AFP Video

Play

On Wednesday the Queen presents the British government's law-making plans for the coming year at the formal opening of parliament. Gordon Brown's Labour party wants to tighten the rules that govern the financial system but critics say there's not enough time for any new bills to come into force before the next general election. Duration: 01:54

Play

After savouring their fresh victory against Algeria, Egypt's national football team are looking for a decisive win in the World Cup qualifier taking place in Sudan on Wednesday. Footage of Egypt team praticing in Khartoum. Duration: 00:57

Play

Vladimir Nabokov wanted it burned on his death, but "The Original of Laura" survived and now, 32 years later, the unfinished novel is published for the first time. Despite Nabokov's dying wish, publication of the manuscript will provide what many hope will be an unexpected glimpse of his genius. Duration: 01:13

Play

More items belonging to the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge go under the hammer on Tuesday. The auction, being held in a Paris theatre, runs through Friday.

Play

Wanted: new residences for homeless big cats! Wildlife rescuers at one centre in South Africa are trying to rehome six wild caracals, a species halfway between a lion and a domestic cat. Duration: 01:58

Play

Over 50 artworks from the collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York are being shown off in Abu Dhabi ahead of the opening of the emirate's own Guggenheim museum in 2013. Duration: 01:18

Play

The Islamists of Hamas have imposed their socially conservative rule on the Gaza Strip since taking over in June 2007. But not everyone practices in private what is publicly preached. Since no alcohol is for sale in stores, some Gazans now brew their own at home -- at great personal risk. Duration: 01:45

Play

Nicknamed "spiders" for their gravity-defying skills in web-like constructions, Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolders have risen above predictions that their trade would disappear. They remain a common sight high above the streets of the city, scaling the sides of towering, ultra-modern steel and glass buildings on traditional bamboo poles linked through ancient design concepts. Duration: 02:14

Play

American billionaire Donald Tompkins, founder of the clothing brand North Face, has bid corporate America farewell. He moved to Patagonia with his wife, and the couple has dedicated their lives to fighting for the environment. 

Play

US President Barack Obama arrived in Beijing on Monday from Shanghai, for the second leg of his maiden state visit to China. Obama was due to attend a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese President Hu Jintao. The pair will hold formal bilateral talks on Tuesday.

Play

President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting with Chinese students in Shanghai, which was streamed live on the Internet on Monday.

Play

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger, the charismatic former movie star known for his muscular, tough-talking roles, made a flying visit Monday to Baghdad. Duration: 01:29

Play

The Afghan government said on Monday it had formed a major crime unit to tackle corruption, following escalating Western pressure on President Hamid Karzai to wipe out corruption. Duration: 00:52

Play

Pendjari National Park is Benin's green lung, a biosphere reserve set aside along the border with Burkina Faso to protect west Africa's flora and fauna. Though the park draws wildlife lovers from around the world, generating tourism revenue, it has not been easy for locals, who have had to adapt their way of living. Duration: 01:54

Play

The poverty gap between men and women has continued to widen in recent years, according to the United Nations, with women being increasingly disadvantaged. Although the trend has been largely visible in the developing world, developed countries are not immune. AFPTV went to meet one Frenchwoman trying to survive on society's margins. Duration: 01:38

Play

US President Barack Obama arrived in China late Sunday for his first visit to the Asian giant -- a three-day mission aimed at convincing Beijing that Washington is its partner, not its rival. Obama touched down in China's financial hub after a flight from Singapore, where he and other Asia-Pacific leaders pledged to revamp the world economy but scuppered hopes that key climate change talks next month would end in a pact. Duration: 00:50

Play

With the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall earlier this month, all eyes have been turned on Germany. But in Czechoslovakia too, the non-violent "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 was another major turning point in history, bringing down the Communist regime in a matter of months. Duration: 01:55

Play

Sarah Palin’s autobiography hits stores Tuesday. "Going Rogue" is the 2008 election told by the Republican vice presidential candidate, and running mate to John McCain. She may have her sights set on the White House in 2012, but is she still the darling of the Republican base?

Play

US President Barack Obama on Sunday won the strongest backing yet from Russia on the Iranian nuclear crisis as he warned that Tehran was "running out of time". Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with Obama that neither he nor the US leader were satisfied with the pace of progress, as Tehran drags its feet over its response to a UN-sponsored nuclear enrichment deal. Duration: 00:39

Play

A roar of delight erupted in Cairo on Saturday as Egypt beat Algeria, setting up a World Cup play-off with their bitter rivals in Sudan on Wednesday. The tense encounter took place in the wake of an attack on the visiting team's bus by local fans. Duration: 00:48

Play

For generations, Yemeni men have carried elaborate knives known as jambiyas, the Arabic word for dagger. Distinctively shaped and carefully crafted, the knives can often be closely linked to a person's identity. But the tradition is in danger of dying out. Duration: 01:46

Play

Surrealist artist Joan Miro got inspired by French writer Alfred Jarry¿s absurdist play "Ubu Roi". The Catalan painter and sculptor saw in the lead character, King Ubu, an image of the Spanish dictator Franco. Now a new exhibition in northern France has gathered more than a hundred of his works inspired from Ubu. Duration: 01:35

Play

US President Barack Obama joined world leaders who donned colourful designer shirts for a glittering dinner Saturday, taking a break from annual talks to enjoy the Singapore waterfront and skyline. Obama, who arrived late after jetting in from Japan, was resplendent in a shirt created especially for the 21 leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Singapore. Duration: 00:47.

Play

World football governing body FIFA ordered Egypt on Friday to step up security for a key World Cup qualifier with Algeria after stonethrowing fans injured three away players being bussed to the team hotel. Duration 01:23.

Play

Billing himself America's first "Pacific president", Barack Obama Saturday said the United States did not seek to "contain" China and promised a full US role in charting Asia's future. Duration: 00:48.

Play

It was two years in the making, two years when designers were forbidden from showing their work even to their colleagues. Now, Avatar, the videogame based on James Cameron's new 3D animation film, is about to hit the streets. Ubisoft releases its new game on December 1. 

Play

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said Friday that he had no "Israeli partner" ready to push forward the Middle East peace process, rebuffing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer of talks.

Play

With its harsh and frozen landscape, the Svalbard archipelago, the last outpost before the North Pole, is a surprising haven for people from all walks of life, some as far away as Thailand and Iran. Although it officially belongs to Norway, Svalbard has a special status which means that anyone can go there without a visa. Duration: 02:21.

Play

If it's not the fatty foods it's the lack of exercise -- or probably both. More and more Arabs living in the wealthy Gulf states are suffering lifestyle diseases, especially obesity and diabetes. Official figures show that 70 percent of adults and 12 percent of children in the United Arab Emirates are overweight and that 20 percent of the population have diabetes -- the second highest rate in the world after the small South-Pacific island-nation of Nauru.

Play

US President Barack Obama said Friday that America's alliance with Japan was a "foundation" of peace and prosperity in Asia, speaking on the first stop of his regional tour. Duration: 00:43.

Play

In Gaza, the ancient art of bee venom therapy is still practised -- used to treat complaints as varied as arthritis and bad coughs. But even the bees have suffered as a result of the short-lived war with Israel last winter -- much of the land they used to scout for pollen has been bombed, giving them no choice but for fly across the border.

Play

Truffles have long been a gastronomic object of desire. But the white truffles found in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy are the most sought after species by far. During the four month season, thousands of hunters go in search of the edible fungi, which can fetch staggering sums at auction.

Play

Diabetes affects more than 24 million Americans and is linked to killing more than 200,000 of them each year. The illness is increasingly considered an epidemic, its rise associated with chronic obesity and blamed on the sedentary lifestyle and high-fat and -sugar diet pervasive in American culture.

Play

Former French interior minister Charles Pasqua, sentenced to one year in jail for his involvement in the illegal arms sale of weapons to Angola, alleged on Thursday that former French president Jacques Chirac and other senior government officials were aware of the deal and did nothing to stop it.

Play

The world's first memorial outside the United States to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks has been inaugurated Thursday near Jerusalem. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert led the opening ceremony.

Play

14 tons of cigarettes, nearly 4,000 hi-fi and electrical goods and medical supplies, that’s the non-exhaustive list of what the French customs seized in the port of Le Havre, Normandy, over the last two months alone – all fakes made in China destined for the African market.

Play

Barack Obama embarked Thursday on his first tour of Asia as US president, bound for Japan before later stops in Singapore, China and South Korea on a week-long trip.

Play

Peru threatens to surpass Colombia as the world's largest producer of coca, the main ingredient in cocaine. But former coca farmers in one region of the country are switching away from the illegal activity, and growing Fair Trade cocoa instead. 

Play

Special artists are giving the Hong Kong art world a run for its money with an original range of clay dolls. Some sell for three times the asking price at auctions.

Play

Obamao, a caricature superimposing US president Barack Obama into red-star revolutionary clothes made famous by Chairman Mao, is a hit in Beijing with the image printed on bags and T-shirts.