LONDON (AP) – Elton John said forming a civil partnership with his longtime lover David Furnish in England this week will be “the happiest day of my life.”

But, the pop star added, he will feel sorry for the many gay couples who live in countries that prohibit such unions.

“It has been a long struggle for equal rights to gay people in Britain, but now, in the 21st century, we have real civil rights, tolerance and final acceptance in our lives,” John wrote in The Observer, a Sunday newspaper.

“Next Wednesday, on the happiest day of my life, when I celebrate a civil partnership with David, I will be thinking, however, about those less fortunate than we are. In many countries, having a same-sex partner is still outlawed.”

Quoting Amnesty International, John said an estimated 80 countries still have laws that criminalize adult same-sex relations. He also cited specific cases of abuse in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Jamaica, Uganda, Iraq and Poland.

“Throughout history, gay people such as myself and David have often been made scapegoats by those who fear that we are a threat to the status quo,” John said.

More than 600 same-sex couples plan to form civil partnerships in England and Wales on Wednesday, the first day that such ceremonies become possible. In order to get the law passed that allow such unions, the British government avoided potential opposition by avoiding the term “marriage.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Fans of Jack Kerouac’s 1957 book “On the Road” will soon have the chance to see a portion of the original 120-foot manuscript scroll that inspired a subculture of restless beatniks.

A 36-foot portion of the yellowed scroll will be on display at the San Francisco Public Library from Jan. 14 to March 19.

The manuscript was publicly displayed for the first time in February at the University of Iowa Museum of Art.

The San Francisco exhibit will also include books and pictures that detail Kerouac’s life and the history of the so-called Beat Generation.

His writing, which celebrated the thrills of jazz, sex, alcohol and marijuana, inspired a generation that disdained the materialism and conformity of the 1950s. The beatniks then helped energize the hippies of the 1960s.

“On the Road” was based on Kerouac’s cross-country adventures with his friend Neal Cassady. Kerouac wrote the novel over a 20-day span in 1951, typing on 12-foot rolls of tracing paper so he didn’t have to pause to load paper in his typewriter.

After Kerouac died from alcoholism in 1969, the single-spaced manuscript, which has become yellow and brittle with time, changed hands several times. Some said it spent time in a dorm room closet before it turned up at the New York Public Library. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay bought the scroll in 2001 at an auction for $2.43 million.

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On the Net:

San Francisco Public Library: http://www.sfpl.org

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BOMBAY, India (AP) – India’s top movie star has left a hospital, nearly three weeks after having surgery for an intestinal ailment, a hospital spokesman said.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, 63, waved at fans and reporters Saturday as he checked out of Lilavati Hospital, where he was admitted with acute abdominal pain from diverticulitis, which involves ruptures in pockets of the intestine.

“Bachchan has completely recovered,” Narendra Trivedi, vice president of Lilavati Hospital, told The Associated Press.

Bachchan has acted in more than 150 Indian movies in a career spanning three decades. He is expected to resume work after a month’s rest.

Top producers and directors are eagerly awaiting Bachchan’s return to the sets because his hospitalization delayed projects worth $1.3 billion, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

Bachchan also hosts “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” the most popular show in Indian television history, based on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) – Miss Universe says she would like to act in a movie, but her heart is in the world of business.

The Russian-born Natalie Glebova, a model and motivational speaker from Toronto, was in the Dominican Republic on Sunday to crown “Miss Dominican Republic 2006.”

“Inside of me, there is something that draws me toward business all the time, and I will try to follow that path in my future,” Glebova told reporters Friday after her arrival.

Glebova also planned to attend a dinner to benefit orphans with AIDS. She has previously said that she would use her title to raise awareness and money to battle the disease.

AP-ES-12-18-05 1521EST