AFP Video - Politics

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The ruling party in Turkey has escaped a ban by the Constitutional Court. The conservative AK Party stood accused of undermining the secular system, something many have feared since it was voted into office six years ago.

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Turkey's prime minister is under pressure to reconcile with secularist opponents after his party narrowly escaped a ban over charges that it was seeking an Islamist regime.

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Many Belgians in Flanders resent subsidising the less affluent, French-speaking region to their south. But is a break-up of the country really the solution?

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Calls for Belgium to break up along cultural and linguistic lines are adding to the country's current political crisis. But not everyone wants to see the nation split. Eric is a French-speaking Belgian from the south -- Sylvie, a Flemish speaker from the north. A portrait of a 'mixed' couple spanning the divide.

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Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) used the last stage of the Tour De France in Paris to unfold a large black banner denouncing human rights abuses in China. IMAGES.

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NEW SENDING FOLLOWING CLIENT'S REQUEST US White House hopeful Barack Obama said in Paris on Friday that Iran should not wait for the new US president to be elected to resolve its dispute with the West over its nuclear programme.

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On his Middle East visit, Barack Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. He has vowed to work for peace from his first day in office, if elected.

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White House candidate Barack Obama met top officials in Israel, including president Shimon Peres. He told Peres that he had been a key player for most of Israel's 60 years.

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Belgium has been celebrating its national day but for many, there's no cause for jubilation. The country has been locked in a political crisis for the last year.

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held talks with Iraqi leaders and senior US commanders on Monday, after vowing to pull out US troops in 16 months if he takes over the White House.

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US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama made a surprise visit to American troops in Afghanistan. He also held talks with President Hamid Karzai, whom he has criticised for not doing enough to rebuild his war-torn country.

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Will the historic Polish shipyards, the birthplace of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement have to shut down? The European Commission granted Poland on Wednesday almost two months to work out new plans to salvage the shipyards after Prime Minister Donald Tusk pressed for more time.

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President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday awarded the Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, to Colombian former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, nearly two weeks after she was rescued from rebel captivity. At an Elysee palace garden party, Sarkozy presented her with the insignia.

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France celebrated Bastille Day on Monday under a cloud of controversy as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joined dozens of leaders to watch the traditional military parade on the Champs Elysees.

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France celebrated Bastille Day on Monday under a cloud of controversy as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joined dozens of leaders to watch the traditional military parade on the Champs Elysees. Among his critics were Reporters without Borders. Some activists from this press freedom group conducted a protest, which was quickly snuffed out by police officers.

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More than 40 leaders meeting in Paris on Sunday launched a new Union for the Mediterranean, aimed at boosting ties across the region, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

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Bronislaw Geremek, who died Sunday in a car accident aged 76, was an icon of the Solidarity movement and one of the main architects of Poland's transition to democracy.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Arab states had made a "gesture of peace" by attending a summit Sunday in Paris for the launch of a new Union for the Mediterranean. Leaders from some 40 countries are attending a summit where the union.

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Britain, Germany and the United States welcomed a decision by Lebanon and Syria to open diplomatic relations, but Washington urged Damascus to end its "destabilizing tactics" in the region.

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Leaders from some 40 countries --- rich and poor, foes and friends -- meet in Paris on Sunday to launch the Union for the Mediterranean, a flagship project of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. But the new forum for cooperation is already facing opposition from Libyan President Moamer Kadhafi who is boycotting the summit while Turkey and Germany have deep misgivings.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would take part in the launch of a Mediterranean union in Paris on Sunday, despite Turkish reservations about the French initiative.