UK govt. introduces bill legalizing same-sex marriage January 25, 2013 - 17:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The British government has introduced a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, and says lawmakers will get their first vote on it in Parliament next month, AP reports. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, published Friday, Jan 25, extends marriage to gay couples but excludes clergy in the Church of England — the country's official faith — from having to carry out the ceremonies. That is intended to placate religious opponents of same-sex unions — though it has not stopped criticism of the bill from religious leaders. The bill is likely to become law because it is supported by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, many of his Cabinet and most Liberal Democrat and Labour lawmakers. But some traditionalist Conservative lawmakers say they will vote against it. The first debate and vote are scheduled for Feb 5. Partner news  Top stories If true, the exclusion of Rafsanjani and Mashaie would leave the presidential race dominated by hardline conservatives. Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Earlier, at least five Azerbaijan soldiers were killed and six seriously injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree and overturned.   Partner news |  Latest news Reese Witherspoon stars in Atom Egoyan’s “Devil’s Knot”  The crime thriller stars Witherspoon as the mother of Steve Branch, one of the three children savagely murdered in Arkansas in 1993.Author Dennis Lehane reteams with DiCaprio on “Travis McGee” crime pic DiCaprio is also a producer on Live by Night, which Ben Affleck is prepping as his directorial follow-up to Argo and is based on Lehane’s novel.“The Paperboy” star Zac Efron to topline "Narc" true-crime project Efron will soon be seen in the JFK assassination drama "Parkland" and the romantic comedy "Are We Officially Dating?"Weinstein Co. nabs Keanu Reeves, Reese Witherspoon's “Passengers” Keanu Reeves will star as a passenger on a spacecraft transporting thousands of people to a distant planet. |
