BEIJING/SHANGHAI: Mercedes-Benz apologized to Chinese consumers on Tuesday for an Instagram post showing one of its luxury cars along with a quote from exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, whom Beijing considers a dangerous separatist.
In a statement on its official Weibo, the German car maker said it had deleted the controversial post immediately, and offered its sincerest apology to Chinese people, in a sign that foreign brands are growing more wary of the reputational damage that missteps on touchy political issues can bring.
In a “MondayMotivation” hashtagged post on Instagram, Mercedes showed one of its white cars on a beach along with a quote attributed to the Dalai Lama: “Look at the situations from all angles, and you will become more open.”
The post soon drew criticism from eagled-eyed Chinese netizens. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, though the Nobel Peace Prize winning monk says he simply seeks genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland.
“We will promptly take steps to deepen our understanding of Chinese culture and values, our international staff included, to help standardize our actions to ensure this sort of issue doesn’t happen again,” the Daimler-owned company said in the statement.
Foreign brands in China are trying to court Chinese shoppers who have growing purchasing power, but consumers and regulators are increasingly willing to challenge brands over actions that go against what Beijing deems appropriate.
Last month, firms including Delta Air Lines and Spanish apparel maker Zara were reprimanded by authorities for listing Taiwan and Tibet as countries on their websites. China claims sovereignty over both areas.
Marriott International had its website in China shut down by regulators after it caused a similar uproar, inviting boycotts from Chinese consumers.
China is the biggest overseas market for many international brands and the government is pivoting to a new economic growth model that is driven more by consumption rather than manufacturing and investment.
Mercedes-Benz apologizes to Chinese for quoting Dalai Lama
Mercedes-Benz apologizes to Chinese for quoting Dalai Lama
Philippines observes Good Friday with crucifixions and whippings
- The extreme acts are frowned upon by the Catholic Church in the Philippines and health experts
While most Filipinos went to church or spent the holiday with family, thousands gathered in villages around San Fernando city, north of Manila, to watch men punish themselves in a bid to atone for their sins or seek miracles from God.
Dozens of bare-chested flagellants wearing black shrouds and crowns made of vines walked barefoot through dusty, narrow streets, rhythmically flogging their backs with strips of bamboo tied to ropes, their blood soaking the top of their trousers and spattering onlookers.
Some lay face down on the ground to be whipped and beaten by others, razor blades sometimes used to draw blood.
“This is for my son, an epileptic,” said Joel Yutoc, who has his 13-year-old son’s name tattooed across his chest.
Yutoc, 31, said his son had not had seizures in the eight years since he began taking part in the Good Friday floggings.
The whippings are the opening act of street plays performed by devout residents.
In San Juan village, a short, wiry man with wild, white hair playing the role of Jesus Christ and two others were dragged by neighbors dressed as Roman centurions to a raised mound where wooden crosses lay on the ground.
As spectators filmed on their mobile phones, three-inch nails were driven into the men’s palms and the crosses were hoisted upright.
Several minutes later the crosses were lowered to the ground and the nails pulled out.
“I will keep doing this while I’m alive, for as long as my body is able to do it. That is my vow,” said retired fisherman Wilfredo Salvador, 67, who began playing the role of Jesus Christ in the mock crucifixions 16 years ago following a mental breakdown.
“This is nothing. Sometimes it heals after a day and I am able to wash dishes and bathe,” Salvador said of his wounds.
San Juan homemaker Marilyn Lovite, 41, said she watches the gruesome re-enactment every year to “learn about the suffering of Christ.”
“If you were to merely read it in the Bible you would not really understand. In action it is clearer for us to see how he suffered for us,” the mother-of-four said.
Ten people were nailed or strung up on crosses at three crucifixion sites, San Fernando city councillor Reginaldo David told reporters.
At the biggest event, veteran performer Ruben Enaje, 63, had his hands and feet nailed to a cross for the 35th time in his role as Jesus Christ.
Enaje remained nailed up for more than 10 minutes as storm clouds gathered overhead. It began to rain as he was carried on a stretcher to a medical tent where his wounds were bandaged.
“I feel no pain in my hands but my body as a whole feels sore,” Enaje said.
“The Passion Play was longer this year because we lengthened the script. Maybe that was why my body feels sore.”
Enaje said this year might be his last appearance as Jesus.
“I can’t say if I will still be able to do it again next year because my body feels like it is about to give in,” he said.
The extreme acts are frowned upon by the Catholic Church in the Philippines and health experts.
The Philippine health department urged the public this week to “avoid acts or rites that lead to physical wounds and injuries.”
“We join the pastoral guidance of our faith leaders, guiding all toward religious practices that are safe and healthy,” it said in a statement.
But for devotees like 23-year-old Ian Bautista, who has been taking part in the floggings since he was 15 and is one of four flagellants in his family, the suffering was for a good cause.
“It’s for my mother,” Bautista said, explaining that she had surgery for an ovarian cyst on Monday and that he believed taking part would help her recovery.
“It’s painful but I will do this until my body gives up.”
'Oppenheimer’ finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
- “Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film
- The film’s release in Japan had been watched with trepidation
TOKYO: “Oppenheimer” finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima when he was 3, said he has been fascinated by the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called “the father of the atomic bomb” for leading the Manhattan Project.
“What were the Japanese thinking, carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, starting a war they could never hope to win,” he said, sadness in his voice, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
He is now chairperson of a group of bomb victims called the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organization and he saw “Oppenheimer” at a preview event. “During the whole movie, I was waiting and waiting for the Hiroshima bombing scene to come on, but it never did,” Mimaki said.
“Oppenheimer” does not directly depict what happened on the ground when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, turning some 100,000 people instantly into ashes, and killed thousands more in the days that followed, mostly civilians.
The film instead focuses on Oppenheimer as a person and his internal conflicts.
The film’s release in Japan, more than eight months after it opened in the US, had been watched with trepidation because of the sensitivity of the subject matter.
Former Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka, who spoke at a preview event for the film in the southwestern city, was more critical of what was omitted.
“From Hiroshima’s standpoint, the horror of nuclear weapons was not sufficiently depicted,” he was quoted as saying by Japanese media. “The film was made in a way to validate the conclusion that the atomic bomb was used to save the lives of Americans.”
Some moviegoers offered praise. One man emerging from a Tokyo theater Friday said the movie was great, stressing that the topic was of great interest to Japanese, although emotionally volatile as well. Another said he got choked up over the film’s scenes depicting Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil. Neither man would give his name to an Associated Press journalist.
In a sign of the historical controversy, a backlash flared last year over the “Barbenheimer” marketing phenomenon that merged pink-and-fun “Barbie” with seriously intense “Oppenheimer.” Warner Bros. Japan, which distributed “Barbie” in the country, apologized after some memes depicted the Mattel doll with atomic blast imagery.
Kazuhiro Maeshima, professor at Sophia University, who specializes in US politics, called the film an expression of “an American conscience.”
Those who expect an anti-war movie may be disappointed. But the telling of Oppenheimer’s story in a Hollywood blockbuster would have been unthinkable several decades ago, when justification of nuclear weapons dominated American sentiments, Maeshima said.
“The work shows an America that has changed dramatically,” he said in a telephone interview.
Others suggested the world might be ready for a Japanese response to that story.
Takashi Yamazaki, director of “Godzilla Minus One,” which won the Oscar for visual effects and is a powerful statement on nuclear catastrophe in its own way, suggested he might be the man for that job.
“I feel there needs to an answer from Japan to ‘Oppenheimer.’ Someday, I would like to make that movie,” he said in an online dialogue with “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan.
Nolan heartily agreed.
Hiroyuki Shinju, a lawyer, noted Japan and Germany also carried out wartime atrocities, even as the nuclear threat grows around the world. Historians say Japan was also working on nuclear weapons during World War II and would have almost certainly used them against other nations, Shinju said.
“This movie can serve as the starting point for addressing the legitimacy of the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as humanity’s, and Japan’s, reflections on nuclear weapons and war,” he wrote in his commentary on “Oppenheimer” published by the Tokyo Bar Association.
Dogs can associate words with objects, study finds
That our four-legged companions are able to recognize words that prompt actions will come as no surprise to dog owners who tell their pets to “sit” or “fetch.”
However, the study, which analyzed brain activity in 18 dogs, provided evidence that they can activate a memory of an object when they hear its name. The study was carried out at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest and published in the journal Current Biology.
“There has been a long debate on a non-human animal’s ability to understand words referentially,” said Marianna Boros who co-authored the study.
“While there have been behavioral reports, these were always exceptional cases. Our study is the first where we claim that this is a species-wide capacity.”
During the study, dog owners said words for objects their pets knew. Then in some cases they would present the dog with an object that matched the word, while in other cases the object didn’t match.
The results found that the patterns in the dogs’ brains when the words matched the objects were different compared to when they didn’t. This is similar to what can be observed in humans.
“Dogs can understand that words stand for things... So they activate mental representations and they link the meaning of the word to a mental representation and not just the context,” said Boros.
The researchers plan to examine if this ability to understand referential language is specific to dogs or might be present in other mammals as well.
Video of Lebanese PM mistaking aide for Italy’s Giorgia Meloni goes viral
- Mikati greets aide, gives her a peck on each cheek at Beirut Airport
- Online users make fun over the blunder, some accusing him of embarrassing Lebanon
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati was the victim of an innocent gaffe on Wednesday when he mistook an assistant for Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and gave her a peck on the cheek at Beirut Airport.
In a short video that went viral across social media on Wednesday and Thursday, Mikati was shown waiting on the tarmac during a welcome reception as Meloni’s plane arrived in Beirut.
Media reports identified the aide as Patrizia Scurti, who had disembarked from the plane ahead of the Italian leader.
Mikati approached Scurti, who was carrying two bags, and gave her a handshake and a peck on each cheek. He then turned, wanting to accompany her on the red carpet toward the airport’s main building, when one of his aides informed him about the blunder.
Mikati then turned back toward the staircase and went to welcome Meloni, who had stepped out from the plane. He greeted her with a handshake and kissed her on each cheek.
The video triggered social media uproar as the Lebanese prime minister was subject to mockery and criticism online. Online users joked about the blunder, with some accusing him of embarrassing Lebanon and the Lebanese.
A source close to the prime minister’s office told Arab News on Thursday that it was an “honest mistake” and did not warrant “that much unneeded sarcasm or mockery across social media.”
The source, who requested anonymity, added: “Anybody who watches the video would realize how much the two women look alike.”
As part of her short trip to Lebanon, Meloni on Thursday inspected the Italian contingent at the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, in the south of the country, and thanked the troops for their services.
India’s biggest election loser ready to fight again
- K. Padmarajan, a 65-year-old tire repair shop owner, failed 238 times in his bid for public office, but he vows to fight on
- His one victory has been to earn a place as India’s most unsuccessful candidate in the Limca Book of Records
METTUR, India: Despite failing 238 times in his bid for public office in India, K. Padmarajan is unperturbed as he prepares, yet again, to contest elections in the world’s largest democracy.
The 65-year-old tire repair shop owner began fighting elections in 1988 from his hometown of Mettur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
People laughed when he threw his hat into the ring, but he said he wanted to prove that an ordinary man can take part.
“All candidates seek victory in elections,” said Padmarajan, sporting a bright shawl draped over his shoulder and an imposing walrus moustache. “Not me.”
For him, the victory is in participating, and when his defeat inevitably comes, he is “happy losing,” he said.
This year, in India’s six-week-long general elections that begin on April 19, he is contesting a parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.
Popularly dubbed the “Election King,” Padmarajan has competed across the country in elections ranging from presidential to local polls.
Over the years he has lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former premiers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, and Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi.
‘It is about involvement’
“Victory is secondary,” he said. “Who is the opposite candidate? I do not care.”
Padmarajan’s main preoccupation now is extending his losing streak.
It has not come cheap — he estimates he has spent thousands of dollars in more than three decades of nomination fees.
That includes a security deposit of 25,000 rupees ($300) for his latest tilt, which will not be refunded unless he wins more than 16 percent of the vote.
His one victory has been to earn a place as India’s most unsuccessful candidate in the Limca Book of Records, the country’s archive of records held by Indians.
Padmarajan’s best performance was in 2011, when he stood for the assembly elections in Mettur. He won 6,273 votes — compared to more than 75,000 for the eventual victor.
“I did not even expect one vote,” he said. “But it showed that people are accepting me.”
In addition to his tire repair shop, Padmarajan provides homoeopathic remedies and works as an editor for local media.
But among all his jobs, fighting elections was the most important, he said.
“It is about involvement,” he said. “People hesitate to put in their nominations. So I want to be a role model, to create awareness.”
‘Failure is best’
Padmarajan maintains detailed records of the nomination papers and identity cards from each of his failed bids for statesmanship, all laminated for safekeeping.
Each bears the multitude of campaign symbols he has used; a fish, ring, hat, telephone and, this time, tires.
Once the subject of ridicule, Padmarajan is now asked to address students about resilience, using his campaigns to explain how to bounce back from defeat.
“I do not think of winning — failure is best,” he said. “If we are in that frame of mind, we do not get stressed.”
Padmarajan’s lesson in democracy comes at a time when public support for India’s clamorous democratic process appears to be waning.
A February survey by the Pew Research Center found 67 percent of Indians thought that a strong leader unencumbered by parliament or the courts was a better system of government than representative democracy — up from 55 percent in 2017.
Rights groups also say that democracy has become increasingly illiberal under Modi, with several criminal probes into opposition party leaders making this year’s election appear increasingly one-sided.
Padmarajan said it was important, now more than ever, that every citizen of the country exercise their franchise.
“It is their right, they should cast their votes, in that respect there is no winning or losing,” he said.
Padmarajan said he will continue to fight elections until his last breath — but would be shocked were he ever to win.
“I will have a heart attack,” he laughed.