Kazakhstan rarely makes it into the news. Most people's knowledge of the country rests on a corrupt post-soviet record, a tyrannical dictator, and last but not least, the 2006 box office hit, Borat. But as the following videos demonstrate, Kazhaks have a fantastic sense of both humour and rhythm. Read more and watch the clips...

Material compiled by Team Observers

Two youths were killed in Villiers-le-Bel, a suburb north of Paris, on Sunday when a police car collided with a moped. The event sparked violent clashes between the police and groups of youths in four neighbouring towns. That night, 64 police officers were injured. The French are hoping the violence will not spread to other cities as they did in November 2005. This amateur video, posted on Dailymotion.com, was taken at the scene of the accident. We’ve interviewed two local school supervisors (surveillants de lycée), who wish to remain anonymous. We’re also publishing a reaction by an American blogger, who said, "such a situation wouldn’t happen in the US." You can contact all three contributors directly on their profile page.