ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — Tobacco magnate Horacio Cartes, Paraguay’s leading presidential candidate, has come under fire for comments he made comparing gay people to “monkeys” and threatening to remove his genitals if his son married another man.

In a recent radio interview, Cartes also said support of same-sex marriage is like believing in “the end of the world,” reported The New York Times.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – MPs overwhelmingly voted, 77-44, on Wednesday to approve marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples in New Zealand.

The third and final vote was largely ceremonial, since MPs had easily passed the first two readings. The bill now goes to the governor-general for royal assent, which is a mere formality.

Same-sex marriages will begin in August.

PARIS — French police arrested dozens of anti-gay marriage protestors on Monday after they tried to set up a campsite outside the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, in advance of next week’s planned final vote on the country’s marriage equality law.

A new study indicates that young men who have sex with men (YMSM) around the world experience higher levels of homophobia, unstable housing, violence and other factors that hinder access to HIV services, compared to older MSM.

Conducted by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), the analysis shows YMSM fare worse than older MSM in their attempts to access numerous HIV services, including HIV treatment.

“Existing data indicates that rates of HIV are rapidly increasing among YMSM in low and high income countries alike,” said Dr. George Ayala, MSMGF executive director.