Hanoi (AFP) – Sitting before a bright orange flame, Vietnamese blacksmith Nguyen Phuong Hung prods a fire pit with a long metal rod before he hammers, bends and contorts glowing steel into a giant drill bit. Hung, who toils away in his tiny corner stall in downtown Hanoi, is the last remaining blacksmith on Hanoi’s […]
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Vitamin D supplement stopped in French Pacific
Health authorities in New Caledonia and French Polynesia have ordered the suspension of the sale of a vitamin D supplement, Uvesterol D. [restrict] France’s ANSM agency that oversees the safety of medicines and health products said it had taken the measure “as a precaution” after investigations showed “a probable link between the death and the […]
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Jovenel Moise: Banana businessman now Haiti president
Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Jovenel Moise, a Haitian banana exporter who has never held political office, has survived the country’s long-running electoral nightmare to become its next president. Moise’s victory in the November 20 election, made official Tuesday by the Provisional Electoral Council, puts the center-right Tet Kale Party (PHTK) candidate at the helm of the […]
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Coalition jets back Turkey in Syria op
Washington (AFP) – Jets with the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group backed a Turkish army operation near Al-Bab in Syria last week but did not use weapons, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The coalition’s military support mission suggests warming ties between the two partners. [restrict] “Last week, there was a request… when some Turkish […]
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Carnival turning cruise ships into ‘smart cities’ at sea
Leisure travel colossus Carnival Corporation is putting a spin on technology used at Disney World to turn cruise ships into what it bills as smart cities at sea. Carnival on Tuesday introduced an “Ocean Medallion” designed to tailor trips to individual passengers by learning their tastes and on-board habits, and even keeping track of roaming […]
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Russia flags war games with US ally Philippines
The Russian Navy said Tuesday it was planning to hold war games with the Philippines, as two of its ships made a rare stop in Manila following Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s pivot from the United States. Rear Admiral Eduard Mikhailov, the deputy commander of the Russian Navy’s Pacific fleet, said the joint military exercises would […]