From September, the Greater London Authority will become the first public organisation in Britain to offer recognition to same-sex couples. The city government will allow same-sex couples to have ceremonies that resemble weddings, reports the Associated Press.

While the city register will not confer the same legal rights as marriage, it is expected to prove the existence of an intimate relationship if there is a subsequent legal dispute concerning issues such as tenancy, pensions and immigration rights, said Mayor Ken Livingstone.

He called the move a "step on the road to equality," adding he hoped other cities and organizations would follow suit.

The ceremonies will be held at the visitors' center of the Greater London Authority two days a week and will be presided by a city official and couples will be allowed to invite up to 25 guests.

Over in Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria, 41 new laws will cover next of kin issues, tenant rights, inheritance, health care decisions amongst other issues will come into effect between now and by the end of September.

The act was passed after the government agreed to make amendments to ensure support from the Liberal Party, which had previously opposed it. However, the Nationals and independents Craig Ingram and Russell Savage still oppose the act.

Today's proclamation has been chosen to coincide with Stonewall Day, the anniversary of riots against police at a New York bar in 1969 that is seen as the birth of the gay-rights movement.

Gay and lesbian activists have welcomed the new laws and hope that the national government will move in the same direction.