8/14/2019 TheSun 2009-11-04 Page08 World Leaders Urge Karzai to
Wipe Out Corruption
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newswithout borders8 theSun | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 2009
Chinaexperimentswith molecularcuisine
BEIJING: Chinese cuisine, famous for dump-lings steamed in
bamboo baskets and Pekingduck slow-cooked over wood from fruit
trees,seems a far cry from the high-tech equipmentused in so-called
molecular cuisine.
But Dong Zhenxiang, owner of the DaDong restaurant in Beijing
which is a leaderof the trendy culinary movement here, saysfresh
techniques can only improve traditionalChinese cooking.
Importing new cooking skills is aimed atimproving, enriching and
promoting Chinesecuisine. Molecular gastronomy is only one ofthose
skills, said Dong, whose establishment
also serves platter upon platter of classic roastduck.Molecular
cuisine, a phrase ascribed to a
scientific approach to gastronomy, seeks toinvestigate and
explain the chemical reasonsbehind the transformation of
ingredients.
The trend was on full view when hundredscrammed into a chic
Beijing art gallery for dem-onstrations given by chef Albert Adria
of elBulli,the Spanish restaurant seen as the world leaderin the
molecular cuisine movement.
It is amazing. We got 13,000 emails for thisevent, said Irish
chef Brian McKenna, whoorganised the two classes in Beijings
trendy798 district, as well as a dinner staged by DaDong which
wrapped up at the weekend.
There is a passion for cooking here that isincredible, Adria
said.
Fu Yongjun, a cooking consultant for UnileverFoodsolutions who
was one of the hundreds tosee Adria in action in Beijing, eagerly
snappedphotos of his kitchen acrobatics.
I am very interested in molecular gastron-
omy. I think this is a high standard in Westernfood very fresh
and secret, Fu said.
But Adria, whose Costa Brava restaurantin April was crowned best
in the world for thefourth year running by Restaurant
Magazine,bristled at the label molecular cuisine for hisinnovative
work.
That is a label they have stuck on me, hesaid. I dont cook
molecular I know what Imdoing and I want to make wonderful dishes.
AFP
YANGON: A delegation of seniorUS officials arrived in
Myanmaryesterday for Washingtons high-est-level talks with the
reclusivemilitary regime in 14 years.
The Obama administrationsmove to engage the junta appearsfocused
on pushing for free andfair elections next year, althoughanalysts
say the rapprochementis as much about geopolitics andthe growing
regional influence ofChina.
Assistant Secretary of StateKurt Campbell leads the delega-tion
meeting the junta in its newcapital Naypyidaw before travel-ling to
Yangon for talks with de-tained Nobel laureate Aung SanSuu Kyi and
her National Leaguefor Democracy (NLD) party.
Campbell is due to meet Suu
Kyi, who has spent 14 of the last20 years in some form of
deten-tion, today.
The United States has said littleahead of the two-day visit,
widelyseen as exploratory dialogue tosee how sincere the
notoriouslydistrustful generals are aboutdemocratic reforms.
The US wants to suss outwhether or not they have agenuine
dialogue partner, saidSean Turnell, a Myanmar analystat Australias
Macquarie Univer-sity.
The overtures towards warm-ing ties with the US have comefrom
officials lower down and theUS is trying to get a feel of
howcommitted the generals are.
Campbell met Myanmarsminister of science, technol-
ogy and labour in New Yorkin September after Washingtonannounced
it would pursuedeeper engagement to try to spurdemocratic
reform.
Campbell has rejected calls bycritics to ease restrictions on
tradeand investment in the formerBurma, insisting dialogue
wouldsupplement rather than replacethe sanctions regime.
A government source inNaypyidaw said Campbell,
thehighest-ranking US official to
visit Myanmar since MadeleineAlbright in 1995, was expected
tomeet with government ministersand senior junta figures,
includ-ing Prime Minister Thein Sein.
But hes not likely to meet thesenior general, said the
source,referring to Than Shwe, the junta
supremo who has led the countryfor the last 17 years.
Critics of the regime say itcould be using the US visit forits
own gain, to try to give le-gitimacy to its democratic roadmap and
show key ally China,its economic lifeline, that it is notits only
friend.
Than Shwes snub is be-ing seen as an indicator of thegenerals
commitment towardsreforms and a sign of whetherthe US engagement
can really beeffective.
Thakhin Chan Tun, a retireddiplomat commented on the
newdevelopment: We cant expectany tangible immediate results
...Than Shwe is the one who makesall the decisions on all
importantpolicy issues. Reuters
World leaders urge Karzai
to wipe out corruptionKABUL: President HamidKarzai prepared for
a secondterm of office yesterdaywith US President BarackObama
telling him to wipeout corruption and worldleaders urging him to
unifyAfghanistan.
Karzai was declaredpresident for another fiveyears after the
cancellationof a run-off by the countryselection commission,
whichfollowed the withdrawal atthe weekend of his only chal-lenger,
Abdullah Abdullah.
Obama and UN
chief Ban Ki-moon led worldpowers in congratulatingKarzai.
But the US presidentsaid he had told his op-posite number to
make amuch more serious effort toeradicate corruption whilecalling
for a new chapterin cooperation between thetwo countries.
This has to be point intime in which we begin towrite a new
chapter basedon improved governance,Obama said
he had told Karzai in a tel-ephone call.
Karzai assured me thathe understood the impor-tance of this
moment but ...the truth is not going to bein words, its going to be
indeeds, Obama added.
Earlier the White Housedeclared it would begin hardconversations
with the newpresident, with Obama ex-pected to make a decision
onwhether to deploy thousandsmore troops in the coming
weeks.Former foreign min-
ister Abdullah Abdullahquit the contest on Sun-day, saying there
wereno safeguards againsta repeat of widespreadfraud that resulted
inthe throwing out ofnearly a quarter ofvotes cast in August.
Karzais anointmentby the IndependentElection Commissionfollowed
intense dip-lomatic pressure andsought to draw a lineunder two
monthsof political chaos ina war-torn nationwhere 100,000 Natoand
US troops arebattling an increas-ingly violent Taliban
insurgency.UN chief Ban met Karzai
and Abdullah amid a concert-ed diplomatic push to bring aquick
end to chaos that hasundermined Western effortsto cultivate
democracy inAfghanistan eight years aftera US-led invasion.
IEC chief Azizullah Lu-din, a Karzai appointee whooversaw a
fraud-riddled firstround, said the decision hadbeen made in line
with theprovisions of Afghan elec-toral law and constitutionand was
consistent with the
high interest of the Afghanpeople.British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown, whosecountry is the second biggestcontributor of
foreign troopsin Afghanistan, telephonedKarzai to urge him to plot
acourse of national unity.
Nato powers France andGermany urged Karzai towork with his
defeated rivalto end the political strife.
Congratulations alsocame from Pakistan andRussia, which said the
elec-tion had opened the wayfor the formation of the newnational
government, whosegreat task is the problem ofstabilising conditions
in thecountry. AFP
Supportersof Karzaiin Herat,westernAfghanistan,sharesweetsafter
he wasdeclaredpresident foranother termon Monday.
Singaporean facesUS trial over TamilTigers arms caseSINGAPORE :
A Singaporeanopposition party member will beextradited to the
United States andtried for allegedly trying to supplyarms to Sri
Lankas defeated TamilTiger rebels, officials here
saidyesterday.
Businessman Balldev Naidu, 47,is facing six charges including
con-
spiracy to provide material supportto a foreign terrorist
organisationand possession of a firearm in2006, a court official
said.
The Singapore Police said Naiduwas arrested on Sept 22
followinga US extradition request.
He is alleged to have conspiredwith another Singaporean,
HaniffaOsman, now serving a 37-month USjail term, for trying to buy
weaponsfor the Tamil Tigers, who were
routed by Sri Lankan troops in May,theStraits Times reported.The
newspaper added that the
US charges correspond to Singa-pores laws against financing
ofterrorist groups. AFP
Largest, mostexpensive cruise shipalmost readyHELSINKI: A thin
layer of icecovers the teak wood deck ofthe cruise ship Oasis of
the
Seas at the moment. But thecold weather is just one of
thechallenges a visitor will need toovercome if they want to
visitthe vessel.
But the later this month theflagship of the cruise companyRoyal
Caribbean Internationalshould be ready to set sail. Onthat day the
world will have afew more superlatives: Never
before has there been a cruiseship as large and as expensiveto
build as the Oasis. Right nowconstruction and fitting out ofthe
US$1.4 billion (RM4.9 billion)vessel is underway at the
Akershipyard in Turku, Finland.
Over 2,000 people areworking on the 360m-long and71m-wide ship.
It boasts of thebiggest freshwater swimmingpool at sea, 24
restaurants and
a park area the size of two foot-ball pitches. The ship can take
upto 6,296 passengers and 2,160crew. The Oasis will begin itsmaiden
voyage to the Caribbeanon Dec 1. dpa
US to push Myanmar for free, fair elections
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