ISSUES: Argentina Legalizes Gay Marriage, No comment from the Pope yet!

Argentina has become the first Latin American country to give same-sex couples all the rights of straight ones. A bill legalizing gay marriage has passed the country's Senate and President Cristina Kirchner has promised to sign it into law, CNN reports. Supporters and opponents of the law jostled outside during the marathon 14-hour debate.

The bill, which was fiercely opposed by the Catholic Church, passed by 33 votes to 27 with three senators abstaining. Civil unions for same-sex couples are legal in Uruguay and parts of Mexico and Brazil but Argentina's is the first country-wide law in Latin America giving gay couples equal marriage rights, including the right to adopt children.