Yamanashi prefecture brings in modest hiking fee to stop ‘bullet climbing’ and address safety concerns

A crowd-control gate has been installed halfway up Mount Fuji before the start of this year’s climbing season on 1 July, but the governor of Yamanashi, one of the two prefectures that are home to the mountain, said additional measures were needed to control overcrowding on its lower slopes.

The gate was completed on Monday as part of a set of measures being introduced this year to address growing safety, environmental and overcrowding problems on Japan’s highest and best-known mountain.

Winds blew embers ahead of flames and thwarted efforts by aircraft crews to drop water: ‘It sprays everywhere we don’t need it’

Strong winds were pushing flames through dry brush in mountains along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles and officials warned residents in the wildfire’s path to be prepared to leave if it explodes in size again.

The blaze, dubbed the Post fire, was just 2% contained Sunday evening. No injuries were reported. The cause was under investigation.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report says it hasn't seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War.

(Image credit: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

The Saudi Health Ministry said more than 2,760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone and the number is likely to increase as Hajj ends.

(Image credit: Rafiq Maqbool)

Dozens of New Zealand business leaders were stuck in Papua New Guinea, after another one of the country’s defence planes broke down

Air New Zealand has swooped in to save prime minister Christopher Luxon’s trade mission to Japan, after another one of the country’s beleaguered defence force planes was grounded in Papua New Guinea over maintenance issues.

Luxon’s high-powered business delegation was travelling to Tokyo on Sunday via Papua New Guinea, as part of the government’s mission to grow trade. However, the group – including trade minister Todd McClay, as well as dozens of business leaders and journalists – was left stranded after the discovery of blown fuses on the NZDF Boeing 757.

Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on Sunday for the second time with the best shot of his life. Meanwhile, it was another heavy dose of heartache for Rory McIlroy.

(Image credit: Mike Stewart)

Body of missing man found on Mathraki beach in string of recent cases of Greek island visitors dead or gone missing

A missing US tourist has been found dead on a beach on a small Greek island west of Corfu, local media reported.

The body of the man was found Sunday on a rocky, fairly remote beach on the island of Mathraki by another tourist. He had been reported missing Thursday by his host, a Greek American friend. The tourist had last been seen Tuesday at a cafe in the company of two female tourists who have since left the island.

Cause of blaze, named Post Fire, unknown as two buildings damaged and nearby valley and lake reservoir close

A wildfire that forced the evacuation of at least 1,200 people in southern California has burned more than 16 sq miles, officials said Sunday.

The blaze, named the Post Fire, started Saturday and was burning near the Interstate 5 freeway in Gorman, about 62 miles (100km) north-west of Los Angeles, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection.

California state park services evacuated 1,200 people from the Hungry Valley recreation area in Gorman and both Hungry Valley and the Pyramid Lake reservoir were closed as a result of the fire threat, the Los Angeles county fire department said.

The flames broke out at around 1.45pm, authorities said. The cause isn’t known.

No homes were threatened by the fire but two commercial buildings have been damaged, the Los Angeles county fire department said Sunday.

The fire was moving south-east toward Pyramid Lake and crews were constructing perimeter fire lines while aircraft worked against limited visibility to stop the fire’s progress, the fire department said. Fire lines had been built around 2% of the perimeter as of Sunday morning, the Los Angeles county fire department said.

Strong winds will impact firefighting efforts, especially after 8pm, the department said.

President speaks with ex-president Barack Obama during campaign event at Peacock Theater on Saturday night

Some of Hollywood’s brightest stars headlined a glitzy fundraiser for President Joe Biden, helping raise what his re-election campaign said was a record $30m-plus and hoping to energize would-be supporters for a November election that they argued was among the most important in the nation’s history.

George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among those who took the stage at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Biden and former president Barack Obama, who both stressed the need to defeat former president Donald Trump in a race that’s expected to be exceedingly close.

Israel's military announced on Sunday that it would pause fighting throughout daytime hours along a route in southern Gaza to free up a backlog of humanitarian aid deliveries.

(Image credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

• Australia drops six catches but chases down Scotland’s total of 180
• Final-over victory saves England from an early T20 World Cup exit

Australia have given England a Twenty20 World Cup reprieve after surviving a scare in St Lucia to claim a last-over five-wicket win over Scotland.

With their own progression to the Super Eight stage already assured, Australia were well below their best as they chased down Scotland’s 5-180 with two balls to spare. Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis were the saviours for Australia, each hitting a half-century and combining for an 80-run stand that changed the match.