>> france announces a plan to ease covid restrictions for the start of february as infection rates are over 400,000 a day and medics are warning they could possibly be swarmed until the beginning of march. an investigation focused on abuse of children by priests in munich alleges pope benedict

failed to take action in four cases. we will have analysis and all the up-to-date action from our team. thank you very much for being with us. prime minister has announced a relaxation of covid restrictions next month. first, let's show the latest covid figures here in france. 425,183 new cases over the past 24 hours. there have in a further 245 deaths due to covid across france. 10 fewer people in intensive care, but nonetheless, 3800 42 people are in the icu with covid. the french government's main advisory body said the current fifth wave will continue to weigh on hospitals until

mid-march. the prime minister was about to unveil a timetable of easing covid restrictions. >> as of wednesday, february 2, all establishments, notably sports for cultural venues, visitors -- where visitors must be seated, will be able to operate at full capacity, but masks will remain compulsory. on the same date, working from home will no longer be compulsory, and neither will wearing face masks outdoors. >> austria's lower house of parliament this thursday has passed a bill that would make it compulsory for adults to get vaccinated against covid-19 from february 1, the first such mandate in the european union.

>> it is controversial, and there is a split in some senses right down the middle of austria because we have here one of the lowest vaccination rates in europe. about 71% only fully vaccinated, and sizable support for the far right party, the freedom party, which is visceral in its opposition to this law. that means there are quite a few people in austria who are opposed to the law, who are angry that it has been passed, who are still under lockdown because they have not been vaccinated -- even though there is not a full lock down here in austria, there is one for people who have not been vaccinated -- and we have seen heated debate in parliament preceding the

passing of that law, led by the leader of the far right freedom party, who used incendiary language, talking of approaching totalitarianism and undemocratic actions. of course, that serving to further fire up the street. >> antony mills joined us on that story earlier in austria. next, joe biden trying to clarify the u.s. position over any russian movement into ukraine. the words used to talk about the difference between an incursion can invasion, made it look like there will be a list heavy price to pay. some observers took this as a tacit pylon of russian troops. gaskell converts that it is not

at all like that. , biden's onbrd antony blinken -- meanwhile, biden's foreign secretary antony blinken. >> western allies insisted they would be undivided in responding strongly to a russian assault on ukraine. the u.s. secretary of state met with french, british, and german leaders to discuss the crisis. >> that unity gives us strength, a strength, i might add, that russia does not and cannot match . even as we are relentless in pursuing this diplomatic path, we will continue to make very clear that if russia chooses a path of aggression, we will impose strict and dramatic

costs. >> his german counterpart shared the same sentiments. quick sweepers urge russia to take -- >> we urge russia to stop aggressive measures. >> for weeks russia has amassed thousands of troops on the eastern border of ukraine, stoking fears of invasion. moscow has denied plans to attack its neighbor. it wants nato to promise to never admit ukraine as a member. blinken's three-day whirlwind tour will end after a one-on-one meeting after -- with russian counterpart sergei lavrov in geneva. >> we are watching for developments on the.

next, retired pope benedict has been accused of not acting to stop child sexual abuse. investigation focused on abuse of children by priests in munich found benedict allegedly failed to take action in four cases of child sexual abuse. benedict, who stepped down as pope in 2013, has previously denied wrongdoing. >> big long-awaited report has found that former pope and addict -- pope benedict xvi failed to take action against child abuse. a german law firm was asked to investigate abuse claims in the archdiocese in munich and i chch officials handled those correctly. and if accused priests remain active in the church. >> two cases involve acts of abuse committed during his tenure and sanctioned by the

state. in both cases, the perpetrators remain active without explicit restrictions on their activities. >> the probe revealed at least 497 victims of abuse, mainly young men and boys in munich and surrounding areas. the report also found failure to act by the current archbishop and present hope's ally -- present pope's ally, who has released an apology. >> i fields went responsible for the church as an institution over the last decade -- i feel partly responsible for the church as an institution over the last decade. >> pope and addict, now age 94, stood down as leader of the global roman catholic church in 2013 and strongly denied any wrongdoing -- pope benedict, now

age 94. >> we, of course, will follow reaction to that story focusing on the role not played by benedict during that period. moving on to a complete change of rap, football. algeria's national team has been dumped out of the championship, a bitter disappointment for them and their football-mad people. quite a night it has been. i think we need to start with algeria because clearly, the holders are out, and i imagine they are not very happy about it. >> no, definitely not.

who would have thought this would happen? the defending champions are bowing out and bowing out last of their group. what a surprise. they got out to a difficult start against sierra leone. we thought things might get better game by game, but they did not. equatorial guinea hammering them . once again now being held by the ivory coast, so huge disappointment. they have the nation behind them, but of course, how do we explain this? a lot of pressure. would they be up to the task of doing this? today, we saw the ivory coast who were stunning and have gone on to show their full potential of what they have in this tournament, but for algeria, it is incredible to see something like this, and they will be hoping to bounce back, especially with world cup qualifiers coming up in not too long.

mark: they keep bringing great players forward, don't they? tell us more about today's action. james: we just left the grounds as gambia just beat tunisia 1-0. who would have thought gambia would make it through to round 16? they already shocked us when they won their game against mauritania. today, they just managed to beat tunisia with a last-minute shot which really got the whole stadium dancing and singing. now they have finished second of their group heading into the round of 16, but today has been once again strong. they denied tunisia a penalty. i goalkeeper in the samert

france24.comt the goalkeeper in the same way just galvanizing the proud. once again, just a brilliant side, and what a sight, tunisia on the other site have been struggling with an outbreak of covid in their squad. the man who is basically leading the team on the field is out. they do make it through as the third-best place group, but there's another surprise that comes along with gambia qualifying. the two newcomers going through to the knockout round. what a brilliant result. who knows what could happen? as we have seen, the favorites do not always make it through. mark: indeed, every dog deserves its day. thank you for joining us for the africa cup of nations. next, a teenager became the youngest woman to fly solo

around the world this thursday, the first person to do so in a micro like plane after a five-month, five-contin -- five-continent journey, she landed back in an airport in belgium after flying 51,000 kilometers over 52 nations in the world's fastest micro light aircraft. >> coming in for a final landing after 12 months spent alone and in the air. 19-year-old zara rutherford is the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe by plane. wrapped in her two national flags, she described what it felt like to be back. >> it is just really crazy. i cannot quite process it, i think. just trying to imagine what it is like to finally be home after three months. >> a child of two pilots,

rutherford began flying at the age of 14. her worldwide journey began in belgium in august and took her past california wildfires, frozen siberia tundra, and saudi arabia and desert. it was supposed to take three months but was prolonged by visa issues and bad weather. since rutherford's plane was unable to fly in clouds or at night. >> the hardest part was definitely flying over siberia because it was extremely cold. if the engine were to stop, i am hours away from rescue and i don't know how long i can survive for. >> rutherford will take off for a different kind of adventure in september when she hopes to attend university either in britain or the united states to study electrical engineering. mark: a clearly remarkable

person with a remarkable achievement. >> a program about women who are reshaping our world. we meet those who seek equality, be it in the board room or at the village world. the 51% brings you stories from across the globe about the women who are challenging the way we think. >> the 51%, presented by annette young. >> i'm not going to be the person i'm expected to be anymore.

>> intelligent, dedicated, magnetic, beautiful -- they are just some of the words that have been used to pay tribute to the french actor who died after a skiing accident in the alps. his tragic death has shocked the film world. >> dubbed one of the greatest talents of his generation, actor gaspard uliel died at the age of 37 following a skiing accident. he was spending time with family in the french alps. he first appeared on our screens as a teenager with his breakthrough role in the 2003 film "strayed."

over the following two decades, he appeared alongside some of the biggest names in french cinema and continue to receive adulation for his work, winning the caesar award for best actor in 2017 in "it's only the end of the world." news of his death has been greeted with shock and sadness in his home country. on twitter, "broken heart. gaspard was beautiful and talented. thoughts to his family." >> his sensitivity and the intensity of his acting made that's part -- made gaspard ulliel a huge talent. my loving thoughts to those who mourn him today. >> he also made a mark on the international stage, gaining

attention for his performance as the famous cannibal in "hannibal rising." >> he place the nbaddie in the new film "moon knight" by marvel, set to appear in disney+. who took the subject of film very seriously. >> people often reference what you can say as a physical beauty, but, of course, that is something very subjective. in my process as an actor, i tried to stay clear of that. >> does that sort of question bother you? >> of course it does bother me a bit. >> are you shy? >> there is a form of shyness

involved. at one point, i really tried to establish myself in hollywood, and i realized it was a bit like starting again from scratch. regardless of what i had already achieved i do get offers from the u.s., but they are rarely as interesting as the kind of roles i'm getting at the moment. what interests me is playing a role that allows me to explore something new, something that forces me out of my comfort zone. i was a teenager at the time, but i have a very powerful memory of the first time i walked the red carpet at the cannes film festival, especially being so young. >> your favorite cinematic case? >> in "send laurel -- "saint

laurent." >> it might be close, but it is possible to visit paris' famous notre dame virtually. the roof of the famous cathedral is being restored after a fire in 2019. that is expected to be completed by 2024. we can explore the cathedral virtually. >> visitors find themselves on the top of notre dame cathedral in paris with a vertigo-inducing view down into the empty cathedral. this is a virtual reality adventure. ludovic here is a virtual version of a visitor to notre dame as it would have been in the middle ages. being able to get close up is stunning.

>> looking at things as they were 800 years ago. they are not by our sides here in time and space. >> each visitor creates their own virtual reality double and uses the latest in virtual reality technology for full immersion. there are even raindrops. >> we are at the cathedral's front door. >> fantastic and incredible look at the top. >> theathedral is due to reopen in 2024 following the fire three years ago. the virtual visit allows people to see the bells and the roof's timber structure. >> it feels a bit like you are playing a videogame, but there's no scream. instead, your center stage. >> visitors are in the venue in what is a world first.

50 people can take part at once. >> each person can see the others just like in real life. we can see each other and talk and you don't open to anyone even though you are wearing a virtual reality headset. >> the visit cost 30 euros for 45 minutes. a third of that money goes to the restoration of the cathedral. >> the classic "little prince" is arguably one of the best children's books of all time. published three quarters of a century ago, the story of a lone boy living on a tiny planet with a sly fox and a passive-aggressive rose has been read to children the world over, and it's use of metaphors also fascinate adults. >> once upon a time, there was a christmas story written by

antoine saint-exupery. the story and its characters remain as fresh as ever. he wrote the story in new york where he was taking refuge from the war. the title of the -- the title character was considered to be the writer's alter ego and bears a striking resemblance to his younger self. "the little prince" has since had phenomenal success. today, it is the second most translated in the world after the bible. from egyptian hieroglyphs to morse code and the language of "star wars," it has been written in 40 languages for nearly 6000

editions. >> it is a book that people pass on for generations. people read it to their children and grandchildren, and it continues to find new readers around the world with 5 million copies sold every year. >> it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. what is essential is invisible to the eye. >> you really learn how to be a child and live your life to the fullest. >> it contains a lot of metaphors, comparisons, and symbolism. >> the main message is about our existence and the absurdity in our world, a relationship with a work that gives us a sense of life, the responsibility of others and solidarity among people and the issue of love which is embodied by the rose. >> for me, it is also of freedom because theox freaks the

little prince even though he managed to claim him. >> "the little prince" has also become a huge commercial success. it even has its own theme park. the story has been adapted to a number of films and cartoons. this year, for the first time, the original manuscript and sketches will cross the atlantic from the u.s. for an exhibit in paris. >> always good to look back at a classic. just before we go, tributes are flooding in for the french actor gaspard ulliel, who died in a skiing accident this week. he was 37. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language]

♪ >> the m who killed my family. >> [speaking foreign language] >> now tell me, inspector, did you catch who did it? quick no. >> then we are both suspect. -- >> no. >> then we are both suspects. >> [spking foreign language]

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01/20/22 01/20/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! pres. biden: it is one thing if it is minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not to do, etc., but if they do what they're capable of doing, it is going to be a disaster for russia. amy: president biden is predicting russia will soon invade ukraine as diplomatic talks continue in europe.