brent: this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, ukraine's biggest nuclear power plant taken off-line. the power plant went off the grid briefly, cutting power to thousands. the plant laming russian shelling close to the reactors and the nuclear date remains. coming up, the death mounting after a russian rocket attack on ukrainian train station.

at least 26 have died, some burned alive inside a train car. and unwanted at home and welcomed elsewhere, myanmar's one minority, living in refugee camps for five years now. what has this done to their children? and germany remembers the riots 30 years ago. far right mobs attacked an immigrant housing complex. it was a display of xenophobia, and many say it still exists. i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs and around the world, welcome. we begin with the ukrainian nuclear power plant that went off-line and was possibly on the verge of disaster. ukraine's nuclear authority says

the zaporizhzhia power plant is now online. it was taken off the power grid briefly, cutting power to thousands. workers say russian shelling near the reactors was to blame. for weeks, fighting between ukrainian and russian forces neared the reactors and raised fears of a possible radioactive meltdown. >> before russia's invasion, the vast zaporizhzhia plant supplied 20% of ukraine's energy needs. on thursday, it was temporarily cut off from the power grid entirely. after fires, visible on satellite imagery, knocked out the last external power line. that was the facilities last two operating reactors to shut down. ukrainian officials say power has since been restored. one reactor is back online and work is underway to restore the other. russia are in contl of the plant since march, and ukraine

blame them for starting the fires, but russia claims they were sparked by ukrainian shelling. for weeks, increased fighting at the plant raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe. experts fear a loss of power would lead to people to rely on emergency backup generators to cool its reactors. the head of the un's nuclear watchdog told france 24 that he is planning to visit. >> i think now there is general recognition that we need to be there. we need to be there soon. kyiv accepts it, moscow accepted, we need to go, and we are going to be there hopefully very soon. ben: the un and world leaders called for the creation of the militarized zone surrounding the plant to avert disaster. but russia has rejected the proposal. brent: earlier, i asked dw's correspondent what exactly happened at the power plant.

correspondent: well, we do not know what happened exactly. what we know is a fire seems to have damaged the line connecting the powerpoint to the ukrainian grid. ukraine's grid and the russian grid are separate from each other. they are not interconnected or synchronized, so -- and the plant has been supplying power to ukraine for the past few weeks, months, even. even when it was under russian control, so there have been rumors that russia is planning to reconnect it -- to connected to the rushing grid and supply crimea, which is synchronized with the russian grid and electric energy, but we do not know that for sure. we do not know much for sure, but what we know is it was shut off today and it did not deliver

electricity, and ukraine then warned, and it was back on and there were rumors that had been shut down entirely, but we don't know that exactly. brent: what has not changed is the fact that russian troops and weapons are in close vicinity to these nuclear reactors. people have been worried for quite some time about possible nuclear meltdown, maybe another chernobyl. how worried are they after this? mathias: well, the worries continue, and they only have drones, so there was, you just mentioned it, there was a rumor that they might start reconnecting it. that would mean it has to go off grid, and at that moment, many connections are cut off, and the question is how reliable the cooling systems would still be supplied with electricity, so the plant, much can happen at the plant, but one thing must

never happen, and that is cooling systems do not work anymore because this will lead to an explosion and meltdown. and this operation of disconnecting and reconnecting it, there are some risks, especially at the moment where there is a lot of military equipment and shelling has been going on. this plant has been used for shelling, the surrounding territories have also been shelled. it is unclear by whom and to what extent, and this is a very volatile situation and important that the iea can get there soon. brent: the latest tonight in kyiv, thank you. ross peel is an expert on nuclear safety at king's college of london. i asked him how dangerous the situation is right now. guest: right now, the situation is very concerning. we have yet to see a situation

before when nuclear power plant has been at the front lines of an ongoing conflict. there are examples of long-range military bombing, but from aircraft in the middle east. we have not seen this ongoing fighting on the ground in the vicinity. if this continues, it could lead to situations we have been hearing about from your correspondent regarding a potential for the escape of radioactive material into the environment. brent: nuclear power plants, they are just that, power plants. they are not built to withstand shelling or missile attacks that we see in a war, so this is a situation that there is no handbook or guidebook, is there? guest: no, we are off the previous experience here. normally, power plants are uncertain on the extent of damage.

for instance, in the wake of 9/11 attacks, many buildings were not designed to withstand extract from an aircraft, but an air craft is not designed to go through concrete. so we are very much in uncharted territory. a concerted attack with shells and missiles could, if liberty targeted, could damage the reactors within a building. brent: that would be the worst case scenario, if we had a rocket that hit reactor head on, we are talking about an instant meltdown possibility, aren't we? guest: we are talking about that possibility, yes. were also talking about an explosion that causes the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere. it is not just from reactors. there are large pools outside of the reactors, like there are in many nuclear power plants,

containing nuclear fuel that remains hot and radioactive several years after being removed from the reactor. this does not have the same protection, so if these outdoor, under covered pools of water were tbe hit, it could lead to the removal of that water and exposed environment in the same way. brent: we cannot verify what is going on inside the power plant. we understand ukrainian workers are still doing their jobs, doing it at gunpoint by russian soldiers, and that makes demand by the iaea that inspectors be allowed inside even more critical, doesn't it? guest: it is extremely critical. the workers are doing an unbelievable job under the worst possible conditions that one can imagine, and to interfere and maintaining the safety of a

power plant is an excusable under normal circumstances. the ieaa needs to get in, and my concern is whether they get there in two weeks or whatever, ere will be steps taken to remove evidence of what is going on at the powerplant ahead of time. brent: ross peel, thank you for your insight, helping us understand the dangers of the nuclear power plant in the middle of a battlefield. thank you. guest: thank you. brent: yesterday's rocket attacks during ukraine's independence day apparently were deadlier than first reported. russia's defense ministry claims missiles killed more than 200 ukrainian troops inside a transport train. ukrainian officials say at least 25 are killed, including civilians, and dozens more were injured by the russian strike. kia says one vessel struck the village. the attack came six months to the day that russia launched its

full invasion of ukraine. correspondent: this is what ukrainians had feared for days, a russian attack on civilian infrastructure on the six month anniversary of its invasion. the small town in eastern ukraine was shelled twice. this man found his son's body after the blast. translator: he was in the house, thrown out of there, we looked for him, and he was lying here. nobody knew he was here. translator: there was no sound. nothing at all was heard. st an explosion, a last, and then the fire started. correspondent: authorities say seven people were burned in a car. as the un security council met the mark of six months of war,

president zelenskyy addressed the latest russian attack. despite moscow's attempt to block his appearance, -- translator: the rescues are working, but, unfortunately, the death toll could increase. that is how russia prepared for this session. correspondent: but with the deathsising every day, there appears little hope for the war to end anytime soon. brent: let's take a look at other stories making headlines around the world. the russian president ordered a major buildup of his country's military. he signed a decree to increase the number of troops by 137,000, about 13%, after six months of fighting in ukraine, western officials estimate over 70,000 troops have been killed or wounded. a large monument has been torn down, dating back to the 1979

era. it has become a rallyg point for supporters in view of the ukraine war, and the parliament voted to remove any remaining soviet statues and flags. germany and morocco have announced an end to months of diplomatic tensions following a visit by german foreign minister . they agreed to put aside disagreements over morocco's claim to the western sahara. the two sides say they will now open a new chapter, working together in the area of renewable energies. fighting in ethiopia between government forces and rebels has resumed after a truce that held for five months. the conflict in the north began in 2020. it left thousands dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis. correspondent: peace in ethiopia was fragile to begin with. but hopes of a lasting truce was shattered in the early hours of wednesday. when rebels accused the

ethiopian military of launching a large-scale offensive. people in the ethiopian capital worry about the human cost of the war on both sides. translator: those who pick up their weapons are not thinking about the people. it is not too late to put those weapons down and come to the table to talk. this is something ethiopian people should come out and say. enough is enough. translator: the choice should have been negotiation and peace. we saw what war did last time, and it will do the same again. it will cause damage, the main thing is peace. if that does not work, there's nothing we can do. correspondent: the u.n. secretary general said he was shocked and saddened by reports of fresh hostilities. >> my strong appeal is for any immediate secession, and for the

resumption of peace talks between the government and the tplf, at the same time, the full guarantee of helping people in need and public services. correspondent: the war has led to humanitarian crisis, pushing parts of the region into famine and displacing millions of people. groups have reported widespread atrocities, including sexual violence and mass killings. both sides lame each other for the fighting. a distinction that may not concern its victims. brent: it has been five years since the mass exodus of myanmar to bangladesh. the myanmar military burned down villages, causing 700,000 to flee to bangladesh. they have been marking the day with rallies and some 20 refugee camps, amending justice and a way back home.

correspondent: they have gathered to mark a sad niversary and remind the world of their plight. rohingya, who had to flee their homes and had to flee russian clan -- cleansing five years ago , has, etched de into the memories of those and managed to escape to neighboring bangladesh. translator: today we are demonstrating because in 2017, the burmese army killed our people in a genocide. they killed my husband and others, the military raped us, then killed our children by throwing them into buyers, snatching them from the laps of their mothers. florian: close to one million rohingya are cramped into smaller camps. there is a work and sad situations with crime on the rise. most rohingya want to go home,

not at any price. we are now ready to go back, and the demand is we must get our citizenship rights. if they agree, we are ready to go back. bangladesh is not our soil. we do not want to stay here. if we go back, he will not stay in camps. we want to go back to our own homes. demands like these have fallen on deaf ears in myanmar. rohingya has been hit by a sanctions by the u.s., and u.k., international court of justice, opening a case to determine if me and mars government has engaged in homicide. critics say it is not enough. >> five years after these hoific attacks, no one has been held accountable. as a result, i believe the military has been emboldened to commitven more crimes, more crimes against humanity, so in my view, it is ctically

important for the international community to engage in coordinated, focused, targeted sanctions and engage in accountability mechanisms for a much more robust way than the international community has been willing to do. florian: with little hope of returning to their home country anytime soon, a generation of young rohingya are at risk of growing up without a future. brent: earlier, i asked emily white from the group save the children, what the experience is that the rohingya have entered the last five years and what they mean for the children. emily: thanks for having me. save the children did a survey on hundreds of children and children's parents and caregivers, and two thirds say they do not feel any safer now than when they fled the violence in myanmar. 18% of children say they still feel depressed and nine out of

10 adults say they feel stressed and depressed, as well. this is down to the deteriorating conditions and these conditions are no places for children to live in. brent: these camps are not a place for children to live in, but that is unfortunately the reality. is it possible to find any positives in this experience for these children? emily: well, one thing that we would say is one positive is we are able to mark this occasion and use it to show solidarity with rohingya and the government of bangladesh, that is continuing to shelter for million refugees, and what we really want to do right now is increase funding like education, so all of the main issues that has children feeling distressed in the camps is there is no

formalized education system and not in their own language. 112-year-old boy told us recently that him and his friends feel that they have forgotten their own language -- one 12-year-old boy told us recently that him and his friends feel that they have forgotten their own language. the employment is not high for them if they are not learning burmese. and we also need to see higher quality of education to transfer skills. there are so many other things in the camp, things like child marriages on the increase, malnutrition on the increase, overcrowded camps, an increase in fires that have destroyed thousands of people's homes. so, children do not have a place to play in, let alone go to school and keep themselves safe from these protection risks. that is what we are trying to highlight and calling on the international community to really step up the funding. brent: to step up the funding

and make sure people don't forget what happened and what continues to happen for the rohingyas. thank you. germany has been marking some of the worst xenophobic attacks in its postwar history. 30 years ago, the far right mob attacked the housing complex for asylum-seekers and immigrants. the german president attended a ceremony outside that building today, where the riot broke out. correspondent: a memorial of shame in our country, the words of the german president describing the sunflower house were immigrants once feared for their lives. one man came to acknowledge the pain of 30 years ago, but also expressed the hope that lessons have been learned. translator: i know there are quite a few people in rostock-lichtenhagen that wish the events would be put to rest,

so i am all the happier about the many who are committed to understanding and remembrance, who have done this for decades, and i know in the first few years, they face resistance. in august 1992, a far right mob attacked the sunflower house, turning molotov cocktails and crowbars against the terrified people inside. they were taking out their xenophobic hatred on asylum-seekers and immigrants house there. as the police struggled to control the riot, neo-nazis arrived to join in, and thousands of onlookers applauded. a low point in germany's post-reunification story. many more racist attacks have happened since, so things have really improved. -- so have things really improved? translator: there is still a minority that is authoritarian, totalitarian, nationalist, and

xenophobic. this minority must be kept in check. it is important to convince these people of what they think is wrong. translator: politicians now react differently to racism and far right extremism. as the federal government, we are tackling racism and far right extremism. this is a difference compared to 30 years ago. correspondent: no lives were lost in the five days of violence, but 30 years on, the rostock riots are a bitter memory as right parties continue to attract votes and xenophobic violence is a problem and the need to combat racism is as urgent as ever. brent: life for women in afghanistan is restricted under the taliban. since taking power, the islamist rulers have placed limits on girls education, for example. women can only go outside with a male guardian, that hasn't stopped them from opening a women only library.

correspondent: an opening for mines. this brand-new kabul library tends to the education of a female only clientele, the founder say it is an oasis inside of a society that is increasingly hostile to universal education. the taliban rule of afghanistan has brought severe restrictions on women's participation in public life. these women are hopeful the library can act against that trend. translator: we want to show women several assistance to those who are against women, against women's activities. translator: if the taliban close the gates of schools and ignore the education of a generation, they should know that afghan women are women who have become literate, who know themselves,

and have the ability to define themselves in society. correspondent: thousands of women have been excluded from work lifsince the taliban took power a year ago. secondary schools for girls remain mostly closed, even though the islamist rulers promised earlier this year to reopen them. many afghan women say they are frustrated over the current restrictions to women's and girls rights. translator: the taliban should understand that women are half of the society, and there was an urgent need for afghan women to study and work. translator: literate women will make us have a better and more peaceful society. the higher the awareness, the lower the levels of violence. that is why we created this library. correspondent: the new library

includes more than 1000 books, including novels and nonfiction titles on politics, economics, and science. the founders hope the works can be read here by many sharp minds, and the library offers a safe space for reading and literary explorations. brent: novak djokovic confirmed he will not take part in this year's u.s. open due to covid travel restrictions. the former world number one, as you may know, is not vaccinated, which by the current rules, bars him from entering the u.s. his absence means he will not have the chance to equal rafael nadal's record total of 22 grand slam titles at flushing meadows. he also missed the australian open earlier this year due to his vaccination status. here is a reminder that top story we are following this hour, ukrainian authorities say the nuclear power plant at zaporizhzhia was briefly off the power grid for the first time in

its history today. they say a cable was damaged by shelling, russian shelling, and the client was unable to deliver power to the surrounding area. fighting between russian and ukrainian troops were control of the facility has raised international concern about possible nuclear disaster. you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will take you through "today," the war in ukraine and the danger of going nuclear, nuclear as in a nuclear reactor meltdown. we will be right back.

óñóñóñóñóñóñ f

♪ >> the power line providing electricity to ukraine's russian-held nuclear plant has now been restored, but there are still great concerns about the safety of the site, europe's largest, with war reaching all around it. student debt canceled by joe biden. more than 20 million will be eligible to get there student debt erased entirely, but for some, the issue remains the actual cost of going into higher education.

our washington correspondent is standing by with the analysis. good evening. emmanuel macron announces a new commission to examine franco algerian relations from colonialization to independence. both countries say'tis it's important to get to the truth about their pain shared history. thank you very much for being with us. powerline supplying electricity to the ukrainian russian-held nuclear plant has been restored. there are fears of nuclear disaster at the site. >> it is the first time in its history that this powerplant has been disconnected from the power grid.

ukraine's nuclear energy provider decided to cut off the two remaining reactors, saying nearby fires could cause damage to overhead power lines. ukraine and russia have been accusing each other of launching strikes around europe's largest nuclear power plant, which is currently occupied by moscow's forces. kyiv claims they are stocking heavy weapons inside the building, accusations russia denies, but fears of a nuclear accident continue to grow as tension builds. in france, president macron met with the heads of the international atomic energy agency, asking they gain access to the site as soon as possible. >> we have to have all the security, security in the sense

of physical security, not young shot at, but on top of that, we have to determine the terms of the admission. we need to be there soon. kyiv accepted. we need to go. >> is very soon it in days or weeks? >> days. >> the plant in normal times accounts for 1/5 of ukraine's electricity production. >> next, we turn to the good news, student debt, canceled by joe biden. in the u.s., more than 20 million people will be eligible to get their federal student debt erased entirely. 23 million more could get it reduced. millions of americans, it offers a life-changing chance to emerge

from debt, but too many, it does not address the cause of the crisis, which is the rising cost of going to college. our correspondent in washington joins us. how significant is biden's student ln forgiveness plan? >> it is pretty significant, given the context of going to college in the united states, so the plan is to cancel up to less than $125,000 a year and up to $20,000 for pell grant recipients, the people that are most in need and who got those grants to go to college, and in the united states, that is extremely important because if you think about it, average tuition per year for an american student going to an out-of-state

public school is about $25,000 a year. if you go to a private school, it jumps to an average of about $32,000, and some are finding that 43 million americans right now have student debt, loans that they have to repay. 43 million -- that's one in six american adults who have those student loans to pay back, and only 17% of those have less than $10,000 in loans to pay back. about half of those borrowers have more than $20,000 in debt, so it is extremely significant for those who have to pay back those student loans, and it is

something that has proven pretty popular. recent polls have shown that a serious majority of americans, if they are democrat, independent, or even republican, that they are in favor of at least some sort of cancellation -- maybe not full cancellation, but at least something along the lines of what the president announced. >> it is two months before the november midterm. what has political reaction to this been like? >> no surprise, republicans coming out in full force. the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell calling it socialism, which in his mouth is a not nice thing to say. astonishingly unfair. unfair is something you heard from republicans. they say it is unfair for the families who sacrificed to save up to send their kids to college, for those who have paid

back all of their debt or those who decided to choose a different career path, not to go to college, or went into the military to be able to pay for their college. they say for all those people, this plan is unfair, but what is interesting is there is also quite a bit of division among democrats themselves. progressives feel this is not enough. this is a drop in the bucket of student loan debt. they wanted to see a full-blown cancellation of all student debt, not just $10,000. then you have moderate democrats, especially those that in these midterms in swing districts that are in chandra were being challenged by republicans that could lose their seat. they worry this might be negative for them, that it is

too broad, and others you picked up on in the lead in, who said this does not go to the root cause of the problem, which is the price of tuition in the united states. they say that it is simply a band-aid right now and that it does not address any of the problems of how much you have to pay to go to college in the united states and how quickly the cost of tuition is rising right now. you are seeing about double the inflation rate for tuition amounts in the u.s., so they believe that this is a ploy that might backfire for them in the midterms. >> as ever, thank you very much indeed for that analysis. let's turn now to emmanuel macron's visit to algeria. he has announced a commission of

historians will be set up to examine franco algerian relations from colonialization up to independence. his algerian counterpart speaking alongside him. macron called this a unique moment in the quest for truth. the two also spoke on the importance of bilateral cooperation on security. macron's three days in algeria will see him developing economic and cultural opportunities between the countries. >> we have a shared past. it is complex, painful, and at times, it has hindered us looking to the future. we are living in a unique time, and i hope this allows us to look at the past with a lot of humidity.

the desire for the truth, both memory and history, but also not to get rid of the past because it is impossible. these are our stories. the past should be what is common and not something that blocks us. >> you and i have discussed this kind of commission in the past. this truth on reconciliation commission is very much a key development. just tell us how important it is . >> it is really important because french and algerian historians work on this side

never together. are on -- both men are agreed on one thing, ever for a new relationship is needed. he is saying that we cannot get it, but they are trying to build something common and french and algerian historians and do that.

also the necessity to work on the pandemic and climate change, the fight against terrorism, but also ukraine is undergoing war. ukraine must be a common cause for even algeria, that has very strong and good relationships with russia. you can remember that a number of associations have alerted president macron to the degradation of individual freedom. he did not mention it during his speech, but maybe he will talk about. >> one of the other things he did not mention was gas. any thoughts on that one?

>> yeah, because gas is very important for europe and for france since the beginning of the war in ukraine. >> thank you, sir, very much indeed. angola's national electoral missions of that with nearly all the votes counted after the general election wednesday, the ruling party holds a majority of the opposition. the mp l.a., which has been in power nearly five decades, had obtained more than 51% of the

votes. this goes against pre-result predictions, but we will watch for further developments as the accounting continues, but it looks like angola's set for more of the same with the mpla in charge. china's record heat wave starts to subside, farmers are assessing the damage caused by a prolonged route and the government is urging them to replant or switch crops where they can. within 70 days of extreme temperatures and low rainfall have brought havoc along the basin of the yangtze river, which supports more than 100 50 million people as well as/3 of the country's crops. >> it is normally surrounded by water in august in the middle of china's biggest freshwater lake. >> usually the water comes up to

their -- to there. less summer, we had water up to here. quest this is wt it looked like two years ago when the region was hit by floods. water levels fluctuate as floodwaters from the yangtze river low into it during the normally wet summer before receding dramatically in the dry autumn and winter. this year, the lake has already shrunk to 1/5 of its size. china is experiencing the hottest summer on record with a heat wave now stretching over 70 days. it is breaking records almost every day with temperatures reacng mid 40's degrees celsius. large cities have had to dim lights due to hydropower shortages. the extreme weather is threatening this year's harvest.

>> these peppers are dry and will die soon, almost half of the vegetable crops compared to normal times. >> authorities have begun firing chemicals into the sky to induce rain. the cloud seeding project is set to continue for the next three months in a desperate effort to protect crops. >> that is it for this bulletin. for more news, stay with us here on france 24. ♪

>> if you had given him the chance to apologize, he could still be alive. >> what? ♪ stylish horror that takes us to the dark heart toxic masculinity . that's coming up in today's show. we start with a woman alone in an old, empty house and the lingering pain of a recent trauma. it is all the ingredients for a classic psychological thriller, and this one is called "men." it comes from british filmmaker alex garland, asking important questions about grief, violence, and women's responsibility.

france 24 got a chance to find out more from the leading lady herself. >> jessie buckley, hello. >> hello. >> it has been a big year for you. a factor and oscar nomination fo open the lost daughter." you are here talking about "men." how would you describe it? >> a while punk provocative dome, is what i would say. >> you seem to be attracted to films dealing with big questions , having to do with the subject of women not having maternal instinct. this film seems to tackle the people of men throughout history. what attracted you to these enormous topics? >> i guess because they ask me questions. they asked me to unlearn things and to learn new things.

>> will it jus be you staying? >> ♪ until you give your love there's nothing more we can do ♪ >> it is delicious. >> mustn't do that. forbidden fruit. >> oh, god, i'm sorry -- >> i'm joking. >> do you think all men are versions of the same one? >> no. we are all far too complex. i think we all have everything in us, you know? men and women. i have amazing men in my life. i made this film with amazing men, but i think the script, the story is provoking the kind of archetypes of toxic masculinity within men throughout time, and why do they return? i don't think this is saying

this is all men. i think this is just an aspect that can appear at certain times. >> out of all the men he plays, which is the worst? >> the priest. whenever the priest came on set, it was like a different set. jeffrey was the best. everybody loved him, but the priest, nobody wants to hang out with the priest. >> in your films, you play women who are torn between responsibility and their own desires, even in men. your husband cannot believe you would consider leaving him. do you think we are free to do what we want, women today? >> i think that is something we have to keep fighting for. i think we all have fundamental

right to choose the life that is right for us. throughout history, women have been contorted and been submitted in certain shapes, but i think we are in an exciting moment now where the power within us as women and the power between us, with women and men, is shifting, and i'm interested in that power today. i think there is always more to grow. >> have you noticed changes in recent years? >> i feel very lucky. i feel like i have been able to explore a lot of those things from script that i have received, which are kind of

talking the parameters which we have been allowed to live in for quite a while. me, that is my politics. that's where i can actually exercise those things. there have been shifts, but i still think there's, like, more. >> follow me out of the woods. he's stalkinge. >> wt makes you say that? >> i saw him twice. >> twice? i don't know if he saw you once. >> alex garland uses the natural world a lot in his films. you go on -- it starts like a lovely walk. it made me think of the way that city dwellers now want to escape to the countryside after covid. what was it like to make a movie using nature in this way? >> i loved it. i grew up in the mountains, so

i'm hungry for nature. i really think how the cinematographer and alex have captured that and used that as a kind of seduction into a sense of horror is so beautiful. i don't think i have ever seen anything so delicious, but that's the clever thing he does, he kind of hypnotizes you into this sense of horror where you're leaning towards the things that you are most afraid of because of that environment, but, yeah, i loved it. >> what are you doing?

>> for another take on the neo-horror genre, our next guest is really teaching her debut feature, a dark and disquieting journey in the jungle between her neighboring argentina and -- between her home argentina and neighboring brazil. the protagonist is set on a slippery path. let's get a taste of the atmosphere from that movie. we are going to brittany now in

the west of france were a whole village becomes an open air photography show every year between june and september. the theme this summer is visions of the east, bringing us imagery from afghanistan, pakistan, and iran. our reporters went to find out more from some of the women whose unique perspectives on their home and landscapes featured in those exhibitions. >> you are out strolling in brittany in northern france when at a bend in the river, you see those photos of women dancing under the gaze of armed menn pakistan. remarkable men and women who have had the strength to survive the worst. the theme of the annual festival as women of the east in various active roles in front of and behind the camera lens. >> when you talk about iran,

afghanistan, you don't necessarily think of women being the ones taking the pictures. what surprised me is that these women are fairly mbative, almost warriors. in tmsf depicting reality in their countries, sometimes with a great deal of subtlety. >> the iranian artt achieves the feet of talking about the value without us actually seeing one. in iran, she says you have to know how to be able tmake your point without doing it in a shocking way. >> this is not interesting to me to take some images that everybody can see. i need to eress myselin this way because i think in my untry, arts the only way you can express yourself. >> other artists have chosen to be more explicit. the afghan photographer and journalist fatima husseini paid the price for that. she had to flee when the taliban

took control less summer. with her photos as her only luggage, she sought exile in france. >> i don't want to miss any opportunity to keep talking about afghanistan and keep talking about women of afghanistan and to show my photos as much as i can, to show that afghanistan is not just taliban or terrorists, islamophobia, or whatever. you can find beautiful thgs. you canind resilience. >> the photography festival aims to tackle stereo -- stereotypes head on. an exhibition of extraordinary photos give insight into difficult times, all the while showing that hope springs eternal. >> finally, her dark fairytale scenes and unflinching portraits

of the female experience made her a giant of 20th century art. the portuguesertist has died after a career spent using pastels, oil, and sculpture to express subtle ideas about abortion, domestic violence, and the creeping group of the patriarchy in both personal and political spheres. her work was celebrated with a major retrospective. we will leave you with some of her pieces. otherwise, remember to check out our website for more arts and culture. we are on social media, too. there's more news coming up on france 24 just after this. ♪

[captioning made possible by democracy now!] ♪ amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> president biden: we will forgive 10,000 dollars in outstanding student loans. in addition, students who come from low income families which allow them to qualify to receive a pell grant will have their debt reduced $20,000. amy: president biden announces a student debt relief plan tha