All posts tagged: Slap

China to slap retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian products

China to slap retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian products

Published by Sam

Containers at the Port of Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Feb. 28, 2025. Ethan Cairns/Bloomberg via Getty Images China on Saturday announced retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian agricultural goods, hitting back after Ottawa slapped import duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products. Beijing said a 100% tariff would be imposed on Canadian rapeseed oil, oil cakes and peas, while a 25% levy would be placed on aquatic products and pork originating in Canada. The tariffs are scheduled to come into force from March 20, according to a statement from China’s Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. The measures come amid a brewing global trade war, following several tariff announcements by the U.S., China, Canada and Mexico in recent months. Canada imposed 100% import tariffs on Chinese-made EVs from Oct. 1 last year, following in the footsteps of the U.S. and the European Union over concerns related to unfair competition. Ottawa also applied a 25% tariff on imports of steel and aluminum products from China, which came into effect from Oct. …

Jerry Seinfeld Wanted Chris Rock to Parody Oscars Slap in ‘Unfrosted’

Jerry Seinfeld Wanted Chris Rock to Parody Oscars Slap in ‘Unfrosted’

Published by Sam

Jerry Seinfeld wanted Chris Rock to parody Will Smith slapping him at the 2022 Oscars for his Netflix movie Unfrosted. While appearing on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s podcast Fly on the Wall this week, Seinfeld said he initially wanted to cast Rock in the role as the host of the Bowl & Spoon Awards, which eventually went to Cedric the Entertainer. “We shot that right after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld said. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.” However, Rock “wasn’t up to perform” the parody of the incident. “He was a little shook from that event,” Seinfeld explained. “That was what that scene was going to be, but Cedric saved the day.” When Seinfeld asked Spade and Carvey if they thought the scene would’ve been funny with Rock, the hosts confirmed that it didn’t need the comedian. “Without the Will Smith thing, I think it’s funny. There’s still kind of a residual darkness around that moment,” opined Carvey. …

Jerry Seinfeld asked Chris Rock to parody Will Smith Oscars slap in ‘Unfrosted,’ but Rock was still ‘shook’

Jerry Seinfeld asked Chris Rock to parody Will Smith Oscars slap in ‘Unfrosted,’ but Rock was still ‘shook’

Published by skeptic

Jerry Seinfeld revealed during a recent interview on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast that he wanted Chris Rock to parody the infamous Oscars slap in his feature directorial debut “Unfrosted,” which recently premiered on Netflix. The issue was that Seinfeld filmed the comedy movie not long after the March 2022 Oscars, and Rock was allegedly feeling too “shook” to be able to perform in the movie. “The other thing I wanted to do that I almost did was Chris Rock was going to be the emcee of the Bowl & Spoon Awards — and we shot that right after the Will Smith slap,” Seinfeld explained. “I was going to have somebody come up on the stage and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there.” “Unfrosted” is loosely based on the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts. Set in 1963, it tracks the rivalry between cereal companies Kellogg’s and Post as they compete to have the breakfast pastry hit the market first. Seinfeld stars in the movie opposite Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Max Greenfield, Hugh Grant …

US students blast cancellation of commencements: ‘A slap in the face’ | US campus protests

US students blast cancellation of commencements: ‘A slap in the face’ | US campus protests

Published by skeptic

Spare a thought for the class of 2024. Some graduating seniors, many of whom did not receive proper high school send-offs due to early Covid lockdowns, once again face muted celebrations. Though the majority of commencement ceremonies across the US are going ahead as planned, a handful of universities have pared down or outright cancelled festivities on the big day. Columbia University administrators announced plans to cancel its university-wide ceremony, citing security concerns, while Emory University will move its commencement off campus. The University of Southern California (USC) cancelled its main ceremony in favor of smaller receptions for different schools. Ditto for California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in northern California, which has closed its campus entirely and will host smaller celebrations arranged off campus. Some students believe the move is intended to squash dissent by those protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza. “It’s a slap in the face to the student body,” said Ione Dellos, a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt who covered the protests for college radio station KRFH. Dellos was thrilled to …

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith charity closes down after decreasing donations post-Oscar slap

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith charity closes down after decreasing donations post-Oscar slap

Published by skeptic

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are closing down their charity after an abrupt decrease in donations and the absence of previous top-dollar contributors. The celebrity couple founded their non-profit organization, the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation in 1996. It focused on advocating for causes that the Smiths championed like mental health and wellness, arts education and sustainability — all through the lens of social impact. However, the infamous Chris Rock Oscar slap seen and heard around the world changed the Smiths’ public perception. According to Variety, after the 2022 Oscars, the Smiths’ tax filings showed that high-profile donors, who had previously given to the foundation, had stopped altogether. This forced the couple to begin shutting down the nearly 30-year-old charity. Also, the tax records highlighted that the foundation’s revenue dropped from $2.1 million in 2021 to a mere $365,870 in 2022. Their donations had dropped 83% with the departure of American Airlines, which donated $76,160 in 2021, and talent agency CAA, which contributed $100,000 in 2021. However, a source told Variety that before the slap, the …

Labour’s ‘back-of-a-fag packet’ plan to slap VAT on independent schools could cost £1.6bn | Politics | News

Labour’s ‘back-of-a-fag packet’ plan to slap VAT on independent schools could cost £1.6bn | Politics | News

Published by skeptic

Labour plans to slap VAT on independent school fees could actually cost £1.6billion, rather than deliver a tax dividend, a damning new analysis has indicated. A new report published by the Adam Smith Institute suggests that applying the levy risks raising no money at all – and could even backfire in spectacular fashion. The report also finds that the policy risked harming other children by creating a mass exodus to the already overwhelmed state system, intensifying competition for the country’s best state and grammar schools. It also highlighted the risk of reduced bursary and scholarship opportunities for talented youngsters. The analysis, by the Adam Smith Institute (ASI), scrutinises the findings of a separate report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which suggests applying VAT to independent school fees would raise £1.3-£1.5billion – evidence for which the think tank itself has acknowledged is “thin” and “sparse”. Under the IFS’ optimistic scenario, only a limited number of parents will no longer be able to afford fees, and will move their children to the state sector. However, the …

Europe may slap retroactive tariffs on Chinese EVs

Europe may slap retroactive tariffs on Chinese EVs

Published by skeptic

After months of investigation, the European Commission says it has found evidence that China has been “unfairly” subsidizing the EVs it exports to Europe. Possible “remedies” on the table include retroactive tariffs on Chinese EVs. The European Commission says China hasn’t been playing fair in that its government has been paying subsidies through “direct transfer of funds,” among other actions, reports Reuters – which the EC says tips the balance in China’s favor and leaves European automakers out to dry. Back in October 2023, Europe launched its formal investigation into the Chinese EV industry, as European companies are struggling to compete with the cheap, high-tech Chinese imports, made by low-cost labor, entering the European Union. The European Commission visited BYD, Geely, and SAIC to gather intel, as part of its probe into what it says are both subsidies and bank lending campaigns from Beijing that fueled the outsize growth in China, with fears that China is building EV plants far beyond levels needed for domestic demand. Meanwhile, the US and Europe have been tightening their …

‘The slap’, protests and tears: what makes a memorable Oscar speech? | Oscars 2024

‘The slap’, protests and tears: what makes a memorable Oscar speech? | Oscars 2024

Published by skeptic

If Da’Vine Joy Randolph is, as predicted, announced as winner of the supporting actress Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles next weekend, the actor from Philadelphia will have to stride up to the podium and come up with the goods yet again. She has already spoken well at both the Golden Globes and Baftas when honoured for her role in The Holdovers. Let’s hope she has something left in the bag. For Wendy Shanker it is a familiar predicament. The American script-doctor is regularly called upon to write a few wise words for potential award winners and at this time of year her phone is red hot. “It can be difficult if you’ve already done acceptance speeches, like Da’Vine. She will want to have kept back something that’s unique for the Oscar. But then she might not get it,” she said this weekend. “So I often help clients find that fine balance between making the most of it and hanging everything on it.” Da’Vine Joy Randolph poses with her Best Supporting …

Rishi Sunak sends Keir Starmer reeling with epic PMQs slap down | Politics | News

Rishi Sunak sends Keir Starmer reeling with epic PMQs slap down | Politics | News

Published by skeptic

A revved-up Rishi Sunak damned Sir Keir Starmer as “spineless, hopeless and utterly shameless” at PMQs today, as the weekly session erupted into a row about antisemitism and Islamophobia. Sir Keir hoped to humiliate the Tories over Liz Truss’s recent appearance at CPAC in America, accusing her of “slagging off and undermining Britain at every opportunity” to sell her new book. He ranted that Ms Truss stayed silent as the “right wing thug” Tommy Robinson was described as a “hero”. Asked why the PM was allowing Ms Truss to stand as a Tory MP at the election, Mr Sunak erupted at Sir Keir Starmer’s “shamelessness”. Mr Sunak told MPs: “If he wants to talk about former leaders and predecessors, the whole country knows his record!” ‘He sat there while antisemitism ran rife in his party. And not once but not twice backed a man who called Hamas friends. “To their credit, the shadow chancellor, the shadow home secretary and shadow foreign secretary refused to back the former Labour leader, but he didn’t because he’s spineless, …

Humza Yousaf delivers brutal ‘slap in the face’ to victims as 1,406 Scots crooks walk free | Politics | News

Humza Yousaf delivers brutal ‘slap in the face’ to victims as 1,406 Scots crooks walk free | Politics | News

Published by skeptic

More than 1,400 convicted criminals received no punishment over a four-year period as a result of Scotland’s lenient justice system, delivering what has been described as a “slap in the face” for victims. The alarming data indicates that an eyebrow-raising 1,406 people walked out of court with no punishment between 2018 and 2022, including 17 found guilty of serious assault and attempted murder, and 12 who were convicted of serious assault. Four domestic abusers and four housebreakers also got off scot-free, plus seven fraudsters and six drug dealers. The number was uncovered by a Freedom of Information request submitted by Scottish Conservatives, with the Scottish Sentencing Council (SSP) confirming it had handed out absolute discharges in each case. The term refers to instances in which individuals are found guilty but given no punishment. The SSP describes absolute discharges as being given “only in exceptional circumstances”. Examples can include when the offender has previously been of good character, is very young or old, or the offence is very minor. Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservatives’ justice spokesman, …