New marriage laws, in Thailand and Iraq (allowing same sex marriage, and child marriage, respectively)

 Same-sex couples can now marry in Thailand, and children as young as nine can now be married in Iraq.

Thailand Celebrates New Same-Sex Marriage Law With Mass Wedding  Hundreds of people began registering their marriages at a mall in Bangkok, as Thailand became one of the few places in Asia to legalize same-sex unions.   By Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono

“Today we feel secure and safe and happy,” said Ploynaplus Chirasukon, 33, who wed her partner, Kwanporn Kongpetch, 32, in the event’s first marriage. “We are happy that we have played a part in the equal marriage law reaching this point.”

Other weddings were planned around the country, and organizers say they expect more than 1,000 same-sex couples to marry on the first day." 

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Here's the Guardian on Iraq:

‘The end of women and children’s rights’: outrage as Iraqi law allows child marriage. The Iraqi parliament has passed a ‘terrifying’ law permitting children as young as nine to marry by Maria Talal and Hala Abdulla

"Iraqi MPs and women’s rights groups have reacted with horror to the Iraqi parliament passing a law permitting children as young as nine years old to marry, with activists saying it will “legalise child rape”.

"Under the new law, which was agreed yesterday, religious authorities have been given the power to decide on family affairs, including marriage, divorce and the care of children. It abolishes a previous ban on the marriage of children under the age of 18 in place since the 1950s.

“We have reached the end of women’s rights and the end of children’s rights in Iraq,” said the lawyer Mohammed Juma, one of the most prominent opponents of the law."