Florence bans snacking on the streets

Florence has fired a fresh salvo in its long-running battle against the effects of mass tourism by banning visitors from eating panini, pizza and focaccia on the pavement and on shop doorsteps.

Tourists who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, which came into effect yesterday, face fines of between £135-£450 (NZ$254-NZ$883).

The ban applies to streets and piazzas around a particularly popular delicatessen in the city centre – All’ Antico Vinaio, the Old Wine Merchant – which is situated between the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s medieval town hall.

Described by one food and travel magazine as ‘‘home of the world’s best sandwiches’’, it has enjoyed a surge in popularity after being favourably reviewed on TripAdvisor, where it is related ‘‘excellent’’ by 79 per cent of contributors.

Like many Italian cities, Florence suffers from a dearth of public benches, so tourists often resort to squatting on the kerb or crouching in the doorways of shops and restaurants while grabbing a bite to eat.

Local businesses have long complained of the nuisance and the issue came to a head in August after a scuffle between the owner of a leather goods shop and a Spanish family camped out on his front step.

The new ordinance, signed by Dario Nardella, the mayor, will remain in force until January 6 and could be extended after that. The ban applies from noon-3pm and from 6pm-10pm. – Telegraph Group Myanmar’s armed forces have apologised for using fake photographs in a book of propaganda aimed at discrediting Rohingya Muslims, 700,000 of whom have been driven out of the country by its soldiers in what the United Nations has called a genocide.

Myanmar’s official military newspaper, the Myawady Daily, published an apology for what it described as a ‘‘mistake’’ in the book of photos compiled by the ‘‘True News’’ military information unit.

Two photos purported to show Rohingya, who are referred to by many in Myanmar as ‘‘Bengalis’’ to suggest that they are illegal immigrants. One depicted what the caption said were the victims of Rohingya atrocities. However, an investigation by Reuters news agency found that they were historical images from Tanzania and Bangladesh.

A third image, which claimed to show Rohingya entering Myanmar illegally, actually showed them fleeing persecution by the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar armed forces are known.

‘‘It was found that two photos were incorrectly published,’’ a statement in the Myawady Daily in the name of the army publishing unit, said. ‘‘We sincerely apologise to the readers and the owners of the photographs.’’

The propaganda book,