TOKYO (Reuters) - From a phoenix-themed collection by a Japanese designer who has clothed Lady Gaga to touches of traditional Mongolian decorations, designers showing at Japan Fashion Week set their sights firmly on Asia and its huge market.

Chinese consumers have become the world's leading buyers of luxury goods and account for one quarter of this market globally with demand growing, according to a report by consulting firm Bain & Co.

The fashion extravaganza showcasing the autumn and winter collections of 2013/14 kicked off at the weekend but Japanese brands took to the stage on Monday with Masanori Morikawa and his self-directed label, "Christian Dada".

Morikawa has created several pieces for American pop star Lady Gaga including a pink dress reminiscent of an origami crane for her 2012 "Born This Way Ball" tour.

This time he turned to Asia for inspiration with an edgy, androgynous collection titled "Fenghuang," which is Chinese for the mythical bird phoenix, pairing long, loose pants with richly embroidered lace on shirt sleeves for men and women.

Leather pants and jackets mingled with down-paneled trousers and shirts in plain, solid colors of black, white, red, blue and gold, which Morikawa said represented the nature of the phoenix.

"There's also the idea that the phoenix contains within itself both the male and the female, so we took this concept of fusion for the collection," Morikawa told reporters.

Asian influences came to the fore on Sunday as well as Mongolian designer Ariunaa Surenjav mixed modern designs with traditional raised forms on the shoulders and bunched sleeves.

"That part of the clothing design where the material goes up on the shoulder ... comes from the tradition in old Mongolia, where the local people who were noble and respected had that design," said Surenjav.

A NOD TO CHINA?

Although Morikawa said taking a Chinese title for the collection was just a reference to Chinese mythology and not a nod to the huge potential Chinese market, other designers were more open about their goals.

Conny Groenewegen, a Dutch designer who led off the runway on Sunday with clothing heavily influenced by Japanese designers, said her ambitions in Asia do not end with Japan.

"I would be very much interested to visit Shanghai and present my work over there, because I think that it is moving very fast," she told Reuters. "It's like a big youth culture over there and it has also a big, very rich history."

Although growth in China slowed last year, Bain is still forecasting growth of 4-6 percent a year for the global luxury market through 2015, after growth of 10 percent in 2012 to about $280 billion, largely driven by Chinese consumers.

With 1.3 billion consumers, many with a strong inclination for expensive brands that scream status, China remains a driving force in the luxury market.

Japan Fashion Week continues until March 24 with names such as Vivienne Tam and Hiroko Koshino also taking part.

(Additional reporting by Mariko Lochridge, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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We should first explain what is being proposed. For some time, the FBI has sought a way to observe information that passes through internet service providers in the same way they can (with a warrant) listen in on phone conversations. The problem is that while it's relatively easy for the FBI to deal with the handful of companies that operate telephone networks, there are many, many platforms on the Internet which people use to communicate: Gchat, Facebook, Twitter direct messages, Snapchat, etc. And as people — specifically, the people who the FBI wants to listen in on — use phones less and the Internet more, less and less communication is visible to their wiretapping. In , the FBI's general counsel described what she called the "Going Dark" problem.

The problem isn't really encryption, as such. While communications over Facebook and GMail and Apple's iMessage are encrypted, what the FBI really wants is a way for those companies — and others that don't use encryption — to let it peek in on what is being said.

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Not always, mind you — just after they get a court order. The FBI presents it as a natural evolution of its existing ability to eavesdrop on phone calls once a judge signs a warrant. In those cases, the FBI approaches a phone company, which allows access to communications involving a party. What the FBI wants to do, it assures those asking, is simply to allow that same sort of ability if it goes and knocks on Facebook's front door, warrant in-hand. .

Late last month,on the proposal being developed by a government task force which would need to be passed by Congress. The amendment to the existing wiretapping law — the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act — would allow a court to impose a series of increasing fines if a firm won't or can't comply with an FBI request to allow it to observe communications. (In the past, the Feds would apparently back off from companies that resisted.) In addition to indicating the president's likely support, :

Foreign-based communications services that do business in the United States would be subject to the same procedures, and would be required to have a point of contact on domestic soil who could be served with a wiretap order, officials said.

That notice that begins the 30-day requirement for compliance could, for example, be in the form of the signed warrant from the judge.

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It sounds simple. It is not.

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For one thing, internet communications are not like phone calls. While the FBI's goal isn't to break encryption directly, that's its effect in practice. This is not a trivial endeavor. Internet traffic is encrypted at various levels of difficulty, some of which are far harder to access than others. In some cases, the encryption takes place between users and isn't done by the company. Coming up with systems to allow the FBI access to communication could theoretically be very time- and resource-consuming. Because that cost is borne differently by companies of different sizes, The Times points out a strategy for those looking to evade observation.

Which brings us to the most obvious way for terrorists or drug dealers or law-breakers or, yes, privacy puritans to avoid the FBI's proposed wiretapping ability: if you want to reduce the likelihood that your communications will be observed, check out what will hereafter be known as "burner" companies — new shops that enable the sort of communications you want to do but are unlikely to have enough users that one draws the attention of the FBI. Become a TechCrunch afficianado! When a company announces it's "a new way to connect people," that's your best bet, as long as it doesn't become too popular. (The "burner" analogy to cheap cell phones — you've seen The Wire, right? — is flawed, of course; that would be more like creating new Facebook accounts to send messages for a day or so.) 

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But of course, the FBI is not the only who might have an easier time observing your communications if the proposal goes forward. Opponents argue that placing backdoors into online platforms, these companies will necessarily be creating a way for anyone with enough savvy and access (i.e. hackers) to discover and break in.a professor from Columbia University: "I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

There is a tiny chance that all of this is moot.  a CNN interview last week with a former FBI agent who claimed that the federal government was already storing all digital communication. All as in all. This is highly unlikely, if only because of the infrastructure that would be required. But if it is the case: Go ahead and use Facebook. 

Photo: The FBI comes knocking. (AP)

The newspaper reports that Warwickshire Police managed to track down and catch the criminals after the vehicle registered on an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system as it entered the town.

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The father of four agreed to the surgery, in which a band was placed around his stomach to restrict the amount of food he can eat, after turning 50 in September, spokesman Michael Drewniak confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Christie told The New York Post, which first reported the surgery, that he said he wasn't motivated by thoughts of running for president.

"I've struggled with this issue for 20 years," he told the newspaper. "For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them."

Christie has never disclosed his weight, but it's been an issue throughout his political career. Christie said four years ago that then-Gov. Jon Corzine was bringing it up in a campaign commercial that accused Christie of "throwing his weight around" to get out of traffic tickets.

Comics including Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman also have made fun of it. In interviews with Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and others, Christie has both joked about the issue and said solemnly that he's trying to shed pounds.

During a February appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," the governor pulled out a doughnut and said his girth was "fair game" for comedians.

Over his appearances the next few days, he was asked repeatedly about his weight. At one point, he said he had a plan for shedding some pounds: "Whether it's successful or not," he said, "you'll all be able to notice."

The next day, he responded angrily to comments from a former White House physician who said she worried about him dying in office. The governor said Dr. Connie Mariano should "shut up."

Ten days after that, on Feb. 16, Christie had the surgery. He said the operation lasted 40 minutes and he was home the same afternoon.

Christie, who is in the midst of a re-election campaign, declined to say how much weight he has lost since the surgery.

"A week or two ago, I went to a steakhouse and ordered a steak and ate about a third of it and I was full," he told the Post.

The Republican governor is running for a second term in November, although his name is often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate.

"I know it sounds crazy to say that running for president is minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it was looking at Mary Pat and the kids and going, 'I have to do this for them, even if I don't give a crap about myself,'" he said.

The revelation about Christie's surgery came the same day that MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski's book featuring comments from Christie hit bookstores.

In the book, "Obsessed: America's Food Addiction And My Own," Christie describes working out four times a week but not seeing major weight drops and hearing critics say that his weight shows he's undisciplined. He also talks about what others have said on Twitter, such as: "HEY GOVERNOR, WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST TODAY, ONE STICK OF BUTTER OR TWO?"

"For somebody like me who's had so much success in my life, and really been successful at everything I've tried, to not be able to be successful at this is incredibly discouraging," he said.

Approximately 160,000 stomach-reducing procedures of various types are performed each year. Gastric bypass, sometimes called stomach stapling, where surgeons shrink the stomach's size and reroute food to the small intestine, is the most common.

Gastric band surgery, best known by the brand name Lap-Band, is a less invasive and reversible alternative, in which an adjustable ring is placed over the top of the stomach and tightened to restrict how much food can enter.

Candidates for gastric banding must have a body mass index of between 30 and 40 plus a weight-related medical condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure or a BMI of 40 and higher. They also must have previously attempted to lose weight through diet and exercise.

Christie, who says he does not have any other significant health problems, has talked about working with a personal trainer since he first ran for governor four years ago.

"If you eat appropriately and chew your food, it works nicely," said Dr. Christina Li, a bariatric doctor at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

She said Christie has the resources to have people help him eat right and get exercise. While the band is removable, she said patients are told to adjust to having it for the rest of their lives.

Li said risks include infection, and that it does not work for all patients.

Dr. Jaime Ponce, who practices in Dalton, Ga., and is president of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, said people who have the procedure Christie had often lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Christie's procedure was performed by Dr. George Fielding, head of NYU Medical Center's Weight Management Program, who did the same procedure for New York Jets coach Rex Ryan three years ago.

"It basically teaches you how to eat like a human," Ryan said of the device in an interview last week with The Associated Press.

"I'd go to McDonald's or whatever and have a Big Mac, a quarter-pounder, a 20-piece (McNuggets) and some French fries and I never realized that was out of control. The Lap-Band goes: 'No, no. You're only going to eat this or that, and it trains your body how to eat right," said Ryan, who said he has lost 115 pounds from his pre-surgery weight of 348.

The adjustable Lap-Band has been available in the U.S. since 2001 for the most obese patients. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration expanded approval to somewhat less obese patients.

___

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington, Associated Press Writer Katie Zezima in Newark, N.J., and AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak in New York contributed to this report.

While many spirits are useful for activities beyond swilling (vodka, for example, is a ), tequila holds some particularly magical powers. Not all of them bad. Here are seven of them.

1. Synthetic baubleIn 2008, a team of scientists in Mexico discovered that when the heated vapor from an 80-proof tequila blanco was combined with a silicon or stainless steel substrate, it resulted in the . These films can be used in commercial applications, such as electrical insulators, or to create one big fake diamond. Who knew that spending $50 on a bottle of Don Julio was such a wise investment?

2. Alternative energy sourceKeeping with the science theme: In 2011, researchers at England's University of Oxford suggested that we may one day be . They identified agave, the plant from which tequila is produced, as a potential biofuel source — and a particularly attractive one, as the plant itself is not consumed by humans and can thrive in desert climates.

3. Cold remedy"Plenty of liquids" is a well-known remedy for getting oneself out from under the weather. But expanding that definition to include a kicked-up shot of tequila makes a day laid out on the couch sound much more appealing. In the 1930s,the following concoction to fight off a cold:

5. Sleep aidTake three or more shots of tequila and you're bound to pass out. A single shot can have the same effect — just not in that drunken stupor kind of way. Relaxation is one of theof tequila drinking; a small amount (1 to 1.5 ounces) before bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. (But maybe don't make a habit of it.)

6. Colon cleanserToo much of a good thing may not bring a welcome turn of events for your liver... but your colon will thank you! Researchers at Mexico's University of Guadalajara haveas a potentially helpful source for delivering drugs to the colon in order to treat colitis, IBS, Crohn's disease, and even cancer.

7. Diabetes preventativeIf Ernest Hemingway had known about the healing properties of tequila, his signature drink might have been a margarita instead of a daiquiri. In 2010, experiments conducted at Mexico's Polytechnic Institute of Guanajuato(which is high in fructans, a fructose polymer) could stimulate the GLP-1 hormone, aiding in increased insulin production.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will nominate venture capitalist and former wireless and cable lobbyist Tom Wheeler on Wednesday to head the Federal Communications Commission, according to a White House official.

After decades in and around Washington telecom circles, Wheeler would take the reins of the FCC as the industry prepares for a major reshuffling of ownership of radio airwaves and as the agency tries to catch up to rapidly changing technology.

He has the rare support of both industry groups and a number of consumer advocates.

Wheeler has served as an informal adviser to Obama in recent years and has been a big fundraiser for his political campaigns. He went into the venture investing business after years at the helm of the National Cable Television Association and then the wireless industry group CTIA.

Wheeler did not respond to a request for comment. He will succeed current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who plans to leave for the Aspen Institute think tank in coming weeks.

"Tom Wheeler is an experienced leader in the communications technology field who shares the president's commitment to protecting consumers, promoting innovation, enhancing competition and encouraging investment," the White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday in disclosing Wheeler's nomination.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, will take over as acting chairwoman until the Senate confirms the nomination, the official said. She will preside over a commission that includes one other Democrat and one Republican because Obama has yet to fill another open Republican seat on the usually five-member commission.

Wheeler's lobbying past has concerned some public interest groups as well as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat who wanted his former staffer and now junior FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel to get the post.

'FAVORS THE LITTLE GUY'

But overall, consumer advocates have embraced Wheeler's candidacy, noting that he joined both trade groups while the industries they represented were young and competing against established technologies.

"He's interested in competition and promoting new technologies," said Andrew Schwartzman, a prominent Washington public interest advocate, who said Wheeler understands the need to challenge market leaders. "His mind-set is of somebody who favors the little guy."

Schwartzman was one of several consumer advocates who earlier this month backed Wheeler in a letter to Obama.

A notable co-signer was Susan Crawford, a telecommunications policy expert who had been a favorite of consumer groups to lead the FCC. Crawford posted a tweet on Tuesday that described Wheeler as "a good man" with "experience and gravitas."

At the same time, many in the telecommunications industry have touted Wheeler's private-sector experience, noting that he founded and invested in many tech-based companies and expressing hope that his lobbying experience will make him more sympathetic to letting markets, not the government, set the industry's pace.

In a 2011 blog, Wheeler hinted that he favored a controversial and ultimately shelved merger deal between AT&T and T-Mobile, sparking speculation that he may be open to more consolidation in the wireless industry.

However, the blog post also suggested the FCC would have been able to levy heavier regulation over the newly merged company because of monopoly concerns.

On Tuesday, few industry groups or companies commented on Wheeler's upcoming nomination before it was formally announced.

The National Association of Broadcasters, whose relationship with the FCC has cooled as Genachowski shifted the agency's focus to expanding broadband access, simply said Wheeler had "the experience and temperament to serve the agency with distinction.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Sandra Maler, Carol Bishopric and Eric Beech)

The Netherlands National Prosecution Office said a 35-year-old suspect it identified only by his initials, S.K., was arrested Thursday at his home in Barcelona. Authorities also seized computers and mobile phones. Dutch prosecutors do not release full names of suspects, in line with privacy laws.

According to a prosecution statement, the man is suspected of "unprecedentedly serious attacks on the non-profit organization Spamhaus." He was held on a European arrest warrant and is expected to be extradited to the Netherlands to face justice.

The so-called denial-of-service attack on Spamhaus fired a torrent of data at the organization's servers and was blamed for other disruptions online. Dutch banks and an electronic payment service also have been hit by similar attacks in recent weeks, but prosecutors say they do not believe they are linked to the Spamhaus incident

Spamhaus, a site responsible for keeping ads for counterfeit Viagra and bogus weight-loss pills out of the world's inboxes, said it apparently was targeted by groups angry at being blacklisted by the Swiss-British group.

Prosecutors said the cyberattack also hit "partners" of Spamhaus in the United States, the Netherlands and Britain.

At the time, Vincent Hanna, a researcher with Spamhaus, called it a "small miracle" the organization had remained online during the cyber onslaught.

Denial-of-service attacks overwhelm a server with traffic like hundreds of letters being jammed through a mail slot at the same time. Security experts measure those attacks in bits of data per second. Recent cyberattacks such as the ones that caused persistent outages at U.S. banking sites late last year have tended to peak at 100 billion bits per second.

But the assault on Spamhaus shattered the charts, clocking in at 300 billion bits per second, according to San Francisco-based CloudFlare Inc., which Spamhaus enlisted to help it weather the attack.

Sougalo Togola, press officer for the Ministry of Internal Security, said Tuesday that the members of the cell were arrested over one month ago. The information was confirmed by an intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. "There was indeed a MUJAO cell in Bamako and it's been dismantled," he said.

Photographs of the seven suspects were published Tuesday on Maliweb, a news portal which often publishes messages from the military. All seven have the last name "Diallo," indicating they're from the Peul ethnic group.

"Fame:Psy", which went on sale in the United States and South Korea on Wednesday, focuses mainly on what went into making "Gangnam Style," which catapulted the sunglassed singer with the garish jackets to global fame and became YouTube's most popular song ever with more than 1.5 billion hits.

"Has he fallen from the sky? Has he risen from the earth?" the comic begins, with illustrations showing Psy - in the suits he made famous in "Gangnam Style" and striking poses from his "Horse Riding Dance" - descending from heaven and bursting through the earth.

"It was the end of summer, 2012, when a little-known Asian rapper put his music video on YouTube. It exploded in popularity," continues the 26-page tale, from U.S. publisher Bluewater Productions and South Korean firm "able".

"His stubby build and dynamic stage presence caught people's eyes. Psy's not your typical pop star".

In similarly breathless prose the comic covers the decade of Psy's pre-Gangnam career in Korea, the origins of the video and the dance, and the fame that followed, including scenes of a delighted Psy teaching U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon his dance and performing for U.S. President Barack Obama.

The comic, which also touches on the less happy parts of Psy's past such as being charged with possession of marijuana in 2002, includes a guide that shows readers how to do Psy's dance themselves.

It ends with the release of Psy's second video, "Gentleman", last month. The video has racked up nearly 260 million YouTube hits after smashing the previous record of first-day views for songs, and hit fifth place on the Billboard Hot 100 last week.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Paul Tait)

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