same-sex marraige

Democrats who have a slim majority in the U.S. Senate have decided to wait to vote on a bill on federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, though nearly a quarter of all Republicans joined all Democrats in voting for the bill in the House in July.

The vote in Australia's House of Representatives follows passage in the Senate last week. The measure means that same-sex marriages in Australia could take place as soon as January.

The first piece of legislation related to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the right of same-sex couples to marry is making the rounds at the…