AFP

Video: Battling Cuba's racial divide

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:08:35 +0000

Racism is a taboo subject in Cuba, where 10 percent of the population is black. Fidel Castro’s regime supposedly suppressed racial inequality half a century ago, but vestiges remain. Interracial marriage, for example, remains largely unacceptable.Duration: 01:51

Video: Greek unions vow to fight austerity cuts

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:54:36 +0000

Greek unions are calling for massive public sector strikes on Wednesday to protest against severe public spending cuts. The government hopes to save more than one billion euros this year as the country confronts a grave debt crisis.Duration: 02:03

Video: Poland combats Baltic Sea pollution

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:50:39 +0000

With fertilisers, sewage and chemicals pumpted into its waters, the Baltic was one of the world's most polluted seas at the end of the 20th century. Over the past decade, the nine countries bordering the sea have united in a bid to protect it.Duration: 02:00

Video: Irish Saint Valentine's statue hears lovers' wishes

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:46:23 +0000

he remains of the original Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers, have been kept in the Carmelite Whitefriars Street church in Dublin since the early 19th century, when a charismatic Irish priest brought them back from Rome as a gift from the pope. They then fell into oblivion until the 1950s when the church erected a statue and a shrine where Dubliners and visitors seek the saint's assistance for their love life.Duration: 01:57

Video: Spain's government urges calm despite jittery markets

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:42:06 +0000

The Spanish government has announced an austerity plan, including savings of 50 billion euros, so as to bring its public deficit back under the eurozone three percent limit by 2013.Duration: 01:04

Video: Fresh clashes in Palestinian camp in Jerusalem

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:35:17 +0000

Israeli security forces arrested nine Palestinians on Tuesday in a second raid in as many days in a refugee camp in mainly Arab east Jerusalem after youths hurled stones at them. It came as troops continued a security clampdown on the Shuafat camp that began on Monday with some 20 arrests over alleged tax evasion.Duration: 01:07

Video: Can recycling be sexy?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:31:48 +0000

Start-up designers like Kate Goldwater are taking recycling to the extreme by reusing old clothes to make new fashionable garments. High-end designers are also getting in on the green kick, too. Samantha Pleet is using sustainable fabrics to make green the new black during New York's Fashion Week.Duration: 01:44

Video: S.Africans remember Mandela's monumental release

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:44:49 +0000

Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison -- a defining moment that ushered in South Africa's transition from apartheid to democracy. Duration: 02:05

Video: EU parliament backs new European Commission team

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:42:05 +0000

The European parliament on Tuesday approved EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso's new cabinet, ending three months of institutional limbo. Duration: 00:44

Video: Defiant Iran steps up its uranium enrichment

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:39:40 +0000

Iran declared Tuesday it has started the process of producing 20 percent enriched uranium, defying world powers who have warned of new sanctions unless the Islamic republic halts its sensitive nuclear drive. Duration: 00:22

Video: 'Poverty Olympics' protest at the cost of the Vancouver Games

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:45:35 +0000

Using the Olympics to raise awarness on the homeless in Canada, such was the goal of the "Poverty Olympics" organised last Sunday in Vancouver. Activists from different associations set up mock competitions to denounce, with humour, the billions of dollars spent on the Olympics.

Video: US east coast braces for new snow storm

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:46:02 +0000

The east coast was on Monday bracing for a new storm after record snowfall left tens of thousands of people without power, paralyzed transportation and shut down the federal government. Duration: 01:10

Video: Czechs retain title as world's keenest beer drinkers

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:33:56 +0000

The Czechs love their beer -- all 155 litres of it consumed per person, per year, according to statistics from 2008. The country is equally famous for its own excellent brews. The global economic downturn, however, has had an impact on brewers and Czech beer lovers alike. Duration: 01:53

Video: Jackson doctor denies manslaughter charge

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:13:59 +0000

Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop superstar's sudden death last year from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs.Duration: 01:40

Video: Warm winter leaves Olympic organisers scrambling for snow

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:25:27 +0000

Only days from the start of the Olympic Games, the slopes of Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain are seriously short on snow, victims of a balmy winter that has left British Columbia soggy rather than snowy. It’s a source of concern to hosts who have been forced to truck in snow to make up for the real thing.

Video: Uruguay's Carnival moves to candombe beat

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:58:36 +0000

Uruguay's candombe, a drum-based musical style rooted in African rhythms, was recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO this year. Imported and practiced by slaves, it has developed into a national tradition that has evolved through time. Duration: 01:53.

Video: French police shut down migrants' shelter

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:59:00 +0000

French police have shut down a makeshift shelter for migrants in the Channel port of Calais, just 24 hours after an activist group opened it. Anti-riot police blocked the entrance to the centre set up by the "No Border" group to prevent foreigners trying to illegally enter Britain from setting up base there. Duration: 01:18

Video: Costa Rica elects first female president

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:19:19 +0000

Laura Chinchilla celebrated victory Monday, thanking supporters for electing her Costa Rica's first female president after her opponents accepted defeat. Duration: 01:03

Video: Jazz legend Django Reinhardt lives on in Paris

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:08:47 +0000

Legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt would have been 100 years old this year. In Paris, the city where he grew up and first made his mark as a musician, the centenary has been a reminder of his enduring legacy. Duration: 01:43.

Video: Yanukovich promises stability in Ukraine

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:47:32 +0000

Pro-Russia Viktor Yanukovich was on Monday on course to become Ukraine's next president after elections punished the West-leaning leaders of the Orange Revolution.Duration: 01:10

Video: Hidden fire chokes last life from US ghost town

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:59:26 +0000

A vast, subterranean coal fire ignited almost 50 years ago still burns under the tiny town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Of the original population of around 1,000, less than a dozen people remain, refusing to obey government orders to leave their homes.Duration: 00:52

Video: Revellers mask up for Venice Carnival

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:57:17 +0000

The ancient Italian city of Venice turns into a massive street party as its annual, 10-day Carnival gets under way. Both tourists and Venetians take part in the traditional masked balls -- including the famed party hosted at the Hotel Baglioni.Duration: 01:31

Video: Zimbabwe's children turn to home-grown schooling

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:30:26 +0000

Things have improved in Zimbabwe since the formation of the unity government a year ago, but even the most basic infrastructure and government services suffer from a dire lack of resources. Schools have it particularly tough -- with up to 50 children per class, and one book shared between 20. Faced with that penury, some parents are turning to a growing number of private schools. Duration: 02:24.

Video: Canada mounts colossal security operation for Winter Olympics

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:20:27 +0000

With the Winter Olympics coming soon to Vancouver, preparations are well under way. But the scale of the security operation -- costing nearly a billion dollars -- has caused some alarm among civil liberties groups, who say it could be out of all proportion to the threat.

Video: What's left of the 1998 Nagano Olympics?

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:30:59 +0000

12 years ago, the city of Nagano was hosting Japan's second winter Olympic Games. Given the huge debt it generated, was it really worth organizing them? The bobsleigh track called the "Spiral" is a good example of the public money some campaigners say was simply wasted.

Video: Ukraine votes in tense presidential showdown

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:50:41 +0000

Ukrainians were choosing between two sworn rivals in a tight presidential election run-off on Sunday after a bruising campaign that sparked warnings of a repeat of the 2004 Orange Revolution protests. The dour pro-Russia opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich has the edge on his more charismatic challenger, the pragmatic Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, after winning January's first-round poll by a 10 percent margin. Duration: 01:00.

Video: Costa Rica set for first female head of state

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:06:20 +0000

Costa Ricans vote for a successor to President Oscar Arias in general elections on Sunday, with a woman poised to become the Central American nation's first female head of state. Pre-election surveys showed a strong lead for ruling National Liberation Party's Laura Chinchilla, a former vice president, over right-wing opposition candidate Otto Guevara and Otton Solis, from the center-left. Duration: 01:40.

Video: Cyclone Oli tears across Polynesia

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:28:47 +0000

The devastating path of cyclone Oli across the Polynesian island of Tubuai left "an impression of the end of the world" on the some 2,000 inhabitants, according to witnesses. Duration: 01:06.

Video: Draw for Euro 2012 qualifiers

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:06:16 +0000

Europe's footballing aristocracy gather in Warsaw on Sunday for a qualifications draw with 51 teams -- plus hosts Poland and Ukraine -- being divided into nine groups for matches between September 2010 and November 2011. The winners each group and the best runner-up qualify directly for the final tournament, which kicks off in June 2012. Duration: 01:01.

Video: Armagnac marks 700th birthday

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:47:14 +0000

Armagnac is celebrating 700 years of existence. Connoisseurs in France and worldwide are raising a glass to the spirit, a neighbour to another French classic, Cognac, claiming that a bit of 17th-century eau-de-vie goes a long way to soothing both body and soul. Duration: 01:24

Video: Camel's milk chocoate turns heads in Dubai

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:42:28 +0000

Dubai is well known for its skyscrapers and its artificial islands. Another attraction turning the heads of many tourists is its chocolate factory, where the milk used to make confectionary bars comes from camels. Duration: 01:32

Video: 'Snowmageddon' paralyzes US east coast

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:05:48 +0000

A huge blizzard dumped a blanket of thick snow over the US east coast Saturday, paralyzing the region and snapping power lines to thousands of people as hazardous roads killed at least two. The monster storm, dubbed "Snowpocalypse" and "Snowmageddon," transformed Washington DC into a winter wonderland, with dozens strapping on skis to navigate snow-clogged streets.Duration: 00:57

Video: Opening of 2010 Venice Carnival

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:37:00 +0000

Masked balls, street parties and crowds of tourists and Italians -- a fortnight of festivities gets under way with the first Carnival celebration in Venice.Duration: 00:44

Video: Barenboim throws Beethoven and Schoenberg together

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:35:56 +0000

Six decades after his concert career began, legendary pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim is on tour with a programme mixing the five Beethoven piano concertos with works by 20th century icon Arnold Schoenberg. Adventurous? Maybe, but in an exclusive interview with AFPTV in Paris Barenboim says both groundbreakers belong in the same league. Duration: 01:07

Video: Ukraine poll rivals make final push

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:48:39 +0000

The two candidates in Ukraine's cut-throat presidential race held duelling rallies in Kiev on the last day of legally permitted campaigning before Sunday's run-off election. Duration: 01:26

Video: Caveman cuisine, the latest fad diet

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:44:52 +0000

Cave men weren't obese. That's the inspiration behind a new weight loss craze in America. Paleo-dieter Vlad Averbukh allows himself fruits, vegetables and meat -- anything that can be eaten raw -- but no dairy or grains, following an adapted version of the feeding habits humans followed during the Paleolithic era. Duration: 01:48

Video: Camel's milk chocoate turns heads in Dubai

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:26:39 +0000

Video: Americans face long jail time over Haiti kidnap charges

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:02:26 +0000

Ten US missionaries are facing a long wait behind bars after being charged for trying to smuggle 33 children out of quake-hit Haiti. In a case that has overshadowed the huge international relief effort, the five men and five women were formally charged on Thursday. If convicted, they could face nine years in prison for child kidnapping and further jail time for conspiracy.Duration: 01:30

Video: Ukraine poll rivals make last campaign push

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:18:23 +0000

The two candidates in Ukraine's tense presidential race made a final appeal for votes on Friday, the last day of legally permitted campaigning, after accusing each other of plotting to steal the election. The candidates, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich, were set to hold dueling rallies in Kiev on Friday evening just a few hundred metres apart.Duration: 01:51

Video: Hopeful reactions in Gaza to rare Fatah visit

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:55:08 +0000

Reactions in Gaza were positive as a senior member of the Fatah party concludes a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The visit from Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah, was aimed at encouraging reconciliation between the rival factions. Duration: 00:42.

Video: Scorsese and DiCaprio together again for gothic thriller

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:50:16 +0000

A remote island....a missing psychiatric patient...and a hurricane. All elements of the latest Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island, a gothic thriller set in 1950s Massachusetts. It sees the legendary American film-maker once again teaming up with leading man Leonardo DiCaprio. Duration: 1:30.

Video: US missionaries face long jail time over Haiti abductions

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:37:41 +0000

The 10 US missionaries charged with child abuction in Haiti face a long wait behind bars before being tried for their attempt to smuggle 33 children out of the quake-hit country. Duration: 00:56.

Video: Turkey's big fashion industry ambitions

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:05:26 +0000

Turkey is determined to prove to the world it has the potential to become a global fashion leader. More than 200 international guests have gathered in Istanbul for the second edition of the city's fashion week. Duration: 01:57.

Video: France's sole Olympic gold medallist back for more in Vancouver

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:02:31 +0000

Biathlete Vincent Defrasne is the flagbearer for France's biathlon team. It will be his third -- and likely last -- Olympic Games, and he's determined to make the most of it.

Video: Toyota woes deepen as Prius recall looms

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:11:15 +0000

Toyota's president Akio Toyoda said on Friday he was "deeply sorry" for the recall of millions of cars around the world due to faulty accelerator pedals. Earlier the crisis rocking the Japanese automaker escalated as it looked set to recall several hundred thousand Prius hybrids and was slapped with a US lawsuit alleging it covered up safety problems. Duration: 01:42.

Video: Hariri tribunal: "complicated case"

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:48:16 +0000

Antonio Cassese, President of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon, set up to investigate the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, made his first visit to Lebanon this week. Duration: 00:35.

Video: Mandela fetes anniversary of liberation with former jail guard

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:40:17 +0000

Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela invited one of his former jailers to a special dinner at his home marking the 20th anniversary of his release from prison. In addition to Christo Brand, Mandela's wife Graca Michel, ex-wife Winnie Madikizela and anti-apartheid activists attended the dinner. Duration: 00:52.

Video: Japan hugs top end of jeans market

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:57:23 +0000

When Western fashion designers want jeans for their collection, they think Japanese. With a unique mix of Western tradition and oriental dying techniques, Japanese jeans makers occupy the top end of the market. Duration: 02:20.

Video: Lack of training, drug use hit Afghan police training

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:52:20 +0000

US military officials in Afghanistan say lack of training and equipment, as well as widespread drug use and tribal conflicts, are hampering efforts to transfer responsibility for security to local forces. Duration: 01:53.

Video: Costume makers get ready for Venice Carnival

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:41:06 +0000

Every year the Venice Carnival draws thousands of masked fans, many competing with each other for the most elaborate or impressive costume. With weeks to go before this year's Carnival, the city's most prestigious costume makers are already gearing up to address themselves to this year's theme: Louis XIV, the Sun King. Duration: 02:00.