Fujikawaguchiko town official says choice to erect huge barrier is ‘regrettable’ and last resort A huge barrier to block views of Mount Fuji will be installed at a popular photo spot by Japanese authorities exasperated by crowds of badly behaved foreign tourists. Construction of the mesh net – 2.5 metres (8ft) high and the length of a cricket pitch at 20 metres – will begin as early as next week, an official from Fujikawaguchiko town said on Friday ..read more

Co-founder leaving ‘to spend more time with his young family, improve the world via philanthropy, and help further the technology industry globally’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Scott Farquhar, the Australian tech billionaire and joint chief executive of software company Atlassian, will step down from his role at the end of August to spend time with his young family and focus on philanthropy, the company says. Farquhar’s co-CEO, Mike Cannon-Brookes, will lead the Sydney-headquartered company ..read more

A social and economic revolution observed through the lives of four women in their 30s Yuan Yang, the former Financial Times China correspondent, has written an engrossing new book that meticulously reports on a country in the throes of change, using the lives and choices of four women from her own generation as a lens. Leiya, Sam, June and Siyue, born in the late 80s and 90s, all hail from different regions and social classes – but they share the trait of being “unusually accomplished idealists”. Lieya, who drops out of school to work in a factory, later goe ..read more

Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC and LIV to help fund junior program PGA of Australia still aligned with DP World Tour LIV Golf has struck a deal to help fund Golf Australia’s junior program, in the first formal relationship between the steward of the game in Australia and the Saudi Arabia-backed entity. The arrangement – which involves LIV and its Ripper GC franchise of Australian players led by Cameron Smith – has been in negotiations for weeks ..read more

Advertisement from IPA-linked Climate Study Group claimed fossil fuel use would not damage the environment. Plus: Janet Albrechtsen holds forth on the importance of not taking sides Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast For almost a decade, the Australian has been running “climate science denial” ads from the Climate Study Group (CSG) that claim burning fossil fuels is hunky dory and even necessary for life on Earth. But the latest ad has been “discontinued” after Ad Standards found it contained mislea ..read more

Warnings of dangerous temperatures across parts of Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh and India as hottest months of the year are made worse by El Niño Millions of people across South and Southeast Asia are facing sweltering temperatures, with unusually hot weather forcing schools to close and threatening public health. Thousands of schools across the Philippines, including in the capital region Metro Manila, have suspended in-person classes. Half of the country’s 82 provinces are experiencing drought, and nearly 31 others are facing dry spells or dry conditions, according to the UN, which has ..read more

Thousands in Lisbon celebrated the 50th anniversary on Thursday of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which toppled the longest fascist dictatorship in Europe and ushered in democracy. The almost bloodless revolution was conducted by a group of junior army officers who wanted democracy and to put an end to long-running wars against independence movements in African colonies ..read more

A selection of highlights from the ninth instalment of Photofairs Shanghai, the contemporary art fair for photography Shanghai Exhibition CentreApril 25-28, 2024 ..read more

Muslim organisations say they were not consulted before counter-terrorism raids that resulted in arrests relating to a church stabbing in Sydney Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Representatives of the Australian Muslim community have called out what they called “questionable law enforcement tactics” after seven minors were arrested and five of them charged with counter-terrorism-related offences this week. Three major bodies, the Australian National Imams Council, the Alliance of Australian Muslim ..read more

Williams, Daniels, Maye, Penix, McCarthy and Nix go in top 12 ‘No heads up’: Cousins surprised by Falcons’ Penix Jr selection NFL draft 2024: the first round – as it happened Caleb Williams swiftly walked on stage, looked out and screamed “Woooo! Yeah!” Long-suffering Bears fans felt his joy ..read more