| A drunken Italian tourist has been fined more than $3,000 (£1,566) for hugging and kissing a woman in public in the United Arab Emirates. Police took the couple in for questioning after seeing them embracing in the back of a taxi near Dubai airport, said local paper Gulf News. Officers say the pair confessed to kissing and hugging, and the Italian also admitted to being drunk. The woman, an Egyptian national, had to pay $500 for lewd behaviour in public. (BBC 30.12.2004) | |
| Indonesian couples who are caught kissing passionately in public could face jail under proposed legislation. Members of parliament have drafted an anti-pornography bill, which includes a ban on kissing on the mouth in public. Kissers could get five years in jail or a fine of 250m rupiah ($29,000.) "I think there must be some restrictions on such acts because it is against our traditions of decency," said Aisyah Hamid Baidlowi, who heads the parliamentary committee drafting the bill. (BBC 8.3.2004) | |
| MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- Couples caught kissing on Moscow's underground rail system could be fined under new regulations being considered by city authorities while those going too far could face jail, a newspaper's Web site said on Friday. The kissing ban could even extend to a husband embracing his wife, Stolichnaya Vechernyaya Gazeta said on its Web site. The newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said the city authorities were thinking of introducing the ban to raise levels of public morality. "From the New Year citizens kissing and embracing publicly will be fined," it said. "Particularly blatant cases could even lead to a spell of temporary detention in jail," it added. It quoted a city education official, Tatyana Maksimova, as saying metro travellers were indulging in increasingly lax behavior including drinking alcohol from bottles and cans. "Our children are getting love lessons all day long from what they see around them," Maksimova said. Moscow police would not comment on the report. (CNN 7.11.2003) | |
| STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Sweden's state-owned pharmacy is planning an assault on the world kissing record, in a bid to highlight the benefits of good dental hygiene. Apoteket is seeking volunteers for the attempt as part of its planned national campaign to promote better preventative dental care in the country of 9 million. The current record was set Dec. 5, 2001, by Louisa Almedovar and Rich Langley in New York. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the duo kissed continuously for 30 hours, 59 minutes and 27 seconds. "The record attempt is a way to focus on the importance of looking after your teeth. After all, kissing is a situation where mouth hygiene is important," Anders Carlsten, director of research for the national chain, said Monday. He said that Apoteket will advertise for interested couples. The selected pair will get kissing coaches and tips on flossing and better brushing, as well as fluoride rinse to keep their teeth shiny and their breath fresh. (AP 20.12.2004) | |