Author: France 24

The US Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates for the second time this year, despite having only partial data to assess the state of the economy because of the ongoing government shutdown. The quarter percentage point cut brings the Federal Funds Rate to a range of 3.75% to 4%. The central bank also announced it would stop reducing the size of its balance sheet in December.  Also in the segment, Boeing posted $5.4 billion in third-quarter loss weighed down by delays in its 777X rollout. 

Our film critic Emma Jones tells us why the Oscar buzz surrounding Dwayne Johnson’s performance in “The Smashing Machine” is deserved and how the film deviates from the average “in the ring” biopic. We also discuss Jeremy Allen White’s turn as Bruce Springsteen in director Scott Cooper’s “Deliver Me From Nowhere”, which zooms in on a difficult period in The Boss’s career. We then discover a new talent in Laura Carreira, who’s captured the precarity of the gig economy and the weight of loneliness in “On Falling”, a social study with shades of Ken Loach. Plus we check out Guillermo…

Israel’s military said on October 29 that the ceasefire is back on in Gaza following heavy Israeli airstrikes overnight. More than 100 people were killed across the Palestinian territory, including dozens of children, according to local health officials. It was the deadliest night in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire went into effect early October.

The San Antonio Spurs dominated the Toronto Raptors 121-103. Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

A new survey shows a sharp slide in public concern for climate change, with war and conflict now dominating public worries well ahead of climate change. France 24’s Yuka Royer speaks with Subhra Batthachargee, Director General of the Forest Stewardship Council, who tells her that despite fewer people citing climate change as their top concern, consumers are still preferring to shop green. “We have to translate the impacts of climate change into what it means for day to day action”, she says.

From creepy costumes to scary movies and games, we tell you how to take advantage of all the thrills that Halloween has to offer, without any of the nightmares. Digital parenting expert Elizabeth Milovidov gives us her top tips for this fun holiday.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday accused Hamas of a “clear violation of the agreement” after the remains returned on Monday were found to have belonged to a hostage who had already been recovered two years ago, instead of the body of another deceased captive. 

It’s a promising medical discovery that could help researchers fight cancer. New research published in the journal “Nature” found that patients with some forms of advanced cancer who received a COVID mRNA vaccine lived significantly longer than those who didn’t. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks with Christiano Marconi, cancer researcher at the University of Florida.

Real Madrid beat FC Barcelona (2-1) in a spiky first El Clasico of the season. Madrid have a 5-point lead in the standings.

Even if Argentine President Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party is still short of a majority in parliament after midterm elections, the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” now has more room to push ahead with radical economic reforms. Since coming to power in 2023, Milei has cut budgets for education, pensions and infrastructure and laid off tens of thousands of public sector workers. The president is also credited with lowering inflation, winning praise from US counterpart Donald Trump.