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The release of Barbie and Oppenheimer films on the same day sparked a "Barbenheimer" meme frenzy - but this has caused upset in Japan as people have responded by posting 9/11 memes. Social media has been flooded with the clashing pink aesthetic of Barbie and the dark aesthetic of Oppenheimer, along with edits that combine the two films which has also resulted in a load of new merchandise and brand collaborations. A US account for the Barbie movie even responded to a graphic of both Cillian Murphy carrying Margot Robbie through a burning city with the caption: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, some have expressed how this trend is insensitive to Japan as the memes created are based on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs that took place 77 years ago during World War II, killing an estimated 129,000 to 226,000 people. The Japanese people have since responded to Barbenheimer with their own hashtag #NoBarbenheimer and have now created edits of their own using photos from 9/11 and adding the Barbie aesthetic. "The atomic bomb should not be used as a meme and turned into a comedy," one person said. "Do you know how many people were brutally murdered by the atomic bomb? Will "Barbie" advertise the Holocaust as well? Shame on you." Another person wrote: "It is too gross and absolutely horrifying to find those people making fun of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki AND the official Barbie Movie account approves them. This is totally inhumane!" Warner Bros Japan also noted their disappointment at Barbenheimer tweets. “We find it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie Barbie reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans," it wrote. "We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the US headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologise to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions.” This led Warner Bros US to issue an apology for engaging with the memes. “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” they wrote on their official account. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Ohio concludes a hastily called and highly charged special election Tuesday, a contest that could determine the fate of abortion rights in the state and fuel political playbooks nationally heading into 2024. On the ballot is Issue 1, a proposal to raise the threshold for passing future changes to the state's constitution from a simple majority to 60%. But more passionately in the sights of the proposal's backers — including Republican officeholders — is a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that calls for enshrining access to reproductive care in the state's foundational document. The measure was clearly resonating with voters, who turned out in huge numbers during the early voting period, which ended Sunday. The number of advance ballots cast — a combination of mail and early in-person ballots — hit nearly 700,000, more than double the early vote during the state's two previous midterm primary elections in 2022 and 2018. Ohio's August elections have historically focused on local issues and been plagued with chronically low turnout. The Republican lawmakers who backed Issue 1 maintained that the measure was not about thwarting the fall abortion amendment, despite reinstating an August special election just like the ones they had only recently voted to eliminate. Raising the bar for passing citizen-led constitutional amendments could make it difficult, if not impossible, for the fall proposal to succeed, based on polling figures. Voters in several states, even deeply conservative ones, have affirmed abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, though usually with less than 60% of the vote. AP VoteCast polling last year found that 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal. Out-of-state money has poured into both sides of the contest over the 60% threshold, even as both supporters and opponents say one of their main goals is to keep special interests from having more influence over state policy than average Ohioans. The campaign in favor of Issue 1, Protect Our Constitution, has told voters that raising the threshold will keep deep-pocketed interest groups from pushing redistricting, gun control and minimum wage policies on Ohio. One Person One Vote, the opposition campaign, argues that raising the threshold for passing future amendments would prioritize the interests of Ohio's increasingly conservative GOP supermajority at the statehouse over those of everyday voters. But abortion rights are at the epicenter of the fight, as Ohio and other states have been given control of their own abortion policies following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last summer. Ohio's ban on most abortions had been placed on hold under Roe and then allowed to take effect briefly after the court overturned it. Since then, it has been frozen again while a challenge alleging it violates the state constitution plays out. The abortion amendment would give individuals the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including on contraception, fertility treatment, abortion and miscarriage care, until a fetus is viable outside the womb. At the same time, a broad bipartisan coalition opposes Issue 1 for other reasons. Former Ohio governors and attorneys general of both parties have come out against the constitutional change, calling it poor public policy. If passed it would reverse 111 years of direct democracy that has the potential to affect future citizen-led ballot efforts. Protect Women Ohio, the campaign against the fall abortion question, has spent millions on the August election — airing ads suggesting the measure not only codifies abortion, but could pressure children into receiving gender-affirming care and undercut parental rights. Several legal experts have said there is no language in the amendment supporting the ads' claims, but it follows a pattern through this election cycle of misinformation and fear-mongering being used to sway voters. Issue 1 opponents have aired ads and mobilized a large coalition, including voting rights, labor, faith and community groups, as well as the state Democratic Party. It was because of chronically low turnout that lawmakers voted just last year to scrap summer elections, prompting an unsuccessful lawsuit alleging this year's August special election violated the new law and calling further into question if it was brought back solely to thwart abortion rights for Ohioans. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. 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Ask just about any true NBA fan what their two favorite words are when it comes to the NBA playoffs and you’ll get the same response:Game 7.Well, we have a doozy of one in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Boston Celtics are looking to make history and become the first team to ever...

Formula 1 and the FIA have until the close of play on Friday to respond to allegations from Felipe Massa’s lawyers of a “conspiracy” regarding the 2008 F1 title – with the Brazilian’s legal team set to take matters to the UK High Court, The Independent has learned. Massa is seeking substantial damages following the 2008 ‘Crashgate’ scandal and the subsequent impact it had on that year’s championship, won by Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the final race as then-Ferrari driver Massa missed out by a single point. New comments earlier this year, by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, about the scandal in Singapore has encouraged Massa to take legal action, with his lawyers sending an eight-page ‘Letter Before Claim’ to F1 and the FIA in August, alleging their client was the “victim of a conspiracy”. The letter set a request for reply of 14 days but, after responses from F1 and the FIA indicated that two weeks did not present enough time for a suitable reply, Massa’s legal team have set a new deadline of 4pm on Friday 8 September for an adequate response to the matter at hand. Should no response be received, his lawyers “anticipate being instructed to file claims in the UK High Court.” In addition, in quotes obtained by The Independent, Massa’s lawyer Bernardo Viana stated “the sport has had years to rectify the sham that Felipe, Brazil and Italy have endured… enough is enough, there is zero patience left.” He adds: “Felipe won the ninth championship for Brazil and the 16th for Ferrari. We will do everything we can to bring the trophy home to Brazil and Italy.” Formula 1 refused to comment when approached by The Independent. The FIA have been contacted for comment. Ecclestone revealed in March that both he and then-FIA president Max Mosley knew of the ‘Crashgate’ scandal in 2008 but refused to publicise the chain of events to avoid the sport a “huge scandal”. Ecclestone, 92, has since said he could not remember saying the key lines, telling Reuters: “I don’t remember any of this, to be honest. I don’t remember giving the interview for sure.” The new letter, addressed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, states: “Liberty Media the owner of F1, has made public disclosures acknowledging the potential material adverse impact on its own shareholders of a scandal that undermines the credibility of the sport. “Mr. Ecclestone’s comments from earlier this year revealed precisely such a scandal, which underscores the need for Liberty Media and F1 to act promptly and diligently in responding to the serious issues that Mr. Massa has raised.” It added that “if acting reasonably, an investigation would have been initiated when this became public some five months ago.” The original letter in August says that Massa has lost out on tens of millions of euros in lost earnings and bonuses as a result of missing out on the 2008 title. WHAT WAS CRASHGATE? Crashgate rocked the sport when the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso win the race before it emerged that his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr had deliberately crashed on the instructions of his team to bring out a safety car that played into Alonso’s hands. That safety car prompted a Massa pit stop that Ferrari mishandled, with Massa eventually finishing the race 13th while Hamilton came home third – a difference of six points, a swing which ultimately impacted the title result. While Renault and team boss Flavio Briatore were punished in 2009, the result of the race stood despite Massa’s protestations, with the FIA’s statutes making clear that overturning the classification from each season is impossible once the FIA Awards Ceremony for that year is complete, a rule set in the FIA International Sporting Code. The new furore surrounding the 2008 title was triggered after Ecclestone told F1-Insider earlier this year: “We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal. That’s why I used angelic tongues to persuade my former driver Nelson Piquet to keep calm for the time being. “Back then, there was a rule that a world championship classification after the FIA ​​awards ceremony at the end of the year was untouchable. So Hamilton was presented with the trophy and everything was fine. “We had enough information in time to investigate the matter. According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions. “That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.” Massa told Italian outlet TG1 this week that he “expects help from Ferrari” in his case, though has not yet received support from the Italian team. Despite the threat of legal action, Massa does not seem to be able to officially overturn the result – with the FIA’s own International Sporting Code stating protests and reviews expire 14 days after a competition and four days prior to that year’s prize-giving ceremony. He also cannot use the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has no jurisdiction over the FIA on issues like this, with the independent International Court of Appeal the highest authority in the sport. CAS may only be involved in F1 matters relating to the FIA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee. Massa’s best-finish in F1 turned out to be that 2008 season as he retired in 2017 while Hamilton has gone on to win six more titles with Mercedes, holding the joint-record of seven F1 World Championships with Michael Schumacher. Read More Lewis Hamilton gives blunt response to Felipe Massa’s legal action over 2008 F1 title Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 title still under threat as Felipe Massa bemoans ‘injustice’ Lando Norris could leave McLaren at end of the season, claims Nico Rosberg Toto Wolff slams ‘moaning’ across F1 grid after Lewis Hamilton apology FIA announce results of 2022 F1 cost cap process

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