AFP: France's 'most tattooed man' 17 April

THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS IS THE WORLDS MOST FAMOUS SPORTS CAR ENDURANCE RACE AND IS HELD ANNUALLY AT CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE, NEAR LE MANS, FRANCE.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is taking on his nemisis – the problem of the suburbs. These outlying areas of Paris – and other French cities – have been a symbol of social unrest for decades. High unemployment and lack of integration are among the social problems which triggered riots in 2005. This week the French government unveiled a plan to rejuvenate the areas – but not everyone is convinced the plan will work. An AFPTV report.

It is the first state visit by a French president since Jacques Chirac came in 1996. Before his arrival, 53-year-old Sarkozy told British media he hoped the visit would emphasise what the two countries have in common while also tightening business and other ties. In a speech at Westminster he said France would be deploying more troops to Afghanistan. But most eyes and cameras were on Carla Bruni, the president's new wife and former model.

On a hot day a small girl searches for something to do. Aimlessly she walks into the path of a stranger.

On Wednesday France marks the centenary of the the birth of Simone de Beauvoir, the iconic figurehead of the 20th-century struggle for women's liberation. Her groundbreaking 1949 work on the female condition, "The Second Sex", her defiance of social taboos, and the legendary "open" couple she formed with her lifelong companion, the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, have propelled her to near-mythical status around the world. File images of Beauvoir and interview with Daniele Salenave, author of a new biography of the writer.

People get the darndest tattoos!

Pressure from the street against French President Nicolas Sarkozy's programme of reforms intensified Tuesday as hundreds of thousands of state employees went on strike, joining a week-long stoppage by transport workers. Teachers, postal staff, nurses, air-traffic controllers, tax officials and other civil servants staged a one day protest to demand pay rises and an end to government plans to trim the state pay-roll. An AFPTV report.

John can't stand other people with tattoos!

Ustad Zarkarsih - also known as Mbah - is head of the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah. His arrest was announced two days after police said they'd caught another senior militant. Abu Dujana is head of the military wing of JI.