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| Two gay weddings - one happy ending Argentinians celebrate first same-sex marriage, while couple in Malawi are arrested and chargedIt was a tale of two weddings continents apart, but there was to be only one happy ending.In Argentina, Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre made history as the first same-sex couple to marry in Latin America. Thousands of miles away, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza became the first gay men to tie the knot in Malawi.The different reactions to the two ceremonies, however, suggested that while gay rights in Latin America are advancing, in Africa they are going into reverse.Although Di Bello and Freyre had to rely on subterfuge, a progressive provincial governor and a 1,500-mile trip to the continent's southern tip, their union was greeted as a breakthrough. Chimbalanga and Monjeza, however, were swiftly arrested and charged with gross public indecency. Campaigners warned that the move indicated a conservative backlash against homosexuality across Africa.The couple took part in a symbolic, traditional ceremony on Saturday. They were watched by hundreds of onlookers in the conservative southern African state, where homosexuality is illegal and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years."We met at church where we both pray and we have been together for the last five months," Monjeza told Malawi's Nation newspaper.The two men are due to appear in court tomorrow. Dave Chingwalu, a police spokesman, told the Reuters news agency they were likely to face further charges and would be held in separate cells.Marlow Valentine, community engagement and empowerment manager of the Triangle Project in South Africa, said: "We are disgusted and outraged that this couple has been arrested and we call for their release. It is an infringement of their human rights." He said a hardening of attitudes towards gay rights across Africa was being encouraged by US-based Christian evangelical groups.Uganda's parliament is debating legislation that will allow homosexuality to be punishable by death. Sudan and northern states in Nigeria can already enforce the death penalty. Burundi criminalised homosexuality this year, joining 37 African countries where gay sex is outlawed."We are certainly going backwards in terms of legislation," Valentine said. "South Africa is the only country in Africa that constitutionally protects the rights of gay people, but it has been very quiet about other countries here becoming more conservative."Daniel Molokele, a human rights lawyer based in South Africa, said: "It's very disappointing news and continues to take Africa backwards. Countries like Malawi and Uganda should be following the trend set by South Africa and adapting its constitution in a progressive way."In Latin America policies and attitudes have mellowed over the past two decades and in most countries it is now illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Buenos Aires, Bogota and Mexico City boast gay pride parades and gay-friendly districts where same-sex couples can kiss and hold hands in public.Yesterday Di Bello, 41, and Freyre, 39, became the continent's first gay married couple. The pair sidestepped a court ruling blocking their wedding in Buenos Aires by holding the ceremony in Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego province and the world's southernmost city.They exchanged rings at a civil ceremony witnessed by state and federal officials, prompting jubilation by gay rights activists and consternation from the Catholic church."My knees didn't stop shaking," said Di Bello. "We are the first gay couple in Latin America to marry." The couple, both Aids activists who have HIV, wore sports coats and red ribbons.Argentina's constitution does not specify whether marriage must be between a man and a woman, in effect letting provincial and city officials interpret the law.After officials in Buenos Aires balked at the last minute, Di Bello registered as a resident of Tierra del Fuego, hoping the governor, Fabiana Rios, a champion of gay rights, would back the wedding. The registration and ceremony were kept secret to avert legal challenges.The governor said the marriage was "an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state".Same-sex civil unions have been legalised in Uruguay and parts of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico but same-sex marriage, which confers extra rights including adoption, was banned. Mexico City legalised same-sex marriage last week.Gay rightsMalawiArgentinaCivil partnershipsDavid SmithRory Carrollguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cold tightens grip, all the way to Fla. iguanas NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A persistent arctic chill tightened its grip on the nation Wednesday and reached deep into the South, where it was blamed for at least five deaths and threatened to freeze crops and bring snow to places more accustomed to winter sunshine.... hosted.ap.org |
NC port shut down after PETN containers punctured MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP) -- Officials shut down a busy port and urged people to get out of town Tuesday after a forklift operator accidentally punctured containers of PETN, the highly explosive substance used in a Christmas Day airline bombing attempt.... hosted.ap.org |
Frei Concedes Defeat to Pi ñera Chile's presidential candidate Eduardo Frei conceded defeat to his rival, billionaire Sebastian Piñera, after a close race. online.wsj.com |
Afghan talks possible 'due to surge' General Stanley McChrystal hints that negotiations in London could see Taliban leaders join new Kabul governmentThe US military's surge in Afghanistan could counter a resurgent Taliban and pave the way for a political deal that could end the war, Nato's commander in the country said today, before a flurry of diplomatic activity to find a way out of the eight-year conflict.The comments by General Stanley McChrystal indicate that Thursday's international conference in London will concentrate on ways to reach a political settlement with the Taliban."It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on the way forward," McChrystal told the Financial Times."I think any Afghans can play a role if they focus on the future, and not the past," he said when asked whether he would be content to see Taliban leaders in a future Afghan government.Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, last week also held out the possibility of a deal with the Taliban when he described them as part of Afghanistan's "political fabric".David Miliband, the foreign secretary, said efforts to stabilise Afghanistan had reached a decisive moment. Speaking as EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss issues including Afghanistan, Yemen and Iran, Miliband said: "The combination of a new Afghan government and a new focus of the international military and civilian efforts means that this is going to be a decisive period in the Afghan campaign."There's a new government in Kabul, there's a new military strategy, there's a new civilian surge … it's very important that we get the political strategy right at this time."Barack Obama is sending an extra 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to support the government of Hamid Karzai but has said that the US will begin to withdraw American forces next year. Most of the US troops are due to be in place by the end of August, along with several thousand extra soldiers from other countries who will boost the number of western troops in Afghanistan to 100,000.The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, meanwhile, has called on Afghan officials to seek the removal of at least some senior Taliban leaders from the UN's list of terrorists, as a first step toward opening direct negotiations with the Taliban.In an interview with the New York Times, Eide also urged the US to speed its review of the roughly 750 detainees held in its military prisons. Until late last year, the Americans were holding those prisoners at a makeshift detention centre at Bagram air base and refusing to release their names.Eide said he hoped that the moves would eventually open the way to face-to-face talks between Afghan officials and Taliban leaders, many of whom are hiding in Pakistan."If you want relevant results, then you have to talk to the relevant person in authority," Eide said. "I think the time has come to do it."Past efforts at compromise between Kabul and the Taliban, however, could not get past conflicting demands. The Afghan government has insisted that the Taliban abandon violence and sever ties with al-Qaida, while the Taliban have demanded that foreign forces leave the country first.Before the London conference, held at the behest of Gordon Brown, Karzai is scheduled to meet the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, on the sidelines of a summit with Turkey. In the past, Karzai has accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop the Taliban using Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to plan and launch attacks in Afghanistan.Masood Khalili, Afghanistan's ambassador to Turkey, told the state-run news agency Anatolian the aim of the meeting was to "forge co-operation that might lead to reconciliation in the region. Everybody in the region is thirsty for peace."Turkey is hosting a meeting of Afghanistan's neighbours tomorrow to seek a common approach to the conflict before the London talks, bringing together some 60 countries, including foreign ministers from China and Britain.As the pace of diplomacy quickens, General David Petraeus, the head of US central command, warned that the fight in Helmand province would intensify before the situation improved. But echoing McChrystal, Petraeus told the Times there was a possibility that Afghan officials would hold reconciliation talks with senior Taliban and other insurgent leaders, perhaps also involving Pakistan.AfghanistanTalibanUS militaryUnited StatesMark Tranguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |