AFP Features

LONDON (AFP) - A straight couple who reject marriage but want to seal their love with a civil partnership were told Tuesday they could not because they are not gay.

MALAKOFF, France (AFP) - A French artist has struck an unusual deal to sell his latest work: instead of paying up front, the buyer will hand over a regular fee until the artist dies.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - One of the enduring images of Rio's beaches -- coconuts opened to yield their sweet water -- is about to be a thing of the past under a new clean-up campaign by authorities.

ROME (AFP) - Italians have vehemently rejected a cabinet minister's proposal that lunch breaks be scrapped to increase productivity, media reported Tuesday.

SANAA (AFP) - For Yemenis, the mild narcotic qat is as much a part of the social fabric as an after-dinner drink in the West and, as with brandies, connoisseurs want the best varieties. But the trees that produce the most sought-after leaves now lie in a war zone.

BUSHKILL, Pennsylvania (AFP) - A fist fight may seem an odd way to show respect between Jews and Muslims, but when Dmitriy Salita competes for the WBA light-welterweight title next month, he'll be doing just that.

TAIPEI (AFP) - As a schoolteacher, Ariel Shen has been observing Taiwan's declining birth rate from up close.

YIWU, China (AFP) - Smoke from hookah pipes and the aroma of lamb skewers on the grill mix in the chilly autumn air as men talk loudly in Arabic over pulsating music beneath the neon glow of restaurant signs.

LAS PIEDRAS, Uruguay (AFP) - A laptop is now finding its place alongside a notebook and pen in schoolbags in Uruguay, the first and only country to offer an Internet-connected computers to all public primary school students.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - For Indian brides buying jewellery, the bigger the better is the general rule, but record gold prices during this year's wedding season are forcing many to compromise.

MANILA (AFP) - Bizarre candidates such as the "Ultimate Messiah" and a man who crows like a chicken are seeking their moments of fame by making unlikely bids for president in next year's Philippine elections.

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - French videogame powerhouse Ubisoft will have a virtual fitness coach whipping Wii users into shape starting Tuesday.

LONDON (AFP) - A first edition of Charles Darwin's seminal "On the Origin of Species" will be sold this week after it was found in a family's toilet in southern Britain, an auction house said Sunday.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Brimming with style, Beirut is regaining its reputation as a shoppers' paradise, with luxury labels such as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton among a slew of shops opening in the city's renovated souks.

CHANTILLY, Virginia (AFP) - Recession-stoked fears of rising crime and tougher gun laws under a Democratic government are sending US gun sales sky high, and big crowds at the Chantilly Gun Show this weekend proved it once again.

TAXILA, Pakistan (AFP) - Archaeologists warn that the Taliban are destroying Pakistan's ancient Gandhara heritage and rich Buddhist legacy as pilgrimage and foreign research dries up in the country's northwest.