France announced Wednesday that it has selected the Iranian director Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or-winning drama "It Was Just an Accident" as its submission to the Academy Awards.

Hollywood figures and fans of the movies mourned the death of Robert Redford, expressing affection and admiration for the actor, Oscar-winning director and Sundance Film Festival founder.

Spain joined Tuesday the group of countries threatening not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is excluded from the competition over the war in the Gaza Strip.

Robert Redford, the Hollywood golden boy who became an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died Tuesday at 89.

Alexandre Paulikevitch put on his white dress and wig and danced his way to center stage, knowing that the extremist groups who had threatened him before his controversial recital might be waiting for him outside the theater.

The Lebanese dancer's sold-out performance to a cheering crowd at a popular Beirut venue had angered fundamentalist movements ranging from the right-wing Christian Soldiers of God to Sunni Islamists.

The Netherlands added itself Friday to a number of countries pressuring organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest to drop Israel from the contest because of its war in the Gaza Strip.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively fund and broadcast the contest, said it would not take part in next year's competition in Vienna if Israel participates "given the ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza."

Dozens of Ukrainians and their supporters have demonstrated outside the Royal Opera House in London to protest a performance by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko.

Protesters outside Thursday's opening night of Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" held Ukrainian flags and signs saying "While Netrebko sings, Ukraine bleeds" and "Stop glorifying Russian aggressor culture."

Some prominent Hollywood names are among the filmmakers and industry figures who've signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions — including festivals, broadcasters and production companies — that are "implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people," organizers said.

The group Film Workers for Palestine posted an open letter on Monday including signatures from Hollywood luminaries like Emma Stone, Ayo Edebiri, Ava DuVernay, Olivia Colman, Yorgos Lanthimos, Riz Ahmed, Rob Delaney, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton and Cynthia Nixon among many others. The group said it had collected more than 3,000 industry signatures since the pledge was made public.

Britain's Prince Harry joined his father, King Charles III, for tea on Wednesday at the monarch's London home, the first time they've met in well over a year.

The two have been distant since Harry and his wife, Meghan, left royal life and moved to California in 2020 and then publicly aired grievances about the royal family.

A Belgian festival said Thursday it stood by its decision to axe a leading German orchestra's performance over concerns about its Israeli conductor -- despite furious protests from Israel and Berlin.