Aladdin remake is a ‘love letter’ to the Middle East – Will Smith

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars after the comic made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The Oscar winner's slapping of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards has triggered heated debate on social media. Almost everyone agrees, however, that violence is no answer to a poor joke.

The 94th Academy Awards aimed to boost the ceremony's increasingly dismal ratings, but this year's Oscars went more viral than they bargained for. Just minutes before Will Smith won best actor for "King Richard", he walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after the latter made a bad joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.

In this edition of Encore!, we report on legendary US actor Bruce Willis's retirement because of his aphasia, a language disorder that robs people of their ability to communicate. The 67-year-old is perhaps best known for his role as New York cop John McClane in the "Die Hard" movies. We also take a trip to the 1920s to discover a new exhibition exploring an extraordinary generation of female artists. Plus, we bring you a report about women on the French rap scene.

The US actor has been barred from attending the glamorous Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles for 10 years after hitting comedian Chris Rock.

Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty on Wednesday (April 13) to a misdemeanor count of forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018, as part of an agreement with prosecutors that spares the Oscar-winning actor any immediate jail time.

We look at reaction to how Republican lawmakers in Florida may have just made an expensive mistake by revoking Disney's special status, as retribution for the company's opposition to the state's "Don’t say gay" bill. The papers are also discussing the situation in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol and what the coming weeks could mean for the war. Finally, The New York Times reports on how shaved heads "have people buzzing".

Will Smith is planning to practice yoga and meditation, according to an insider.

Disney's upcoming animated adventure film "Strange World" will go straight to Disney+ in France, while it will debut on the big screen elsewhere. The entertainment giant is protesting against the country's strict rules that require theatrically-released films to wait 17 months before going to streaming platforms. But first, European lawmakers take a step closer to meeting the bloc's target of making all new cars emissions-free by 2035, by endorsing a proposed ban on new fuel-powered cars.

Actor and director Jesse Eisenberg speaks to Eve Jackson at the Deauville American Film Festival, where he is presenting his first film as a director. "When You Finish Saving the World" stars Oscar winner Julianne Moore and "Stranger Things" actor Finn Wolfhard and centres on a clash between a mother and her son.

Since the start of the Ukraine war, there have been repeated false claims on social media that the entire conflict is being staged. France 24’s fact-checking team debunk the latest example: two videos that show a man in Ukrainian army uniform being filmed, as he appears to act out a scene on the battlefield.

The Bollywood icon, who turns 57 on November 2, has a vast Indian and global fanbase. DW's Brenda Haas finds that his charm both onscreen and off plays a big role.