Briefs

Independence push on hold

Scotland’s secessionist leader has postponed plans for a second independence referendum until the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union are clear. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday she was putting on hold plans to introduce legislation that would have demanded a second vote. Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party (SNP) wants to break Scotland’s 300-year-old union with England, had been seeking a referendum in late 2018 or early 2019, ahead of Britain’s EU exit, which is due in March 2019. The SNP lost 21 of its 56 seats in the United Kingdom parliament in the June 8 election, and Sturgeon later acknowledged that her insistence on a second referendum had cost the party votes.

Gay marriage vote likely

Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) are pushing for a vote this week to legalise gay marriage, capitalising on a surprise shift from conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel three months before an election. The issue became an election topic after Merkel’s three potential coalition partners made it a condition for sharing power, effectively forcing her hand. Merkel said she had taken note of other German parties favouring same-sex marriage and would allow lawmakers a free vote. SPD leader Martin Schulz said yesterday his party would push for a vote in parliament this week, before the start of the summer recess.

Handy idea carries risks

A Sydney man tired of fumbling for his Opal card at ticket gates has implanted the public transport travel card’s chip in his hand - a move which could land him in trouble. Meowludo Disco Gamma Meow-meow, who is described as a ‘‘biohacker’’, cut down the Opal chip, had it encased in biocompatible plastic, and had it implanted just under the skin on his left hand by a body piercing expert. ‘‘My goal is to have frictionless interaction with technology,’’ Meowmeow said. He said he was aware that he could get in trouble if transit officers asked to check his card. Customers caught tampering with their Opal cards can have them cancelled.