Film show: 'Avatar' makes a fiery return
• Dec 17, 2025, 2:34 PM
1 min de lecture
Emma Jones takes us through the third installment of James Cameron's epic project, as "Avatar: Fire and Ash" takes us back to the spectacular setting of Pandora. We discuss the message at the heart of the movies and the new additions to its cast. Next, director Kleber Mendonça Filho plunges us into 1970s Brazil thanks to a swinging soundtrack and anamorphic Panavision lenses, as Wagner Moura gives an award-winning performance in "The Secret Agent". We also check out a moving tribute to Neil Diamond and small-time musicians the world over in "Song Sung Blue", starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Plus Kate Winslet goes behind the camera for her star-studded directorial début, "Goodbye June".
Today
France marks International Migrants Day amid growing pressure on migrant workers
• 1:37 PM
1 min
On International Migrants Day, hundreds of groups across France are mobilizing to highlight migrants’ contributions and struggles as immigration rules tighten and expulsions rise. Migrant workers remain vital to sectors like restaurants and construction,
Read the article
UK to rejoins EU's Erasmus exchange program
• 1:36 PM
1 min
Britain and the European Union agreed on December 17, 2025 to allow UK students to rejoin the bloc's popular student exchange programme Erasmus+ from 2027, a small but symbolic sign of improved relations after Brexit.
Read the article
Brazil Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro prison term
• 1:34 PM
1 min
Brazil’s Senate passed a bill that could drastically reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup, potentially cutting his time behind bars to just over two years. The bill, already approved by the lower chamber, n
Read the article
EU kicks off crunch summit on Russian asset plan for Ukraine
• 1:33 PM
1 min
EU leaders kicked off a make-or-break summit Thursday on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, with key player Belgium under pressure to drop its opposition. The 27 nation bloc is scrambling to bolster its ally Ukraine, as US President Donald Trum
Read the article
Donald Trump delivers year-end address, deflects blame for economic difficulties
• 1:31 PM
1 min
President Trump delivered a prime-time address blaming Democrats and Joe Biden for economic struggles while promising an eventual economic boom. He announced a one-time bonus check for U.S. troops tied to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, in a speech
Read the article
Syria trial over post-Assad violence
• 1:29 PM
1 min
A trial opened December 18 in Aleppo for suspects accused of post-Assad violence, including attacks on transitional government forces. About 500 people are under investigation, in what is seen as a landmark case as it is the first time government-linked
Read the article
Venezuela claims US naval blockade is not affecting oil exports
• 1:28 PM
1 min
Venezuela on Wednesday said its crude oil exports were not impacted by US President Donald Trump's announcement of a potentially crippling blockade, insisting it was proceeding with business as usual.
Read the article
US : Filmmaker Rob Reiner's son appears in court on murder charges
• 1:26 PM
1 min
Nick Reiner made his first court appearance Wednesday in Los Angeles on two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, while the couple's other two children made their first
Read the article
EU-Mercosur deal hangs in balance amid farmer concerns
• 1:25 PM
1 min
Brazilian President Lula has warned the EU to sign the long-delayed EU-Mercosur trade deal now or risk losing Brazil’s participation altogether. France and Italy are blocking progress over concerns about protecting their agricultural sectors, while suppo
Read the article
How much does it cost to live like Emily in Paris? Vanity Fair did the maths
• 1:24 PM
1 min
PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, December 18: French paper Le Monde reveals who was behind the viral AI fake news video that announced a coup in France. Next, some good news: a mama polar bear adopts a cub in a rare case of polar bear bonding. Also: the new seas
Read the article
Lumpy skin disease sparks French farmers protests
• 1:21 PM
1 min
French farmers are protesting the Mercosur trade deal and a livestock disease called lumpy skin disease, which affects cattle with painful nodules and fever. Laura Darnat, a French horse breeder and chicken farmer in Perigueux, spoke to FRANCE 24 about t
Read the article
EU leaders split over using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine
• 1:18 PM
1 min
EU leaders meet in Brussels to decide on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. Germany backs the move, while Zelensky urges action. The EU proposes a €90 billion loan, but Belgium opposes, fearing Russian retaliation. Moscow calls it theft.
Read the article
French court jails anaesthetist for life for poisoning 30 patients, killing 12
• 1:08 PM
1 min
After a three-and-a-half-month trial, anaesthetist Frédéric Péchier was sentenced Thursday in Besançon to life in prison for all the charges against him, a verdict he plans to appeal. Péchier is accused of poisoning 30 patients, 12 of whom died, between
Read the article
FIFA goes MAGA? The World Cup, Trump and the future of football
• 9:11 AM
1 min
As 2025 draws to a close, all year long one question has dogged the most plugged-in of football fanatics: what's up with Gianni Infantino? Why all the cameos by the head of an international sports body at the US president's inauguration, a Middle East pe
Read the article
Farmers head to Brussels to protest EU-Mercosur treaty as European leaders meet
• 8:02 AM
1 min
Thousands of European farmers are converging on Brussels on Thursday to protest against the EU-Mercosur treaty as European leaders meet for a summit. Protesters are worried about the prospect of an influx of South American products into the bloc and the
Read the article
China tells US to 'immediately' stop arming Taiwan after Washington approves arms package
• 7:10 AM
1 min
China told the United States on Thursday to "immediately stop" arming Taiwan after Taipei said Washington had authorised a $11 billion weapons package to the island. Approved by the State Department but awaiting congressional approval, the sale would tak
Read the article
Live: Zelensky says Ukraine needs a decision on Russian assets by end of year
• 6:22 AM
1 min
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a summit of European leaders on Thursday that his country needed a decision this year on a plan to use Russian assets to plug Ukraine's budget gap. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen earlier said EU
Read the article
Trump touts first year as success amid economic unease in White House address
• 4:15 AM
1 min
US President Donald Trump gave an address at the White House on Wednesday, attempting to cast his first year back in office as a success, deflecting concerns about the cost of living and offering few new policy details as he looked ahead to the 2026 midt
Read the article
US Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as NASA chief amid budget cuts and moon race
• 2:56 AM
1 min
The US Senate has confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator, installing a strong advocate of Mars missions to lead the space agency as it faces deep budget cuts and intensifying competition with China to return humans t
Read the article
Trump insists on the US economy's strength in address to nation
• 2:15 AM
1 min
US President Donald Trump used a prime-time address from the White House to play down public anxiety about the US economy, insisting it is on the mend despite rising inflation, slowing job growth and growing voter frustration ahead of the 2026 midterm el
Read the article
Brazil Senate backs bill cutting Bolsonaro's jail term, setting up clash with Lula
• 1:40 AM
1 min
Brazil’s Senate has approved legislation that could sharply reduce the prison sentence of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted over an alleged coup plot after his 2022 election defeat, in a move that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ha
Read the article
Farmers protest Mercosur deal in Brussels
• 12:45 AM
1 min
Hundreds of farmers in tractors protested in Brussels against the EU-Mercosur trade deal, disrupting the EU summit. Some countries pushed for stronger agricultural safeguards, while others backed the deal to boost exports. Brazil’s President Lula warned
Read the article
Intercontinental Cup: PSG beat Brazil's Flamengo, winning sixth title in 2025
• 12:40 AM
1 min
PSG won the Intercontinental Cup against Flamengo on penalties (1-1., 2-1 on pens). Jorginho Kvaratskhelia opened the score before halftime, Jorginho equalised from the spot, and Matveï Safonov shone in the shootout with four consecutive saves. Paris cla
Read the article
BP appoints Big Oil's first female CEO to continue shift away from renewables
• 12:22 AM
1 min
London-based energy giant BP announced on Wednesday it was appointing Meg O'Neill as CEO starting on April 1. The executive, who has been at the head of Australian group Woodside Energy for the past four years, is expected to focus her efforts on the com
Read the article
Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels claim withdrawal from key DR Congo city
• 12:09 AM
1 min
The Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 armed group said Wednesday it had begun withdrawing its troops from Uvira, a strategic town in eastern DR Congo that it captured in early December.
Read the article