WASHINGTON: The United States has endorsed India's regional primacy, including the role it is playing in Afghanistan, against strenuous objections from Pakistan.
In the process, Washington also rubbished Islamabad's allegations that New Delhi was using Kabul to destabilize Pakistan, saying once again that Pakistan needs to worry about its own terrorists rather than Indian presence in Afghanistan.
Key American pronouncements in this regard came during an interview by US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (Af-Pak) Richard Holbrooke to a Pakistani television network, whose host asked him about India's locus standi vis-à-vis Afghanistan when "it does not have a common border or a Pashtun population."
"Of course...India will have a role. It is the second biggest country in the world! What India does matters to the world!" Holbrooke exclaimed.
When the host followed up by asking Holbrooke about what Pakistan claims are subversive actions carried out by over-staffed (by spies) Indian consulates in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan, Holbrooke simply laughed at the idea.
"Pakistan has told me India has hundreds of people in (the consulate) at Kandahar," he chortled. "I asked people...asked Americans and the UN...how big is the Indian consulate in Kandahar...and they said six to eight people."
"Pakistan does not have to worry about Indians in Afghanistan. It has to worry about miscreants in western Pakistan," Holbrooke advised.
The allegation that India is supporting separatist elements in Balochistan has become a part of the new Pakistani narrative. Some Pakistanis see a grand conspiracy involving New Delhi, Washington, and even Israel to divide Pakistan and divest it of its "nuclear assets." No less a person than Pakistan's interior secretary Rehman Malik offered "proof" of Indian involvement in Balochistan to Pakistani law-makers recently.
While even the liberal Pakistani media has scoffed at the idea of India's involvement in Balochistan, it has been advanced by some American experts in Washington who are seen as sympathetic to Islamabad. Christine Fair, an analyst with Rand Corporation, recently suggested darkly that New Delhi was not entirely above board, saying Indian personnel were doing more than just distributing visas at its consulates bordering Pakistan's western border.
But Holbrooke, who would have access to definitive intelligence, showed little patience for such conspiracy theories that appear aimed at manipulating domestic public opinion in Pakistan against India. He said there is "no evidence at all, that Indians are supporting miscreants" in Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan.
Further defending New Delhi's role in Afghanistan, Holbrooke said the United States did not tell India what to do in that country. India had given $ 1 billion to Afghanistan and "the assistance is very public." India had built Afghanistan’s parliament building, "a very useful road in the south west" linking Iran, trained agriculture experts and given scholarships.
"All of that is open. What India is doing is part of the international efforts. I don't think it should be of concern to Pakistan," Holbrooke said. It is the first time that any administration official has so bluntly told Pakistan that it was way out of league and out of line in objecting to India's presence in Afghanistan, with which New Delhi claims historical and millennial ties, and a contiguity that predates Islam. It appeared to be part of the many "painful, specific" conversations that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently said US officials were having with Pakistan to explain its place in the scheme of things.
Holbrooke also avoided the interviewer's effort to draw him into a discussion on Kashmir, saying "my job is only Afghanistan and Pakistan...and when I go to India it is only to consult them and keep them abreast and to let them know what is happening."
He joked that the media was constantly trying to get him "to say the K-word and I try not to say it."
NATO ships, helicopters hunt down 7 pirates
AP – This is a photo made available by NATO CC-MAR HQ Northwood, England, taken from the Dutch vessel, HNLMS … NAIROBI, Kenya – NATO warships and helicopters pursued Somali pirates for seven hours after they attacked a Norwegian tanker, NATO spokesmen said Sunday, and the high-speed chase only ended when warning shots were fired at the pirates' skiff.
Seven pirates attempted to attack the Norwegian-flagged MV Front Ardenne late Saturday but fled after crew took evasive maneuvers and alerted warships in the area, said Portuguese Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, aboard a warship in the Gulf of Aden, and Cmdr. Chris Davies, of NATO's maritime headquarters in England.
"How the attack was thwarted is unclear, it appears to have been the actions of the tanker," Davies said. Fernandes said no shots were fired at the tanker.
Davies said the pirates sailed into the path of the Canadian warship Winnipeg, which was escorting a World Food Program delivery ship through the Gulf of Aden. The American ship USS Halyburton was also in the area and joined the chase.
"There was a lengthy pursuit, over seven hours," Davies said.
The pirates hurled weapons into the dark seas as the Canadian and U.S. warships closed in. The ships are part of NATO's anti-piracy mission.
"The skiff abandoned the scene and tried to escape to Somali territory," Fernandes said. "It was heading toward Bossaso we managed to track them ... warning shots have been made after several attempts to stop the vessel."
Both ships deployed helicopters, and naval officers hailed the pirates over loudspeakers and finally fired warning shots to stop them, Fernandes said, but not before the pirates had dumped most of their weapons overboard. NATO forces boarded the skiff, where they found a rocket-propelled grenade, and interrogated, disarmed and released the pirates.
The pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests and the crime was not committed on Canadian territory.
"When a ship is part of NATO, the detention of person is a matter for the national authorities," Fernandes said. "It stops being a NATO issue and starts being a national issue."
The pirates' release underscores the difficulties navies have in fighting rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia. Most of the time foreign navies simply disarm and release the pirates they catch due to legal complications and logistical difficulties in transporting pirates and witnesses to court.
Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats this year alone, four times the number assaulted in 2003, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau. They now hold at least 18 ships — including a Belgian tanker seized Saturday with 10 crew aboard — and over 310 crew hostage, according to an Associated Press count.
Tomb sweeping day in China
BEIJING: Millions of Chinese visited cemeteries across the country to clean tombs and offer flowers to their forefathers on Qingming, the traditional tomb sweeping day, which is akin to the Indian ceremony of sradha or tarpan. But the occasion also sparked a debate about the high costs of funerals and death related ceremonies.
"I will be going to Australia soon for study. I have come here to get the blessings of my forefathers so that I am successful," Liu Xu, a 19-year-old girl visiting Beijing’s biggest cemetery of Babaoshan told TNN on Saturday, which marked the All Souls Day in China.
The dead are being pandered with a wide range of goodies with family members leaving bottles of liquor, packets of cigarettes, sweets and an assortment of fruits and foods on the tombs. Most tombs are decorated with flowers, both real and paper ones, while some of them have been offered incense sticks and tiny bottles of perfume.
The vast cemetery, which holds the remains of more than 50,000 people, has turned into a sea of money-fake paper money given to the dead to make their life in the other world comfortable. Paper money resembling past and present Chinese currencies besides the US dollar carry prints for exaggerated sums like one million yuan or $10,000.
"I am here to pay respect to my parents. But the younger generation is no more keen about such traditions," Zhang Qing, 72, who had traveled 90 kms to a Beijing cemetery told TNN, while repainting the names of his parents on old tombstones.
Indeed, most visitors to the tombs in Beijing were either the elderly or middle-aged people. There were very few young people to be seen apart from some children accompanying grandparents. The young mostly pay their respects by burning paper money in street corners near their houses instead of taking the trouble of visiting cemeteries.
The Ministry of Railways said it was expecting about 22 million passengers to travel during the three-day tomb sweeping holidays that began Friday. But a lot of passengers would be making the best of the holidays and traveling for pleasure instead of visiting tombs.
Thousands of young people wrote or read complained voiced over the Internet about the high cost of maintaining tombs and traditions related to funerals. Many ranted against what they called malpractises of the funeral industry, which was charging abnormal sums for flower wreaths and things like urns that are used at the tombs.
Tombs usually contain the ashes of people cremated in electric crematoriums. Very few, if any, are actually buried because of the high cost of burials and official discouragement of the practise. In many cases, tombs are concrete boxes mounted on walls instead of being stand-alone pieces. In such cases, family members use gum tapes to paste flowers on them and leave wines and foods at the foot of the wall for the dead to partake.
"I will be going to Australia soon for study. I have come here to get the blessings of my forefathers so that I am successful," Liu Xu, a 19-year-old girl visiting Beijing’s biggest cemetery of Babaoshan told TNN on Saturday, which marked the All Souls Day in China.
The dead are being pandered with a wide range of goodies with family members leaving bottles of liquor, packets of cigarettes, sweets and an assortment of fruits and foods on the tombs. Most tombs are decorated with flowers, both real and paper ones, while some of them have been offered incense sticks and tiny bottles of perfume.
The vast cemetery, which holds the remains of more than 50,000 people, has turned into a sea of money-fake paper money given to the dead to make their life in the other world comfortable. Paper money resembling past and present Chinese currencies besides the US dollar carry prints for exaggerated sums like one million yuan or $10,000.
"I am here to pay respect to my parents. But the younger generation is no more keen about such traditions," Zhang Qing, 72, who had traveled 90 kms to a Beijing cemetery told TNN, while repainting the names of his parents on old tombstones.
Indeed, most visitors to the tombs in Beijing were either the elderly or middle-aged people. There were very few young people to be seen apart from some children accompanying grandparents. The young mostly pay their respects by burning paper money in street corners near their houses instead of taking the trouble of visiting cemeteries.
The Ministry of Railways said it was expecting about 22 million passengers to travel during the three-day tomb sweeping holidays that began Friday. But a lot of passengers would be making the best of the holidays and traveling for pleasure instead of visiting tombs.
Thousands of young people wrote or read complained voiced over the Internet about the high cost of maintaining tombs and traditions related to funerals. Many ranted against what they called malpractises of the funeral industry, which was charging abnormal sums for flower wreaths and things like urns that are used at the tombs.
Tombs usually contain the ashes of people cremated in electric crematoriums. Very few, if any, are actually buried because of the high cost of burials and official discouragement of the practise. In many cases, tombs are concrete boxes mounted on walls instead of being stand-alone pieces. In such cases, family members use gum tapes to paste flowers on them and leave wines and foods at the foot of the wall for the dead to partake.
Reality TV star Jade Goody laid to rest
LONDON: The British reality TV star Jade Goody, who lived a short but eventful life in the public eye, was buried on Saturday with thousands of
The 27-year-old was laid to rest after a service at St John Baptist church in Buckhurst Hill in Essex, as per her last wishes. Her funeral attracted international media attention, with cameramen running along the vintage Rolls Royce carrying her coffin, to capture the one perfect shot of the star's last journey. The mother of two died on 22 March after losing her seven month long public battle with cervical cancer. Goody's funeral procession began its journey from her childhood home of Bermondsey in the morning and ended at the St John Baptist church. The TV star wanted her funeral to be "a celebration of her life" and true to her words, it was far from a solemn occasion as the crowd stood applauding in the rain when her cortege passed by. "She will have a big smile on her face when she sees what is going on today," Goody's publicist Clifford told reporters. "In life she loved being loved and it is pretty clear that this is the overwhelming feeling today," Clifford added. | |
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Over 90 dead in Italy earthquake
L'AQUILA: A powerful earthquake struck central Italy as residents slept on Monday morning, killing more than 90 people and making up to 50,000
homeless.
"Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety," a somber Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said before the chamber observed a moment of silence.
The Italian news agency Ansa, quoting rescue workers, said the death toll had reached 92 nearly 12 hours after the quake struck.
Most of the dead were in L'Aquila, a 13th-century mountain city about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding towns and villages in the Abruzzo region.
Houses, historic churches and other buildings were demolished in the worst quake to hit Italy in nearly 30 years. Hundreds of people were injured and some 15,000 buildings declared off limits.
"I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb," said Angela Palumbo, 87, said as she walked on a street in L'Aquila.
"We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything was shaking, furniture falling. I don't remember ever seeing anything like this in my life," she said.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni visited the area and said the death toll had surpassed 50.
Luca Spoletini, a Civil Protection Department spokesman, said the quake may have made up to 50,000 people homeless. Some 26 cities and towns were seriously damaged.
In the small town of Onna alone, 10 people were killed, said a photographer who saw a mother and her infant daughter being carried away in the same coffin.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled a trip to Moscow and declared a national emergency, which would free up funds for aid and rebuilding. Pope Benedict said he was saying a special prayer for the victims.
Older houses and buildings made of stone, particularly in outlying villages that have not seen much restoration, collapsed like straw houses.
Hospitals appealed for help from doctors and nurses throughout Italy. The stench of gas filled some parts of the mountain towns and villages as mains ruptured.
Residents of Rome, which is rarely hit by seismic activity, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy. It struck shortly after 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) and registered between 5.8 and 6.3 magnitude.
"Some towns in the area have been virtually destroyed in their entirety," a somber Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house of parliament, said before the chamber observed a moment of silence.
The Italian news agency Ansa, quoting rescue workers, said the death toll had reached 92 nearly 12 hours after the quake struck.
Most of the dead were in L'Aquila, a 13th-century mountain city about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome, and surrounding towns and villages in the Abruzzo region.
Houses, historic churches and other buildings were demolished in the worst quake to hit Italy in nearly 30 years. Hundreds of people were injured and some 15,000 buildings declared off limits.
"I woke up hearing what sounded like a bomb," said Angela Palumbo, 87, said as she walked on a street in L'Aquila.
"We managed to escape with things falling all around us. Everything was shaking, furniture falling. I don't remember ever seeing anything like this in my life," she said.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni visited the area and said the death toll had surpassed 50.
Luca Spoletini, a Civil Protection Department spokesman, said the quake may have made up to 50,000 people homeless. Some 26 cities and towns were seriously damaged.
In the small town of Onna alone, 10 people were killed, said a photographer who saw a mother and her infant daughter being carried away in the same coffin.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled a trip to Moscow and declared a national emergency, which would free up funds for aid and rebuilding. Pope Benedict said he was saying a special prayer for the victims.
Older houses and buildings made of stone, particularly in outlying villages that have not seen much restoration, collapsed like straw houses.
Hospitals appealed for help from doctors and nurses throughout Italy. The stench of gas filled some parts of the mountain towns and villages as mains ruptured.
Residents of Rome, which is rarely hit by seismic activity, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy. It struck shortly after 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) and registered between 5.8 and 6.3 magnitude.
Pope decries African wars at Mass for 1 million
– Pope decries African wars at Mass with thousands LUANDA, Angola – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for the largest gathering of his African pilgrimage Sunday, telling a crowd on the outskirts of this seaside capital that reconciliation on the war-ravaged continent would come only with a "change of heart, a new way of thinking."
The Vatican said as many as 1 million people turned out on the dusty field near a cement factory to hear the pope at the last major event of his seven-day trip, which began Tuesday in Cameroon.
Speaking from a tented pink altar, the pope said evils in Africa had "reduced the poor to slavery and deprived future generations of the resources needed to create a more solid and just society."
"How true it is that war can destroy everything of value," said Benedict, wearing a pink cape and mopping his sweaty brow with a white handkerchief kept inside his sleeve.
Later he was scheduled to meet with representatives of women's rights groups to praise the role of women in African society.
Angolans have been enslaved, subjugated and at war almost nonstop since Portuguese colonizers brought the first Catholic missionaries in 1491. Many of the slaves taken to Brazil, for example, came from Angola.
The Catholic Church was an ally of the colonizers who discriminated against the people until independence from Portugal in 1975, when civil war erupted, in part fueled by the country's oil and diamond wealth.
Some 15,000 died, including missionaries, before the war ended in 2002, and the scars still are evident among the many people who lost limbs in one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
A Marxist revolution also has left scars, though the country's president for 30 years, Eduardo dos Santos, abandoned communism and improved relations with the church starting in the late 1980s.
Critics say last year's massive election victory was marred by fraud and corruption and that the pope must beware of allowing his visit, sponsored by the state, to be seen as legitimizing an authoritarian regime. The bishops in Angola twice have denounced the government for leaving its people mired in poverty while leaders enrich themselves off oil and diamonds.
Since he arrived on Friday from Cameroon, the pope has met with dos Santos and spoken out against corruption in Africa, the continent with the fastest-growing Catholic population in the world.
Before he said Mass on Sunday, Benedict clasped his hands, as if in prayer, and offered his condolences to the families of two 20-year-old women trampled to death in a stampede at a Luanda stadium before a youth event he addressed on Saturday.
He also wished a speedy recovery to some 40 people injured in the crush. Dozens of others collapsed and were treated at the site for heat exhaustion.
Later, the Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, blessed the bodies of the two victims, laid out under white sheets at Josina Machel Hospital. Accompanied by Angola's Foreign Minister Assuncao Does Anjos, the cardinal visited with injured victims.
State radio appealed to people to take water and food to Sunday's Mass. People also carried parasols and stools amid the hooting cars and motorbikes making their way to see the pope. Some men hoisted children onto their shoulders and mothers strapped babies to their backs.
Even before he landed in Africa, the pope provoked protests after he told reporters on his chartered Alitalia jet that condoms were not the answer to Africa's severe AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue.
He condemned sexual violence against women, but also chided the 45 African countries including Angola that have approved abortion in cases of rape or incest or when a mother's life is in danger.
Gunman kills 3 officers, wounds 4th in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered flags at California's state capitol flown at half-staff for the three Oakland police officers killed by a gunman.
Police said a parolee with an "extensive criminal history" opened fire at a routine traffic stop Saturday in the city and hours later gunned down members of a SWAT team who were searching for him.
Schwarzenegger headed for a meeting with Oakland police on Sunday.
A fourth police officer who was wounded Saturday is hospitalized and battling for his life.
The gunman also was killed Saturday.
The Oakland Police Department says it was the worst day in its history. Never before had three police officers been killed in the line of duty on the same day.
Rapturous welcome awaits Indian Idol trio in Nepal
KATHMANDU: A rapturous welcome awaits the top trio of Indian Idol, who would be holding their first concert in the Himalayan republic next Saturday.
Sourabhee Debbarma, dubbed India’s Shakira by Nepal, who made history by becoming the first woman to win the title, and her biggest contenders army boy Kapil Thapa and Asansol’s Torsha Sarkar will be singing before a packed ground in Kathmandu valley and Pokhara city.
Kathmandu-based event management company DMI, that also represents Sony in Nepal, is flying over the trio on Friday, its chief Raju Singh told TNN. The first concert will be at the open ground in front of the zoo in Lalitpur, where a year ago Nepali youngsters had braved a downpour and slush to turn out in droves for a concert by the top contenders of Indian Idol’s third edition.
The second concert is at the Exhibition Grounds in Pokhara. Also appearing with the Idol finalists would be rising Nepali pop star Kranti Ale.
“It is going to be interesting this time,” said Singh. In 2008, Nepal was rooting for Prashant Tamang, who went on to win on the strength of votes pouring in from the Nepali diaspora who revelled in his Nepali ancestry.
This time too, there was considerable support for Kapil, whose ancestors hail from Nepal’s Baitadi district. His elder brother Keshav visited the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu on the eve of the grand finale to pray for Kapil’s success.
“This time, there was a lot of support for Sourabhee in Nepal,” Singh says. “Because of her oriental looks, she was not regarded as a foreigner by Nepal. However, she won support mostly due to her talent.”
Last year, Prashant’s progress was watched keenly by the Nepali Prime Minister’s Office as well and the then premier Girija Prasad Koirala invited Prashant to tea twice and plied him with gifts, including a traditional Nepali cap.
It remains to be seen this time if Sourabhee would receive a similar invite from the new Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
The former revolutionary is said to have been a hummer in his young days and even now finds time to pen lyrics, some of which have been used in films directed by Maoists and revolutionary plays. Though she lacks Nepali roots, perhaps Sourabhee would also be able to strike a chord of empathy coming as she does from a state that has been mostly under communist rule.
Sourabhee Debbarma, dubbed India’s Shakira by Nepal, who made history by becoming the first woman to win the title, and her biggest contenders army boy Kapil Thapa and Asansol’s Torsha Sarkar will be singing before a packed ground in Kathmandu valley and Pokhara city.
Kathmandu-based event management company DMI, that also represents Sony in Nepal, is flying over the trio on Friday, its chief Raju Singh told TNN. The first concert will be at the open ground in front of the zoo in Lalitpur, where a year ago Nepali youngsters had braved a downpour and slush to turn out in droves for a concert by the top contenders of Indian Idol’s third edition.
The second concert is at the Exhibition Grounds in Pokhara. Also appearing with the Idol finalists would be rising Nepali pop star Kranti Ale.
“It is going to be interesting this time,” said Singh. In 2008, Nepal was rooting for Prashant Tamang, who went on to win on the strength of votes pouring in from the Nepali diaspora who revelled in his Nepali ancestry.
This time too, there was considerable support for Kapil, whose ancestors hail from Nepal’s Baitadi district. His elder brother Keshav visited the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu on the eve of the grand finale to pray for Kapil’s success.
“This time, there was a lot of support for Sourabhee in Nepal,” Singh says. “Because of her oriental looks, she was not regarded as a foreigner by Nepal. However, she won support mostly due to her talent.”
Last year, Prashant’s progress was watched keenly by the Nepali Prime Minister’s Office as well and the then premier Girija Prasad Koirala invited Prashant to tea twice and plied him with gifts, including a traditional Nepali cap.
It remains to be seen this time if Sourabhee would receive a similar invite from the new Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
The former revolutionary is said to have been a hummer in his young days and even now finds time to pen lyrics, some of which have been used in films directed by Maoists and revolutionary plays. Though she lacks Nepali roots, perhaps Sourabhee would also be able to strike a chord of empathy coming as she does from a state that has been mostly under communist rule.
'Man girdle' to help metrosexual drop a size
LONDON: It's for the man who has a little too much of everything - the man girdle, or
"mirdle."
In a land where metrosexuals reign, a London department store is hoping to cash in on the lucrative men's underwear market by launching a throwback to the Victorian era, a gut-cinching garment that designers say will help men make it through these belt-tightening times.
The stretchy contraptions resemble normal sleeveless tank tops or long-sleeved T-shirts - only shrunk down two or three sizes in a blend of Spandex, nylon and polyester. Control underwear will be launched later this year.
"It makes waists look trimmer, improves posture and helps men get into the latest slimmer fitting suits," said Gavin Jones, head of the Australian company Equmen, which launched its male shapewear line in Selfridges on Thursday. "Men are under a lot of pressure right now to perform financially, socially and romantically. Why shouldn't we have the same products that women have had for years to make us feel better?"
Europe has been at the forefront of the metrosexual revolution, illustrated by images of a svelte Daniel Craig in tight bathing trunks or a fitted tuxedo as 007, and a near hairless David Beckham in white Armani bikini briefs - larger-than-life ads that stretch out across London's double-decker buses. Even Clive Owen, the British actor known for his rugged good looks and reticent characters, is the face of Lancome's new anti-aging skin-care line.
As male vanity has increased in the past decade, so have retail sales. In the United Kingdom, sales of men's grooming products - moisturizers, home waxing kits, manicure kits - totalled some $1.18 billion last year, according to a report from market research firm Mintel.
Similarly, men's underwear sales are growing faster than women's. In Selfridges, sales of men's underwear were up 21% whereas women's underwear grew by some 10% last year. The UK alone totalled roughly $957 million in men's underwear sales in 2007 whereas the US tallied about $4.9 billion in 2008, according to Mintel.
Men's control wear has been around since Victorian times in Britain, where dandies such as Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde were known for their fanciful and slightly feminine outfits.
"mirdle."
In a land where metrosexuals reign, a London department store is hoping to cash in on the lucrative men's underwear market by launching a throwback to the Victorian era, a gut-cinching garment that designers say will help men make it through these belt-tightening times.
The stretchy contraptions resemble normal sleeveless tank tops or long-sleeved T-shirts - only shrunk down two or three sizes in a blend of Spandex, nylon and polyester. Control underwear will be launched later this year.
"It makes waists look trimmer, improves posture and helps men get into the latest slimmer fitting suits," said Gavin Jones, head of the Australian company Equmen, which launched its male shapewear line in Selfridges on Thursday. "Men are under a lot of pressure right now to perform financially, socially and romantically. Why shouldn't we have the same products that women have had for years to make us feel better?"
Europe has been at the forefront of the metrosexual revolution, illustrated by images of a svelte Daniel Craig in tight bathing trunks or a fitted tuxedo as 007, and a near hairless David Beckham in white Armani bikini briefs - larger-than-life ads that stretch out across London's double-decker buses. Even Clive Owen, the British actor known for his rugged good looks and reticent characters, is the face of Lancome's new anti-aging skin-care line.
As male vanity has increased in the past decade, so have retail sales. In the United Kingdom, sales of men's grooming products - moisturizers, home waxing kits, manicure kits - totalled some $1.18 billion last year, according to a report from market research firm Mintel.
Similarly, men's underwear sales are growing faster than women's. In Selfridges, sales of men's underwear were up 21% whereas women's underwear grew by some 10% last year. The UK alone totalled roughly $957 million in men's underwear sales in 2007 whereas the US tallied about $4.9 billion in 2008, according to Mintel.
Men's control wear has been around since Victorian times in Britain, where dandies such as Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde were known for their fanciful and slightly feminine outfits.
Clinton: US officials holding talks in Syria
AP – U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton waves to cameras as she visits the mausoleum of modern … ANKARA, Turkey – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday that talks were underway between two U.S. representatives and Syrian officials in Damascus.
The Obama administration's decision to send Jeffrey Feltman, the top State Department envoy on the Mideast, and Daniel Shapiro from the White House to Syria was the most significant sign yet that it is ready to improve relations with the Syrian government after years of tension.
The two American officials held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem shortly after arriving in the Syrian capital Saturday. But it was not clear whether they would meet with President Bashar Assad during the visit, which was ignored by state-run newspapers in an indication of Damascus' cautious approach.
Clinton also said President Barack Obama will visit Turkey in the "next month or so."
At a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, she said Obama had asked her to deliver the message that he would visit soon and said the two allies will consult on the safest, most effective way to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.
Turkey is an ally seen as key to resolving several U.S. foreign policy problems, including moving the U.S. military out of Iraq, blocking Iran's nuclear ambitions and turning around the war in Afghanistan.
Turkey has said it is ready to serve as an exit route for U.S. troops pulling out of Iraq. The southern Incirlik air base has been used for transfer of U.S. troops and equipment to Iraq and to Afghanistan.
The U.S. withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut. The killing was widely blamed on Syria — a charge Damascus denies.
Anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon and international pressure eventually forced Damascus to withdraw its army from neighboring Lebanon after nearly three decades of Syrian domination. But the U.S. has accused Syria of supporting terrorism and has not reinstated its ambassador.
On the Syrian side, Assad has welcomed improved ties, something he has long sought but was hampered by the Bush administration's attempts to isolate his country. Assad has said he is impressed by Obama's friendly gestures but was still waiting to see results.
Clinton talked with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for nearly two hours at his residence before visiting the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's national founder. There, she recalled being in Ankara during her husband's presidency and said she had returned to help Obama promote "the work the U.S. and Turkey must do to forge peace, prosperity and progress."
Erdogan's office said in a statement that the two discussed bilateral relations, the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and combatting terrorism.
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