Australia limits alcohol sales in Alice Springs amid crime wave

FILE PHOTO: Empty beer cans lie on the Todd River's dry bed in the central Australian town of Alice Springs in this picture taken July 5, 2007. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will limit the sale of alcohol and consider wider bans to control spiralling alcohol-fuelled violence in a central region, in the run-up to a referendum on Indigenous recognition that is shining a light on deep social divisions.

The new rules in the town of Alice Springs, 2,000 km northwest of Sydney, and the surrounding region, mean that the sale of takeaway alcohol will be restricted on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and sales will be reduced on other days.