The Guardian

• Fire in California’s Big Sur region doubles in size overnight, forcing evacuations

  Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal Fire

  A fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks.

  The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation.

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• ‘The world needs to pay attention’: Nepalis and Tibetans in New York City respond to the Himalayan disaster

  Half the world away, a Himalayan diaspora reacts in sorrow and pitches in to help victims in their home countries

  Geeta Tamang was getting ready for bed when her aunts shared news that upended her world.

  “My aunts came into my room and told me what had happened,” said Tamang, a 24-year-old computer science student at Queens College. She lives in Jackson Heights, home to one of the largest Nepali and Tibetan communities in New York City.

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• US officials urge swimmers to be cautious amid surge in drowning deaths

  Recent deadly water-related incidents amid heatwave leads National Park Service to issue water-safety reminders

  As a heatwave continues to bake the western and central US, officials are urging swimmers to be cautious when seeking respite from the summer heat, especially amid a score of recent deadly water-related incidents.

  Each year, from April to September, drowning deaths rise nationwide, according to 2018-24 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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• Trump administration pushing to hand parcel of Yosemite land to private developer – report

  Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital seeks to acquire land to construct private road to development outside park

  The Trump administration is reportedly pushing to give a parcel of land inside Yosemite, one of the country’s most popular national parks, to a Nevada-based private developer.

  Staff with the National Park Service have been exploring how the agency can give a quarter-mile parcel to a company operated by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the news outlet Notus reported on Friday, citing agency documents and unnamed sources “directly familiar with discussions”.

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• Louisiana gears up for first recreational alligator hunt in more than 50 years

  State to offer up to 5,000 trappers chance to snare reptiles whose numbers have risen to 3m from fewer than 100,000

  The first recreational alligator hunt in Louisiana in more than half a century is about to commence in the swamps of that state, with up to 5,000 hopeful trappers facing strict rules in order to snare a reptile.

  The state’s fish and wildlife commission banned alligator hunting in 1962 to allow the species to recover after decades of unregulated killings for meat and hides dropped numbers there to below 100,000.

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