Briefly

ITALY

Tourists told stop feeding birds

VENICE — The days when Venice tolerated tourists feeding pigeons in St. Mark’s Square are over. Starting Wednesday, it’s illegal.

The sale and distribution of grain to feed the birds is now banned, ending a tradition that attracted pigeons, and their droppings, to the most picturesque part of the lagoon city.

Fines for ignoring the ban start at $77.

The vendors who sold grain to the tourists are now out of a job. “Thanks Mr. Mayor for killing off our business after 100 years of sales,” read one banner.

Authorities say pigeons are eating away at the city’s marble statues and buildings by pecking at small gaps in the facades to reach for scraps of food that had blown inside.

GREECE

Islanders battle gay rights group

ATHENS — A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between gay women and the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One plaintiff said last week that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos, also known as Lesbians.

“My sister can’t say she is a Lesbian,” Dimitris Lambrou said. “Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos.”

GEORGIA

Rebels claim spy planes downed

SUKHUMI — Two unmanned Georgian spy planes were shot down yesterday over the country’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, an Abkhazian official and Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.

The statements came amid escalating tension after Georgia said a Russian jet shot down an unmanned plane over Abkhazia two weeks ago. Russia denied involvement.

Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, seek either independence from Georgia or absorption into Russia.

From wire dispatches and staff reports