different point of view. >> [speaking in french] ♪ anchor: lionel messi has arrived to signed a deal. more on that, coming up. a fall from grace for andrew cuomo, resigning over sexual harassment allegations. a taliban offensive continues with insurgents taking an eight provincial capital tuesday. we will get to that later on. thank you for watching. thank you for watching. it is a big deal in the world of

football, lionel messi is leaving the club he has played for for his entire professional career, barcelona. he landed to the north of french capital tuesday. fans were there to greet him. the completion of the move will close a whirlwind few days following the announcement he would leave barcelona, where he has spent his entire professional career. here is more on that. reporter: arguably the greatest ever signing, the material, legendary argentine striker putting pen to paper, signing to 2023, with an option to extend, earning 25 million euros per year, with an additional 25 million euros should he sign on.

it is a fantastic deal for the club. a sad day for barcelona fans, who see their fans team broken. the argentine has won everything on offer. now he will be hoping to copy those achievements in paris. the champions league still eluding this massive club. he will join other players, one a longtime compatriot, and another frch superstar, in a formidable attack behind them by other players. a very exciting prospect for these fans who have come out in numbers over the last several days, and they are sure to come out to the streets for the next few days as lionel messi is presented to his new adoring, faithful crowd. anchor: the new york governor

andrew cuomo has resigned over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. his decision was announced as momentum builds in the legislature to remove him by impeachment. already last week, president biden and senior democratic figures have called on him to go. reporter: facing pressure to step down, including from president biden, andrew cuomo announced his resignation as governor of new york. he has been fighting allegations that he sexy harassed at least 11 women. he said his great nation will take effect in two weeks. >> given the circumstances, the best way i can help now is if i step aside and let government give back to government. and therefore, that is what i would do. my lieutenant governor is smart and competent.

this transition must be seamless. we have a lot going on. i am very worried about the delta variant. reporter: his decision comes in the wake of an investigation carried out by the new york attorney general, which found the sexual harassment allegations credible and detailed the governor subjecting the women to unwanted kisses, inappropriate touches, among other actions. the report concluded that he created a toxic work environment ripe with fear and intimidation. he has denied the findings and defended his conduct while apologizing to anyone offended by his actions. the new york state legislature was considering impeaching him if he did not step down. his lieutenant governor will now take over. she will become new york state's first female governor, and serve out the remainder of the term in office. anchor: the taliban has taken

another afghan provincial capital on tuesday, the eighth in less than a week. it is the capital of a province north of kabul. tens of thousands of people fled their homes for the relative safety of other centers. fighters in another city in the southwest of the country, there is a fierce gun battle. they are trying to stop the rapid advance of the taliban as u.s. troops complete their withdrawal by the end of this month. joe biden said that afghans will have to fight for themselves and that he does not regret the imminent withdrawal of troops. earlier, i spoke with our international affairs editor about the worsening situation. reporter: the u.s. is not reversing its decision to pull out. that withdrawal is 95% complete

now, according to the u.s. government, and the u.s. allies have pulled out of again a stand as well, so unless the afghan army and air force can suddenly stop this domino effect, then obviously the other dominoes will fall, and that is the whole point about a domino effect. once it is started, you can't really stop it. when we are seeing from the provincial capitals today is a very clear strategy by the taliban. they have this western strategy in the northern strategy as well . let's show you a map so you can see what i mean. the earlier provincial capital that was reported to have fallen today, that is not far from the iranian border. they have recently taken quite a few localities close to iran, and they are using that as a launchpad to push northeast

towards central afghanistan from those western parts near the iranian border. and then the very latest news that we had about the fall of one provincial capital north of kabul, showing you the northerm strategy, putting pressure onn -- northern strategy, putting pressure on, and for that, they will need to capture another area. it is now a crucial battleground, but certainly they are pushing in from the iranian general direction to the center of afghanistan, and from the north downwards towards kabul as well. anchor: in algeria, wildfires have resulted in 42 deaths. blistering temperatures and dry conditions have led to the places with the 30 saying some fires had criminal origins. the fires are in the north of the country, in the forested

hills east of the capital. the president tweeted his condolences for 25 soldiers amongst the dead. they were killed as they assisted firefighters in the rescuer people in the areas affected. algeria is the latest country in the mediterranean badly affected by severe and deadly wildfires. australia's conservative prime minister has rejected calls to adopt a more ambitious admissions targets, claiming the countries doing enough. on monday, a climate report one that catastrophic global arming is occurring more quickly than previously forecast. under pressure to respond, prime minister scott morrison said he would not adopt a net zero target. australia is at the forefront of the global climate crisis is one of the largest fossil fuel exporters and victim of climate

disasters recently. 240 health and emergency workers have been flown out from paris to martinique and guadalupe in the caribbean to help deal with the worsening coronavirus situation. france 24 has interviewed some of those sent to help. let's take a listen. >> [speaking in french] >> [speaking in french] >> [speaking in french] anchor: that is all. thank you for watching. stay tuned.

♪ ♪ >> hello. >> hello. >> used star in the film. your character has -- you star in the film. your character has a relationship. how do you identify with that? how important is the public perception of your work? >> i guess it is important. i don't have an answer. i mean, it is good if they'd like it, but at the same time,

they relate to it, but i don't think it is something i think about when we are making it, whether people will like it or not like it. um, i mean, except, but you know, i am not trying to pretend, something, uh, something that you look for and it validates or gives you confidence, but i don't know if that is a good thing, so i have no answer for that. i think that is something you think about, one of those things you think about for a long time and never answer, which is a big category of things, but i don't know. i don't know. ♪

>> it wasn't written really as a commentary on hollywood, but one element that the characters reflected what we feel is the modern attitude towards liberty, especially the way that adam's character is presented as kind of being anti-de--traditional-happy-comed ian, but being happy. that represents more of what is going on nowadays in hollywood, both as an actor, but also as a comedian. >> henry, how about a smile? ♪ >> as someone starring in the

film, you have a coproducing credit. what made you want to throw yourself in so wholeheartedly on the project and how you found the experience? adam: i would like that part of it. it forces you to think while making something very abstract. somehow, film set the actors are very removed from exercising that part of it, and i kind of enjoyed knowing the technical obstacle you are up against, you know, the, you know, pigeons are migrating, so you only have 15 minutes to get a shot or you run out of money because, i don't know, someone lost it in t bag . everybody else positive to think about that, think practically, and i kind of noticed that i do

that anyway. it is a collaborative thing, so i don't enjoy feeling i am separate or removed from what a director is up against. if anything, i like to know so maybe that i can help. it is a team sport. it seemed like a natural thing. i really enjoyed it. >> he is a cult figure here in france. i wonder what your perception of contemporary french cinema was before working with him and has changed? adam: no, i still look at french films is progressive, theatrical, beautiful, and all things, but they sound like platitudes, but he is one of the greatest directors of all time. you know, to work with him on this was an instant yes, you know, just because i love his

films. his actors seem to have incredible freedom. working with him, i have learned that is true, but there is also a managing of want to -- when to push that freedom and want to rely on heavy choreography, and i enjoy that part of it to0. there is no right way -- too. there is no right way of doing something. it is captured chaos. he can balance those two almost simultaneously. every time he seems like he's changing how he works on the film within working on the film. you come in expecting something and he has set it up completely different. ♪ >> everything will be all right.

i promise. ♪ reporter: you have worked with people you have cited as references, he rose, spike lee, martin scorsese -- heroes, martin scorsese, spike lee. he with the references for you who made you think yes, i want to do that roger? adam: director wise? martin scorsese was the top of the pyramid, his films, how he talked about them. as someone who was a huge inspiration for me, you are right, all those people you listed were -- spike's movies, soderberg. i have been lucky to work with people who want to do it. reporter: i believe you are not a fan of seeing yourself on screen. without change?

adam: no, no, no, i have seen myself on screen before -- i don't have a phobia about it -- it just does not seem to be helpful. my responsibility is when we were making it. some people can watch themselves and it is a good thing and they notice a habit or something they want to do that they did not think was working that actually was, but for me, it is permanent. it is film. it is weird that way. you do something instinctual for a brief amount of time, and then it lasts forever, so when you watch it, i can't help but notice all of the things i want to change but i have no control over it, so i try to set boundaries over what i can control and cannot control and not drive myself or everybody else crazy about what could have been. you know, plus, i know from

theater that you can do it a one million times and the last performance, you can do it for seven shows a week for months, and the last one is always the best. you know, for whatever, and i don't want to be responsible for cherry picking what the story is. that is the director's job. i am only responsible for showing up, saying the lines, and then if there are any problems with it, it is their fault, not mine. reporter: adam driver, thank you for your time. adam: thank you very much. ♪ >> what we see in her is obvious. what she sees in me? that is a little more puzzling. ♪ anchor: time now for french

connections, our weekly look at things in france. this week, we will focus on one of the most famous historical figures in france, napoleon bonaparte on the bicentennial of his death, but 200 years on, his legacy remains controversial and there has been a debate over whether to commemorate. >> absolutely. it is hard to boil him down into just a five-minute show. we will not get into the dates and battles, but what is interesting is to see what napoleon means to the french today. the famed corsican was a military genius to some who brought france ble grandeur and glory on the international stage, but for critics, a racist , misogynistic, warmongering tyrant who has the blood of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on his hands and is a caricature of french decline. anchor: whatever you think about

him, he is one of the favorite historical figures. >> a majority of french people say he best represents french history, ahead of king louis the 14th in charles de gaulle, so quite an important figure in france, but also an object of fascination abroad, whether people who collect the memorabilia. it is very expensive to get anything napoleon touched. also people who participate in these historical reenactments. the legend of napoleon certainly lives on. >> [speaking in french] >> [speaking in french] anchor: before we get into the

more controversial aspects of napoleon's legacy, napoleon bonaparte contributed massively to the modern french state. >> france owes a lot to him. the man who overthrew the republic and crowned himself emperor, a few of the things we owe to napoleon,he french baccalaureate, the end of your high school exam here, the central bank, the country's highest ability decarbonize -- civilian award, and the arc de triomphe. he was behind something that is a big, red book that is the basis of the french legal system , so a lot of french law is based on what was cold the napoleonic code -- called the napoleonic code. it had rolled back for rights of women, who had gained rights, and that went backwards with napoleon. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: a married woman

suddenly found herself in a powerless position. she cannot do anything without her husband's position. she could not go to court. she can't be a witness. she cannot take an exam, get a passport here at she cannot work without her husband's permission. when she does have his permission, he gets the salary, so she does not have any more rights than a child. anchor: there is a big dispute raging in france over how apollyon should be remembered in the 21st century, which -- napoleon should be remembered in the 21st century. >> absolutely. napoleon bonaparte restored slavery by decree and the french caribbean colonies in 1802, after its post-revolutionary abolition in 1794, and only, abolished again in 1848. in the wake of the black lives matter movement, this aspect of napoleon's legacy really has been in the spotlight.

in the age of counsel culture, some [speaking in foreign language] translator: wonder if we should cancel napoleon. there has been heated debate over -- some wonder if we should cancel napoleon. there is some disagreement. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: napoleon restored slavery for economic reasons, essentially to control sugar in the caribbean. when i say that, i don't mention the human aspect of this, but at the time, those questions were not raised. we can't go back in time 200 years and change how things are done. >> [speaking in french] >> the 1802 law was discussed at the time before the legislature and the tribune, and the third of representative spoke against the measure. so we can't say that everyone was in agreement. anchor: while many former french presidents have avoided this hot potato over napoleon's legacy,

emmanuel macron has grabbed it with both hands. >> he has. a lot of people draw parallels between napoleon and emmanuel macron. he has big ambitions about europe and once make a lasting mark on france. emmanuel macron laid a wreath at napoleon's tomb and said it was important to look at french history in the face, warts and all. >> [speaking in french] >> critics say this is classic emmanuel macron not wanting to make up his mind over controversies, trying to forge a middle way, and impress voters on the right.

he has stepped into the heart of a culture war in france and a wider debate about controversial historical figures and how to remember, commemorate, condemn them. anchor: thank you for that. that is all we have time for in this edition. you can tweet your questions and check out our website, france 24.com. ♪ announcer: france 24 -- >> [speaking in french] ♪ ♪ >> this dark colored honey is produced in the north.

at the foot of the mountains, bees collect the nectar of the flowers. the result is a delicacy and a soce of grt pride for this beekeeper. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: we make the efforts of keeping the product natural with no chemical fertilizer, which is better for the trees. the fruits and the well-being of bees. we -- we don't use specified's -- pesticides. if it did, it would kill them. >> the property is the home of 30 beehives. he is the only beekeeper in the region to produce this type of honey. with the local bees being particularly aggressive, harvesting is difficult. once harvested, the honey is taken to the nearby farm, where

it is slowly strained through wooden meshing. >> [speaking in french] translator: we put the honeycombs in the baskets, then we leave them to leakand it takes time. it is different to what is done by machines and to what you can find in supermarkets. ♪ >> only 500 kg have been produced last year, but this precious nectar has already clients. half of its production is sent to europe, and especially france, where a 100-gram jar is sold for 10 euros. >> the honey taste of caramel, cocoa, hazelnut, and extremely tasteful honey, like a fine vintage. >> the luxury item is improving

the livelihoods of the women of this cooperative. the beehives are there collective property. they used to produce something else, but thanks to this new project, there in cream has increased twofold. with initiatives like this one -- their income has increased twofold. with initiatives like these, they appear worthy of their nickname, the tree of life. ♪ ♪

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amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we need to keep our children safe and in school. get out of -- get everyone in your family over the age of 12 facts and please wear in school -- age of 12 vaccinated and please wear a mask in school. amy: as schools begin to reopen, there has been a surge in children becoming infected with covid, especially in florida and texas where vaccinations are