by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
President Mary McAleese signed Ireland's civil-partnership bill into law July 19.
It will take effect early next year and extend marriage rights and obligations in areas such as taxes, pensions, property, tenancy, inheritance, alimony, immigration and social benefits.
Couples will unite before a registrar after providing three months' advance notice. To end a partnership, a couple will go to court and prove they've not lived together for two of the last three years.
The law also will recognize foreign same-sex unions and provide some rights for unregistered cohabiting couples.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern called the law "one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence."
