Indonesian president appeals for modesty

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants the women of the world's most populous Muslim nation to shun fashion and cover up their navels.

"Indonesian women, who are known for their courtesy, should refrain from exposing their midriffs or belly buttons, which now seems to be taken for granted," Yudhoyono said at a function to mark Indonesia's women's day.

"There are many ways to express beauty, as part of aesthetics, and to express freedom - but not by showing things that lead to pornography," he said.