Help with PHP code conversion to PERL

[armenica]

Hi!

I'm totally new to PHP and try to understand the syntax. Could anyone say what:

//Specify your URL
$URL = "http://www.exampleurl.com";

//Open a stream in READ mode
$handle = fopen ($URL, "r");

//It's this one I don't get
$key = str_replace(' ', '%20',fread($handle, 1000000));

converts into PERL? Can I rewrite this code syntax in PERL?

Thanks in advance,

/V