Covid: Avoid ‘Snogging under Mistletoe’ This Christmas, Says UK Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Thérèse Coffey says people should not kiss anyone they do not know to limit spread of coronavirus

Thérèse Coffey: ‘I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe. You don’t need to do things like that.’ Photograph: DW Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Britons should avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” this Christmas, according to a government minister, as a leading scientist said people could enjoy Christmas if they took “sensible” precautions.

The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, told ITV’s Peston programme that “we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us”, adding: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe.”

She added: “You don’t need to do things like that. But I think we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us, and that’s why we’re working so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.”

Coffey said kissing should be avoided with “people you don’t already know”.

She later tweeted: “Watch the full interview folks … Don’t kiss with people you don’t know … government working exceptionally hard with NHS and the jabs army to get boosters in arms so we can all enjoy a proper Christmas knees up.” » | Alexandra Topping and Aubrey Allegretti | Thursday, December 2, 2021

The Long Kiss Goodbye: Will Covid End the French Bise Forever?

In 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and his wife, Samantha Cameron, greeted President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, with a bise in London.Credit...Carl Court/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Social distancing made the cheek kiss a much rarer greeting, and polling suggests it may stay that way. Some say good riddance, but others miss the warmth of times past.

Twice a year, Louise Al-Hakkak would sit on her front porch in Burgundy, waiting for her sister Flora and dreading the moment of “la bise.” In this Franco-Iraqi family, only Flora enjoyed France’s traditional two-kiss greeting on the cheeks. For Ms. Al-Hakkak and her father, “It was more a chore than anything else.”

But times have changed.

“Covid made us stop doing the bise,” said Ms. Al-Hakkak, 23. “It’s a lot easier now. I don’t need to ask myself tons of questions about whether I should do it or not.”

In France, the bise is a longstanding tradition for greeting loved ones, or even strangers, that was upended by the coronavirus. Throughout the pandemic, French authorities have urged people to avoid physical contact to prevent the virus from spreading.

But now, with more than half of the French population at least partly vaccinated and most lockdown restrictions lifted, many are split over whether to go back to the way greetings used to be and questioning whether the bise was all that great to begin with. » | Gaëlle Fournier | Saturday, July 31, 2021

Quelle horreur ! Ce serait comme du fromage sans le vin ! – Mark

Jews & Arabs Kiss

Jan 6, 2016 • The Israeli Ministry of Education decided to ban from the school program a book describing an affair between a Jewish woman and an Arab man. So TimeOut Tel Aviv decided to ask Jews and Arabs to meet and to kiss.

Six couples of Jews and Arabs - male and female, gay and straight - decided to do the "forbidden deed" and express love in front of our camera.

Some of them were couples, some just friends, some had never met prior to the shoot. Jews and Arabs refused to be enemies.


The accompanying article in Hebrew here »

Iranian Actress Leila Hatami Apologises for Kissing Cannes President on the Cheek

Ms Hatami underlined her respect for Islamic rules of behaviour
in public, but festival president Gilles Jacob, 83, "had forgotten the
aforementioned rules, which comes with old age"

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Iranian actress who kissed the 83-year-old president of the Cannes film festival on the cheek has apologised to her country, after a photo of the red carpet incident caused outrage

Leila Hatami, the Iranian actress who angered authorities in Iran by kissing the Cannes film festival's president on the cheek, has apologised to her country.

"I am so sorry for hurting the feelings of some people," she wrote in a letter to Iran's cinema organisation, and reported by the state media agency.

Ms Hatami underlined her respect for Islamic rules of behaviour in public, but festival president Gilles Jacob, 83, "had forgotten the aforementioned rules, which comes with old age".

"My pre-emptive action of hand shaking was fruitless," she wrote, explaining the kiss.

"Although I am embarrassed to give these explanations, I had no choice but to go into details for those who could not understand the inevitable situation that I was stuck in," she said. » | AFP | Saturday, May 24, 2014

What Can You Be Flogged For In Iran? »

Who, What, Why: What Can You Be Flogged For In Iran?

Leila Hatami

BBC: A campaign has begun in Iran to get an actress flogged after she was seen being kissed at the Cannes Festival. Flogging is common in Iran - but what offences in Iranian law are punished with the lash, asks Tom de Castella.

It was a normal French greeting. The actress Leila Hatami - best known for starring in the Oscar-winning film, A Separation - received a kiss on the cheek from festival president Gilles Jacob. But she has come under attack from religious hardliners for accepting the greeting rather than ducking away.

Radical students have condemned her "sinful act of kissing a strange man in public" and demanded she be flogged under article 638 of the criminal code, which deals with public morality.

Adultery, kissing in public, theft, homosexual acts, drinking or selling alcohol, and blasphemy are all grounds for flogging in Iran. Offenders are usually sentenced to between 10 and 100 lashes across the back, carried out with a one-metre (three-foot) whip. The pain is so severe that they often faint after seven or eight strokes, says Anicee Van Engeland, a specialist in Iranian law at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies. » | Who, What, Why | BBC News | Friday, May 23, 2014

Australia: Gay Activists Kiss in front of Islamic fanatics at ‘2012 Global Atheist Convention’
”My partner Gregory and I decided to confront the fanatical Islamic protesters outside the 2012 Global Atheist Convention by kissing each other. The fanatical protesters chanted "Burn in hell" as we were showing our affection for each other. It was an extremely powerful and peaceful statement of love in the face of pure hate. Love will always conquer hate.”

GAY NEWS NETWORK: Gay Kiss at Atheist Convention: The Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne on the weekend attracted some 5,000 attendees to see speakers including Richard Dawkins, A.C. Grayling, Lawrence Krauss, Geoffrey Robertson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. ¶ On Saturday, star attraction Richard Dawkins, speaking on the merits of religion, said Islam was “more evil” than Christianity in terms of its moral code. ¶ Self-described “infidel” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who spoke before Dawkins on the rights of Muslim women, said Saudi Arabian women were protected from harm in the afterlife, "because it was impossible to go to hell twice”. ¶ Fiona Patten from the Australian Sex Party, which champions the rights of queer Australians, spoke on a panel about the dangers of allowing religion to interfere with politics. » | Andrew Shaw | Monday, April 16, 2012

Neuer Weltrekord: Jungs können länger küssen
Ein thailändisches Paar küsste sich in den Valentinstag und hat damit einen neuen Weltrekord aufgestellt. Nonthawat Charoenkasetsin und sein Freund blieben mehr als 50 Stunden mit ihren Mündern verbunden. Und auch als Rekord-Langküsser haben die beiden nicht genug von den Lippen des anderen.

The Cost of a Kiss
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A British woman jailed in Dubai for kissing a man on the cheek has spoken for the first time of her nightmare ordeal in prison.

Charlotte Adams, 26, was deported on Friday after spending 23 days locked up alongside prostitutes and murderers for ‘indecency’.

A local woman claimed she saw Charlotte openly kiss and touch Londoner Ayman Najafi in a restaurant.

The harsh sentence may have been intended to send a warning to the Britons who flock to the five-star beach resorts of an emirate which styles itself as a playground for the jet-set – yet has laws that penalise any deviation from Islam.

In 2008, a British couple found having sex on a Dubai beach were, on appeal, given only a three-month suspended sentence.

Charlotte’s ‘crime’ means she is now banned from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

But as her plane took off for Britain on Friday, she said: ‘It is such a relief. I’ve thought of nothing else for the last few months.

‘I love this place and it makes me sad that I’ll never come back, although I think I’d struggle to ever feel free here again.

'But the laws need to evolve to match the culture here. At the moment, it’s all just hypocrisy.’ I was in prison with some prostitutes and a Russian woman who chopped up her boyfriend: Dubai 'kiss' girl reveals price she paid >>> Jo MacFarlane | Sunday, May 09, 2010

Dubai Briton Drops Appeal and Goes to Jail for a Month Over a Kiss
MAIL ONLINE: A British woman convicted of indecency for kissing a man in Dubai gave up the battle to prove her innocence yesterday and went to jail.

Estate agent Charlotte Adams believes she will get back to Britain quicker if she serves her one-month sentence.

The 26-year-old tourist, who has been stuck in the Arab state for five months, waived her right to a final appeal and was sent to Dubai Central Prison.

She was allegedly seen passionately kissing Ayman Najafi in a diner at the Jumeirah Beach Residence.

They were each given one-month prison sentences last month for breaching strict public decency laws.

The pair, both from North London, lost an appeal last month against their convictions.

At the time Miss Adams said: 'I want to go to jail straight away. I can't get on with my life at the moment. I'm stuck in this country with no money and I can't work.' >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, April 21, 2010

SWALK
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A Dubai appeals court has upheld a one-month prison sentence for a British couple convicted of kissing in a restaurant.

British pair caught kissing in public in Dubai, Charlotte Adams and Ayman Najafi. Photos: The Sunday Telegraph
Ayman Najafi and Charlotte Adams – both in their 20s – were arrested after an Emirati woman claimed they exchanged a passionate kiss in a restaurant where she and her daughter were having dinner.

The pair landed in court after she complained about the public kiss, which the couple insisted was just a peck on the cheek. They were arrested in November and convicted of inappropriate behaviour and illegal drinking.

Cosmopolitan Dubai has the most relaxed social codes in the conservative Gulf, but authorities enforce strict decency laws and regularly crack down on people accused of pushing the limits, which can include everything from wearing a mini skirt to losing one's temper in traffic.

Najafi and Adams attended Sunday's hearing, but did not speak. Their lawyer, Khalaf al-Hosany, told the court in a previous hearing that they kissed on the cheek as a greeting and "never intended to break the law."

Appeals court judge Iysar Fouad upheld the conviction, the jail time and a fine of 1,000 dirhams – about £180 – each. They will be deported after serving their sentences. Dubai court upholds one-month jail sentence for kissing couple >>> | Easter Sunday, April 04, 2010

Dubaï : Un mois de prison pour une bise
20MINUTES.ch: Une cour d'appel a confirmé dimanche à Dubaï la peine d'un mois de prison prononcée contre un couple britannique accusé de s'être embrassé en public.

Ayman Najafi et Charlotte Adams, qui ont tous deux entre 20 et 30 ans, ont été arrêtés en novembre dernier lorsqu'une femme des Emirats les a accusés d'avoir échangé un baiser passionné dans un restaurant où elle dînait avec sa fille.

Ils ont été inculpés de comportement inapproprié et de consommation illégale d'alcool.

Ayman Najafi et Charlotte Adams ont simplement échangé une bise sur la joue pour se saluer et «n'ont jamais eu l'intention de violer la loi», avait déclaré leur avocat Khalas al-Hosany lors d'une audience précédente. >>> ap | Dimanche 04 Avril 2010

Britons Sentenced to a Month in Prison for Kissing* in Dubai Restaurant
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Two Britons have been sentenced to a month's imprisonment for indecency after a local woman took objection to them kissing in a restaurant.

British pair caught kissing in public in Dubai, Charlotte Adams and Ayman Najafi. Photograph: The Telegraph
Ayman Najafi, 24, a marketing consultant who lives in Dubai, and Charlotte Adams, 25, an estate agent from North London, were said to have been touching each other and kissing passionately as they dined with friends in a beachfront restaurant.

They were arrested and sentenced to a month in prison after which they were told they would be deported.

But the pair told a hearing at the Dubai Appeal Court yesterday that they were the victims of a "huge misunderstanding" and had simply exchanged a friendly greeting.

"We kissed each other on the cheek as a greeting, nothing more,” Mr Najafi told Judge Aysar Fouad. Miss Adams pointed at her cheek to show where contact had taken place.

The two are not the first Britons to fall foul of the strict laws in the conservative Muslim state. Last year Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, were sentenced to three months imprisonment for having sex on a beach.

The latest incident took place when Miss Adams and Mr Najafi met along with four other friends for dinner at Bob's Easy Diner on the beachfront at the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex on November 27.

The police were called at around 2am by an Emirati woman sitting at a nearby table with her children and claimed her daughter had been upset by the display of affection. >>> Richard Spencer in Dubai, and Aislinn Laing | Sunday, March 14, 2010

*There was a time when a British government would have sent out the warships to put this upstart Emirate, Dubai, in its place. These days we just suck up, and say: ‘Yes Sir, No Sir, three bags full, Sir!’ It’s pathetic! When will this damn government grow a backbone? If Brown had anything in him, he’d get on that telephone and tell the leader of Dubai that these innocent people should be released forthwith, or else. But that won’t happen because all our politicians understand these days is arsehole-scraping. How ashamed one has to be to be British nowadays! – © Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: Dubai: strict morality laws behind Western appearance: With its skyrise buildings, slick bars and glitzy shopping malls, Dubai might seem like any other Western capital but when it comes to its laws, it could not be more different. >>> | March 14, 2010

Two Guys Kissing Set to Steal the Super Bowl Show
THE INDEPENDENT: Next Sunday's football final will highlight an extra showdown: between liberals and the religious right

It's already a quintessentially American event, combining razzmatazz, cheerleaders, and multimillionaire sportsmen in a few excessive hours of made-for-TV entertainment. But this year, the Super Bowl will be jollified by a side-plot that perhaps reflects the true state of the nation: an angry dispute between liberals and the religious right.

Women's groups and gay activists are squaring up against opponents from the "family values" lobby over the contents of two very different television adverts that are due to air when the New Orleans Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts in next Sunday's finale of the American football season. One of the commercials carries a hard-hitting anti-abortion message, and was made by a conservative Christian organisation. The other couldn't be more different: it publicises a gay dating website called Mancrunch, and features two men holding hands on a sofa, and then passionately kissing. >>> Guy Adams in Los Angeles | Sunday, January 31, 2010

Knuddeln, Kuscheln, Küssen, Liebäugeln
Die Obamas auf Kuscheltour: Kissin’ an’ a-huggin’ an’ a-huggin’ an’ a-kissin’ >>>