It all started Aug. 26 when Pramod Mahajan, a BJP minister, attacked Italian-born Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin. “If we are so keen on having a foreigner as a prime minister,” he said, “why not have Tony Blair or Bill Clinton–or even Monica Lewinsky?” Then Vajpayee’s Defense Minister George Fernandes said Sonia’s only contribution to society was adding two children to India’s population of 1 billion.
That was enough for the Congress Party. Its leaders quickly dug into Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, calling him corrupt and accusing him of making money through underhanded deals. Then one of Gandhi’s aides suggested in a television debate that members of Vajpayee’s family were running the government. Some overzealous Congress supporters even coined dirty limericks attacking the BJP and recited them in bazaars. Though both campaigns have recanted, it may be too late. Starting this week, voters will get to do a little mudslinging of their own.
MIDEASTThat’s Progress
With a push from Madeleine Albright, Israel and the Palestinians finally agreed to revive the stalled Wye accord. The breakthrough centered on the release of Palestinian prisoners and paves the way for “final status” negotiations. But those talks–which will deal with stickier issues, like Palestinian refugees and control of Jerusalem–are much more explosive, say Israeli pols. One analyst says any solution would be “dissatisfactory to both sides.”
SOUTH KOREAChallenging the Chaebols
Last week Hyundai, South Korea’s largest chaebol, became the latest conglomerate to be put in the hot seat. Only a few weeks after the government dismantled Daewoo, prosecutors placed travel bans on nine top Hyundai execs on charges of manipulating the stock price. The company firmly denied the charges. The government also revealed an investigation of the family that owns Samsung, the third-largest chaebol, for possible tax evasion.
The crackdowns have won wide public support, which the Kim administration desperately needs to win an uphill battle in next spring’s crucial parliamentary elections. But everything has its price. Said Yu Han Soo, secretary general at the Federation of Korean Industries, “Without the likes of Hyundai, Samsung or Daewoo, the Korean economy has nothing to offer international markets.’’ On news of the Hyundai probe, Seoul stocks fell by nearly 4 percent and interest rates rose to a one-year high.
PARLIAMENTOh, Lord, What Have I Done?
Defend your existence in 75 words or less. tough assignment, no? As part of a controversial effort to slim down Britain’s House of Lords, the 759 hereditary peers have been ordered to submit brief manifestoes explaining why they should keep their jobs. This fall the lords will vote to decide which 92 get to stay. The winners, officials hope, will make the house more democratic. (In case you’re wondering, word No. 75 is right now.) The word limit is designed to prevent peers from listing endless accomplishments. “The whole thing is ludicrous,” one lord says. “What do I include? My shoe size, number of brain cells?” Sure, just keep it short.
ANIMATIONI’m OK, You’re Mononoke: Anime Arrives
Pokémania rolled on last week, becoming the no. 1 saturday cartoon. Next import: “Princess Mononoke,” an animated film second only to “Titanic” in Japanese box-office history. Pokémon she ain’t–but anime isn’t all cute little monsters. A PERI guide:
Pokemon gross revenue, world-wide: $5,000,0000,000
Hot Monsters: Pokémaniacs love anime (Japanese animation) and don’t even know it. Witness the success of the Poképire: TV show, trading cards, videogames, comics and on and on. In November: ‘Pokémon the Movie.’
Beyond Bugs: Cartoons get by on gags and singing animals. Not anime–it’s rooted in Japanese folklore. Must-see movies: ‘Akira,’ ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’ Must-read manga (comics): ‘Sailor Moon,’ ‘Ranma’ and ‘Battle Angel Alita.’ For interactive anime, try the Tekken or Final Fantasy videogames. Be warned: it’s not kiddie stuff.
Flash in Japan: ‘Mononoke’ means spirit, but the movie doesn’t translate as easily. It’s an operatic tale of man vs. nature. Despite breathtaking art, it’ll be ‘a hard sell,’ says Scott Mauriello of New York’s Anime Crash shop. Miramax, set for an Oct. 29 release, hopes star dubbing power–Claire Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, Jada Pinkett–will ease the culture barrier.
GREENLANDIce That’s Hot
Frank Rasmussen may be the first person ever to sell ice to an Eskimo. Last year his Nuuk-based company, Ice Cap Rocks, sold six tons of the stuff to Greenlanders, 80 percent of whom are Inuit. Because it comes from an iceberg, the ice melts more slowly and is purer, he says; one Danish study showed that Greenland’s ice contains 300 times fewer bacteria than regular ice.
He now hopes to sell it farther afield, including in Britain, where it will shortly go on sale at Harrods. But don’t expect it to become a mass-market product: Rasmussen has permission to export only 2,000 tons a year. The rest of us will just have to make do with our ice trays.
BUSINESSYou Go, Girl
Not one to let a little scandal stop her, Monica Lewinsky is launching a line of handbags. She’s not the first broken heart to embrace her inner entrepreneur. A PERI guide to scorned women and their business savvy:
Shoshanna Lonstein: This year, Seinfeld’s ex will sell $1 million worth of dresses for ‘well-endowed’ women
Sarah Ferguson: She lost the royal title, but Fergie’s got a $1.7 million Weight Watchers deal
Ivana Trump: The queen ofhome shopping makes millions selling jewelry and cosmetics
Frances Lear: Spent her $100 million divorce settlement from Norman on Lear’s magazine
ARTThe Tooth of the Matter
And you thought she was just shy. The cause of Mona Lisa’s perplexing smile, claims an Italian doctor, was bruxism: complusive teeth grinding. The diagnosis contradicts earlier theories that she had congenital palsy, a stroke or–our favorite–blackened teeth from a crude syphilis treatment. Next they’ll say the “Scream” guy was having a nasty migraine.
