PARIS - France's lower house of parliament has approved a bill to legalise gay marriage and allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The measure, approved in a 329-to-229 vote yesterday, comes despite an array of demonstrations in recent weeks by opponents of the "marriage for all" bill. Polls show most French support legalising gay marriage, though that backing softens when children come into play. The overall bill now goes to the Senate, which is also controlled by the Socialists and their allies who have pushed for the bill. AP
LONDON - A British man admitted murdering two policewomen in a gun and grenade attack that shocked the country. In a dramatic change of plea, 29-year-old Dale Cregan told Preston Crown Court in northwest England that he killed unarmed constables Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, after luring them to a house last September, in Tameside, near the northwestern English city of Manchester. AFP