- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
- De Bruyne out of Belgium Nations League squad
- Japanese trainer Yahagi hopes Shin Emperor achieves 50-year-old Arc dream
- UK's Starmer hails 'landmark' carbon capture funding
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Bosnia floods kill 14 people
- Tennis world number one Swiatek splits with coach Wiktorowski
Cannes gets rolling with strong day for women on screen
The Cannes Film Festival got rolling on Wednesday with a strong day for female representation, including the new "Mad Max", a Meryl Streep masterclass and the leading figure of France's #MeToo movement.
"Furiosa", the latest instalment of the post-apocalyptic "Mad Max" franchise, features Anya Taylor-Joy in the blood-splattering lead role, playing alongside "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth.
They were due on the red carpet later on Wednesday for the world premiere, playing out of competition at the festival on the Cote d'Azur, which runs until May 25.
Taylor-Joy plays a younger version of the character portrayed by Charlize Theron in the previous film, "Fury Road".
Meanwhile, two very different stories about women kicked off the race for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or.
"The Girl with the Needle" is billed as the story of a Danish woman who set up an underground adoption agency after World War I.
And "Wild Diamond" follows a French teenager seeking fame and recognition by applying for a reality TV show, from first-time director Agathe Riedinger.
- Streep masterclass -
One of the most iconic women in cinema, Meryl Streep, will also be delivering a masterclass, a day after receiving an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony.
"I'm just so grateful that you haven't gotten sick of my face," Streep, 74, joked to the audience, as she received her honorary Palme d'Or from French actor Juliette Binoche.
And there is a screening of a short film about sexual abuse, "Moi Aussi" ("Me Too") by French actor Judith Godreche.
She has become a leading figure in France's #MeToo movement after accusing two directors of assaulting her when she was a teenager in the 1980s -- even appearing before the Senate this year to call for greater protections on film sets.
It comes amid a wave of new allegations in France, most notably against veteran actor Gerard Depardieu, and persistent rumours that more big names will face accusations.
Godreche told AFP she has a nuanced view of the #MeToo movement.
"There is growing awareness, but sometimes things are announced in a way that feels too staged. It's not very spectacular being abused, it's not very funny, it's not very theatrical," she said.
- Gerwig hopeful -
Picking this year's Palme d'Or falls to a jury led by Greta Gerwig, who became the first woman director to make a $1-billion movie last year with "Barbie".
"Every year I cheer when there are more and more women being represented," Gerwig told reporters on Tuesday.
"Fifteen years ago, I couldn't have imagined the number of women represented not only at international festivals but in distribution and board conversations, and so I'm hopeful that it's just continuing," she said.
Still to come at the 77th edition of the festival is the hotly anticipated return of "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola with his decades-in-the-making epic, "Megalopolis", on Thursday.
Also in the running are a Donald Trump biopic, "The Apprentice", and new films from arthouse favourites David Cronenberg ("The Shrouds"), Italy's Paolo Sorrentino ("Parthenope"), as well as "Emilia Perez", an unlikely-sounding musical about a Mexican cartel boss having a sex change from French Palme d'Or-winner Jacques Audiard.
V.Dantas--PC