Turn water into vodka - an American company says its powdered alcohol product, called Palcohol, will let you do just that.

The Arizona company called Lipsmark says the powdered alcohol will come six varieties of single-drink pouches and drinkers just need to stir in water for a shot of rum or vodka or add cola or orange juice for a mixer.

Although it now looks like Palcohol will not be available anytime soon because of a labelling problem, there are other food items which have been reduced to powder with varying degrees of success. The big draw for powdered food is its longevity, but you don't have to be a survivalist stocking up on supplies for your doomsday bunker to appreciate its usefulness. Check out these examples:

Powdered egg

Powdered eggs have a long history, with their production method first developed in the 1930s in Britain. During World War II, they were rationed and became a staple for housewives, as the powdered eggs had a longer shelf life and real eggs were in short supply.

Powdered eggs are produced through a process of freeze drying in a spray dryer, a method also used to create powdered milk. Stored in a sealed container, powdered eggs are said to be safe to eat for five to nine years. They can be found as dried whole eggs or as a mix with other ingredients to give you scrambled eggs.

Powdered peanut butter

If you would rather sprinkle than spread, powdered peanut butter is the way to go. It looks like peanut flour but add water, and presto, you have the more familiar spread for your piece of toast.

To get it to the dried state, the manufacturers squeeze the oil out of roasted peanuts, and dehydrate what is left to turn it into powder.

One of the brands sold on Amazon.com, PB2, claims to have 85 per cent less fat and calories. We can't vouch for it tasting like your favourite brand of peanut butter though.

Powdered vegetable

Why chew when you can drink your vegetables? Anything from kale to spinach, carrots to beetroot, this is a great way for people who do not like the taste of broccoli but do not want to lose out on its health benefits.

Powdered vegetables do not lose any of the nutritional value that you find in raw vegetables and of course they keep longer. They are easier to digest, which makes them a good option for people with medical conditions who are unable to take solid food. In their dehydrated state, the vegetables keep for years while retaining their nutrients.

And for those with kids who are picky eaters, vegetable powder is a good way to sneak some greens into their diet. A little sprinkle of spinach powder in their meals goes a long way.

Powdered rain

It sounds strange, but this powdered "dry water is water" is serious business.

Dry water, which was first discovered in 1968, may look like a powder, but it is in fact 95 per cent water. Each powder particle contains one water droplet, which is surrounded by modified silica. This silica layer stops water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid.

While it is not meant for consumption, dry water can absorb up to three times as much carbon dioxide, scientists say. This means it has to potential for major environmental applications, such as helping to cut down global warming.

This article was published on April 24 in The Straits Times.

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BEIJING - Chinese video streaming websites have removed four legally licensed US television shows in a move that could portend "stricter online monitoring", state-run media reported Monday.

"From Saturday, popular shows 'The Big Bang Theory', 'The Good Wife', 'NCIS' and 'The Practice' were no longer available on tv.sohu.com, youku.com and v.qq.com," the Global Times said, referring to three popular services and adding that the series were "all purchased legally for viewing in China".

China closely censors all media, from newspapers to foreign films to microblogging posts, in a vast effort to control public discourse and avoid sensitive topics that could undermine the Communist authorities' grip on power.

But it was unclear why these shows, which did not have excessively political or sexual themes that might be considered inappropriate, were removed.

TV series from the US and Britain were "increasingly popular in China" and "importing shows has become big business", the Global Times said.

The removal of such content "may indicate that authorities are imposing stricter online monitoring", it cited film and drama critic Be Chenggong as saying.

But Be added that fans of the shows could easily access them from unauthorised websites anyway.

The government body overseeing media, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, could not be reached for comment.

In a notice in January it vowed to more "seriously implement a system in which shows obtained approval before being broadcast", noting that some online content had been found to violate certain regulations after being broadcast and had to be taken down.

LONDON - Britain on Sunday revealed the names of five troops killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, shortly after launching an investigation into the incident.

The Lynx helicopter crashed during a routine flight in Kandahar province on Saturday, causing the third biggest single loss of life for British troops in the country.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) named the dead men as captain Thomas Clarke, flight lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, warrant officer Spencer Faulkner, corporal James Walters and lance corporal Oliver Thomas.

The ministry denied claims from Taliban insurgents that they shot down the light utility helicopter, saying its initial investigations pointed towards a technical fault during the routine flight.

"The investigation is now under way, and the area of the crash has been cordoned off," an MoD spokeswoman said.

"We cannot go into further details. At this stage it is not known how long the investigation might last or when investigators will deliver their report, but it will be a thorough inquiry." Experts said the inquiry was likely to examine the aircraft's log books and other documentation, in addition to weather conditions and whether the helicopter was conducting an authorised mission in accordance with its capabilities.

It is not thought that other Lynx helicopters in Afghanistan will be grounded.

The incident, "at this early stage, would appear to have been a tragic accident", said Major General Richard Felton, commander of the British armed forces' Joint Helicopter Command.

The loss, which comes just before the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in Afghanistan comes to an end in December after 13 years, brings the total number of British fatalities to 453.

Prime Minister David Cameron described the deaths as a "terrible tragedy".

The family of captain Tom Clarke paid tribute, saying: "we cannot express enough our devastation at the loss of a truly wonderful husband, son, brother and friend.

"Tom brought so much happiness and love to everyone he knew with his sparkling blue eyes and cheeky smile," added the statement.

Local officials in southern Afghanistan told AFP the helicopter came down in Takhta Pul and was not attacked by militants.

"It was doing military exercises and crashed as a result of technical fault," said Zia Durrani, the provincial police spokesman.

The Taliban said on a recognised Twitter account that it had targeted the helicopter and the "wreckage caught fire as it smashed onto the ground, killing all invaders onboard".

The insurgent group often makes erroneous claims of responsibility.

Aircraft crashes have been a regular risk for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, with troops relying heavily on air transport to battle the Taliban insurgency across the south and east of the country.

British forces use Westland Lynx helicopters for a wide variety of operations, including transport and supply.

BIASHA, China - A rifle shot tears the air of a mountain hamlet - met not with terror but cries of delight in China's only remaining village where authorities encourage gun ownership.

"We start carrying guns from about 15 years old," said Jia Xinshan, fingering a wooden rifle's trigger as tourists snapped pictures of him in a shiny black coat. "We're the last gun tribe in China." The armaments in Biasha, a village tucked amid the wooded peaks of Guizhou province, are a reminder of an era of conflict between Beijing and the mountain tribes who still inhabit swathes of China's southwest.

Villagers are allowed to own rifles but restricted to firing them during displays for tourists - illustrating how once-restive minority groups have integrated with the state.

China, wary of social unrest and crime, bars most civilians from owning firearms, giving the village's gunpowdery atmosphere an illicit feel.

"We used to use our guns to protect the village," said Jia, 30, who performs daily in a dance routine where he thrusts his gun into the air before firing it.

"Now we carry them to give tourists an impression." Biasha's wooden shacks which cling to hillsides are home to members of the Miao minority, an ethnic group of about 12 million people who are more at home in their own languages than Mandarin Chinese.

The name "Miao" was first applied to hill tribes who fought bloody rebellions against the Chinese state which pushed south in the 1600s, forcing locals into high mountain territory.

Miao fighters had "considerable experience with firearms," as early as 1681, according to historian Robert Jenks, whose account of the rebellion was published by the University of Hawaii.

But the deadliest clashes occurred in the 19th century, where by some estimates several million died.

Chinese forces lost 30 to 40 men a day from Miao snipers who fired into government camps under cover of darkness, a British mercenary commented in 1870, according to Jenks.

One gun maker remains

The rebellions were finally put down and Miao leaders executed in 1872 by Chinese army regiments.

Mountain groups "went through a process of adaption to the new nation-state system," said Siu-Woo Cheung, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The Miao achieved their first official recognition as an ethnic group by the republic that followed the collapse of China's last dynasty in 1912, granting them limited autonomy, a status that continued when the Communist Party took power three decades later.

The Miao's accommodation with the government contrasts with other groups such as Tibetans and Uighurs, who continue to clash with authorities over what they claim is cultural repression.

Villagers in Biasha said just one gun maker remains - in a hillside shack where vegetables hang from the roof and metal weapon scraps fill a wicker basket.

"It takes two or three days to make a gun," said Gun Laosheng, the craftsman. "My father taught me, because he loved guns and was great at hunting wild birds." But these days locals prefer to profit from tour groups, he said.

"Now you spend a day hunting and you don't even know if you'll shoot anything, so it makes more sense to work and buy some meat." Many villagers have taken the surname Gun, whose similarity with the English word is coincidence.

'Not even allowed to buy gunpowder'

Hunting has been virtually banned, locals said, in a measure to protect wildlife, and villagers are prohibited from firing guns outside of performances.

"We're not even allowed to buy gunpowder on the market, so we have to secretly buy it," said one young villager who asked not to be named.

Ning Jingwu, a movie director who spent over a year in the village said: "The government allows them to keep guns but is very scared about gun production." But an illicit trade survives - in Guiyang city just 300 kilometers (190 milles) from Biasha, police this month seized 15,000 guns from an "illegal ring." "People come from outside the village to sell guns, but the locals won't admit it," Ning said.

"Now the gun has turned into a tool for performances, which we think is kind of sad." In Biasha's stone-paved village square, opposite a tourist hotel labelled "The Gunner Inn," five-year-olds pose with plastic replica rifles while visitors pay to fire shots into the air.

Wearing a brand-new backpack, 27-year-old Tan Ying, a member of China's Han majority, came to Biasha with a sightseeing group.

"They used to have guns to fight us Han, but now I feel they are more or less the same as us," she said.

Sitting on a grassy knoll, 37-year-old gunner Guan Nila said: "Our country is peaceful now so we don't need to use guns." "If I wanted to fight, I would just hit you, and not use any weapons."