The British lower house of parliament, the House of Commons, has voted overwhelmingly to lower the age of consent for homosexual men from eighteen to sixteen.

It's the second time in two years that the House has lowered the legal age for sex between men, but last year the upper house, the House of Lords, voted the bill down.

This is likely to happen again.

However, the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has indicated he'll use special powers to pass the law, so that Britain can comply with European Union obligations.

The Home Secretary, Jack Straw, told members of parliament that the issues at stake were equality, a society free of prejudice, and relationships based on respect instead of fear.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service