Kissing ban considered for Moscow metro

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- 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.