World IN BRIEF : ITALY : Voters Turn Down Divorce of 2 Cities

For the third time in 15 years, voters of island Venice and mainland Mestre have rejected a proposal that would have split the two cities into separate municipalities. A referendum calling for the divorce was defeated 56% to 44%, according to final returns. Center-right forces close to the corruption-scarred political parties that have dominated postwar Italy supported the separation, arguing that Venice needs a down-home government to deal with its singular municipal problems. Opponents of the call to divide the cities, yoked administratively in 1926, mostly came from the political left. They insisted that common problems such as lagoon pollution and tourism are better addressed jointly.