favourite the longjohn even seen at top end luxury houses louis vuitton
cerruti and dunhill
it featured in one of the top shows for performance value boxing inspired
collection by jean paul gaultier who sent out swaggering macho models in hoodie
jackets and coats resembling boxer robe
variations on women leggings known in fashion fusion confusion as jeggings
skinnier than skinny jeans meggings men and leggings or treggings thick
leggings also surfaced at edgy dries van noten whose short pants showing
lots of ankle are very dynamic he told afp
with the trend to lazy wearable dressing here to stay in the lingering economic
freeze there were few suits and ties or elegant evening wear on view
perhaps opined nymag com yoga obsessed designers are just tired of having
to change before class
but style setters dior and lanvin said comfortable everyday clothes were what
fashion was about dior kris van assche said his collection was about clothes
to live in and lanvin alber elbaz told afp his were inspired not in exotic
places but in the street
socks and shoe manufacturers look set to have field day however
with longjohns and sweatpants uncovering feet and pants creeping well up above
the ankle at many houses or shown tucked into boots there was heavy accent
on footwear and even socks notably at kenzo
but pants also came wide and flowing at influential raf simons and korea
songzio one of several korean and japanese designers showing in paris
meanwhile croatia damir doma upcoming star of the paris men scene wowed
the crowd with big gathered mujik style trousers while yves saint laurent went
for drop crotched harem pants
and the shows also witnessed the return of the bumbag notably at korean
designer juun
retro mania is constantly at play in fahsion as designers seek inspiration from
history and this week saw kenzo borrow his collection from oscar winning film
maker jacques tati eccentric character monsieur hulot while john galliano
went to sherlock holmes
men fashion currently is moving faster than women said the head of
france couture federation didier grumbach
not only was menswear doing better on the economic front than women in these
times of crisis he told afp but it was also opening up on the creative front
probably due to globalisation
there is new creativity out there break with traditional male style that
is virile and is not just feminine touch
other strong trends at the paris shows said jean paul cauvin senior editor at
fashion daily news were shorter jackets and draped and cowl shaped collars
grey may be taking over from black as the new colour and tartan prints in dark
colours that are discreet seem to be here to stay cauvin added
soviet war veterans say us must shift strategies in afghanistan
moscow jan afp
the united states is repeating the mistakes that the soviet union made in
afghanistan russian veterans say convinced the ussr disastrous near decade
long war there harbours deep lessons for western forces
it is now nearly nine years since the coalition invaded afghanistan and
nothing has changed said retired lieutenant general ruslan aushev who
served five years in afghanistan during the soviet occupation there from
however aushev who was made hero of the soviet union after being wounded on
his third afghan deployment admitted that nato and us troops face fiercer
enemy today than did soviet troops
then the red army untrained for the mountainous terrain found themselves bogged
down in an unwinnable guerrilla war against mujahedeen islamist fighters backed
financially and militarily by washington
today the situation is more complicated the mujahedeen were more moderate
than the taliban who are radical in our era there were no suicide bombers
said aushev who now heads the afghan veterans committee
major general makhmud gareyev was former deputy chief of the red army general
staff and top military adviser to afghan president najibullah who was
overthrown by islamic insurgents in and hanged by the taliban four years
later
after the soviet pullout in gareyev stayed behind to support the kremlin
client regime
he expressed doubts that the current mission in the region had much chance to
deliver long term stability if coalition forces did not rapidly shift strategy
the americans are fighting people and not regular army napoleon never
could win in spain they should understand that it is impossible to fight
against nation gareyev now president of the academy of military sciences in
moscow told afp
the only strategy forward for the us led coalition forces is to focus on
reconstruction and development in afghanistan according to gareyev and other
russian veterans
they have to change their politics and find other solutions they must help
rebuild the country and offer financial economic and humanitarian aide he
insisted
moscow initially saw its incursion into afghanistan in december as brief
mission to bolster its afghan supporters but became bogged down in protracted
and bloody struggle that lasted nearly years
the war which cost over soviet lives and killed as many as one million
afghans helped lead to the collapse of the soviet union and the takeover of
afghanistan by the islamist taliban
retired general victor yermakov who commanded soviet forces in afghanistan from
to has been among the first to point to the soviets failure as
warning to the west calling afghanistan an impossible fight
the only way to be respected would be to take the money now spent on
maintaining troops in afghanistan and spend it instead on agricultural
development and the reconstruction of schools mosques and roads yermakov said
in an interview with russian state television vesti
one week before london conference aimed at promoting afghanistan
development us secretary of state hillary clinton announced long term non
military strategy to stabilise afghanistan along those lines
the plan unveiled thursday calls for sending more civilian experts to the region
to rebuild the afghan farm sector improve governance and bring extremists back
into mainstream society
us president barack obama said in december that the united states would deploy
another troops to afghanistan in on top of more than
already there to undercut resurgent taliban
under his plan us troops are to begin withdrawing in july
refugees from nightmare swamp haitian town
saint marc haiti jan afp
the haitian town of saint marc is sinking beneath tide of humanity with
refugees lodging with friends strangers or in churches after fleeing the
nightmare of the quake hit capital
buses incessantly pass through the town some kilometers miles north of
port au prince loaded with earthquake victims hoping to find food and shelter
from the aftershocks of the january disaster
my house was destroyed we slept on the pavement near the wounded we had to
leave says magalie esteverle year old dressmaker with three children
staying with distant cousin of her husband
called my cousin and said was ready to even sleep under table so we left
with only the clothes on our backs
haitian authorities announced plans last week to evacuate up to people
from squalid conditions in port au prince and put on dozens of free buses to
what it promised would be more hygienic tented camps outside the city
but with thousands of others fleeing the capital on private buses the mass
exodus is putting huge burden on places like saint marc town of
inhabitants which also hit by deadly floods in
feelings of solidarity run high here hundreds of people have found refuge in
hotel or on reed mats installed in churches and schools thousands more have
been put up in the houses of relatives friends and even strangers
they have been fed and clothed by anonymous donors who have spontaneously
reached into their pockets forgetting their own poverty and unemployment
hundreds more have flooded into the saint nicolas hospital to seek treatment for
injuries after being turned away by the capital inundated hospitals the
government says nearly people were wounded in the quake
there was nowhere to stay in port au prince and nothing for us to live on
says florence dorfeuil year old student sitting at the bedside of her
cousin who is awaiting an operation on his leg
majot powers are working to take the pressure off the stricken capital french
ambassador didier lebret told afp that france had evacuated some refugees
to the french territories of martinique and guadeloupe and france itself
but saint marc is choking with the weight of refugees
the un world food programme has distributed tonnes of food but it is not
enough
familes who have accommodated up to seven people have received no extra aid and
the anonymous donations are tailing off says local civil protection
administrator constant jean elie
we have no means of feeding the refugees we lack everything he says
nothing has been given to help us accommodate these families we are obliged
to rely on local population of whom the majority does not work it feels like
we will collapse
magalie estervele cousin jobless widow with four children is doing all she
can
sometimes we have sometimes we don we share but without help won be
able to put them up for long says eva jean
at the hospital dozens of the wounded lie on mattresses on the floor
amputations and other operations are not happening quickly enough and there are
only three orthopaedic specialists and cruel shortage of medical equipment
says hospital director yfto mayette
we don have enough to deal with all these cases he says
the local authorities are coping for now but they worry about tomorrow
if the refugees stay there will be big problems lack of food and the
increase in joblessness could provoke violence and could overwhelm our existing
structures says local administrator jean elie
the director of the hospital has similar fears for the town which already
houses refugees from string of deadly storms almost two years ago
all these people who have nothing and do nothing and whom one can help will
increase social problems here mayette says
in her cousin tiny living room magalie esteverle feels indebted
am trying to do whatever can to make up for it she says but going
to stay in saint marc ll never return to port au prince it nightmare
four afghans kidnapped with chinese pair freed police
kunduz afghanistan jan afp
the taliban have freed four afghans abducted in the north earlier this month
along with two chinese engineers who remain in militant custody police
official said monday
two chinese engineers and their two afghan drivers and two guards were snatched
in the province of faryab on january and the taliban militia claimed
responsibility for the kidnapping the same day
faryab deputy police chief mohammad afzal imamzada told afp that the afghans
were freed after negotiations while similar talks were underway to secure the
freedom of the chinese pair
the afghans have been freed but the chinese are still there the afghans were
freed under negotiations by tribal elders and we re trying to secure the freedom
of the chinese through the same way imamzada said
he gave no further detail on the progress of the talks
taliban spokesman had earlier said that the militant leaders would decide the
fate of the hostages
criminal gangs and taliban insurgents have kidnapped several dozen foreigners
many of them journalists since the us led operation toppled the hardline
taliban regime
the taliban have denied that they are holding two journalists from france
public television who were snatched with three afghan assistants in the eastern
province of kapisa on december
evidence asylum seekers blew up boat australian court told
sydney jan afp
asylum seekers desperate to reach australia may have caused an explosion which
blew apart their crowded boat tossing most those on board into the water and
leaving five dead court was told monday
an inquest into the deaths of the five afghans heard that in the lead up to the
blast those on board the vessel which was being guided by the australian navy
wrongly thought they were being taken to indonesia
they became noisy and agitated and ultimately control of them and the vessel
was lost stephen walsh counsel assisting the coroner told the inquest
walsh said there was body of evidence which suggested the rickety boat had
been sabotaged and set alight before it exploded last april as it was being
taken to an immigration processing centre on christmas island
he said that naval officer on board had noted strong smell of petrol
minutes later one of the passengers was seen squatting near the bow of the boat
with lighter in his hands and minutes later the boat exploded
most of those on board were either blown off the vessel or forced to jump into
the sea to escape the ensuing fire walsh said
walsh said life jackets for all passengers and crew were on board the vessel
but were largely inaccessible after the blast leaving those who could not swim
or were disabled by injuries in serious difficulty
he said some of those who died may have been saved if navy personnel had not
been required to rescue their colleagues first
the inquest will examine whether the navy could have prevented the incident in
the remote area off australia northwest
trailblazing uzbek female photographer facing prison
tashkent jan afp
prominent uzbek photographer said monday she was facing three years in prison
after being charged with slandering the dignity of the ex soviet central asian
state
umida akhmedova told afp that prosecutors had labeled collection of her
photographs and documentary film both funded by the swiss embassy in
tashkent as slanderous over their portrayal of life in the isolated state
an investigator in tashkent mirabad police station informed me that was
charged with part three of article of the uzbek criminal code she said
the charges of slander with selfish ends or vile motives carry maximum
sentence of three years in jail in uzbekistan frequent criticed by human rights
groups
the works book of more than photographs of rural life titled woman and
man from dawn till night and documentary film about women rights dealt
with topics sensitive to the government which carefully guards its image
abroad
swiss embassy officials who had distanced themselves from the projects after
the film the burden of virginity proved controversial upon its release in
declined to comment on the case
the uzbek prosecutor general office meanwhile denied it had opened
criminal case against akhmedova
akhmedova said investigators offered her amnesty if she pleaded guilty
refused it as am not criminal she said
the new york based committee to protect journalists blasted uzbekistan over the
case and called for tashkent to immediately drop the charges
it is unthinkable that documentarian should go to prison because the state
interprets her work as insulting cpj europe and central asia programme
coordinator nina ognianova said in statement
trailblazing uzbek female photographer facing prison
tashkent jan afp
prominent uzbek photographer said monday she was facing three years in prison
after being charged with slandering the dignity of the ex soviet central asian
state
umida akhmedova told afp that prosecutors had labeled collection of her
photographs and documentary film both funded by the swiss embassy in
tashkent as slanderous over their portrayal of life in the isolated state
an investigator in tashkent mirabad police station informed me that was
charged with part three of article of the uzbek criminal code she said
the charges of slander with selfish ends or vile motives carry maximum
sentence of three years in jail in uzbekistan frequent criticed by human rights
groups
the works book of more than photographs of rural life titled woman and
man from dawn till night and documentary film about women rights dealt
with topics sensitive to the government which carefully guards its image
abroad
swiss embassy officials who had distanced themselves from the projects after
the film the burden of virginity proved controversial upon its release in
declined to comment on the case
the uzbek prosecutor general office meanwhile denied it had opened
criminal case against akhmedova
akhmedova said investigators offered her amnesty if she pleaded guilty
refused it as am not criminal she said
the new york based committee to protect journalists blasted uzbekistan over the
case and called for tashkent to immediately drop the charges
it is unthinkable that documentarian should go to prison because the state
interprets her work as insulting cpj europe and central asia programme
coordinator nina ognianova said in statement
hong kong gold closes higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed higher monday at us dollars an ounce up
from friday finish of us dollars
it opened at dollars
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor charles whelan
tel
top stories
feared dead in lebanon jet crash
haiti body count reaching
china denies google cyberattacks
lebanon plane crash thlead
beirut
an ethiopian jet carrying people plunged into the sea off the coast of
lebanon in ball of fire just after takeoff in stormy weather with no sign of
survivors officials say
words gmt by rita daou picture video
haiti quake lead wrap
port au prince
haiti says around bodies are expected to have been recovered from the
wreckage of its devastating earthquake by monday with manu more feared dead
under the rubble
words gmt by jordi zamora graphic picture video
china us it internet google thlead wrap
beijing
china denies any state involvement in cyberattacks on google and accuses the
united states of double standards as row with washington over internet
freedom intensifies
words gmt by susan stumme
europe
sweden telecom company earnings cuts ericsson rdlead
stockholm
swedish telecom giant ericsson announce it will cut an additional jobs
under restructuring plan that contributed to percent fall in net profit
in the fourth quarter
words gmt
afghanistan yemen attacks britain diplomacy advancer
london
stabilising afghanistan so nato troops can hand power to locals will top the
agenda at world power talks in london this week with the heightened threat from
al qaeda in yemen also centre stage
words gmt by guy jackson
britain attacks security yemen politics focus
sanaa
yemen embattled government links armed shiite rebels in the north southern
secessionists and resurgent al qaeda militants saying all three belong to an
axis of evil in the arabian peninsula state
words gmt by michel moutot
turkey afghanistan pakistan diplomacy
istanbul
the presidents of afghanistan and pakistan meet in turkish sponsored talks to
discuss cooperation against islamist extremists and improve ties troubled by
militant attacks along their border
words gmt by nicolas cheviron
russia afghanistan us military unrest focus
moscow
the united states is repeating the mistakes that the soviet union made in
afghanistan russian veterans say convinced the ussr disastrous near decade
long war there harbours deep lessons for western forces
words gmt by benoit finck file picture
davos finance economy
davos switzerland
global leaders and bankers will be looking for firm signs at the davos forum
this week of china determination to control the hot money pouring into its
economy
words gmt
lifestyle fashion men france
paris
short flared skinny and large designers played variation on pants at the
crammed four day whirl of paris men autumn winter catwalk shows
words gmt by claire rosemberg picture video
haiti
haiti quake aid canada summit lead
montreal
us secretary of state hillary clinton and foreign ministers from host of
countries convene in montreal monday to hash out plans for the reconstruction of
haiti nearly two weeks after killer earthquake
words gmt by judi rever
haiti quake displaced lead scene
saint marc haiti
with refugees lodging with friends strangers or in churches after
fleeing the nightmare of the quake hit capital the haitian town of saint marc
is sinking beneath tide of humanity
words gmt by deborah pasmantier
asia
china food safety milk child ndlead
beijing
three chinese firms are caught selling products containing high melamine levels
more than year after the chemical was blamed for six deaths in huge scandal
over tainted dairy goods
words gmt by dan martin
srilanka vote lead wrap
colombo
sri lanka president vows to ensure the island first post war election goes
off peacefully with tensions high after rash of deadly violence and
opposition claims the ruling party is plotting coup to retain power
words gmt by amal jayasinghe graphic picture
china shanghai expo focus
shanghai
less than days before the world expo kicks off in shanghai armies of
workers wearing yellow and orange helmets crawl over huge muddy site where the
pavilions are far from finished but officials say everything is on track
words moved by pascale trouillaud picture
tourism to japan battered by strong yen economic downturn
tokyo jan afp
foreign visitor numbers to japan last year plunged at the fastest pace in nearly
four decades due to the global recession strong yen and the swine flu scare
official data showed monday
total of million foreign tourists and business travellers came to japan
in down percent from record million the previous year the
japan national tourism organisation jnto said
we believe japan has lot to attract foreign tourists but the year was
hit by the yen rise which made trips to japan more expensive when the travel
industry was reeling from an economic slump jnto researcher said
scares over the new influenza also contributed to the drop he said
the fall was the sharpest since when arrivals dropped percent from
the previous year when an international exposition was held in osaka according
to the organisation for tourism research and promotion
japan new centre left government which took power last summer is hoping to
boost tourism as cash earner for the country whose population is shrinking
tourists have been drawn by japan traditional culture and scenic beauty but
also its pop culture from anime to fashion and its high tech products
common complaints from tourists include that fewer shops accept credit cards
than in other developed countries and that not many people speak foreign
languages said jnto researcher naoki morikawa
morikawa said that foreign visitor numbers to japan had increased over recent
decades from million in to million in
the largest number came from south korea followed by taiwan and china
travellers arriving from south korea last year tumbled by percent to
million accounting for percent of the total number
arrivals from taiwan fell percent to million but those from mainland
china edged up percent to record one million
chinese arrivals kept rising for five months in row from august month after
japan started issuing visas to individual chinese due to growing demand for non
group travel between the two countries
tourism to japan battered by strong yen economic downturn
tokyo jan afp
foreign visitor numbers to japan last year plunged at the fastest pace in nearly
four decades due to the global recession strong yen and the swine flu scare
official data showed monday
total of million foreign tourists and business travellers came to japan
in down percent from record million the previous year the
japan national tourism organisation jnto said
we believe japan has lot to attract foreign tourists but the year was
hit by the yen rise which made trips to japan more expensive when the travel
industry was reeling from an economic slump jnto researcher said
scares over the new influenza also contributed to the drop he said
the fall was the sharpest since when arrivals dropped percent from
the previous year when an international exposition was held in osaka according
to the organisation for tourism research and promotion
japan new centre left government which took power last summer is hoping to
boost tourism as cash earner for the country whose population is shrinking
tourists have been drawn by japan traditional culture and scenic beauty but
also its pop culture from anime to fashion and its high tech products
common complaints from tourists include that fewer shops accept credit cards
than in other developed countries and that not many people speak foreign
languages said jnto researcher naoki morikawa
morikawa said that foreign visitor numbers to japan had increased over recent
decades from million in to million in
the largest number came from south korea followed by taiwan and china
travellers arriving from south korea last year tumbled by percent to
million accounting for percent of the total number
arrivals from taiwan fell percent to million but those from mainland
china edged up percent to record one million
chinese arrivals kept rising for five months in row from august month after
japan started issuing visas to individual chinese due to growing demand for non
group travel between the two countries
cricket bangladesh india second test scoreboard
dhaka jan afp
scoreboard at tea on the second day of the second and final test between
bangladesh and india here on monday
bangladesh st innings mahmudullah not out sharma
india st innings overnight
gambhir rahim shafiul
sehwag rahim shahadat
dravid not out
tendulkar not out
extras lb nb
total for two wickets overs
fall of wickets sehwag gambhir
bowling shafiul shahadat rubel nb shakib
ashraful mahmudullah
toss bangladesh
umpires billy bowden nzl and marais erasmus rsa
tv umpire sharfuddoula shahid ban
match referee andy pycroft zim
hong kong shares fall percent
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares dropped percent monday following sharp falls on wall
street amid uncertainty over us president barack obama bank revamp proposals
concerns that fund raising plans in china banking sector could dilute share
value also weighed on sentiment dealers said
the benchmark hang seng index gave up points to finish at
turnover was billion hong kong dollars billion us
in shanghai chinese shares closed down percent on monday with banks
leading the losses amid jitters over fund raising plans
chinese banks need to meet regulatory requirements for capital after lending
spree last year in response to government calls to support the country massive
economic stimulus efforts
the shanghai composite index which covers both and shares was down
points at on turnover of billion yuan billion dollars
tennis williams sisters djokovic stride into open quarters
melbourne jan afp
novak djokovic and the williams sisters strode into the australian open quarter
finals monday while li na ensured china has two players in grand slam last
eight for the first time
third seed djokovic the winner joined spanish defending champion rafael
nadal british fifth seed andy murray american seventh seed andy roddick and
th seeded croat marin cilic safely through
also staying in the hunt was in form russian sixth seed nikolay davydenko who
was stretched to the limit by spanish ninth seed fernando verdasco before
prevailing
roger federer attempts to join them later monday with the time grand slam
champion playing australia lleyton hewitt who has not beaten the swiss great
in their last meetings
whoever wins will next face davydenko
defending champion serena williams was class above local hope sam stosur
despite the th seed having home crowd support
she ran out an easy winner and will play either belarrussian seventh
seed victoria azarenka or ninth seeded russian vera zvonareva for place in the
semi finals as she guns for fifth title
sam beat me last time convincingly so knew had to do well out there said
serena think my serve was very good
sister venus seeded six found the going tougher against italian th seed
francesca schiavone losing the first set before bouncing back for
win
the sisters join li justine henin nadia petrova maria kirilenko and zheng jie
in the last eight
