Lawyer: Polanski wants 1977 rape case over

Faced with rising coronavirus cases, Catalonia closes restaurants and bars for two weeks.

All non-residents coming from Denmark will no longer be allowed into the UK, the government announced. Denmark ordered a nationwide mink cull after a mutated version of the coronavirus was transmitted to humans.

The US Supreme Court said that abortion pills must be obtained in-person, even during the pandemic, lifting a suspension of the rule by a lower court. Similar rules for other drugs, including opioids, have been waived.

Russia's capital Moscow has eased Covid restrictions, citing the improving health situation, even as many countries tighten anti-virus measures. Moscow bars, restaurants and nightclubs -- which previously were required to close by 11pm -- can remain open through the night, although they will still have to enforce social distancing and sanitary guidelines.

The party has started in Tampa on the eve of the 55th Super Bowl, as hundreds gather around bars, mostly without wearing face coverings.

Our guest is Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, whose latest movie has been nominated for best international feature at the Oscars at the end of the month. The powerful film is a very different take on the plight of refugees and immigration. Starring Monica Bellucci and Yahya Mahayn, "The Man Who Sold His Skin" tells the story of a Syrian refugee who agrees to become a living piece of art so he can travel to Europe. The director tells us more about what inspired her to make the film.

We look at the major contenders for this year's Academy Awards, as film critic Lisa Nesselson gives us her assessment of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", which is nominated for five Oscars. The screen adaptation of August Wilson's 1982 play stars Chadwick Boseman as a talented young horn player in the actor's last movie performance before his death last year.

Pets can easily bond with humans, but when a wild octopus befriends a diver and becomes his life coach until its death, that true story scores an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

The Chinese-born Chloe Zhao won best director and best picture for "Nomadland" in a history-making Oscars sweep — a feat that was literally muted in her home country.

FRANCE 24's film critic Lisa Nesselson shares her thoughts on "Nomadland" and why it wouldn't have been one of her top choices for the Academy Awards. Frances McDormand plays the lead role in Chloé Zhao's feature film. It won the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Female Lead gongs at the 2021 Oscars. McDormand portrays a widow who leaves a now-desolate former company town in Nevada and takes up life as a modern-day nomad.

Many San Francisco bars and restaurants have begun asking customers to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test result before entering the premises. This comes after the city's Bar Owner Alliance decided to mark July 29th as the kick-off date for the voluntary policy, recommended after the recent spike in coronavirus cases. "We just reopened a little over a month ago and we don't want to have to close again, or reduce capacity," says one club manager.

For two months, Yunior Consuegra, 24, has been locked up along with hundreds of others arrested at historic anti-government protests in Cuba on July 11. His mother, Mayda Yudit Sotolongo, has seen him only once, and is beside herself with worry.