BARCELONA: A Spanish company is hoping to attract business by promising free French kisses with every drink at a series of bars about to spring up along Spain's Catalonian coast. Around 20 young people selected to dole out the kisses will nevertheless have the right to refuse "if the client is not in good condition," Eduardo Esteban, manager of the company Besodromo, made clear. As a further precaution customers will be handcuffed before they receive their complimentary kisses to make sure their hands do not wander. Beginning June 12, Besodromo will install four bars intents in Barcelona, the neighbouring coastal town of Castelldefels and two other resorts which have yet to be selected. Each of the bars will employ four waitresses to administer to male customers and one waiter for the women, who are expected to be considerably less numerous. Customers will be charged a flat rate of 1,000 pesetas (seven dollars) per drink.

Patriotic Brits

BIRMINGHAM: What'syours? A pint of Boris' Belter, Bill's Best Brew or Blair's Cool Britannia Bitter? A Birmingham pub that brewed a special beer in honour of each of the leaders at the Group of 8 summit found the English are patriots when it comes to their ale. Thirsty visitors to the Prince of Wales drained the nine-gallon barrel of Blair's Cool Britannia Bitter, named after the British Prime Minister, faster than all the others. Next came the brew honouring Russian President Boris Yeltsin and third was US President Bill Clinton's ale. Trailing them were Chirac's Cracker, Kohl's Quencher, Chretien's Creation, Prodi's Prize Ale and Hashimoto's Tokyo Tipple. "We had eight barrels and they have nearly all gone," said Caroline Rayle, assistant manager at the Prince of Wales.

Pope turns 78

VATICAN CITY: Pope John Paul II celebrates his 78th birthday tomorrow only three days away from breaking the record for the longest papacy of the century, held by Pius XII who reigned during World War II. John Paul, whose Polishhomeland makes him the first East European pontiff in history, was elected head of the Roman Catholic Church on October 16, 1978 at the age of 58, when he was archbishop of Cracow.