Flame it on the sunshine: Thai solar chicken a hot hit

Phetchaburi: -Not many chefs don a welding mask before they enter the kitchen, but Sila Sutharat prefers to cook his chicken sunny side up.
Two hours south of Bangkok this 60-year-old roadside vendor has found an ingenious way to offer his customers something a little different by harnessing the power of the sun.
Using a large wall of nearly 1,000 moveable mirrors -- a device he designed and built himself -- he focuses the sun´s rays onto a row of marinated chickens, sizzling away under the intense heat.
His unusual culinary methods raised a few eyebrows when he first hit upon the idea.
"They said that I´d gone mad, that cooking chicken like this was impossible," he told AFP next to his stall, the row of sun-drenched chickens behind him too bright to look at for any length of time.
"After a long time passed by, they´d say: ´Actually, you could do it´," he added.
That´s because the solar reflector generates intense heat, easily enough to match an oven, with a sunshine-baked chicken taking just twelve minutes to cook through.
For much of the last 20 years Sila grilled in relative obscurity for a fairly local crowd.
But after videos of his solar-cooker went viral online, people from across Thailand have flocked to his stall in Phetchaburi province.

Daylight saving

Sila says the idea came to him in 1997 when he was struck by the heat reflecting off a passing bus.
"I thought, with this heat reflecting from the window from the sun, I could possibly change it into energy," he said.
Sila says that compared to a traditional charcoal grill -- which he used before his solar epiphany -- his meat is more tender and evenly-cooked.
And given Thailand´s sweltering tropical climate, the sun is a free, clean and totally sustainable energy source.
"At the time, energy such as petrol and gas was becoming more expensive and suppliers were also running out of wood to sell," he recalled.
"I thought if I used solar energy, I could save a lot. And it also decreases pollution."
Sila and his wife Pansri now cook around 40 chickens -- as well as several sides of pork -- each day.
"We´ve been eating here for a long time," said regular patron Thanyarat Kaewpaleuk, who was tucking into lunch with her husband.
"It´s delicious. His chicken is fatty, it´s not burned and doesn´t smell like a charcoal grill, which you can smell on the meat."

WORLD: Spontaneous protests loosen India's grip on held Kashmir

PULWAMA: Images of students confronting police on campuses have come to symbolise Kashmiri protests against Indian rule as much as gun-toting militants in fatigues, in what security officials and separatist leaders say is a dangerous new phase of the conflict.
The sharp rise in violence in recent weeks is more spontaneous than before, complicating the task of Indian security forces trained largely in counter-insurgency and poorly equipped to contain broader unrest.
A political stalemate in India's only Muslim-majority state is a further hurdle to resolving the long-running Kashmir dispute, as is rising Hindu nationalism in some parts of India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.
"We can ensure that militant numbers remain relatively low and we have stopped the weapons flow. The bigger challenge is how to control protesters, how to engage with them," said one senior army official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media.
When security forces entered a college last month in Pulwama, 30 km (19 miles) south of held Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar, hundreds of students threw stones at their vehicles before fighting pitched battles inside college corridors and bathrooms.
Within days, widespread protests forced most colleges and secondary schools in Indian-occupied Kashmir to close. Teenaged girls took to the streets for the first time in years. At least 100 protesters were wounded.
"Every student is trying to say that we ... want nothing to do with India," a 19-year-old protester said in the backroom of a Pulwama restaurant, as security forces clashed with locals on the outskirts of town.
He asked not to be named because his father was a policeman.
A local police chief said security forces were steering clear of campuses to avoid provoking more violence.
Police were appealing to parents to ensure children "do not indulge" in violence, held Kashmir inspector general of police S.J.M. Gillani said, adding that most areas were back under control.
Unrest has simmered in Indian-occupied Kashmir, home to a separatist movement for decades, since last July, when a popular militant leader was killed, sparking months of clashes that left more than 90 civilians dead.
One of the world's oldest conflicts, Kashmir's troubles began when the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided in 1947 between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals who fought two of three wars over the region.
An insurgency that erupted in 1989 against India has eased in recent years, but most Kashmiris yearn for independence, accuse security forces of widespread rights abuses and some support the few hundred militants still fighting.
DELHI DEMANDS END TO VIOLENCE
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, leader of a moderate Kashmiri separatist faction, said protesters were for the first time ignoring calls to stop.
"Today there is absolute hate for India. They don't listen to anyone," he told Reuters in Srinagar.
India's former spy chief, A.S. Dulat, said the Kashmir situation "has never been so bad".
Still, New Delhi has stuck to its tough line, demanding an end to violence before talking with separatists.
"All these activities of stone pelting have to stop. Then will the government consider talking," said K.S. Dhatwalia, a home ministry spokesman.
Politicians also say that, in contrast to earlier unrest, there is no obvious leader to negotiate with.
Previous waves of violence in 2008 and 2010 fizzled out after a year or so as local people tired of shutdowns. There is little sign the current protests will end soon, however.
In villages set amid the mustard fields and apple orchards of Kashmir Valley, people openly praise militants and protesters. Locals complain of more police checkpoints, while grieving mothers show photos of loved ones killed in the unrest.
Politicians in southern districts have left home for the relative safety of Srinagar. Suspected militants shot dead Abdul Gani Dar, Pulwama district president for the ruling party, in April, one of a spate of attacks on mainstream politicians.
Support for violence has expanded to central parts of the state, traditionally the most peaceful.
March saw the first large-scale violence in the town of Chadoora since the early 2000s, and three civilians were killed. Fresh graffiti praising militants and telling "Indian Dogs" to "Go back" dot the town centre.
"INDIA LOSING KASHMIR"
Shabir Ahmad, a doctor, said he began supporting freedom fighters and protesters after his brother-in-law, 21, was shot dead in Chadoora amid a stand-off with security forces.
"India is losing Kashmir because of its own doing," the 35-year-old said at his family home, sitting next to his grieving mother-in-law.
Some Kashmiris warn that rising nationalist sentiment across parts of India, led by Modi's hardline Hindu supporters, is deepening their sense of estrangement.
Modi last month asked Kashmiri youngsters to choose between "tourism and terrorism", comments that angered locals.
Several Kashmiris living in 'mainland' India have returned home after facing discrimination, including student Hashim Sofi, 27, who arrived at his hostel room in Rajasthan state to a T-shirt with "Kashmiri dog" scribbled on the front.
"They are saying that all Kashmiris are terrorists," he said by telephone.
A series of attacks against Muslims accused of slaughtering cows, an animal sacred to Hindus, has increased worries among Muslims.
Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, an aide to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who governs in an alliance with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, said he remained hopeful that Delhi would launch a new dialogue.
"Kashmir cannot be seen as an isolated place," he said. "Indian politics are becoming more polarised."

WORLD: Trump fires FBI director James Comey

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made the shock decision to fire his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign´s ties with Russia.
The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role in the 2016 presidential election, is sure to send shockwaves through Washington.
"The president has accepted the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.
A search for a new FBI director was to begin "immediately," the White House said in a statement.
In a letter, Trump told Comey: "You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately."
"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau."
"It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission," Trump said.
FBI directors are appointed for a single 10-year term. The 56-year-old Comey, who is popular among rank-and-file agents, was appointed four years ago.
Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Comey of trashing her chances of becoming president by revealing a renewed investigation into her email use.
His dismissal will raise questions about Trump´s motives.
It will also prompt parallels with Richard Nixon´s decision to unceremoniously fire his attorney general, an event that plunged his presidency deeper into crisis.

WORLD: Top Republican challenges Trump to prove wiretapping claim

WASHINGTON: A senior Republican lawmaker on Sunday challenged President Donald Trump to prove his claim that his phone was tapped by predecessor Barack Obama during last year´s campaign -- or else retract the unsubstantiated allegation.
Senator John McCain, a frequent Trump critic, issued his demand in an interview with CNN.
"The president has one of two choices, either retract, or to provide the information that the American people deserve," McCain said.
"I have no reason to believe this is true, but I also believe that the president of the United States could clear this up in a minute," he continued.
"All he has to do is pick up the phone, call the director of the CIA, the director of national intelligence and say, ´OK, what happened?´ Because they certainly should know whether the former president of the United States was wiretapping Trump Tower."
Obama, through a spokesman, has denied Trump´s claim, which the billionaire-turned-politician made in a series of tweets earlier this month.
Obama´s director of national intelligence James Clapper also said in an interview that there was no wiretap of Trump or his campaign.
But Trump has not walked back his allegation, and the White House asked a congressional committee that is examining Russian interference in last year´s US presidential election to investigate the wiretapping claim as well.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, part of a group of eight top lawmakers who receive classified intelligence briefings, was asked Sunday during an interview with CBS News if he has seen anything to suggest there´s truth to Trump´s claim.
He responded simply: "No."
But Ryan added, "I don´t want to get ahead of the intelligence committees and their thorough investigation."

WORLD:China expunges statement about renaming CPEC

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese Embassy in India has expunged words from the official transcript of speech the envoy gave at a think-tank suggesting that Beijing could rename the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to which New Dehli has reservations.
Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on Monday had said his country was ready to change the name of the CPEC.
However, the transcript released on the website of the embassy did not have the statement possibly due to concerns raised by Pakistan.
Addressing a session at the United Service Institution of India in New Delhi Luo, while denying China's involvement in the sovereignty and territorial disputes between India and Pakistan, said the CPEC was for promoting economic cooperation and connectivity. "It (CPEC) has no connections to or impact on sovereignty issues. Even we can think about renaming the CPEC.
“China and India have had successful experience of delinking sovereignty disputes with bilateral relations before. China is sincere in its intention to cooperate with India on the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, as it is good for both of us," he said.
Citing China's earlier measures to help tackle issues related to Kashmir, Luo said contrary to media reports of aiding Pakistan, China's initiatives focus more on reaping its own benefits rather than supporting the stance of any other nation.
"We always put China first and we deal with problems based on their own merits," he said. Emphasizing the importance of mediation between Pakistan, China and India, Luo said it was essential for collective development and stability of the entire region.
Meanwhile, highly-placed diplomatic sources told The News that Luo Zhaohui’s comments in New Delhi on Monday were sarcastic in a manner. They said China had no plans to change the nomenclature of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) since it was strictly in accordance with the ground realities.
Pakistan and China have named the project after thorough discussion and China wouldn’t budge to the Indian moves against its mega projects, especially the CPEC and ‘One Belt One Road)’ (OBOR) initiative. Interestingly, India has also criticized the OBOR last week while Pakistan has been supporting the concept over-whelmingly.
The Chinese ambassador in India is a seasoned diplomat who earlier had served in Pakistan as China’s ambassador before moving to Washington and he also served as Director General for South Asia in the Chinese Foreign Office.
A combined initiative focusing on enhancing economic cooperation between China and Pakistan, the CPEC is being hailed to create 85,000 jobs for Pakistani youth. It is being facilitated to modernize infrastructure and transport networks in Pakistan through the creation of special economic zones and energy projects.
The initial proposal was made in April 2015 during Chinese President Xi Jinping's official state visit to Pakistan. On April 20, 2015, Pakistan and China signed an agreement to commence work on the USD 46 billion agreement, with approximately $28 billion worth of fast-tracked projects to be developed by the end of 2018.

WORLD: Strong quake hits remote area in Alaska, no injuries

LOS ANGELES: A strong 6.4 earthquake struck off the remote Andreanof Islands in Alaska on Monday but there was no immediate risk of a tsunami, authorities said.
The temblor followed a series of quakes that shook the area early Monday, including one measuring 5.9 and another measuring 5.7, according to the US Geological Survey.
The Andreanof Islands are part of the Aleutian Islands chain in southwestern Alaska.
The area suffered a major 8.6 earthquake in 1957.
The latest quake struck 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southwest of the Tanaga volcano.
The National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no immediate danger of a tsunami.

WORLD:Trump administration insists travel ban not anti-Muslim

WASHINGTON:  Did Donald Trump´s contested travel ban deliberately single out Muslims? The US administration fiercely denied it during an appeals court hearing Monday -- despite the president´s campaign call for a blanket Muslim ban.
The hearing came as Trump seeks to bounce back from a series of stinging judicial defeats over his controversial effort to bar travelers from half a dozen mainly Muslim countries.
The question of intention is key since the US Constitution forbids religious discrimination. Trump´s detractors say it is beyond doubt that Muslims were the ban´s intended target, but the administration says it is motivated strictly by national security concerns, an area where US presidents have wide powers.
Trump "never intended for that to discriminate on the basis of any particular religion," Jeffrey Wall, the US acting solicitor general, told judges of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond during an intensely argued afternoon hearing.
"He made clear he was not talking about Muslims all over the world," said Wall. "That´s why it´s not a Muslim ban."
But a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, Omar Jadwat, whose side is supported by several Democratic-led states, argued that Trump the candidate made clear he wanted to ban all Muslims for a time while studying enhanced immigration vetting.
A lower judge´s ruling dealt Trump a blow by freezing his second attempt to close US borders to citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.
Given the public importance of the case, the full appeals court in Richmond heard the arguments -- bypassing the usual initial three-judge panel -- for the first time in a quarter-century.
Thirteen of the court´s 15 active judges took part. Two recused themselves over potential conflicts of interest, including the conservative J. Harvie Wilkinson, Wall´s father-in-law.
The court, once considered the most conservative appeals court in the country, now has nine judges named by Democratic presidents including Barack Obama, according to Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond School of Law.
The judges aggressively questioned both Wall and Jadwat, making it unclear which way they might be leaning.
They pressed Wall over whether Trump had acted in "bad faith," disguising an order targeting Muslims as one intended to prevent terrorism.
They said Trump´s comment, while signing his second order, that "you know what I mean" by the order was a "wink and a nod" to let supporters know he was really aiming at Muslims.
Judge Barbara Keenan suggested that Trump´s country-based order was bound to be sweeping and indiscriminate. "You´re talking about 82 million people aren´t you? It seems to me there has to be some linkage to show that there is a detrimental interest to the United States posed by 82 million people."
The judges also pressed Jadwat over whether an identical order issued by a president who had not made remarks against Muslims might be acceptable -- and whether a president should not be granted some deference on security matters.

WORLD: Trump to hold crunch meeting on Paris climate deal

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump will huddle with top climate and economic advisors Tuesday to discuss US participation in a global climate accord agreed at Paris, as the new president flirts with withdrawing.
After months of uncertainty, Trump appears to be edging toward a decision on whether to honor the 2015 deal to limit global warming.
A US withdrawal would seriously undermine global efforts to limit carbon emissions, which the vast majority of experts say are changing the climate in dangerous ways.
The United States is the world´s number two carbon polluter, after China.
For US allies, Trump´s wavering has uncomfortable echoes of president George W. Bush´s decision to withdraw from the 1992 Kyoto Protocol.
That withdrawal scuttled a carefully worked global comprise and effectively delaying climate action by two decades.
The Paris accord was hailed as the last chance to stave off worst-case-scenario global warming, but was savaged by Trump during his presidential campaign.
Trump called climate change a "hoax" perpetrated by China, and promised to "cancel" the deal as president. But after four months in office, Trump has yet to make his move.
According to a senior administration official, Trump and his aides will kick-off discussions in earnest on Tuesday.
"They are meeting tomorrow at 1:30pm," the official said, without giving further details.
Senior State Department environmental official David Balton said "the question of the US view of the Paris Agreement is still under consideration within the US government."
"Our president, has indicated that he plans to make a decision sometime over the next couple of weeks, but not this week."
It is unclear whether a US decision will come before the end of UN climate talks, which began on Monday in Bonn, Germany.
The 11-day haggle on the nuts and bolts of the deal is meant to start drafting a "rulebook" to guide member countries in the practical execution of the pact.
Officials from Barack Obama´s administration argue that the deal is good for the United States.