Headlines Of The Day

There's a lot of debate today over whether yesterday's kiss at the World Track & Field Championships in Moscow was actually a political act.

While Sky News reported that sources in the Russian camp claimed the two athletes were just exchanging a congratulatory kiss, neither runner has commented publicly. The public kiss came as Russia's sports minister insisted that a new law that bans gay "propaganda'' for minors won't infringe on the private lives of athletes and spectators at next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi. But Vitaly Mutko's comments on the final day of the athletics world championships leave it open as to whether Olympic athletes and fans could be subject to prosecution if they make statements that could be considered propaganda. In a news conference on Sunday, Mutko appeared to liken homosexual relations to substance abuse. "We want to protect our children whose psyches have not formed from the propaganda of drug use, drunkenness and non-traditional sexual relations,'' Mutko said.

Whatever the intent, the resulting media frenzy has been wonderful. Click on the above headlines for links to the stories.