MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered new assurances to gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics next month. Yet he defended Russias anti-gay law by equating gays with pedophiles and said Russia needs to "cleanse" itself of homosexuality if it wants to increase its birth rate. Putins comments in an interview broadcast Sunday with Russian and foreign television stations showed the wide gulf between the perception of homosexuality in Russia versus the West. A Russian law passed last year banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors has caused an international outcry. Putin refused to answer a question from the BBC on whether he believes that people are born gay or become gay. The Russian law, however, suggests that information about homosexuality can influence a childs sexual orientation. The law has contributed to growing animosity toward gays in Russian society, with rights activists reporting a rise in harassment and abuse. International worries about how gays will be treated in Sochi have been met with assurances from Russian officials and Olympics organizers that there will be no discrimination, and Putin reiterated that stance. "There are no fears for people with this nontraditional orientation who plan to come to Sochi as guests or participants," Putin declared in the TV interview. He said the law was aimed at banning propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia, suggesting that gays are more likely to abuse children. Making another favourite argument against homosexuality, Putin noted with pride that Russia saw more births than deaths last year for the first time in two decades. Population growth is vital for Russias development and "anything that gets in the way of that we should clean up," he said, using a word usually reserved for military operations. The law on propaganda has been used to justify barring gay pride rallies on the grounds that children might see them. This has raised the question of how athletes and fans would be treated for any gay-rights protests during the Olympics. When asked about this by the ABC TV channel, Putin said protests against the law itself would not be considered propaganda. Putin then hit back, accusing the United States of double standards in its criticism of Russia, pointing to laws that remain on the books in some U.S. states classifying gay sex as a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled in 2003 that such laws were unconstitutional. Homosexuality was a crime in the entire former Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. It was decriminalized in Russia in 1993. The Sochi Winter Olympics run Feb. 7-23. Air VaporMax Sale . - New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has an agreement to bring back outside linebacker Parys Haralson on a one-year deal. Cheap Air VaporMax China .J. -- After getting permission from his 7-year-old daughter, New York Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has retired after an 11-year career that included two Super Bowl championships. http://www.cheapairvapormaxfreeshipping.com/. That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. Mens Air VaporMax 2018 . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. Cheap Air VaporMax 2018 . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62. UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Riding a long winning streak, the powerful Anaheim Ducks had no fear trailing by two goals heading into the third period against the fragile New York Islanders. Ryan Getzlaf scored three goals and the Ducks rallied for their team-record eighth straight victory, beating the Islanders 5-3 Saturday night. "We talked after the second of just continuing to play our game," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We were very calm about it and knew if we got one quickly, wed have a great chance." Down 3-1, the Ducks scored four times in the third period. The Islanders played a spirited first two periods, taking their lead on two goals by Thomas Vanek and another by Frans Nielsen. But Getzlaf scored his second of the game at 1:10 of the final period and Mathieu Perreault tied it at 10:32. Kyle Palmieri, a native of Montvale, N.J., who scored the overtime winner Friday night against the New Jersey Devils, found himself in front of Evengi Nabokov with a clear shot at 13:44. The 22-year-old forward, who also scored the winning goal when the Ducks beat the Rangers 2-1 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4, knocked in his sixth goal of the season. "Those goals feel really, really good," Palmieri said. "We find ways to win and tonight was another example of our patience and skill." Getzlaf completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal. The Ducks won in their first visit to Long Island since a 3-2 loss on Dec. 16, 2010. "We didnt move the puck the way we should have in the third period," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "You cant play the way we played in the third period against a big Stanley Cup-caliber team like this..ddddddddddddIt wont work." Vanek finally had the type of game the Islanders envisioned when they acquired him from Buffalo for popular left wing Matt Moulson on Oct. 27. The Austrian right wing opened the scoring at 11:27 of the first, putting a rebound past backup goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made 18 saves to improve to 9-1. After Getzlaf tied the game at 15:10 of the second, Vanek gave the Islanders again with a perfectly placed shot as he sped down the right side, beating Andersen to his stick side at 17:55. The goal was Vaneks ninth since joining the Islanders and his third in two nights. Nielsen made it 3-1 for the Islanders 57 seconds later. "It came down to execution," Capuano said. "We were icing the puck too much and not making plays when we had to in the third period." Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne was a healthy scratch. The 43-year-old Selanne usually doesnt play the second half of back-to-back games. Selanne played Friday night as the Ducks upended the Devils 3-2 in overtime. NOTES: This was the 10th time in 36 games this season the Islanders have lost a third-period lead. ... The Ducks will complete their final Eastern trip of the season at Washington on Monday. ... Forward Dustin Penner and defenceman Hampus Lindholm were healthy scratches for the Ducks, as were Islanders forwards Colin McDonald and Peter Regin, plus defenceman Aaron Ness. ... Anaheim also continued to be without goaltender Viktor Fasth (lower body) and defencemen Luca Sbisa (hand) and Sheldon Souray (wrist). ... The Islanders have been without defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) since has injured Oct. 19. ' ' '