MANILA // The Philippines on Tuesday “strongly protested” against an American television drama for showing a fictional Filipino president making a sexual advance on the US secretary of state.
In the trailer for the latest episode of Madam Secretary, the lead character punches "the Philippines' unconventional new president" in the face and gives him a bloody nose in reaction to his unwanted pass.
“I clobbered a world leader instead of saving a major regional agreement,” the secretary of state said.
The Philippine embassy in Washington released a statement saying it had written to the producer of the show, the CBS network, to urgently request it “take the necessary corrective actions”.
“This highly negative portrayal of our head of state not only casts doubt on the respectability of the office of the Philippine president but also denigrates [the] way our nation navigates foreign affairs,” it said.
While the description for the trailer used a fictional name for the president, the embassy said the show mirrored current events.
The real Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has caused controversy with comments perceived to have been sexist and offensive.
The president has also been criticised for making jokes about rape, keeping mistresses and wolf-whistling at a woman journalist at a press conference. However, Mr Duterte, 71, has won praise for policies promoting women’s rights, including reproductive health.
His spokesman Ernesto Abella criticised the show on Tuesday, while also making a reference to womanising American leaders.
“I think they are projecting something they would really like to say about their own situation. I think they should use a fictional US president,” Mr Abella said.
“It’s their business. It’s their craft. You cannot deny them their craft, their taste perhaps.”
* Agence France-Presse
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The%20specs
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The five pillars of Islam
Results
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Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets