Musings From Abroad

Will Smith resigns from Academy over Oscar slap

Published

1 year ago

April 2, 2022

Veteran US actor Will Smith has voluntarily resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, after the embarrassment he caused by slapping comedian and show host, Chris Rock, on stage during the Oscars on Sunday, March 27.

Announcing his decision in a statement by his publicist on Friday, Smith said:

“I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.

“My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.

“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”

Smith had sensationally stormed the stage to slap Rock over a joke the comedian made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head which is a result of an hair-loss condition known as alopecia.

Smith would go on to win the best actor award for his role in the Ministry “King Richard,” where he played the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Shortly after Smith’s statement, the Academy said it has accepted the resignation and would “continue to move forward” with disciplinary proceedings against the actor.

David Rubin, President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said in a statement Friday that the organization has received and accepted Smith’s “immediate resignation.”

“We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18,” Rubin added.

Such disciplinary proceedings could include stripping Smith of the Oscar he won although that seems unlikely, but he would definitely be denied future appearance at Academy Awards ceremonies.

According to the regulations guiding the Academy, disciplinary actions include suspension or expulsion, along with “other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.”

Only a handful of actors have been expelled from the Academy in the past including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski, but it was not clear if the same fate was about to befall Smith before he threw in the towel.

But with Smith willingly resigning from the organization of movie stars, directors and producers, he will no longer be able to vote on Oscar-nominated movies and performances each year but he works will still be eligible for future Oscars consideration and nominations.

Related Topics:Chris Rock Featured Oscars Will Smith

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Musings From Abroad

Angola, Portugal sign 13-point pact spanning finance, law, others

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Angola and Portugal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding including 13 different agreements that cut across financial, legal and other critical areas.

The Angolan President, João Lourenço, who received his Portuguese counterpart, António Costa on Monday, revealed that the country was enthusiastic about partnering with its erstwhile colonialist.

“I have to say that we sensed a great willingness to collaborate on the part of the Portuguese justice system, with whom we were able to exchange not only information but also the alignment of Angola’s anti-corruption strategy and to say that in principle everything that was asked of the Portuguese authorities so that we could find the right correspondent”, president Lourenço said.

The Portuguese president announced a rise in its financial commitment to Angola which is a top oil producer in Africa.

“To support the Angolan government’s ambition and strategic approach to diversifying the country’s economy, we have significantly increased the credit line from one thousand five hundred to two billion euros”, announced Costa.

The new agreement will run till 2027. The economies of Angola and Portugal are deeply intertwined, and the two countries share a language and cultural heritage.

According to consular statistics, approximately 100,000 Portuguese nationals work in Angola, with approximately 10,000 Portuguese firms operating in a variety of sectors such as construction, engineering, hospitality, law, and financial services.

Musings From Abroad

Israeli PM, Netanyahu demands investigation over killing of soldiers in Egypt

Published

3 days ago

June 5, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an explanation from Egyptian authorities following the reported killing of three Israeli soldiers by a member of the Egyptian security services.

He told his cabinet in televised remarks that “Israel relayed a clear message to the Egyptian government. We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough.

“We will refresh procedures and methods of operations and also the measures to reduce to a minimum the smuggling and to ensure tragic terrorist attacks like this do not happen again.”

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack near Egypt’s border by a gunman wearing an Egyptian police uniform— the first deadly exchange along the border shared by the two countries in more than a decade.

According to the Israeli military, two soldiers were killed by an Egyptian policeman while securing a military post near the Egyptian border early Saturday. According to the report, the Egyptian officer and a third Israeli soldier were killed in a clash on Israeli territory hours later.

Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, while addressing journalists, said: “From that moment a terrorist event was declared, leading to sweeps of the area.”

He also revealed that “a drone was sent up and 1.5 kilometres inside Israel a suspicious person was identified.”

Egypt’s relationship with Israel is complicated and has evolved significantly over time. Despite having fought four wars, the two countries now work closely together, primarily on security issues.