German foreign minister says first phase of Trump's Gaza plan achievable by next week
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the initial stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza must...
Japan will end tax-free shopping for foreign visitors in November 2026 and before that, it will introduce dual pricing, visa pre-approval, and visitor caps at major attractions this year, according to official announcements and media reports.
The changes are part of a broader effort by Japan to address overtourism and preserve cultural and environmental sites, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
Under the revised system, tourists will no longer benefit from point-of-sale tax exemptions. Instead, from 1 November 2026, they will pay consumption tax up front and be eligible for a refund at designated airport counters, the JNTO said in an official update published earlier this year.
In addition, a new dual pricing model is set to roll out in 2025, under which foreigners will pay higher entry fees than domestic visitors at museums, temples, ski resorts, and amusement parks. Some theme parks already charge international guests 25% more, according to Essential Japan, a travel and policy news site.
Japan’s Ministry of Justice is also preparing to introduce a Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization (JESTA) visa system, which would require travellers from visa-exempt countries to obtain online pre-approval before entering the country. According to TravelPirates, citing official government plans, the system is scheduled for implementation by fiscal year 2028, with preparatory steps beginning in 2025.
Meanwhile, Mount Fuji has introduced a cap of 4,000 hikers per day, with a mandatory ¥2,000 fee ($13.6) per visitor, as part of new access restrictions aimed at limiting environmental damage. The measure was reported by International Traveller in July 2024.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
China's national railway recorded 23.13 million trips on the first day of the country's eight-day National Day holiday on Wednesday, up nearly 8% from a year earlier and setting a single-day record, state media CCTV reported.
Qantas Airways said a fire alert that triggered the pilot of a flight from Sydney to make a mayday call before landing safely at Auckland airport on Friday was likely a false alarm.
The airspace over Denmark's Aalborg Airport was reopened early on Friday (26 September) after a closure for the second night in a row due to suspected drone activity, police said.
The Dubai Fountain, one of the emirate’s most famous attractions, has been closed for much of the year as it undergoes major upgrades.
Denmark's Aalborg airport was closed due to drones in its airspace, police said early on Thursday (25 September), two days after the country's main Copenhagen airport was shut over drone sightings that raised European security concerns.
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