Tokyo, Japan | One of Tokyo's most crowded subway lines is hoping the way to reach their customers' hearts is through their stomachs, and offering free food to ease rush hour congestion.

Around 7.2 million people use Tokyo's mammoth metro system every day, with some lines suffering notorious crowding during commuting hours.

Among the worst affected is the Tozai line, which is now trying to entice users to take trains before the worst of the morning rush hour starts.

If it can convince at least 2,000 commuters to take earlier trains over the next two weeks, Tokyo Metro -- the company operating the line -- will offer each of the early birds free tempura.

And if 2,500 people complete the challenge to ride into work earlier every day over the period, they will each get a free bowl of soba.

If over 3,000 commuters get on board, they'll get a combo -- soba and tempura -- for their trouble.

The offer of free noodles comes as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched its own initiative over the next two weeks to encourage commuting outside of peak hours.

Nearly 1,000 businesses are taking part in the campaign, allowing their staff to start and end work earlier than usual, or work from home.

Metro officials have long attempted various campaigns to ease rush hour conditions especially on the Tozai Line, which links eastern suburbs of Tokyo and Chiba directly to the business districts of the world's largest metropolis.

During the hour from 7:50 am to 8:50 am, more than 76,000 passengers use the line, double the number of people the train was originally designed to comfortably serve.

Trains on the line operate at 199 percent capacity, which is still considered safe, but means passengers are packed so tightly they would have difficulty moving their bodies or limbs, said Takeshi Yamashita, a Tokyo Metro spokesman.

"This is our most congested line. We are always trying to ease the rush hour congestion," he told AFP.

"We hope this will encourage people to continue (taking early trains) to help ease the rush hour situation," he said. 

Commuter congestion is expected to be among the logistical challenges Tokyo will face when it hosts the Olympics next year summer, with some experts urging initiatives including tele-working to avoid chaos during the Games.

Bordeaux, France |

A 71-year-old Frenchman set sail across the Atlantic in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone.

"The weather is great -- I've got a swell of one metre and I'm moving at two or three kilometres an hour," Jean-Jacques Savin told AFP by telephone after setting off from El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands.

"For the time being my capsule is behaving very, very well and I've got favourable winds forecast until Sunday."

Savin had worked on his vessel for months in the small shipyard of Ares on France's southwest coast.

Measuring three metres (10 feet) long and 2.10 metres across, it is made from resin-coated plywood, heavily reinforced to resist waves and potential attacks by orca whales.

Inside the capsule, which weighs 450 kilograms (990 pounds) when empty, is a six-square-metre living space which includes a kitchen, sleeping bunk and storage.

A porthole in the floor allows Savin to look at passing fish.

A former military parachutist who served in Africa, Savin has also worked as a pilot and a national park ranger.

He has stowed away a block of foie gras and a bottle of Sauternes white wine for New Year's Eve, along with a bottle of red Saint-Emilion for his 72nd birthday on January 14.

Savin hopes currents will carry him naturally to the Caribbean without the need for a sail or oars -- "maybe Barbados, although I'd really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadaloupe," he quipped.

"That would be easier for the paperwork and for bringing the barrel back." 

Along the way, Savin will be dropping markers for the JCOMMOPS international marine observatory to help its oceanographers study the currents. 

And he himself will be the subject of a study on the effects of solitude in close confinement.

Even the wine onboard will be studied: He is carrying a Bordeaux to be compared afterwards with one kept on land to determine the effects of months spent tossed on the waves.

Savin has a budget of 60,000 euros ($68,000) for his expedition, covered in part by barrelmakers and a crowdfunding campaign.

Hanoi, Vietnam | 

Crispy, fried and packed full of worms: Hanoi's "cha ruoi" ragworm fritters are a winter foodie favourite in the Vietnamese capital, but the deep-fried delights are not for the squeamish.

The piping hot patties are made with pork, egg, fresh dill, citrus rind and a hefty handful of fried worms and served up from streetfood stalls and home kitchens across northern Vietnam. 

The edible critters flood farmers' fields as temperatures in the north drop around October and November.

Purveyors of the snack, which cost around $1 each, urge customers not to be put off by the sinuous insides. 

"It looks ugly but don't be afraid," said Bui Thi Nga, whose family has served up the speciality for 30 years. 

"The insides are delicious, and they're high in protein," she told AFP from her Old Quarter stall on a chilly December afternoon. 

The worms can also be stewed in a sticky caramel sauce, stirred with herbs or mixed with chillies to make a spicy condiment. 

But ragworm fritters -- best prepared while the wriggling worms are still alive -- have long been a favourite.

The pancake-shaped patties have been made in northern Vietnam for generations, and are even credited with keeping married couples happy. 

"If a couple misses even a bite of 'cha ruoi' during the season, not only will the wife lament but the husband will surely complain," author Vu Bang wrote his his 1952 book "Hanoi Delicacies". 

Though Vietnamese cuisine is best known outside its borders for "pho" noodle soup and "banh mi" pate baguettes, winter fritters are not the only dishes to feature creepy crawlers. 

Deep fried crickets, squirming coconut worm larvae, locusts and stink bugs are all on offer on Vietnamese menus.   

Chefs from Paris to Sao Paulo have embraced the trend, dishing up grasshoppers or scorpions as a cheap and sustainable source of protein. 

Back in Hanoi the worm fritters will no doubt remain a cold-weather staple. 

"I like eating cha ruoi in the winter. You've got the sweet and sour flavour from the dipping sauce, and the herbs are cooling... it is very unique," Hoang Thi Thu Hang told AFP. 

Cairo, Egypt | Egyptian authorities have launched an investigation into images said to show a naked couple who scaled the Great Pyramid that has sparked outrage in the conservative Muslim country, an official said 

In a video titled "Climbing the Great Pyramid of Giza", Danish photographer Andreas Hvid appears to scale the 4,500-year-old tomb on the outskirts of Cairo at night with an unidentified woman who is later seen taking off her top.

Hvid says the video was taken in late November but it was published on YouTube on December 8.

A photograph released by Hvid appears to show the couple completely naked on top of each other while looking in the direction of a nearby pyramid with the horizon illuminated.

"The public prosecution is investigating the incident of the Danish photographer and the authenticity of the photos and video of him climbing the pyramid," Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt's supreme antiquities council, told AFP.

If the video was actually filmed at the top of the pyramid, that would make it a "very serious crime", Waziri said.

The nearly three-minute video has taken social media by storm and has been the subject of late night talk shows. It has notched up almost three million views on YouTube alone.

"A 7,000-year-old civilisation has turned into a bed sheet," a Twitter user in Egypt lamented.

Another protested that "they want to soil the dignity and pride of Egyptians because the pyramid reflects the glory and grandeur of the Egyptian people".

The authenticity of the images has been disputed with some arguing the photograph showing the pair naked appears to be very bright whereas the video showed them scaling the pyramid at night.

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany told government newspaper Al-Ahram that the video has stirred "anger and outrage among Egyptians", and that officials in charge of guarding the pyramids would be punished if found to have been negligent.

Hvid, 23, explained back home to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that he had "dreamed for many years of climbing the Great Pyramid" as well as of taking a naked photograph.

"I'm sad that so many people have got angry but I've also received a lot of positive responses from many Egyptians," he said in an interview.

The young Dane, who runs his own YouTube channel, said he had absolutely no interest in stirring up a crisis such as that triggered by cartoons in Western newspapers of the Prophet Mohammed.

As for the girl in the video, she was not his girlfriend. "It was just a pose. We did not have sexual relations," Hvid said.

The Great Pyramid, also known as the Khufu pyramid, is the largest in Giza, standing at 146 metres (480 feet) tall, and the only surviving structure of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

Climbing pyramids is forbidden in Egypt.

In 2016, a German tourist was barred from entering the country for life after he posted online footage of climbing one of the ancient structures.

bam-emp/hc/hkb/jkb

Los Angeles, United States 

Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance on the Grammys stage  to deliver a message about music and women's empowerment alongside superstars Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, host Alicia Keys and actress Jada Pinkett-Smith.

"Music shows us that all of it matters -- every story within every voice, every note within every song," said the former first lady, looking glam in a sparkling gunmetal pantsuit with a 1970s-esque wrap jacket.

"Is that right, ladies?" she said to resounding applause.

The Recording Academy behind the awards gala has faced a barrage of criticism for not embracing diversity within its ranks, after nearly muting women nominees at the show last year.

This year, five of the eight nominees for Album of the Year are women: rapper Cardi B, folk-rock singer Brandi Carlile, pop futurist Janelle Monae, R&B prodigy H.E.R. and country star Kacey Musgraves.

At the start of the segment, Lady Gaga -- a triple winner so far on the night -- said: "They told me I was weird... And music told me not to listen to them."

Lopez -- who has parlayed her successful music career into acting -- said that music "kept me moving from the block to the big stages and even bigger screens."

Pinkett-Smith added: "Every voice we hear deserves to be honored and respected."

And Obama added: "Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves, our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows us to hear one another, to invite each other in."

Obama quickly started trending on Twitter.

The moment came at the start of a show showcasing the female talent in the music business, one year after women were largely snubbed in the major categories.

Neil Portnow, the head of the Recording Academy, told women last year to "step up" if they wanted to do better on Grammys night. 

The brazen comment drew outrage and Portnow said he would step down when his contract expires this summer.

On Sunday, the message was unmistakable -- one of diversity.

"Thank you so much, ladies, for your light, your message of love, your sisterhood," said Keys, the first woman to helm the show in 14 years.

"Give it up for these magnificent goddesses!" said Keys.

Athens, Greece |Conqueror of his idol Roger Federer in the last 16 of the Australian Open, the rise of Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas is one that appears destined to carry him to the top of the tennis world.

He made no secret of his immense respect for the Swiss star, whose posters coated the walls of Tsitsipas' bedroom as a child, but the 20-year-old Athenian didn't allow sentiment to stand in his way.

"He's a legend of our sport," Tsitsipas said ahead of his clash with the 20-time Grand Slam champion. "If I thought about it now it's insane I'm in this position where I can actually play him. It's really emotional."

But Tsitsipas showed scant regard for the world number three -- the double reigning champion in Melbourne -- on Sunday, playing the brand of tennis that has propelled him to 15th in the rankings after barely two seasons on tour. 

He will climb yet further following his best performance to date at a Grand Slam, and the Greek intends to continue building on a breakthrough year in 2018. 

His reward for felling Federer is a quarter-final, he is the first Greek ever to reach this stage of a Grand Slam, on Tuesday against Roberto Bautista Agut. 

Tsitsipas burst onto the scene by reaching his first tour-level final at Barcelona last April, and then finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup in Canada where he claimed four top-10 scalps.

Those impressive runs ultimately led to a maiden title at Stockholm in October, the first-ever for a Greek player on the ATP circuit. 

"I always thought it would take me longer to get there. But I've worked hard and it's not a surprise to me," a confident Tsitsipas said at the time.

- Sporting family -

It's not just the physical prowess of the 1.93m (6ft 4in) Tsitsipas that sets him apart. "Stefanos is in the process of acquiring a great mindset, which is largely down to difficult wins he's earned," his father and coach Apostolos Tsitsipas told AFP recently.

While he joined the Mouratoglou Academy, a renowned producer of elite players located on the Cote d'Azur, in 2015, Apostolos has stayed at his son's side and remains a pivotal figure in his career. 

"A very special connection" links father and son says Stefanos, for whom family provides a welcome respite from the rigours of professional tennis.

Armed with a formidable one-handed backhand and a powerful serve, the Greek's trajectory has been carefully overseen by his father, a coach at a club in a chic Athens suburb, but also by his mother, a former professional player in the Soviet Union. 

Julia Salnikova is the daughter of an Olympic football gold medallist, and she too is fully integrated into the sporting culture that permeates the Tsitsipas family.

The secret "is to gradually set goals and make the player aware of his responsibilities to make them progress" repeats Apostolos.

- #TsitsiFast -

Stefanos, the eldest of four siblings, first tasted success in 2016 when he won the Wimbledon boys' doubles title and rose to the top of the junior rankings.

He is a young man seemingly without limits, personified by the #TsitsiFast hashtag -- a favourite of the Greek's on social media.

The angelic-looking Tsitsipas also runs his own Youtube channel, offering a glimpse into his life behind the scenes while also transporting his fans from tournament to tournament.

His fledgling "A Greek Abroad" podcast gives further insight and Tsitsipas is an aspiring photographer as well. He documents his work as "Steve the Hawk" on Instagram, a username befitting one soaring towards the summit of men's tennis.

Paris, France |

In new research studying how genetic factors determine taste, scientists now believe they know why some humans prefer coffee while others opt for tea.

A paper published this week in the journal Nature Scientific Reports found that people who are genetically predisposed to like more bitter tastes typically choose coffee due to its higher content of tart caffeine. 

But, importantly for tea drinkers everywhere, that doesn't make them right. 

As humans evolved we developed the capacity to detect bitterness as a natural warning system to protect the body from harmful substances. 

Evolutionarily speaking, we should want to spit that Americano straight down the sink. 

But participants in the trial who were more genetically sensitive to the bitter taste of caffeine were more likely to prefer coffee to tea, and more likely to drink more of it.

"You'd expect that people who are particularly sensitive to the bitter taste of caffeine would drink less coffee," said Marilyn Cornelis, assistant professor of preventative medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. 

"The opposite results of our study suggest coffee consumers acquire a taste or an ability to detect caffeine due to the learned positive reinforcement elicited by caffeine."

So individuals genetically pre-programmed to like coffee's bitterness learn to associate "good things with it," said Cornelis.

In the study on more than 400,000 men and women in the United Kingdom, researchers also found that people sensitive to the bitter flavours of quinine and a taste related to vegetable compounds were more likely to eschew coffee in favour of its sweeter counterpart, tea.

Liang-Dar Hwang from the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, who co-wrote the study, told AFP that the fact that some people prefer coffee showed how everyday experiences can override genetic tendencies when it comes to taste.

"Bitter taste perception is shaped by not only genetics but also environmental factors," he said. 

"Even though humans naturally dislike bitterness, we can learn to like or enjoy bitter-tasting food after being exposed to environmental factors."

Although coffee-lovers are essentially defying evolution, there is another possible benefit to liking your latte. 

Hwang said coffee drinkers were genetically less sensitive to bitterness than tea drinkers, making them "less likely to hate other bitter-tasting foods" such as green vegetables.