Valentine's Day -- not so much about love

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - Eight million Americans admit they send themselves Valentine's Day gifts -- they may feel lonely and unloved but at least they will get something nice.

British lovers ought to steer clear of Paris as a Valentine destination -- one in three picked the French capital as the city most likely to cause them to argue on a romantic break.

It's the time of year again when love is in the air -- or at least the pressure is on to show you really, really care on February 14.

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Surveys abound on what makes the perfect gift -- usually commissioned by a company trying to sell its Valentine wares -- but the way the big day for lovers is celebrated around the world could not be more different.

Saudi Arabia has banned red roses ahead of Valentine's Day, forcing couples in the conservative Muslim nation to think of new ways to show their love.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet which is widely seen as symbolising love, newspapers reported.

Violence in Naivasha, Kenya's key flower-producing town, has threatened the industry in the key period leading up to Valentine's Day but growers hope the damage will be limited.