OTTAWA — Openly gay public works minister Scott Brison hinted last week that me may marry his partner, the Canadian Press reported. Brison recalled Prime Minister Paul Martin's joke to him in June as gay marriage legislation cleared the Commons amid furious national debate. “The prime minister said to me: ‘Well, after all I've been through on this, Brison, you'd better get married,'” he told the Press. Asked whether he will marry, Brison said, “Stay tuned. It's certainly a possibility.” Brison says he is a politician who happens to be gay, not a gay politician. A Liberal MP representing King-Hants, a rural district in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, Brison would not give details on his partner. He ended a long-term relationship last winter and is in a new relationship. Brison, 38, has been an MP since 1997 and came out three years ago as he was set to vie to lead the former Progressive Conservative Party.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Summary execution may be the fate of a Pashtun tribesman who fell in love with a 16-year-old and “married” the teen, sparking outrage among Islamic leaders, the Daily Telegraph in London reported. The ceremony between Liaquat Ali, 42, and teenager Markeen Afridi — called an “unholy union” by Islam leaders and dubbed the first same-sex marriage in Pakistan by activists — included a troupe of singers and a feast, part of the traditional ceremony of a conventional tribal wedding. Guests, however, said they were shocked to discover the “bride” was male. According to local news reports, the teen's family agreed to the union after Liaquat, an Afghan refugee, paid a dowry of about $660, a huge sum to the extremely poor family. But Afridi tribal elders convened an emergency meeting to discuss the “immoral and shameful act.” One elder said he advocates the death penalty for the pair.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad last week rejected a demand by his one-time deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, to apologize and pay $26.7 million in damages for arresting him for sodomy. “Our client does not accede to any of the demands [by Anwar] ... and will vigorously defend the proceedings against him which your client has threatened to commence,” said a letter by Mahathir's lawyer, V. Kanagalingam, to Anwar's lawyer, S.N. Nair. The response sets the stage for another round of legal battles between the two former politicians, who were once close friends but became bitter foes in a battle for power eight years ago. Anwar was deputy prime minister under Mahathir when their relationship began to crack in early 1998 after Anwar became vocal about government corruption. Mahathir fired Anwar in September of that year, accusing him of being gay and forcing guards into sex. Once seen as a future prime minister, Anwar was subsequently arrested, tried for alleged corruption and sodomy, and sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison. A successful appeal set him free last year.

ROME — Most Italians surveyed in a recent poll would not approve of official recognition for gay and lesbian couples, Angus Reid Global Scan of Canada reported. The Ispo Lt. poll found that 70 percent of respondents oppose same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church has voiced strong opposition in the mostly Catholic nation to gay unions, expressing concern on the topic in 2003 via a Vatican document titled “Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons.” The church has said that all Catholics, especially politicians, should oppose legal recognition of gay and lesbian partnerships. The polling data showed 70 percent of respondents against gay marriage, with 27 percent in favor and 3 percent unsure. The survey included telephone interviews with 1,002 Italian adults and was conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 12.

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