Excerpt
Germany: Merkel paves way for gay marriage vote
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has opened the door to a free vote in parliament on legalising same-sex marriage, after signalling a shift in her party's position on it.
Mrs Merkel surprised the German media by saying she favoured a "decision of conscience" on gay marriage.
Her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) have previously opposed it - unlike the rival Social Democrats (SPD), Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens.
Some MPs want a vote on it this week.
It is not yet clear whether the vote will happen before parliament's summer break, as Mrs Merkel does not want opponents to score political points from it.
Mrs Merkel's comments sparked intense debate on social media, and the hashtag #Ehefüralle (marriage for all) is trending on Twitter.
Many of Germany's EU partners have legalised gay marriage, notably the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and all of the UK apart from Northern Ireland.
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