Uluru climbing ban takes effect as indigenous peoples make strides

SYDNEY -- A massive sandstone monolith set deep in Australia's outback has become a major tourism draw, attracting about 370,000 visitors last year. But starting Saturday, climbing Uluru -- as the iconic redstone rock is called -- will be banned.

The Anangu, a group of indigenous people on whose ancestral land Uluru is located, consider it sacred and have long requested visitors to refrain from climbing it.