance to his craft few could match. A remarkable, legendary actor — and a great Canadian.” — Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on X.
“Donald was a brilliant actor and a complex man who shared quite a few adventures with me, such as the FTA Show, an anti-Vietnam war tour that performed for 60,000 active duty soldiers, sailors, and marines in Hawaii, Okinawa, the Philippines, and Japan in 1971.
I am heartbroken.” — Jane Fonda, who was Sutherland’s co-star in the 1971 film “Klute,” shared on Instagram.
“No words. He was too important.” — Former New York Times film critic Janet Maslin, on X.
“He starred in two of my very favourite and most influential films — ‘Don’t Look Now’ and the 1978 ‘Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers’.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his legendary filmography. He was a funny, laconic, but also intense and dramatic presence in so many memorable movies.” — Director Edgar Wright, on Instagram.
“It was my honour to work with him many years ago, and I will never forget his charisma and ability. If you want a master class in acting, watch him in ‘Ordinary People.'” — Actor Rob Lowe, who appeared with Sutherland in the 2004 miniseries “Salem’s Lot,” via X.
“aww man. farewell, Donald Sutherland.” — Actor Elijah Wood on X.
“We lost a legend, a journeyman actor that created unique and believable characters every time he stepped in front of the camera.” — Jon Cassar, who directed both Donald and Kiefer Sutherland in 2015’s “Forsaken,” via X.
Amazon logo is seen, June 15, 2023, at the Vivatech show in Paris. Amazon is moving from putting plastic air pillows in its packages to using recycled paper filling instead, a move that's more environmentally friendly and secures items in boxes better. The company said Thursday, June 20, 2024 that it's already replaced 95% of the plastic air fillers with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year's end. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
(AP) – Amazon is shifting from the plastic air pillows used for packaging in North America to recycled paper because it’s more environmentally sound, and it says paper just works better.
The company said Thursday that it’s already replaced 95 per cent of the plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end.
“We want to ensure that customers receive their items undamaged, while using as little packaging as possible to avoid waste, and prioritising recyclable materials,” Amazon said.
It is the company’s largest plastic packaging reduction effort in North America to date and will remove almost 15 billion plastic air pillows from use annually.
Almost all customer deliveries for Prime Day this year, which happens next month, will contain plastic no air pillows, according to Amazon.
The e-commerce giant has faced years of criticism about its use of plastic from environmental groups, including a nonprofit called Oceana, which has been releasing its own reports on Amazon’s use of plastic packaging.
This Amazon logo is seen, June 15, 2023, at the Vivatech show in Paris. Amazon is moving from putting plastic air pillows in its packages to using recycled paper filling instead, a move that’s more environmentally friendly and secures items in boxes better. The company said Thursday, June 20 that it’s already replaced 95 per cent of the plastic air fillers with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end. PHOTO: AP
Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at Oceana, said that Amazon’s efforts to reduce plastic packaging is welcome news, but that there’s still more that the company can do.
“While this is a significant step forward for the company, Amazon needs to build on this momentum and fulfill its multiyear commitment to transition its North America fulfillment centers away from plastic,” Littlejohn said in a prepared statement.
“Then, the company should expand these efforts and also push innovations like reusable packaging to move away from single-use packaging everywhere it sells and ships.”
There has also been broad support among Amazon investors who have urged the company to outline how will will reduce waste.
The company disclosed the total of single-use plastic across global operations for the first time in 2022 after investors sought more details on plans to reduce waste.
The company said that it used 85,916 metric tons of single-use plastic that year, an 11.6 per cent decrease from 2021.
Amazon began transition away from plastic air pillows in October at an automated fulfillment center in Ohio.
The company said that it was able to test and learn at the center there, which helped it move quickly on transitioning to recycled paper filling.
The transition process included changing out machinery and training employees on new systems and machines.
Amazon discovered through testing that the paper filler, which is made from 100 per centrecyclable content and is curbside recyclable, offers the same, if not better protection during shipping compared with plastic air pillows, the company said.
Christian Garcia, who works at Amazon’s fulfillment centre in Bakersfield, California, said in a release that the paper filler is easier to work with and that the machinery gives staff more space so that it’s easier to pack orders.
Ongoing efforts to reduce waste include a campaign to ship items without any additional packaging, the company said. In 2022, 11 per cent of all of Amazon’s packages shipped worldwide were without added delivery packaging.
Other efforts include piloting new technology with artificial intelligence and robotics company Glacier to use AI-powered robots to automate the sorting of recyclables and collect real-time data on recycling streams for companies. It’s also partnering with the US Department of Energy on new materials and recycling programs.
The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. lya Sutskever, one of the founders of OpenAI who was involved in a failed effort to push out CEO Sam Altman, said he's starting a safety-focused artificial intelligence company. Sutskever, a respected AI researcher who left the ChatGPT maker last month, said in a social media post on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 that he's setting up Safe Superintelligence Inc. with two co-founders. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
(AP) – Ilya Sutskever, one of the founders of OpenAI who was involved in a failed effort to push out CEO Sam Altman, said he’s starting a safety-focused artificial intelligence company.
Sutskever, a respected AI researcher who left the ChatGPT maker last month, said in a social media post Wednesday that he’s created Safe Superintelligence Inc with two co-founders.
The company’s only goal and focus is safely developing “superintelligence” — a reference to AI systems that are smarter than humans.
The company vowed not to be distracted by “management overhead or product cycles,” and under its business model, work on safety and security would be “insulated from short-term commercial pressures,” Sutskever and his co-founders Daniel Gross and Daniel Levy said in a prepared statement.
The three said Safe Superintelligence is an American company with roots in Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, “where we have deep roots and the ability to recruit top technical talent.”
Sutskever was part of a group that made an unsuccessful attempt last year to oust Altman. The boardroom shakeup, which Sutskever later said he regretted, also led to a period of internal turmoil centred on whether leaders at OpenAI were prioritising business opportunities over AI safety.
At OpenAI, Sutskever jointly led a team focused on safely developing better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence, or AGI. When he left OpenAI, he said that he had plans for a “very personally meaningful” project, but offered no details.
Sutskever said that it was his choice to leave OpenAI.
Days after his departure, his team co-leader Jan Leike also resigned and levelled criticism at OpenAI for letting safety “take a backseat to shiny products.” OpenAI later announced the formation of a safety and security committee, but it’s been filled mainly with company insiders.
The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT’s Dall-E text-to-image model, December 8, 2023, in Boston. llya Sutskever, one of the founders of OpenAI who was involved in a failed effort to push out CEO Sam Altman, said he’s starting a safety-focused artificial intelligence company. PHOTO: AP
Nguyên Phan Chánh’s ‘Les Chanteuses de Campagne’. PHOTO: VIETNAM NEWS
ANN/VIET NAM NEWS – A rare and remarkable painting by one of Vietnam’s leading modern artists, Nguyên Phan Chánh’s Les Chanteuses de Campagne, was sold at the Arts d’Asie auction on June 14 in Paris, France for EUR1.02 million (USD1.09 million), Sotheby’s Auction House has reported.
Prior to the auction, Sotheby’s had estimated the painting would fetch between USD650,000 to USD970,000. The oil on canvas work measures 90.5 centimetres (cm) by 102.5cm and was completed by the late painter in 1930.
According to Sotheby’s, the painting exemplifies Chánh’s most sought-after period from 1930 to 1935, capturing everyday moments with unparalleled intimacy. The painting portrays two women of modest means in a candid moment, rooted in earthy tones.
This composition, reflecting the artist’s focus on authentic action over aesthetic novelty, offers viewers a poignant glimpse into everyday life in early 20th-Century Vietnam, the auction house stated.
Known as a master of silk painting, Chánh (1892-1984) skillfully applied this technique through the medium of oil on canvas in his artwork Les Chanteuses de Campagne.
The painting was later selected by teacher Victor Tardieu to be submitted for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris. It was then collected by a French doctor couple, until Sotheby’s recently reintroduced it.
Nguyên Phan Chánh’s ‘Les Chanteuses de Campagne’. PHOTO: VIETNAM NEWS
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Vietnam's President To Lam during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. PHOTO: AFP
HANOI (AFP) – Russia and Vietnam pledged yesterday to deepen ties as President Vladimir Putin made a state visit aimed at bolstering his alliances.
Putin travelled to Vietnam from a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
The Russian leader did not receive such a clear public declaration of support in Hanoi, but Vietnamese President To Lam indicated a desire to boost defence cooperation.
“The two sides want to push up cooperation in defence and security, how to deal with non-traditional security challenges on the basis of international law, for peace and security in the region and the world,” Lam told reporters after talks with Putin.
Russia has been Vietnam’s main arms supplier for decades, accounting for more than 80 per cent of imports between 1995 and 2023, but orders have dropped off in recent years.
The two sides said in a joint statement that their defence and security cooperation was “not directed against any third country” and contributed to “peace, stabilty and sustainable development” in the region.
Lam and Putin signed around a dozen cooperation agreements ranging from education to justice and civil nuclear projects.
Putin told reporters the talks were constructive and that both sides had “identical or very close” positions on key international issues.
He said they discussed creating “an adequate and reliable security architecture in Asia-Pacific based on the principles of not resorting to force, and of resolving differences peacefully”.
Putin later held talks with Nguyen Phu Trong and laid a wreath at the memorial to independence leader Ho Chi Minh.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Vietnam’s President To Lam during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. PHOTO: AFP
