Iran, Pakistan in talks amid crisis
ISLAMABAD: Iran’s foreign minister was in Pakistan yesterday, a critically timed visit amid a simmering crisis between Tehran and Washington and ahead of next week’s emergency Arab League meeting called by Saudi Arabia over regional tensions.
The purpose of the visit by Mohammad Javad Zarif, who held talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and also Prime Minister Imran Khan, was not made public.
But there has been speculation Iran is looking to Islamabad and its close relationship with Riyadh to de-escalate the situation.
Zarif has been criticised by name this week by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who named him and President Hassan Rouhani as failing to implement the leader’s orders over Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. TAIPEI, Taiwan: Hundreds of samesex couples in Taiwan rushed to get married yesterday, the first day a landmark decision that legalised same-sex marriage took effect.
Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage last week in a legislative vote on a cause that the island’s LGBT rights activists have championed for two decades.
A household registration office in central Taipei was packed as couples seized the earliest opportunity to tie the knot. Jubilant couples held flower bouquets and posed for photos, smiling and kissing.
“The legalisation of marriage is only the first step,” said a 48-yearold novelist who writes under the pen name Chen Hsue. “In the future, through this legalisation, I hope LGBT people could be accepted as ordinary people by Taiwanese society,” said Chen, who has lived with her partner for more than 10 years.
Taiwan’s ministry of the interior said 500 same-sex couples registered their marriages across the island yesterday.
A Taipei resident who identified himself only by a nickname said tearfully that he and his partner felt lucky that they were able to announce in front of everyone that they are gay and had married. The men wore matching pastel pink suits and stood in front of a rainbow display featuring messages blessing the newly-weds.
Kristin Huan, a Youtube blogger, said she and her partner Amber can strengthen other people’s faith and hope by sharing their story online. “Coming out of the closet is a difficult process for every gay person.”