On Wednesday a Muslim army psychiatrist shot and killed 13 soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. Our Observer Ernesto Haibi knew the shooter: he worked as a medic in the same base. He tells us about the killer's personality, and how security conditions in the camp may have allowed for this to happen. Read more...

When a prank video clip of Patriarch Ilia II sounding off about President Mikheil Saakashvili emerged on YouTube on October 13, the nation was outraged. But so to was the government. As one of our Observers in Tbilisi explains, their strong reaction only highlights their weakness alongside the Orthodox Church. Read more and see the video...

On November 1 the streets of the Kosovan capital Pristina were crowded with people waiting to see one of their favourite icons, former US president Bill Clinton. During his visit, a three-metre-tall bronze statue was unveiled on a corner of the same street that carries his name. The bronze Clinton clutches documents with the date 24 March 1999 stamped on them, marking the day NATO began its bombing of Serbian posts in Kosovo. Read more and see the photos...

The Algerian Fennecs take on the Egyptian Pharaohs for a place in the 2010 World Cup on November 14. With a week still to go before the game, things have already turned nasty, both countries accusing the other of corruption. Read more...

Question: What are these thin strips of plastic encapsulating a reddish liquid, and why have they prompted such outrage in Egypt? Answer: an artificial hymen, made in China and complete with fake blood. Read more...

Renowned Cuban artist Tania Bruguera surprised a Bogota audience in September when she lined up three people directly involved in the Colombian conflict for a chat. The real performance however, started when a waitress emerged with a tray of neatly organised lines of cocaine, and began offering them to members of the audience. Read more and see the video...

Baking yourself in a tanning booth remains a popular activity among the vain and pasty of Caucasian descent, despite increasing health warnings. But at the other end of the spectrum, skin tempering practices are just as risky, and ever growing in popularity. Read more...

The opposition movement born in the wake of Iran’s presidential disputed election in June is back on the streets of Tehran today, marring the anti-American celebrations organised to mark the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in 1979. See the videos...

For some years now expats and travellers in Tokyo have been piling into metro carriages on October 31 to celebrate Halloween. This year however, the masked partygoers were stopped in their tracks by groups of exasperated locals. Read more...

In an attempt to do away with religion, Soviet Russia turned its churches into swimming pools, warehouses and sobering-up clinics. Now, the trend is being reversed - schools, cinemas and hotels are being transformed into churches by Orthodox parishioners. Read more and see the photos...

A Madrilenian LGBT group has just published what it describes a "non-religious" calendar. Quite. The images enclosed have caused something of a controversy in Spain, where 79% of the population consider themselves Catholic. Read more...

Quick refresher on how this participative site works. The France 24 Observers only publishes amateur content - that means photos, videos and comments from people who are involved in an event, but who are not professional journalists. Help us to cover worldwide news...

Political satire and Halloween often come hand in hand. Last year, one of the trendiest October 31 looks was undoubtedly that of Sarah Palin. As the US braces itself for a new Halloween season, one particular disguise has sparked an uproar: the “illegal alien” costume. Read more…

Our Observer Omid Habibinia sent us this South Park-style cartoon, which parodies the "superpowers" of Iran's Bassiji paramilitary forces, and the "help" they bring to the population. Watch the video...

CCTV footage of this killing carried out in the street in broad daylight was posted on the Internet by Naples police in the hope that someone would step forward and help identify the murderer. Read more and watch the video...