president biden is expected to announce that federal workers will soon be required to confirm they are vaccinated, or face more testing, as us covid cases continue to rise. the vavcination push comes after national infection rates increased over 300% in under a month. japan has recorded the highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. the surge is bing blamed on the delta variant and the olympics. authorities in tokyo say the city's state of emergency is not working, as bars are still packed well after midnight. day 6 of the tokyo 2020 olympics is well underway. all eyes injapan will be on the golf competition, and the masters champion, hideki matsuyama, who'll be representing the host nation. there are also medals up for grabs in rowing and swimming. all week, the giant

companies of the tech world have been reporting their staggering level of profits. alphabet, google's parent company, made in the three months tojune what it used to take an entire year to achieve. it's the kind of growth hardly ever seen before for any company, with the effect of the pandemic on work and lifestyle adding to this surging success. here's our media editor amol rajan. the phrase big tech is now common parlance, used to describe the five american companies whose wealth is getting harder to fathom but just how big are they? anything three months ofjune, nearly £12 billion profit for microsoft. in the same period, alphabet, the owners of google and youtube, £303 alphabet, the owners of google and youtube, £30.3 billion and youtube, £303 billion profit. apple reported 15.5 billion pounds — the best first

quarter in its 35 year history. i've made a combined total of nearly £41 billion in profit in just three months, that is not far how much the uk spent on the fence for the whole year. —— defence. this is how the big five have grown. valued in the trillions today. for the rest of the world, the pandemic has meant hardship but for these companies it has meant up up and away. they use remarkable engineering to deliver products and services for which there is insatiable demand but the economic power raises profound questions for the rest of us. is enough of its wealth making its way to the workforce, are they paying enough taxes? and how is it that it has emerged

with such little resistance? the truth is, we are addicted to tech and cannot imagine a world without it. except, really, it is their world now. now on bbc news, talking movies with tom brook. hello from the french riviera. i am tom brook and welcome to talking movies. in today's programme, we look back at some of the highlights of this month's cannes film festival. it was a gamble to stage it, but cannes ended up being a triumph, a vintage year, a subdued yet strong line up with a diverse group of international film—makers bringing some great cinema to the riviera. and the stars did come out

to grace the festival's famous red carpet. it was almost like normal. you know what, it is a bit like any other year except they have masks on. it is not as crazy as every year. there is a lot of people, honestly i was not sure exactly if it was going to be like this, but it is like this. the pandemic meant mask wearing was required at key venues and for many of us, a trip to the covid—i9 testing centre every two days became a mandatory ritual where we all had to deposit our spittle into plastic containers. so, is this 0k? yeah, it should be. but the films of course were the big attraction. the festival's top prize, the palme d'0r, went to a french movie, an outlandish concoction, titane, that deals with gender and other matters packed with violence, music and sex. its most memorable scene involves a woman being impregnated by a car. its director, julia ducournau,

made history by becoming only the second woman ever to win the palme d'0r. it is a challenging film and she was pleased by all the positive feedback. that is the biggest victory for me, because i do not explain anything and i really trust in the experience we live together in the room, in this current room, and i trust the audience to get into that and feel what they feel and to somehow understand at their own level what is going on in the story. spike lee headed thejury at cannes, the first time a black person had done so, but he will be remembered most perhaps for inadvertently revealing the winner of the palme d'0r at the wrong moment, right at the beginning of the ceremony instead of at the end. the film that won the palme d'0r is titane. wait, wait, wait, don't! lee's jury, which for the first time had a majority female make—up, had some adventurous films to evaluate. from the opening night picture, the operatic musical annette, to director paul verhoeven�*s

benedetta, a love story between two 17th century nuns, to a hero, a story of a man who gets himself into a quandary trying to find a way to pay off a debt, from oscar—winning iranian film—maker asghar farhadi. cannes offered the world a whole slate of new films to fire up the international movie industry ecosystem brought to a halt by covid. the whole distribution mechanism is in flux and it feels like cannes is sort of the whole... we do not know where it is going to end up. how many films will be shown in theatres. this is a very fragile moment. two years ago, the celebrated picture parasite won the top prize at cannes and then went on to become the first south korean movie ever to win the best picture 0scar. cannes has the power to bring attention to films that can often be overlooked. such was the case this year with a finely wrought

abortion drama, lingui. really it's the story of a mother—daughter relationship from the nation of chad, one of the 24 films in competition. if you come to cannes, it is just like a kind of birth. it is the birth of your film starts here and you spread images of chad, which is very important. if you're not here, no one cares. covid—i9 has changed the landscape of cinema. it is now a world of ubiquitous streaming and film festivals like cannes, rooted in celebrating movies destined for cinemas, face uncertain times, but cannes amply demonstrated this year that for cinephiles, nothing can quite beat the experience of watching together a film expertly shot for the big screen up on the big screen. cannes brought us that movie magic.

as i mentioned, annette was the opening night film here at cannes and in many ways it was an appropriate choice to open the festival. it had a glamorous french leading lady, the oscar—winning marion cotillard, and it fulfilled the hollywood quotient by having an american actor, adam driver, as its leading man. then there was the director, a man by his own admission very much influenced by the french new wave. having given you all that information, here is nicholas barber with his review of annette for talking movies. what a choice to open this year's cannes film festival, a surreal avant—garde rock opera in which all the dialogue is set to music and the title character is a pinocchio—like puppet. annette is certainly weird and sometimes wonderful. it is a kind of unique, slightly crazy passion project that you want to see here at cannes, but i'm not sure if the film is as exciting in practice as it is in theory.

what she sees in me... it's a little more puzzling. driver plays henry, a misanthropic stand—up comedian whose act consists of striding around a stage in his dressing gown and slippers moaning and groaning about comedy itself and this is all set to music. cotillard plays his wife ann, a beautiful opera diva who everyone says is far too good for him. together in los angeles, they have a baby daughter they name annette, who just happens to be made of wood, not that anyone notices. annette. it sounds bizarre, but it is actually what you would expect from the people responsible for making the film. the french director is leos carax whose last film, holy motors, opened here in cannes nine years ago and that was even weirder. the story and the songs are by ron and russell mael of sparks, the art pop duo, which coincidentally is the subject of the sparks brothers, a new documentary by edgar wright.

it is not until the film's second half that it really gets going. when baby annette start singing miraculously in ann's voice, a melodrama transforms into a macabre fairy tale, as dark and fantastical as the maels' haunted fun house music deserves. annette is still not a triumph. for every moment that has you gasping at its magic and ambition, there is another moment which has you groaning at how pretentious it is. still, the film is a curio which is bound to attract a cult following of midnight movie aficionados and it deserves to be seen by everyone. after all, it is not often you get to watch an avant—garde surreal rock musical on the big screen. 0n the other hand, you might end up thinking that once is just about often enough. the hollywood presence at cannes this year was much reduced, although f9,

the latest instalment of the fast and furious franchise, did have a big premiere. but the works of american film—makers were in evidence in many different sections of the festival. emma jones took a look at what was on offer. hollywood needed a bus to discharge the numerous stars of wes anderson's the french dispatch onto the cannes red carpet, but one film did not make for a total american invasion. try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose. the movie, an anderson take on french culture, staring many of its usual star choices, but also including young american actor timothee chalamet, is set at a french newspaper in the fictional city of ennui, the french word for boredom. it was due to premiere at cannes in 2020 and returned for its delayed world premiere this year. cannes is very much a french film festival this year for obvious reasons to do with travel, but catching the odd glimpse of a hollywood star on the famous red carpet

announces to the world that cinema is back. or at least it hopes it is. matt damon there for the action thriller stillwater, which gets a cinema release in august, said cannes had reminded him of what a big screen experience could feel like. i'm really glad that we are here this year. after watching things on television for two years just about, to be in a room with a thousand other people, i never would have appreciated it in that way had we notjust gone through what we went through. you sound very american right now. good, iam. damon plays a construction workerfrom 0klahoma, bill baker, whose daughter is in prison in france for murder. the french connection does not end there. it was partly filmed in the south of france and is a european co—production with french writers and crew. eight, seven... faster. in competition, the florida project sean baker went to texas with red rocket,

the story of an ex—adult film star. and also in competition, sean penn's flag day, with the director also taking on the leading role ofjohn vogel, a misfit with grandiose dreams and his relationship with his daughter with his daughter, jennifer, played by penn's daughter, dylan. it is an art film, i think it takes its time and ijust think cannes is a perfect place for a movie like that. i feel like people... the audience here can connect to that movie, respects this kind of movie—making. but after the 0scar—win of parasite, a us audience is now far more open to less mainstreamed subtitled stories. prometheus actress noomi rapace stars in lamb, an icelandic thriller with a much talked about twist that was immediately slapped up for release in the united states. immediately snapped up for release in the united states. i definitely think we will see different kinds of films, so i feel like there

is a wave of films now coming from a place, maybe that is really personal and with a rawness and realness and maybe a desperate need to communicate something and we can't really take things for granted as we used to do. no one is taking for granted either that the days of the film spectaculars only hollywood can afford to put on will return to cannes even next year. but at least this year a start was made. cannes made a big effort to go green this year to reduce the festival's carbon footprint and introduce a new section of the films devoted to climate change and the environment. this new section brought forth a wave of compelling cinema. when the red carpet leading up to the palais des festivals was unrolled this year, something was different. it was made not of pvc, but material that could be recycled. there was also a reliance on hybrid or electric cars at the festival too to ferry

around the celebrities. there was also the launching of a special section entitled cinema for the climate, one feature film and six documentaries. cannes' efforts to go green really impressed leading oscar—winning french actress marion cotillard, who produced one of the documentaries. it is an amazing thing, they really took decisions and turns that are greener, let's say it this way, and i think it is about time and it is very important that such a huge festival set an example. growing up, i never saw a clean river. invisible demons was one of the climate change documentaries unveiled at the festival, with its focus on pollution in new delhi and it brought festivalgoers some haunting images. we see ddt being sprayed in a pristine garden. we see a riverside area getting flooded by the monsoons.

people melting on the road at 50 celsius. it came from a place of absolute fear and confusion and ijust wanted to find a way to create a film out of this fear. another of the documentaries, bigger than us, the one produced by marion cotillard, shows melati wijson, a young indonesian plastics pollution activist globe—trotting, meeting other campaigners engaged in a range of causes. melati has no difficulties empathising with the struggles of those she meets, all of whom are articulate and attractive beings. to melati, the film inspires. yes, get inspired by watching the stories of other young change—makers but it is supposed to be a place where you can see yourself in these change—makers too and where you can understand your role in really creating a difference. were you at all concerned when you were making the film that you might be perceived as a privileged outsider, dropping in in problem areas of the world?

putting myself in all these different countries around the world, i always, always remembered that it was my place to learn and to experience what these other young change—makers were doing. for all the directors in this climate film section at cannes, there is an urgency that those who work in the world of cinema listen to their calls. if there were ever a time to beat a drum, this will be it. everything we see in popular culture today, for all of that to exist, we need a planet. the basic fundamental precursor to all these stories is a planet. scientists say the last time the planet was this hot, it was hit by a gigantic asteroid that wiped out almost all animal species from the face of the earth. for years, british directors had a big profile here at

cannes. veteran masters like mike lee and ken loach were festival regulars, but this year, no british film earned a slot in the coveted competition. but there were plenty of directors represented elsewhere in the festival. a new group moved into the foreground here at cannes, as emma jones reports. cow, by director andrea arnold, an immersive documentary about the life—cycle of cows and their exploitation, was part of this year's decidedly female gaze from the british at cannes this year. arnold, who made the feature film american honey, was also head of the un certain regard jury. how is your film? i'm not calling it that any longer. the second part ofjoanna hogg's the souvenir also premiered in the directors' fortnight section of cannes, which continues her semiautobiographical coming—of—age story aboutjulie, a young film director, played by honor swinton byrne in her

first acting role. the critical acclaim for both films has made a difference to hogg at this point in her career. i do find it is a very different situation for me now i'm able to get finance for the films i want to make, but i hesitate to say that because you never know. while most independent film—makers would echo hogg's caution, the recent emphasis on funding female directors in britain helped produce ali and ava by clio barnard, also showing in the cannes' directors' fortnight. leading actor adeel akhtar travelled to cannes, although barnard was unable to. a veteran of tv and film, he has noticed a change in films getting commissioned. i actually do feel excited about the types of stories that are out there and the variety of stories that are being told and i sort of feel cautiously optimistic. bit of a sea change in the world of british cinema anyway and i feel i have sort of been taken up on that ride a little bit. even that british classic,

the period drama, is evolving. josh o'connor, who has played prince charles in netflix hit series the crown, was in cannes with a french director, eva husson, to premier mothering sunday. set in post—world war one england, about the love affair between an aristocrat and a servant, audiences will find an explicit storyline lurking under the traditional costumes. mothering sunday hails this path of history in a way that we have not seen before, feels modern, feels relevant, but then to take someone rock and roll like eva, i think itjust gives this an extra kick. if anyone was queen of this year's cannes, it was actress tilda swinton. she appeared in several films at the festival. the british continued to exert cultural power on the croisette, ironically far more than they do at home. i remember coming to the cannes film festival 14 years ago and being very impressed by an israeli—made film called waltz with bashir.

it's an animated war docudrama put together by ari folman in which he depicted his search for his memories as a soldier during a time of conflict. it haunted me, so i was intrigued when i heard that ari folman was returning to cannes this year with a very different kind of animated film inspired by anne frank. when adolf hitler came to power in 1933, german—born anne frank fled with herjewish family to amsterdam. for two years in the 1940s, they hid during the nazi occupation in a secret annexe in the building where her father worked. this secret apartment is going to be our hiding place. much of the new animation is set whilst anne frank is in hiding, but it also moves between past and the near future with a focus on kitty, anne's imaginary friend from her diary.

anne frank has become an iconic figure in the history of the jewish people. 58—year—old israeli director ari folman wanted to move beyond that. his film is being hailed as the first international holocaust movie for children. she's a teenager with all the cliche problems of a teenage girl — she has endless issues with her mother, she was not only smart and clever but was also mean, she had this great capability of observing the adults, identifying their weaknesses, and then head—on spotting it and destroying and i wanted to make her this kind of person. at the israeli pavilion on the beach here a few days ago at a reception for israeli cinema, folman�*s film was being heavily praised, but there was that the prediction that this anne frank film would be controversial in israel because the film—maker suggests in his narrative that the plight of refugees in contemporary europe has some characteristics in common with the persecution ofjews during the holocaust.

it brings the memory of the holocaust and puts it in the current context of what is happening in europe with refugees coming from the middle east and the way they are being treated. the fact that he is putting it in almost an equal way, that will be a real problematic subject in israel. but ari folman is accustomed to this kind of criticism. just look at the movie. just look where the refugees are in the shelter. this is a vivid place, saturated. they have life over there they have music, they skate, they play games, it has nothing to do with the holocaust. there is some urgency to get ari folman�*s film, backed by an anne frank foundation, out to audiences at a time when anti—semitism is rising and the holocaust continue to be denied. industry experts at cannes thought the film's prospects

were good. i see huge potentialfor that film all over the world, every family will want their children to see this film because it will open their eyes to something that they need to know about. do you think it is an entertainment though that will engage children? yes, and i think it could be a major 0scar contender as well. anne frank perished in a concentration camp in 1945, but at the very least, the ari folman succeeded through cinema in cannes of reminding audiences of this young jewish girl's tremendous zest for life. up untila yearago, everyone was in love with me. everyone? that brings a special cannes edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you have enjoyed the programme. i have to say it has been both a pleasure and a privilege to report from cannes this year, to witness what has to be one of the world's greatest film festivals back on its feet once again.

so from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies team here on the french riviera, it is goodbye as we leave you with the sights and sounds of this year's cannes film festival. hello. wednesday brought us another day of some sunny spells, but some really heavy downpours and frequent thunderstorms with lightning and hail, too. this was the picture in telford

during wednesday afternoon. now, the outlook is for the unsettled theme to continue, so i think thursday will bring another day of sunshine and showers. it'll be quite cool and breezy. but the showers won't be as heavy or as frequent as they have been over recent days. that's down to the fact that this area of low pressure that's bringing all of this showery weather is just drifting its way off towards the north and north—east. we have got another area of low pressure developing in the south west, and that'll be more of a player through thursday night into friday. so, for much of northern ireland, scotland and northern england, quite a cloudy start to the day with some showery rain. further south across england and much of wales, largely dry with some sunshine around. there will be some brightness developing in the north during the afternoon, but down towards the south west, expect some rain to arrive later in the day. the breeze picking up here, too. it will be quite a blustery feeling sort of day and not particularly warm for this time of year. but temperatures generally somewhere between 18—22 degrees for most of us. not too bad down towards the south east, a drier day

here than we have seen recently. now, into thursday night, the showers in the north will gradually ease away, but our tension turns to the south west of england where this area of really heavy rain will move its way in and look at those wind gusts around about 40 to 50 mph, unseasonably strong gusts of wind through the english channel, through the bristol channel as well. so, it's going to be very blustery in the south first thing friday morning and a pretty wet start to the day, too. whereas further north, it's looking mostly dry to start the friday and quite a bit of dry weather for friday across parts of scotland, northern ireland and northern england just a few showers around. further south across england and wales, we've got that initially heavy rain and brisk winds which gradually clears towards the east through the day, and then a return to some sunshine and scattered showers around, too. temperatures cooler in recent days, around 17—20 degrees on friday. so as you and then heading towards the weekend, low pressure still not far away, but it is starting to move off towards the east. we've got a northerly air flow coming down and higher pressure out in the atlantic is trying to nudge its way in. so, between weather systems as we head through

the course of the weekend. perhaps one or two showers around, but quite a bit of dry weather through saturday and sunday, too. some sunny spells and temperatures on the cool side for this time of year. bye— bye.

welcome to bbc news. i'm ben boulos. our top stories: as us covid cases continue to rise, federal workers could be required to have a jab, in a nationwide vaccination push. the exiled belarusian opposition leader, svetla na tikhanovskaya, meets president biden at the white house — in a strong show of support. a message to the whole world that the greatest country in the world is with us and this is success for all belarusians. on day 6 of the tokyo 0lympics all eyes injapan will be on the men's golf competition, and the home favourite, hideki matsuyama, who's the current masters champion. the hill—sides of north wales now on a par with venice

and the great barrier reef.