live from berlin. tonight, fears moscow is creating a crisis to justify an invasion of ukraine. russia is preparing a false flag operation, they claim, after high-level diplomacy talks ended in deadlock. also coming up tonight -- despite a surge in covid-19 cases in india, thousands of hindu pilgrims take the risk and bays in the river, as part of a holy festival. plus the suffering that

continues in syria. tonight a report from the city, as winter approaches, many are forced to comb through the trash, just to survive. and another twist in the novak djokovic saga -- facing the tension after australian authorities rejected his visa yet again. will he play in melbourne on monday? or will he be deported? ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs, in the united states, and to all of you around the world, welcome. good to have you with us on this friday. we begin tonight with developments in the standoff between russia and western powers over ukraine. washington is claiming moscow is planning to frame the government in kiev to justify a russian invasion. here is more from the pentagon. reporter: we have information

that they have pre-positioned a group of operatives, to conduct what we call a false flag operation. an operation designed to look like an attack on them or their people -- or russian-speaking people in ukraine, again as an excuse to go in. brent: this all comes after a week of diplomacy between russia and western powers, a week that brought no breakthrough. russia has upped the pressure, seeking a stop to nato's eastward expansion and demanding a written response to its security demands. it says i want those by next week. -- it want those by next week. -- it wants those by next week. reporter: russian snipers, ready for action near the ukrainian border. just some of the military exercises being carried out by

moscow, as it continues to threaten its neighbor. russian troops have been messing along the border for weeks, as tensions between the two nations grew. -- -- grow. the satellite images taken at the beginning of december has stoked fears moscow was planning to invade ukraine. over the last few days, there's been a flurry of diplomatic activity, as the u.s., nato, and the eu each tries to avert a war. but so far it appears to have come to nothing. >> it was obvious from the beginning that the position of russia was unacceptable. it does not take a diplomacy genius to realize that russia's proposals were difficult to accept for the western world. reporter: the kremlin says, it is defending itself.

and it wants guarantees that nato will not expand its military alliance eastwards. but it is also warned -- has also warned that it won't hang around. >> we have reasons to believe that our partners have understood the necessity to react quickly, precisely, and on paper. and they have understood that we are not going to wait forever. there are plans to dragon on and on. -- drag it on and on. reporter: things have already been draggin on, since russia's annexation of crimea in 2014, kiev's army has been fighting pro-kremlin separatists in eastern ukraine. for those ukrainians living close to the russian border, talks seem futile. >> i see no reason to negotiate with russia -- the aggressor country.

those people who fight against us now. i can't see anything positive in this. reporter: as the russian buildup of troops continues, it still looks like there is no real sign of compromise -- a compromise can be reached. brent: i'm joined by a senior fellow at the german council on foreign relations, security and defense program. it's good to have you on the program. we saw back in 2014 in the run-up to the annexation of crimea, we saw this false flag operation coming from russia. the uss russia's planning to do it again -- the u.s. says russia is planning to do it again. what's your take on that? >> i don't have access to classified information. as a russian specialist i can say loud and clear that using false flag operations is a tool -- a pretext. it would not be alien from

russian practices. we have seen operations from 2014 and since 2014 against the hungarian minority in ukraine, also several cases in other regions of ukraine as well. all in all, i absolutely cannot exclude the possibility of russia preparing for a false flag operation. brent: and comes at the end of a week of -- at the end of a week of high-level talks that reduce no progress -- produced no progress. doou think there's any room left for any negotiations? >> ukraine has initiated trilateral talks with ukraine, russia, and the u.s. i don't really see anything from the russian side, engaged in any further negotiations. moreover, the russian proposal -- moscow intended to serve as a guideline for the negotiations -- they were clearly a nonstarter for nato and the u.s.

russia has been a bearer of that since th beginni. all in all, i'm not optimistic at all for diplomacy here. brent: we are a western news organization. help us understand how the kremlin -- how russia sees this. russia is demanding that nato stop its expansion eastward because it sees that as a threat to its national security. i mean, is that true? >> actually, to understand the russian perspective, one needs to remember ever since 2008, nato has promised taking george and ukraine on board. once georgia and ukraine are members of their lives, there is no deadline for that, but the promise is still there. and russia keeps considering nato as a primary military threat and also a source of

potential danger for the territory -- the safety of the russian federation. as for russia's perspective, it would indeed pose a threat. the alliance does not take in any country that has conflicts -- and ukraine has that. right now, it doesn't seem to be that ukraine wou make it to the alliance anytime soon. still, russia perceives the very possibility is a threat. brent: the german council on foreman relations represented of, we appreciate your time and your insights tonight -- representative, we appreciate your time and insights tonight. let's take a look now at some of the other stories making headlines from around the world. 30 migrants have been rescued from the english channel after their dinghy capsized in icy waters. one man died from hypothermia.

traffic regularly overloads the boats that sets off to a perilous journey across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. protests against tunisia's president have been met with water cannons and arrest by the police. the demonstrations took place in defiance of the covid-19 restrictions. protesters are angry over the president's suspension of parliament and attempts to rewrite the constitution, which they say amounts to a coup. thousands of government supporters have taken to the streets of mali's capital to protest against sancons imposed in nghboring countries -- on neighboring countries. brought by leaders from the ecowas log after proposing delaying elections plans for next month until the year 2026. the office of british prime minister doris has apologized to the royal family after revelations -- minister boris johnson has apologized to the royal family after revelations

of a party while the country was under lockdown. and has emerged two gatherings took place last april, on the night before the funeral of the queen's husband, prince philip. to northern indiana, where tens of thousands -- india now, where tens of thousands of pilgrims have gathered for a holy festival. despite spike in covid-19 infections. our next report looks at how pilgrims and the authorities are dealing with the omicron variant, which is driving the surge. reporter: tens of thousands of people come together to take the holy dip. under the watchful eye of police. in some places, authorities have sent of drones to sprinkle holy water -- up drones to sprinkle holy water, so people don't come too close to one another.

but not everyone is listening to the authorities. >> people are standing here on the banks of the river and roaming around without any masks. nobody is following the guidelines. and announcements are being made to urge people to wear masks. what can the government do? nobody is following the rules. reporter: india has recently had a massive surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the omicron variant. from an average of 8000 cases new day in november to well over 200,000 new. -- a date in november to well over 200,000 now. many our unfazed -- are unfazed. >> i'm not scared of it. i believe it is a disease from the past and nothing else. reporter: dozens of police and cleaning staff at the festival have already tested positive for the virus. critics say, the government has allowed the festival to go

ahead, despite the health risks. out of fear of offending its hindu voter base. >> we are praying to the guards that coronavirus will end. and that we become free of this pandemic, and we can resume our lives like before. reporter: those prayers will be desperately needed to keep this festival from becoming another super-spreader event. brent: here's a quick look at some of the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic -- hong kong, one of the world's busiest travel hubs, is banning airport transit passengers from some 150 countries. so far no exceptions have been announced for people traveling to the winter olympics. the himalayan kingdom has detected its first case of the omicron variant at a quarantine facility for foreign tourists. norway is easing some of its restrictions imposed due to omicron, including lifting an

alcohol band that restaurants -- in restaurants and pubs. more than a decade after fighting broke out in syria's civil, people are still being killed, and many more are suffering. the situation particularly difficult in the city near the turkish border, the only syrian city still controlled by the opposition. idlib was the seat of antigovernment protests back in 2011. protests escalated into all-out civil war. following a shaky truce, hope remains for thousands of families dependent on scant deliveries of aid. many children are now forced to scramble for food to survive. the situation is now being made all that much worse by harsh winter conditions. repoer: he can hardly believe his luck -- he has found an old solar heating met in the trash and thinks he can sell it for a good price. it is hard for the 11-year-old

to carry it with just one arm. three years ago he lost his right forearm. and had to be amputated after obama to -- it had to be amputated after a bomb attack. >> people don't like me because i'm so dirty. they are scared they might get coronavirus from. -- from me. when ever i sneeze, people think i have infected them. reporter: every day thousands of children scoured the dumps. their society -- they are society's weakest. the whole day they rummage through the trash looking for shoes, jackets, electronics, anything they can sell. it is the only way that they can support their families. grueling work, incentive education. -- instead of education. >> i didn't get an education. i stopped going to school when i was a kid. reporter: for two months now, we have not been given any food in

the camp. reporter: idlib is the last opposition stronghold in syria. islamists control the province. despite the cease-fire, there are frequent raids and skirmishes with the syrian army. hundreds of thousands of syrians have lost their homes in the war. they now live in 10 cities in the north of idlib. this is where he lives with his family. they fled the area to a village near aleppo. his father was captured by serbian forces. so now he has to feed his family. these chickens are all the own. >> earning money on your own is difficult. sometimes people help me carry the bags of trash. my siblings help, too. some days we find stuff. other days, we don't. reporter: he heads off every morning.

sometimes accompanied by his sister. the garbage dump is 5 km away. when they get there, the real work begins. he often loses out to the other kids. they are stronger than him and let him know that. at the end of the day, they take whatever they have managed to find toy scrap merchant near the dump. he drives a hard bargain and very few are in much. -- earn much. >> i don't like working with trash. i would much rather go to school and learn somethi. then when i grow up, i could teach others. i would like to be a teacher. that would be meaningful. reporter: but that will probably remain a dream, for him and thousands of other children in idlib. brent: i'm joined now by the leader of the middle east at the foundation affiliated

with germany's green party. good to have you on the program. it's hard to watch the story. there's so much suffering continuing in idlib. what prospects for the future to the people living there really have? >> well, it's really a terrible situation, because these people are stuck in idlib. they can't go to the rest of syria. even though half of the people living there, we have millions of people there, half of them displays from other areas of syria, and they are stuck there. it's an area with poverty and very ltle econic opportuny. use all those children. children and youth in syria, for 11 years the war has been going on, so they know nothing but this situation. and that's really heartbreaking. brent: the situation in syria really has disappeared from the world's radar. it is enough international aid coming in -- like it was five

years ago? >> absolutely not. there's humanitarian aid, but over the years, the need has increased immensely. aid has not kept up with that. over the past years, we have seen pressure from pressure to cut cross-border eight. -- aid. the united nations,he bigst entity delivering humanitarian aid, says aid is coming. but the summer the security council of the you one needs to vote on that again -- the un needs to vote on that again ann's pressure is always threatening to cut this -- and pressure is always coming from russia to cut this aid. they must keep it back for loyalists and other areas that are not considered loyal enough to get the same amount of aid. they don't get it based on needs. brent: what's your opinion on this?

with the suffering we are talking about, would that suffering be possible if it were not for russia supporting the assad regime? >> no, it would not be possible. the regime has needed russian support on the ground. military support has been one thing. but most of all, it's diplomatic support. russia has been holdinhis han to proct the syrian reme and the security council -- and this is why russia is able to temper with humanitarian aid as well. it's rely a story that does not blame only the syrian regime, but very strong allies supporting it. brent: with a here in germany yesterday a former detention director -- detention center director in syria, former syrian colonel found guilty of crimes against humanity. and a german court. what do we know about the detention centers in syria right now, the prisons and the people who have disappeared inside them? >> it is a huge phenomena.

people have been disappearing in syria already before 2011. but since then, the numbers have increased. it a sense of thousands of families who are missing a family member they don't know anything about them, they can't reach them, they can't send messages. they don't even know wherethey would need to look . at the regime has created a very cynical business, they are arresting people the black male families. families are paying enormous amounts to get news about the relatives or to have them freed. it's really terrible. it is an ongoing surge. it is a verdict on a regime that is still in power and we have to be aware that these kinds are continuing. it's not finished. brent: the crimes continue. we appreciate your time and insights tonight. thank you. let's take a look at other stories making headlines this hour -- north korea says it has

fired two ballistic missiles into the ocean, the country's third missile test this month. they say the exercise -- it is exercising legitimate self-defense. a powerful earthquake has hit indonesia's main island of java, producing strong tremors and parts of the capital. the 6.6 magnitude quick caused extensive damage touildings. so far there have been no casualties reported. wheen margarita the second -- queen margrethe ii celebrated 50 years on the throne, making her the second longest serving monarch. she attended a socially distanced ceremony to mark the date. she is seen as a unifying figure in denmark. 75% of the people in the country say that they support the monarch. australian authorities are warning people to stay indoors, as part of the country experience a heat wave. some towns in western have reported temperatures above 50

degrees celsius. the extreme heat comes as claimant scientists say -- climate scientists say the past nine years were among the 10 hottest on record. the australian government has canceled novak djokovic's visa for a second time in his pursuit of a grand slam title, hanging on a last-ditch appeal. -- last-ditch court appeal. reporter: days before the australian open was due to begin, novak djokovic trained on centre court, still waiting for the australian government's decision. it came late in the day in australia, and landed with seismic impact. the australian minister for immigration, canceling his visa on health and good order grounds. on the basis he concluded, it was in the public interest to do so. it is now unclear whether this was novak djokovic's last appearance on centre court this

year. that will be established when an appeal against a second visa constellation lands back in the legal court -- cancellation lands back in the legal court sunday. before that he will be taken into some form of detention by australian border force officials. the judge and respective lawyers interpret the use of legal language in melbourne on the streets of belgrade the people's judgment is clear. >> i'm disgusted. but i'm angry. because i did not expect they would treat the best tennis player like this. i think he did not deserve this. repoer: if you ever cross into a river there, you should forget about them. reporter: and so, a drummer for the ages continues in melbourne. the final chapter of a legal fight that may shape sporting history. brent: history could be made this weekend. we have dw sports now, to make sense of all of this.

this is a mess. we've got the visa rejected a second time, are you surprised the australian government went that far? >> it's a complete mess. i'm not surprised they went that far because they've done it before. they have changed tacts lately. they initially rejected it because he was not recovered from covid. it was thrown out on a technicality. what they are now saying is it is a public interest issue. they are saying his mere presence in the country could lead to skyrocketing anti-vaccine sentiment. i'm not sure what his deportation would do for anti-vaccine sentiment. that's a story for another day perhaps. brent: what would you sing, what would be the implications if he were to be deported? >> the implications for him personally in the short term would be that he would lose the chance to become the all-time leading grand slam champion in mens tennis.

for him, that would be a blow. melbourne has been a happy hunting ground for him over the years. he has won 9 of his 20 grand slam's there. -- slams there. in the immediate term for him, that would be a blow. if his visa was revoked, it would mean he wouldn't be allowed back in the country for three years, so potentially long-term damages for his career as well. brent: what impact is this having on the tournament? the australian open? >> is completely overshadowed the tournament, this has really become a circus, really. the tournament is set to start on monday, novak djokovic is set to play on monday. he's a number one player. without him, the tournament would be to -- would be diminished. what would be interesting is if the results goes his way, which

we will find out shortly, he will be going to a detention center, but he will be able to follow that, so he will know as soon as we do what the result is. if it goes his way, he would return to the tournament -- it could be a crazy few days and few weeks. brent: we will find out, the latest by sunday for sure. thank you. finally, we have some pictures of some rare snow leopards to show you. conservationist say th have recorded conservationists say they have recorded this and tibet. aren't they gorgeous? cameras confirmed the presence of other endangered species alive and well in their natural mountain habitat. the way it should be. here's a reminder of the top story is that we are following for you. moscow is planning to frame ukraine's government, russia

says, to justify a russian invasion. and comes after a week of diplomacy between russia and western powers ended with no breakthrough. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, boris johnson and novak djokovic, and the pandemic rules that they are trying to play by. we'll be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ >> officials in the u.s. say russia is trying to create a false pretense for in the invasion of ukraine by sending saboteurs over the border. this comes on the heels of a massive cyber attack against the ukrainian government. growing calls for boris johnson to resign, as reports emerge of more parties at number 10 downing street that flouted covid rules on the eve of prince philip's funeral.

and a dramatic day at the african cup of nations. we will hear the latest from our own simon harding area -- simon harding. we begin with the latest in ukraine. there are new report from the u.s. that russia is trying to create a false pretext for an invasion by sending saboteurs into ukraine. the news comes on the same day a massive cyber attack hit dozens of government inner -- internet sites in ukraine with a warning to be afraid and expect the worst. russia has thousands of troops on the border and unofficial said life-and-death hang in the balance. the llano susa has more. >> this was the message on a number of ukrainian websites after a massive cyber attack. a message for ukrainians to be afraid and expect the worst. >> to localize the technical

problem, we suspended the work of other government websites. >> ukrainian authorities say there are signs the cyber attack was carried out by hacker groups linked to russian intelligence, an assessment that surprises no one in kiev. >> it's a hybrid war, which russia, moscow is carrying out against us. it is to disseminate panic and chaos in our country. >> it reminds us that we are living in wartime, russia is an enemy who would physically kill us. >> fridays cyberattack comes as relations with russia have sunk to a new low. there is fears moscow was planning an invasion after massing hundreds of thousands of troops on the ukrainian border. talks have failed to deliver tangible results. the united states and europe both offered ukraine assistance, and the eu's foreign policy chief had a clear message for russia.

>> any further military operation against ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs in response. >> meanwhile, as tensions between russia and the west remain high over ukraine, russian intelligence say they have dismantled a ransomware group at the request of washington, after the united states was hit by a string of ransom seeking cyber attacks last year. >> the u.s. has not released the underlying intelligence to backup the claims of the false flag operation by russia, but here is what the pentagon and the white house are saying about the report. >> we have seen this kind of thing before out of russia. when there is not an actual crisis to suit their needs, they will make one up. >> we have indications that russia has already positioned operatives to create a false flag operation in ukraine. they will carry out acts of

sabotage against russia's proxy forces. >> there are growing calls for boris johnson to step down. the pm took another hit this friday after reports emerged of more parties at number 10 downing street on the eve of prince philip's funeral. johnson mself did not attend , but it came at a time when such gatherings were banned. our london correspondent has the latest. if, as the news seems to getnot ever tighter, because the revelations keep on coming. the parties keep on being revealed. the fact that downing street had today to alogize to the queen, the buckingham palace in regards to the latest two parties we found out about and the timing of them was the eve of the funeral of prince philip,

the much loved husband of the monarch, it finds itself in a position where it says it is deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning. we are getting a drip, drip, drip of revelations, of parties. it is important to underline that the latest two parties revealed by the telegraph, the daily telegraph were not attended by the prime minister, boris johnson, unlike the party he did attend back in the spring of 2020, for which he apologized -- some say it was not a full apology -- in the commons on wednesday. we have not seen the prime minister for 24 hours, as apparently someone in his family has covid, but there are all these revelations now and all the people know they attended these parties, so they have amplified the calls for the prime minister, boris johnson, to resign. the labor, the liberal democrats, the scottish national

party are calling on the prime minister to resign. it should be pointed out that this is the first time that the leader of the opposition actually asked for that resignation on wednesday in the house of commons. five mps have publicly declared that they have written to the committee, because they no longer trust and support the prime minister. we know there are 54 consecutive mps that need to do that before there is a vote that is triggered. so yes, he is living on borrowed time. how long does that time last? weeks, a few months, until the local elections, where the conservatives might not do very well? may seems an awfully long time away. >> that's our london correspondent reporting. a new covid vaccine is now approved in france. the shot, made by novavax, is the fifth to be approved in the

country. meanwhile, in paris you can now go outside without wearing a mask. this coming after an order from the government that masks be worn on the streets of paris. our correspondent has the detail. >> mandatory masking in paris deemed unjustified by a french court. parisians have had to mask up in the streets, following a decision by city officials to curb the rapid spread of the omicron variant. with the mandate overturned on friday, residents are divided over freeing their faces. >> [speaking french] >> [speaking french] >> the greater paris region has been hotspot for omicron

spread, but this suggests it will have less of an impact on hospitals than anticipated. it is not clear how much of a difference outdoor masking has made. >> [speaking french] >> france has faced an explosion of covid cases. average infections have reached 300,000 per day. in paris, masks remained mandatory on public transportation and in indoor public spaces, including shops and crowded outdoor areas, such as markets. >> for a second time, australia has canceled the visa of tennis star novak djokovic. the number one player has not been vaccinated against covid-19. he was initially detained and later released. as he waits a court ruling,

there are huge doubts as to whether he will be able to compete in the australian open which kicks off on monday. >> the australian open starts in just three days, but the prospects of competing now less likely for the world's number one ranked mens tennis player. >> the immigration minister has canceled novak djokovic's visa. >> on saturday, australia revoked novak djokovic's visa for the second time. the government seeking to detain him again saturday morning. the tennis star faces deportation and a three year ban on obtaining a new australian visa. djokovic's lawyers are challenging the decision. he is set to meet on saturday and will not be deported bere his case is heard, but any decision that would enable him to play needs to come over the weekend. in normal circumstances, djokovic would be the overwhelming favorite to win the

australian open, and it would be his 21st grand slam when for mens tennis. but this saga has overshadowed the tournament and drawn criticism from some of his fellow players. >> no one would have thought, i can come to australia unvaccinated, not having to follow the protocols that they gave me. >> the serbian national first had his visa revoked january 6, shortly after arriving in melbourne, amid questions over a covid vaccine exemption he received. he spent five days at a hotel in detention, until a judge dramatically ruled order officials ignored correct procedure. allowing djokovic to stay is a tough spot for the australian public, which has been under restrictions for years. >> in the african cup of

nations, morocco secured a spot, and the late match ended u in a 1-1 drop. let's cross to the host nation, cameroon, where simon harding is standing by. let's start with the 1-1 tie. simon: gavin scored a late equalizer, but gonna put the ball out as one of their players was lying on the ground. when gabon put the ball back in play, they did not give the ball back to the ghanaians, considered a gesture of fair play. but from that move, an equalizer was scored for gabon. so for the second time since the start of the tournament, referees were escorted off the pitch after a very big scuffle erupted at the end of the match, between the ghanaian and

gabon benches. the ghanaian midfielder was also sent off due to his part in the skirmish. we were pretty far away, so it was not clear to see exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that it is why the situation arose. where does this leave us in the standing? ghana has collected their first point of the tournament, but it leaves them a pivotal must win match against the camorra islands. a beautiful left-footed stride for the captain, but not the day for the black stars. >> at the top, morocco has secured its place in the last 16. they struggled, but in the end they won. how are they able to pull out a victory?

simon: not an easy performance by morocco. they started out with an opening goal for the atlas alliance, but after that was a bit too labored, too difficult for the moroccans. you can see the head coach on the sidelines, getting agitated, asking them to do a little bit more. after halftime, they certainly improved massively against the camorras islands, with the goalkeeper making some fantastic saves. he was elected man of the match, playing in the fourth division as a semipro goalkeeper who played the match of a lifetime, even save the penalty from the end of a series. so a fantastic game from him, but a close upside for morocco. we were able to get that all-important second goal, meaning they have scored three and conceded none so far in the competition. as you mentioned, they have

already booked their place in the last 16, but will play a crucial match against gabon, which could have crucial importance as to who they draw in the knockout stages. >> simon harding reporting from cameroon. thanks a lot. stay tuned for more world news, coming up on france 24. ♪ ♪ >> when the french refer to their native tongue, they call it the language of molliere. we are celebrating centuries of france's most illustrious

playwright. one must eat to live, and not live to each. >> [speaking french] >> [speaking french] >> [speaking french] >> 400 years after his birth, moliere remains essential to french culture as shakespeare in the english-speaking world. the comedy francais'is marking the date by performing tar

toufe, which almost ended his career. why was moliere such a genius? >> it depends on what you mean by genius, but i think you probably have three reasons that you generally accept as constituting moliere's genius. you mentioned the first, really. his manipulation of the french language, as we do refer to french now is the language of moliere. the fact that he is able to have in the same play the diction of the peasants along with the language of the marquis is the ability to bring those two together and comic contrast is still as potent as it was when he first wrote. the second would be his stagecraft. he was an actor-playwright, like shakespeare. he understood what audiences wanted. it was a litmus test. did they laugh? if they didn't, they wouldn't come back.

thirdly, what is most significant, the three-dimensional characters he has left us with, which have not diminished in importance since he first wrote. these are basically constructed around the fundamental traits of human nature, greatness and misery. these are great aspirations to go beyond themselves as they all do, but at the same time, we are brought to recognize -- they'll not always recognize it, but the human element, because spec asians are so often disappointed. that's what we identify within these great characters that moliere has left us with. >> let's head to the comedy francais, also known as the house of moliere. >> this is synonymous with moliere in part, because it is thanks to him that it exists, so

rt of. it was founded by louis the 14th, who had been so impressed earlier when he saw moliere's troop playing, he gave them full access to the building. it was abandoned at the time and he gave them an opportunity to rehearse and stage plays there, and it's where many of moliere's most successful shows made their debut, things like the school for wives in 1882. they paid amash to him on the opening -- homage to him on the opening night, and it still stages more than his work than of any other playwright. of course, the comedy francais is important in his life, but it is linked to his demise as well. he was starring in the title role of the hypochondriac in his

play in 1673 when he collapsed on stage. it might not be as poetic as the director of the archive at the theater told us earlier. >> he say he died on stage, but he didn't. hughes taken ill on stage while playing the main character, but was taken home and died next-door. >> there is a full season of moliere's greatest hits that will be playing up until july, and i do say greatest hits, because he was a very commercially successful playwright. he was no starving artist. we will have new versions of some of those plays, the hypochondriac, the don wan, and others. they are doing live shows that

will also be streamed online and re-releasing cinematic adaptations of his work as well. they are opening the season here with a significant play, when you mentioned, and that is tartouffe, or the hypocrite. it was performed for the king of versailles in 1864 and apparently he loved it. the catholic church, not so much. he rewrote the play, and it is the one that we know today, the text that has been translated into countless languages. for the first time, something close to the original version of tartouffe is to be staged here. it has been re-created through the pains breaking work -- painstaking work of theater historians. he has experience with working with the actors and with moliere's work as well, so this is a theatrical first.

>> the biting comedy often forms students introduction to drama. these students are versing from three plays, including tartuffe. >> i think that it is very accessible, the text is not a barrier, in fact. we communicate not only with the use othe text, but also with our bodies. >> [speaki french] >> in moliere's theater, the place of women is extremely important. moliere had a very strong vision of women's freedom and a way of speaking about it which is very singular, interesting in the context of everything that is happening in the current climate. it was very interestg to make a parallel and see the modernity of what moliere thirst thought

-- first thought 400 years ago, and how it speaks to us today. >> through adaptation, students are trying to raise awareness against violence against women. moliere's plays are often seen as a commentary on women and their place in society. aren't they, noel? >> given the narrowness of education in the suburban and's to husband -- and the subservience to husband at the time, and the actions of women in the denial of their rights. moliere's women, some of them are very feisty indeed. this is one of the things that he is very up-to-date, in retrospect. >> and he is one of french theaters founding fathers, but also made his mark internationally. there have been adaptations of tartuffe in britain in the recent years, keira knightley played in the misanthrope in

2009 and down one in 27 -- don juan in 2017. >> it was a box offers -- boss office -- box office manager's nightmare when a moliere play would be performed. it was said as much in the sunday times, that it could even damage relations between us and the european union. i'm not sure moliere has led to the breakup of britain and the european union, he has not been behind brexit, but the box office did not show moliere's popularity at the time. 1980 saw a seachange with a lot of pformabl's. there were 60 different translations in 60 years on the

tartuffe and -- alone. this is largely because moliere is so modern. his comedy is not a wall. it is a bridge. the human issues that he deals with, the characters he has left us with still resonates so much with those who go to sea. >> so much to talk about. there are numerous performances, exhibitions, and books coming out. the royal opera of versailles is putting on six months of events, including this play of "the confused husband." >> [speaking french] >> there is also an exhibition

in versailles until april, that opens its doors this week, as emma maxwell reports. >> it's france's most famous playwright, yet little is known about moliere's life, and no manuscript remains of his work. an exhibition in versailles am ms to lift the curtain. >> he had multiple callings. he was an actor, an author, a manager, a leader of the troop. on top of being the king's upholsterer. some say this eventually led to his death, of exhaustion and illness. as an exhibition creator, we wanted to express is abundant, generous character with a display to reflect that side of him. >> the reconstructions of

period costumes, the collection brings together nearly 200 works from europe, asia, and africa. he is not just a national treasure, he is the most widely translated and performed french playwright in the world today. >> he is an author different cultures have reappropriated, particularly cultures for several centuries were colonized by france, but in the end, kept moliere. it shows that this theater, of speaks of dowries, arranged marriages, the status of women is in fact a feeder -- a theater for our time, through the lens of 17th century french society. >> during his lifetime, moliere was a star. nowadays, he is an undisputed

master of the stage. four years on, his works have stood the test of time, with french becoming the language of moliere. olivia, later this month there will be a performance. what do we know about that? >> this is not one of moliere's plays. it's about moliere and is in collaboration with a composer. together, they developed a new show called a comedy ballet, which with the king at the time, he was a huge fan of ballet. they had a successful working relationship for 10 years until they fell out. this new play was written and staged by johann of the

committee francais. it's a handful of contemporary pieces part of this season which reflect to moliere's contribution of the arts in france, putting that in a modern context. >> thank you so much for joining us and thank you also to your people for being here today. our reporters have been at the rehearsals, showing from the end of january. part of the events taking place to honor one of the greatest writers in french history. we will leave you with that. thanks, everybody. >> these are grandiose shows designed to please the king, this new show aims to mix a story with music. this shows how closely connecting storytelling and music really is. [singing in french]

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01/14/22 01/14/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the war seems to be over but the situation has ever been worse. this has nothing. there's no health care, no school, no income. all income is gone. am