AFP Video

Play

With the holiday shopping season set to kick off this week, many of the small businesses that create about 65% of all new jobs in the US are struggling to keep their doors open. One garden shop in Washington, D.C. filed for bankruptcy last month when its credit ran out. Now, like many stores, it's hoping for a boost from Christmas sales to stay alive.

Play

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday urged his visiting Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to find a "just solution" with the West to Tehran's contested nuclear program. Lula, speaking in a joint media conference with Ahmadinejad, reiterated that Brazil backed Iran's declared quest for "peaceful nuclear energy in full respect of international accords."

Play

Iranian President Ahmadinejad arrived in Brasilia on Monday for a 24-hour stay that started with a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Play

Gypsies, or Rom, have lived in the Middle East for centuries and until the fall of Saddam Hussein, played an important, if marginal, role in the local culture. But since the war in 2003 and the subsequent rise of religious extremism, they have been pushed even further into poverty and exclusion.

Play

"Nouchi" is a language born in the ghettos of Abidjan, both a lingo and a set of gestures all its own. Once the province of young urbanites, it has now climbed its way up Ivorian society, and even politicians and artists are having their "Nouchi" say. Duration: 01:57.

Play

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard set a record in 1999 circumnavigating the globe in a hot-air balloon -- and now he's set for an equally daunting challenge. This time his "Solar Impulse" airplane will operate solely on solar power. Duration: 01:31.

Play

France's financial watchdog began hearings on Monday into insider trading allegations against more than a dozen current and former executives of European aerospace giant EADS. Duration: 00:31

Play

Many Cambodians believe the area around Tuol Sleng prison is still haunted by the ghosts of 15,000 people tortured before being executed at "killing fields" outside Phnom Penh. Duration: 01:59.

Play

Mexican guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela used to play heavy metal, but one day chucked the electric sound for nylon-strung guitars, settled in Europe and have never looked back. The duo's acoustic cover versions of Led Zeppelin or Metallica hits, played with Latin bravado, have earned them a worldwide following. Duration: 02:21

Play

It is twelve months since ten gunmen attacked India's financial capital Mumbai and for those who survived, the year has been spent piecing their lives back together. 166 people died in the attacks, and more than 300 others were injured. Duration: 02:22

Play

From crime-ridden African township to the bright lights of a Las Vegas stage. Nkombuzo Nkonyana is forging an innovative way to make his problems vanish into thin air, as he carves out a career as an aspiring magician. The 19-year-old sees magic as his best chance to get out of Khayelitsha township, one of the poorest areas near Cape Town -- and the World Cup next year might just give him his big break. Duration: 01:51

Play

Rome is known for its ancient monuments and classical paintings, but so far Italy's capital has been off the map of contemporary art fans. However with MAXXI, the new National Museum of 21st Century Arts, the city is trying to change that. We get a tour of the stunning structure, the brainchild of none other than celebrity architect, Zaha Hadid. Duration: 01:28.

Play

Big and small... shiny and pink... you can make a fashion statement with firepower. Gun sales are blasting to new heights in the US, as the economic crisis increases fears that crime will take off. This weekend, a gun show in Chantilly, Virginia is drawing thousands of interested buyers. Duration: 01:58.

Play

If you're thinking of getting rid of your split ends or lopping off your fringe -- why not make some money while you're at it. One business in Spain might be able to help -- they've built a commercial empire based on exporting human hair for sale to hairdressers and wig-makers around the world. Duration: 01:50.

Play

A trio of women called "Les Cocottes Codec" or "The Darling Chicks" swept to the finish line in France's high-heeled relay race. The prizes for the winners were, perhaps unsurprisingly, gift certificates for shoes. Duration: 00:51.

Play

Sergiev Posad is one of the most beautiful Orthodox monasteries in the Moscow region, and also the site of a special kind of school. Every year, nearly 60 students meticulously learn to paint religious icons, retracing the same brushstrokes of masters from centuries ago. Duration: 01:50.

Play

An antique electric train, left over from the heyday of American power in Cuba, still snakes its way through Havana. But it's more than just a tourist ride. The nearly century-old Hershey train, named after the chocolate company that built it, takes Cuban commuters to work every day. 

Play

A notebook, number 2 pencils, and the newest essential school supply in Uruguay: a laptop. The South American nation is the first and only country to guarantee every elementary school student attending government schools a portable computer. If the incumbent left-wing president wins the run-off election on November 29, his government says it will expand the program to all students in the public education system.

Play

Gabon's President Ali Bongo met with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday on his first trip to France since he succeeded his father, who had made Paris nearly a second home while leader of the oil-rich former French colony. Images and soundbites.

Play

Violence and instability shut it down temporarily, but Iraq's stamp collecting club is now back in business. And it's been good business, too, for the Iraqi Philatelic Society, whose best-selling items are pre-war stamps starring Saddam Hussein.

Play

Romania, struggling with a severe recession and reeling from political turmoil, is now set to face yet another challenge -- a presidential election. Both front-runners, including the incumbent Traian Basescu, are neck-and-neck in the polls, meaning a decisive outcome from Sunday's poll looks unlikely.

Play

Swimmers who get into difficulty off the French coast may have some rather unusual rescue workers coming to their aid. Over a dozen lifeguard teams using Newfoundland terriers are now in place, with dog-handlers training their canine partners to help lead victims safely back to shore.

Play

Hainan island in the South China Sea is fast becoming one of Asia's finest golfing destinations, with several world-class courses and developers rushing to build dozens more. Once dependent on foreign players, the industry is now being built on the back of a new wave of Chinese golfers.

Play

A nude photograph of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy taken by Michel Comte during her modelling days goes under the hammer on Friday at a Paris auction house. A similar nude shot of the wife of the French president went for 91,000 dollars -- three times more than its estimated bidding price -- in a New York sale last year. Still images.

Play

Football's world ruling body FIFA on Friday officially turned down a request from the Irish to stage a replay of their controversial World Cup playoff defeat to France. Henry's handball helped set up a goal which put France through to the World Cup at Ireland's expense -- prompting government-level exchanges.  Duration: 1:30

Play

European leaders have chosen a low-profile pair to lead a revamped EU, prompting widespread criticism that national leaders deliberately undercut the positions in order to preserve their own influence. The pick of Belgium's premier, Herman Van Rompuy, as president and EU Commissioner Catherine Ashton, a Briton with little foreign policy experience, as the top diplomat, came at a summit of the 27 EU heads of state and government.  Duration: 02:21

Play

After a controversial election, Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term on Thursday. But with public confidence at an all time low and the US ramping up pressure to rid the country of its corruption, many Afghans are concerned about the future. Duration: 02:15

Play

The US, which depends on coal for more than half of it’s electricity use, is looking to so-called « clean coal technologies » to lower coal’s carbon footprint. But environmentalists and people living in the areas where coal is mined say that the fuel’s ecological and environmental impacts are devastating and inevitable. Duration: 02:07

Play

A spa outside Tokyo celebrates the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau wine by pouring red wine into outdoor pools and inviting the adventurous in for an invigorating bath. Duration: 01:56.

Play

Since Romania joined the European Union in 2007, an estimated 10 percent of its people have left, seeking better fortunes elsewhere in the 27-nation bloc. Some regions have been abandoned by the able-bodied, leaving the elderly and children behind. Duration: 02:04.

Play

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for a second term, vowing to combat corruption, bring security and reach out to his political rivals under Western pressure to restore legitimacy. Duration: 01:22.

Play

Following a controversial win which saw France thrust into the 2010 World Cup finals and Ireland shunted to the sidelines, fans in Paris had little but praise for their team. Duration: 00:54.

Play

A handful of the thousands of terra cotta warriors sculpted to protect the tomb of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, touched down in Washington at the National Geographic Society after a tour of three other US cities. Duration: 01:06.

Play

Hundreds of football fans took to the streets of Paris and Marseille on Wednesday night after Algeria beat Egypt 1-0, qualifying the team for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Fans were seen waving Algerian flags and cheering in both French cities. Duration : 00:30

Play

A superb Antar Yahia goal gave Algeria a 1-0 victory over Egypt Wednesday and a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The France-born defender who plays for German club VfL Bochum struck on 40 minutes to settle a play-off necessitated by the bitter North African rivals finishing level on points and goal difference in one of five African groups. In Cairo, football fans expressed their bitter disappointment.

Play

On Canusa Avenue, houses on one side of the street are in the USA, but on the other side they are in Canada. It’s a spot favored by illegal immigrants, and authorities are taking notice. The US is planning to build a wall on the street, and they've already installed a customs post. 

Play

If you think anyone can pick up an accordion and flute and busk in the metro, then think again. The RATP, the organisation behind the Parisian underground, has set up a proper audition system since 1997, giving a green light to a lucky few to perform in its corridors. When one artist auditioned for a new metro musicians' try-out, AFPTV went along for a listen.

Play

US President Barack Obama wrapped up his first trip to China on Wednesday by meeting Premier Wen Jiabao, who said the two nations were better off as partners not rivals, and visiting the Great Wall. Duration:00:52

Play

If you're anywhere near a teenage girl, you can't fail to be aware of the Twilight film sequel which gets its European premiere tonight, ahead of the US opening on Friday. The film continues the story of Bella Swan and her relationship with a 105-year-old vampire, played by teen idol Robert Pattinson. Duration: 01:08