The site of two men walking down the street holding hands (in the Western world) is still, ridiculously, rare. Well hold onto your hats, same-sex hand-holders are coming out...tomorrow!

Guaranteed to stop traffic and draw a crowd, well, at least a bout of rubber-necking, two men or women holding hands in public still manages to strike fear into the hearts and souls of, sadly, a lot of people. Silly, really.

A Day In Hand, a new equal rights initiative that aims to inspire same-sex couples world-wide to hold hands in public, is calling on the gay community to publicly express their affection on the last Saturday of each month.

The first international Sshh! (same-sex hand-holding) Saturday will be on September 26th and held in memory of the recent shootings at a Gay & Lesbian centre in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Campaign founder David Watkins said "Same-sex hand holding is a silent revolution for LGBT people, because nothing needs to be said: no bold speeches, no reactive arguments, no war of words. Each LGBT person has the power to change the hearts and minds of people in their local community quietly, subtly, by simply holding hands publicly and owning their space. However, hand holding is a simple powerful gesture that can happen anywhere, at any time."

Watkins is inviting participants the world over to upload photos of themselves holding hands with same-sex friends or partners to the A Day In Hand website.

In areas of the world where it is impossible or unsafe for gay people to express affection publicly the campaign reminds people not to ignore their "survival instincts" but to consider safer gestures.

"If you can't hold hands in your immediate area, how about resting your head on your partner's shoulder at the cinema, or kissing them good-bye in the car? We have to start expressing our love in the mainstream."

Whilst the majority of us would agree that sweaty-arm pits have about as much pulling power as a poodle perm, a new study reveals men's perspiration in fact contains a chemical that enhances their sexual appeal. Go figure.

Tasmin Saxton of the University of St. Andrews studied the chemical's influence during a speed-dating experiment where women were asked to rate male strangers' attractiveness.

Androstadienone, derived from the male sex hormone testosterone, was dabbed on the upper lip of some of the female participants, with some very surprising, and we presume smelly, results.

"For some of the women we gave them androstadienone and we put it in clove oil solution so they just smelt clove oil. Some of the women had clove oil alone, and the third group (we've dubbed these the 'lucky ones'-Ed) had just water so there was no odour at all," she told the British Science Festival.

After interacting the women were asked to mark how attractive they thought each male was on a scale of one to seven.

"We found that the women given androstadienone had given slightly higher ratings of attractiveness to the men. That suggested this constituent of sweat does seem to have some kind of impact on attraction," she told the festival, without a whiff of worry.

While men up and down the country now have a valid excuse to save on deodorant Tasmin doesn't help by adding "People do value somebody's natural skin smell and it's worth bearing in mind that this may be part of your appeal - how you smell naturally."

...Odour la Phew!, anyone?

Prime Minister Gordon Brown issues a posthumous apology to the World War ll code breaker following an online petition of over 30,000 signatures.

In a statement issued to The Telegraph Gordon Brown has apologized for the "utterly unfair" treatment Alan Turing and thousands of other gay men suffered at a time when homosexuality was deemed a criminal offence.

Turing, famous for deciphering German Enigma codes, is often hailed as a mathematical genius and a war time hero. His contribution to the war effort earned him the OBE. Time Magazine included Turin in its celebration of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

In 1952 however, he was tried and convicted under the charge of 'Gross Indecency' for having a homosexual relationship. Forced to choose between a prison sentence and chemical castration Turin chose the latter. In 1954 he committed suicide.

"It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of the Second World War could well have been different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped turn the tide of war", writes Brown.

"I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted, under homophobic laws, were treated terribly."

The article which appeared in Thursday??s edition of The Telegraph came in response to a petition calling for the government to 'recognize the tragic consequences of prejudice that ended this man's life and career.'

Stephen Fry is the latest high profile figure to sign the petition calling for a government apology to gay war time hero Alan Turing.

Turing, a world renowned mathematician, famously invented the Bombe, a machine that helped decipher German enigma encoded messages, and lead to the end of World War ll. Often considered the father of modern computer science, he was awarded an OBE in 1945 for his contributions to the war effort.

In 1952 after being found guilty of gross indecency for having a homosexual relationship, an illegal offence at the time, Turin was given the choice of chemical castration or a prison sentence. He chose the former and two year later, aged 41, committed suicide.

In a post on social networking site Twitter, broadcaster Stephen Fry has urged the public to sign the appeal which has attracted more than 30,000 signatures so far. Professor Steven Hawkings, novelist Ian McEwan and activist Peter Tatchell have joined Fry, amongst a growing list of high profile figures, endorsing the campaign.

In an interview with CNN explaining the petition organizer John Graham-Cumming said he grew "mad" at the country's memory of a man he says should be considered one of its national heroes.

"I'm looking for an apology from the British government because that's where I think the wrong was done. But Turing is clearly someone of international stature," Graham-Cumming said.

Turin's achievements include development of the Turin machine, a concept on which all modern computer technology is based.

In a statement, gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said "Not only should the government issue an official apology over the homophobic persecution of maths genius and war-time hero Alan Turing, it should give him a posthumous pardon."

Marcello Lippi, the coach of the Italian national football team, has once again made comments deemed discriminatory against gay men in football. His latest controversial remarks came during an interview this week with the European Internet television program KlausCondicio.

Lippi, who on a previous occasion had stated he had never met a gay player or heard of one in his 40 year career, said during the interview that "In the current climate, two national team players could never be involved in an open relationship"

He went on to say "Imagine how a homosexual couple in football would be perceived. Even if, socially, most people would support and understand such a situation it would nonetheless become magnified and eventually be viewed negatively"

His comments coincide with a recent upsurge in antigay attacks in Rome, including an assault on a male couple and a gay club being targeted by arsonists.

In response Arcigay , a leading gay rights group in Italy, issued a statement condemning Lippi's remarks.

"Words like these fortify the prejudice that homosexual relationships are dirty and unspeakable, uttered by a person who plays an educational role model for millions of Italian boys playing soccer and who believe in sport as a model of social and cultural life."

The coach, who led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, has previously been quoted as saying there are no gay players in football.

"This is not a question of culture but is more related to the fact that such a relation would create conflicts contrary to the interests of the dynamics of the group." said Lippi.

Rome's mayor, Gianni Alemanno, supports Arcigay's calls for antidiscrimination legislation.