Kerala-origin man shoots wife, injures 2 in United States church shootout

A violent domestic quarrel stretching from California to India to New Jersey over the past year resulted in tragedy on Sunday morning for families of three migrant nurses from Kottayam in central Kerala.

Pallipurath Joseph, 27, walked into the small St Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church, set up by Malayali migrants, in Clifton, New Jersey, during Sunday service and killed his estranged 24-year-old wife and wounded two others with shots to the head.

As more than 100 worshippers dived under the pews, the assailant fired four shots from a silver handgun, striking his wife, who had refused to leave the church with him a relative who had recently taken her in and a man who either happened upon or tried to intervene in the confrontation, the police and witnesses said.

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Venezuelan Mendoza crowned Miss Universe

Miss Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza, was crowned Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam's resort city of Nha Trang on Monday.

The 22-year-old brunette was given her crown, made of white and yellow gold and precious stones, by last year's winner, Riyo Mori of Japan, at the pageant finale watched by nearly a billion television viewers worldwide.

"I am excited. I cried a lot. I am really glad I made it," Mendoza, the 57th winner of the title, later told reporters.

The professional model has said her "express kidnapping" in Venezuela a year and a half ago taught her to remain calm in stressful situations.

"It is something that happens in my country and that's why I want to raise my voice and say violence is not the answer," she said when asked about the incident.

Mendoza, an aspiring interior designer, was among four finalists from Latin America, including first runner-up Taliana Vargas, 20, from Colombia.

The rest of the top five were from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Russia.

This year's event went more smoothly than the 2007 pageant in Mexico, which was marked by protests, a banned dress and the withdrawal of Miss Sweden after critics at home complained the contest degraded women.

However, misfortune befell Miss USA for a second straight year. During the evening gown parade, Crystle Stewart of Texas slipped on the runway. She finished in the top 10.

A year ago in Mexico, Rachel Smith also lost her footing and landed on her bottom. She finished fifth.

The annual Miss Universe pageant -- which tries to present itself as something more meaningful than a swim wear parade -- was first held in Long Beach, California, in 1952.

The event was taken over in 1996 by U.S. real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Communist-led Vietnam spent nearly $20 million on the event, including $7 million on a new resort and convention centre to host the pageant, in a bid to promote tourism to the Southeast Asian nation.

After celebrating at home with her family, Mendoza will spend her year-long reign traveling the world to speak out on humanitarian issues.

"I think I will jump on my family and they will jump on me. I want to have my mum's food," she said.

California gays, lesbians marry legally

California performed its first legally recognized same-sex weddings on Monday and opened its doors to gay and lesbian couples from around the country, a move likely to challenge other states that define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Octogenarians Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon took the first vows in San Francisco's ornate City Hall in a ceremony presided over by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who said California was leading a trend that would sweep the nation.

Acceptance of gay marriage has grown in the United States but most states outlaw it and, overall, Americans prefer to give marriage-like rights to homosexuals under a different name.

In a November election, Californians have the option to end same-sex marriage, making the next few months a crucial test of whether gays and lesbians can convince fellow citizens that there is no going back on marriage rights for all.

Martin and Lyon, who have been together for more than 50 years, were also the first to be married in 2004, during the "Winter of Love" when about 4,000 same-sex couples exchanged vows. Courts overturned those unions but last month the state Supreme Court struck down a ban on homosexual marriage, with that ruling going into effect late on Monday.

"When we first got together, we weren't really thinking about getting married," Lyon said to a small crowd that laughed, cheered and threw red rose petals.

Southern Californian couple Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, two of the plaintiffs in the state Supreme Court battle, exchanged vows in Beverly Hills, where for years they had petitioned unsuccessfully for a marriage license.

"Here is the final ending to our beautiful story -- 'And they lived happily ever after'," Tyler said.

Nearby, a supporter waived a placard that said "Finally."

Still, opponents aim to fight back in November and change the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Conservative Christians have vowed to get voters to the polls.

California is the second state, after Massachusetts, to marry same-sex couples but it is the first ready to grant licenses to couples from any state. Gay marriage is rejected by 45 states, although New York will honor California unions.

"If marriages performed outside of New York are going to be recognized, I'm sure it won't be too long before (gay) New Yorkers will be able to be married in their own state. So already it is having an impact that crosses to the Atlantic Coast," said Star Trek's Mr. Sulu -- actor George Takei -- who plans to wed longtime partner Brad Altman later this year.

"We are boldly going where no one has gone before," he said, jokingly echoing the opening of the TV series.

SWEEPING CHANGE?

Many countries allow domestic partnerships, although a relative few recognize gay marriage, including Belgium, Canada, Spain and the Netherlands.

Around California, the most populous U.S. state with more than 36 million people, a few marriage offices started ceremonies after 5 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT/0000 GMT) and planned to work into the evening. Hundreds of volunteers have been deputized to marry couples in tents and on courthouse lawns.

They may face opponents such as protesters in San Francisco waving signs reading "Homo Sex is Sin" and similar warnings.

Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, predicted "months of social chaos that could wreak havoc on every state in America."

He said California's new policy "threatens to undo thousands of years of natural marriage."

Less than a third of Americans responding to a recent CBS poll said gay marriage should be legal, although the trend is toward growing acceptance. More than a third opposed gay marriage.

University of Southern California law professor David Cruz predicted the practicalities of married gay couples moving from California to other states would spark change.

"People's attitudes are already changing, and what will change public opinion in favor of same-sex marriages further is knowing same-sex couples and seeing them live their lives like other married couples," he said.