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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Tuesday praised Sudanese activist-journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein for her courage in fighting a Khartoum law punishing women who wear trousers.

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A floating hospital for the poor is sailing the Amazon, taking much-needed health services to populations who are still very isolated from the rest of the vast country.

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Not far from Caracas, there is a small town that feels oceans and decades away from the Venezuelan capital. Colonia Tovar, founded in 1843, boasts 19th century German architecture, and the people living here maintain traditions to match. Venezuelan tourists come looking for some fresh air, and a little piece of Europe.

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President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to "finish the job" in Afghanistan and promised to unveil a decision soon on sending tens of thousands more US troops to battle Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

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AIDS has now killed 25 million people around the world but the number of new infections is slowing sharply, the UN said in its annual report on the crisis. Almost 60 million people have been infected by the HIV virus since it was first recorded but prevention programmes are having a significant impact. Duration: 01:13

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Faced with what locals say is the worst drought in a decade, Somali herders who lost their flocks to starvation are moving to the Somaliland town of Berbera. There they are joined by another kind of refugee -- people fleeing fighting in the south. But the port's ageing infrastructure delivers barely enough water for its ever-expanding population, and the United Nations says it urgently needs 10 million dollars to provide relief aid. Duration: 01:46

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The annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is underway. It's a must for Muslims around the world and more than two million people are expected at the holy site in Saudi Arabia. But for those who don't have the time or money to make it this year, how about a virtual trip to hajj? An Egypt-based website is becoming increasingly popular. Duration: 01:41.

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The presence of green algae on the coast of Brittany is more than an eyesore -- gasses given off by the algae are harmful, and have already claimed the life of a horse. The problem is thought to be caused by nitrates in the sea, the byproducts of intensive agriculture. It's sparked a fierce debate in France about farming methods, with many farmers now saying they feel victimised. Duration: 01:42

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The Islamic hajj pilgrimage this year peaks from November 25 to 29, coinciding with the height of a global alert over swine flu. Of the 6,000 Muslim faithful in Jordan preparing their journey, few have been vaccinated against the strain. Duration: 1:40

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Cambodian schoolchildren are only just starting to learn about the murderous Khmer Rouge regime with the help of new textbooks. The hardline regime killed up to two million people during its 1975-9 rule. Duration: 01:54.

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An environmental disaster is unfolding in northwest Canada. The region is rich in fossil fuels, but its so-called tar sands require energy-intensive -- and polluting -- processes to turn them into fuel.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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