
-
Aston Villa boss Emery remains bullish despite defeat in Paris
-
Barca still improving: Flick warns rivals after thrashing Dortmund
-
Echavarria risks Masters Par-Three Contest curse with playoff win
-
Who stands in the crosshairs of Trump's tariffs?
-
US stocks soar on Trump tariff reversal, oil prices jump
-
Salah getting closer to new Liverpool deal: reports
-
NBA rescinds Doncic ejection foul in Thunder loss
-
Cricketer De Villiers gets a Masters hit with pal Bezuidenhout
-
Saudi top diplomat in US to prepare for Trump visit
-
Kvaratskhelia genius helps give PSG Champions League edge against Villa
-
Sensational Barca destroy Dortmund in Champions League mismatch
-
Author of explosive Meta memoir stars at US Senate hearing
-
King Charles addresses Italian parliament, greets pope on visit to Rome
-
Dominican Republic ends search for nightclub collapse survivors
-
Pentagon chief says US could 'revive' Panama bases
-
Trump stuns with tariff backtrack but punishes China
-
King Charles jokes, cites Monty Python at Italian state banquet
-
Strength in numbers: Latin America urges unity in face of Trump tariffs
-
France could recognise Palestinian state 'in June': Macron
-
Tariff war could cut US-China goods trade by 80 percent: WTO chief
-
Europa League success 'massive' for Man Utd, says Amorim
-
Scheffler tunes out talk of history in Masters title defense
-
Turkey opposition to fight Erdogan 'until the end': leader tells AFP
-
Argentina braces for 24-hour strike as it awaits news on IMF loan
-
Volkswagen says first-quarter profits impacted by Trump tariffs
-
Hope fades as deaths mount in Dominican Republic nightclub disaster
-
Herd of animal puppets treks from Africa to Europe in climate action
-
'Versatile' Sudharsan helps Gujarat to top of IPL table
-
Israel says seizing 'large areas' of Gaza as strike kills 23
-
Trump stuns with tariffs reversal but hits China harder
-
Amazon to launch first batch of satellites rivaling Musk
-
Sudharsan, Krishna lead Gujarat to top of IPL table
-
Settlement champion Huckabee confirmed as US Israel envoy
-
Trump pauses tariffs for 90 days but hits China harder
-
US federal judges halt deportations of Venezuelans under wartime law
-
No direct LIV path to Masters but Ridley wants one elite tour
-
UK cinemas fight viral 'chicken jockey' trend
-
Russia denounces brief detention of government employee in France
-
Nepal fights wildfires and pollution amidst drier winter
-
Jamaican speed merchant Thompson seeks fast progress in 2025
-
'Horrible' Djokovic falls in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
-
Masters chief defends Cabrera invite after domestic violence convictions
-
Pentagon chief in Panama vows to counter China 'threat'
-
Trump's NASA chief pick says will 'prioritize' Mars mission
-
Europe's first Universal theme park to bring 'joy to Britain': PM
-
Trump tells US to 'be cool' as China, EU strike back
-
Djokovic crashes out in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
-
Over 120 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub disaster
-
Delta to trim capacity in light of weakening travel demand
-
Pressure builds on Afghans fearing arrest in Pakistan

Almodovar wins top Venice prize for end-of-life film
Spain's Pedro Almodovar won Venice's Golden Lion award Saturday for his pro-euthanasia film "The Room Next Door", with the acting prizes gong to Nicole Kidman and veteran Frenchman Vincent Lindon.
The female friendship end-of-life film starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore was Almodovar's first English-language feature-length film.
Kidman was awarded the best actress award for her fearless turn as a CEO who has an affair with an intern in the erotic thriller "Babygirl", but she was unable to collect the prize following the sudden death of her mother.
"My heart is broken," said the Australian actress in a statement read onstage on her behalf by the film's Dutch director, Halina Reijn.
"I'm in shock, and I have to go to my family. But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me," she said.
Kidman was praised by critics during the 10-day festival for her no-holds-barred performance in the sexually explicit film about female desire and power relationships.
In Almodovar's winning film -- which like many of his films hinges on strong female characters -- Swinton plays a war correspondent suffering from terminal cancer. She asks her friend, played by Moore, to be at her side when she takes her own life.
- A 'human' issue -
"I believe saying goodbye to this world cleanly and with dignity is a fundamental right of every human being," Almodovar told the audience after accepting his award. "It is not a political issue, but a human one."
He acknowledged that "this right goes against any religion or creed that has God as the only source of life".
"I would ask practitioners of any creed to respect and not intervene in individual decisions in this regard," said the prolific director, whose films in recent years have considered themes of death or physical decline.
Almodovar was honoured by Venice with a career achievement award five years ago.
The Grand Jury Prize, considered a runner-up to the Golden Lion, went to Italian film "Vermiglio" from director Maura Delpero, about the effects of World War Two on an isolated mountain village.
Veteran French actor Vincent Lindon won the best actor award for "The Quiet Son". Lindon, in "The Quiet Son", plays a single father struggling to prevent his teenage son from being swept up in far-right extremism.
He won against well-received performances from former Bond actor Daniel Craig and from Adrien Brody.
- Stars galore -
The winners were among 21 contenders vying for the top prize in the festival that swarmed with top Hollywood talent, from Angelina Jolie to George Clooney.
Venice's red carpet this season saw likes of Lady Gaga, starring with Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to Todd Phillips' antihero "Joker" film, as well as Brad Pitt, whose action comedy "Wolfs" with Clooney premiered out of competition.
Jolie took on the role of opera diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain's "Maria".
Films this year did not shy away from difficult subject matter, whether contemporary or historical.
Abortion ("April"), white supremacy ("The Order"), the Mafia ("Sicilian Letters") and enforced disappearances and killings during Brazil's military dictatorship ("I'm Still Here") were all examined in the main competition films.
Several films explored war and its crushing repercussions, whether documentaries on the war in Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
Among the most controversial was "Russians at War" from Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who went behind the lines of the Ukraine war with Russian soldiers.
"Russian soldiers are not someone whose voices are heard," Trofimova told journalists ahead of the screening.
But the film prompted outrage in Ukrainian cultural and political circles for its inclusion at Venice, with many casting it as a pro-Kremlin film seeking to whitewash Russia's assault.
The festival also honoured American actress Sigourney Weaver and Australian director Peter Weir with lifetime achievement awards.
O.Bulka--BTB