French fall short of kissing record

Is the French kiss falling short of its reputation? Just 1,188 kissers showed up in Paris on last Thursday, the Guinness World Records day, to try to break the record for the most people kissing in one spot at one moment, Guinness World Records said. They failed to break Budapest's 2005 record for 11,570 people.

The chosen spot this year was La Defense, a modernist business park on the west edge of Paris.

Romantics were undeterred by the small turnout and sought to preserve Paris's reputation.

"Paris is known for romance," said Celine Capet, a 24-year-old student. "It's not a record for, say, the United States to hold - they don't even give kisses on the cheek. And for us, that's what we do every day."

Muriel Deshayen, 24, a French businesswoman who works nearby, met Belgian tourist Gregory Robert, 22, just outside the event and decided to kiss him.

"It'll be a nice memory for him," she said.

Robert agreed, adding, "After all, Paris is the city of love."

The event in Paris was part of the a record-breaking effort organized by Guinness World Records, which staged events from the Americas to Asia, including the world's biggest chess game in Mexico, the largest underwater press conference in Canada, and a record for most underpants pulled on in a minute in Australia.