London
Feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square became illegal this week. Anyone caught scattering bread crumbs or seeds now faces a fine of $85 and possible prosecution. London’s mayor, Ken Livingstone, said he had to take action because droppings from the thousands of pigeons that thronged the square every day had caused more than $230,000 worth of damage to monuments such as Nelson’s Column. He outlawed the licensed feed sellers several months ago; now even freelance seed scatterers are banned from the square. Outraged pigeon lovers said they would continue to feed the birds over on the next block.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Pope seeks inquiry on if Gaza assault is 'genocide'Speed Read In a book for the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis considers whether Israel's war in Gaza meets the legal definition of 'genocide'
-
Can Europe pick up the slack in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Trump's election raises questions about what's next in the war
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in RussiaSpeed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
