A man watches the dots of laser pointers move across the facade of the Hong Kong Space Museum during a flash mob staged to denounce the authorities' claim that laser pointers were offensive weapons in Hong Kong, China August 7, 2019. Picture taken with a slow shutter speed. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Ban tourists to protect sacred sites, say Australia's indigenous people

From mountains to beaches, Aboriginal groups across Australia are pushing back against public access to heritage sites, in an attempt to preserve areas of historical and spiritual importance

In wealthy Silicon Valley, a $500 million plan to save threatened farmland

To help farmers, Santa Clara County — home of tech haven Silicon Valley — is purchasing local farmland at market rates to ensure its future in agriculture

Young Taiwanese reconnect with indigenous roots to heal trauma

The historical trauma of Taiwan's 16 indigenous groups - who were evicted from their land and banned from speaking their own languages - has only recently been acknowledged

Neighbors frown at California emoji house's 'bullying' paint job

Emojis have emotions running high in California

ANALYSIS - No sex and drugs: Moscow regulates graffiti, but who owns the streets?

Moscow has banned depictions of sex and drugs from its walls under new restrictions sparking a debate on who owns the streets

Kyrgyzstan halts work at Chinese gold mine after clashes

The protests started after livestock grazing near the mine began to die last month - something that residents blamed on toxic spillage

U.S. has lost 24 million acres of natural land in 16 years - independent report

The United States has lost the equivalent of nine Grand Canyon national parks, or 24 million acres of natural area, between 2001 and 2017, says Center for American Progress

FACTBOX-Seven capital cities that were built from scratch

Indonesia is set to move its capital away from crowded Jakarta to Borneo. Here are seven other capital cities that have moved

Best of the rest

Discover all this week's top land and property rights stories from across the web