Greece is bracing for more intense heat this weekend, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could climb as high as 45C (113F).

People have been advised to stay home, and tourist sites – including Athens’ ancient Acropolis – will be shut during the hottest parts of the next two days.

It could turn into Greece’s hottest July weekend in 50 years, one of the country’s top meteorologists says.

Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle dozens of wildfires.

Emergencies and civil protection officials are warning of a very high risk of new blazes across the country.

Western Attica – just west of Athens – is among the worst-hit areas, along with Laconia in the southern Peloponnese and the island of Rhodes.

Greece’s EU partners have provided help, including firefighting planes from France and Italy and more than 200 firefighters from Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Neighbouring Turkey is also sending some aircraft to help.

Greece – like a number of other European countries – saw a prolonged spell of extreme heat earlier this month.

The latest heatwave comes at one of the busiest times for the country’s tourism industry.

The house of representatives has asked the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) not to approve the proposed increase in electricity tariffs.

The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during a plenary session, following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sani Madaki, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from Kano.

In the past weeks, reports had spread that electricity tariffs would be increased by 40 percent due to spiralling petrol prices.

The increase was said to be contingent on the 2022 multi-year tariff order (MYTO), which is due for a bi-annual review this month.

The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), says it has built workshops across the country to assist Nigerians convert their petrol-powered vehicles to autogas.

Dr Bayero Salih-Farah, Director-General of the institute, said this at a news conference on Thursday in Zaria, Kaduna State.

He said that the institute has been working on the project for a year now and is ready to commence the conversion in the next two to three weeks.

Salih-Farah explained that the transport institute had been working in partnership with some manufacturers of the conversion kits which would be used at its workshops to enable Nigerians to have cheaper conversion from PMS to autogas.

“We have sensitised relevant stakeholders across the country at different fora on the need for Nigerians to migrate from the use of PMS to gas.

“Gas is very cheap than petrol, it is also cleaner and convenient; Nigerians will be able to save a lot of money when they convert their vehicles from petrol to autogas.

“The cost of transport will come down drastically because the money required to refill a tank using an autogas will be 40 per cent lower than the money required filling a tank using petrol,” he said.

Salih-Farah said the use of autogas would also reduce environmental pollution in the country substantially and appealed to Nigerians to take advantage of the initiative.

Meanwhile, the DG said the agency would partner with the National Information Technology Agency on knowledge sharing on some major projects of the institute.

He said that efforts have been intensified to make the school the leading transport and logistics institute in Africa.

Remains of what is believed could have been a Bronze Age ritual cremation cemetery have been found at Shetland’s planned SaxaVord spaceport.

The discovery was made during groundworks for the rocket launch site on the Lamba Ness peninsula in Unst.

Features including pits and burnt bone have been uncovered. Archaeologists think it may date from 2200-1800 BC.

The discovery is not expected to hamper development work at the spaceport, which is supporting the excavation.

Katie O’Connell, of site assessors AOC Archaeology, said: “The several deposits of burnt bone which have been found are likely associated with the remains of cremation deposits.

She added: “Though excavation is only beginning, there may be a relation between the large stones, alignments of pits, the quartz setting, and the cremation cemetery, suggesting that together these form part of a ritual complex.”

Amsterdam’s council has banned cruise ships from the city centre as the Dutch capital tries to limit visitor numbers and curb pollution.

Politicians said the vessels were not in line with the city’s sustainable ambitions.

It means the central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam’s main train station will close.

It is the latest measure to clamp down on mass tourism in the city.

Cruise ships have become a symbol of the problem, with more than 100 mooring in the capital every year.

The council has been trying to scrub up the city, banning cannabis smoking on the streets of the red-light district.

In March the city launched an online campaign urging young British men considering holding their bachelor parties in Amsterdam to stay away.

Amsterdam has become a victim of its own popularity, attracting 20 million annual visitors – some drawn by its party city reputation.

Ms Rooderkerk recently compared cruise tourists to a type of “plague of locusts” descending all at once on the city.

Other Amsterdam officials have baulked at that kind of language. But Mayor Femke Halsema complained last year that cruise tourists were let loose for a couple of hours, ate at international chains and had no time to visit a museum, consuming the city but doing little for it.

The other key reason for removing cruise ships is to lower air pollution levels in Amsterdam. A 2021 study of one big cruise ship found that it had produced the same levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one day as 30,000 trucks.

Other mooring sites away from the city centre have been under consideration for some time but no decision has yet been taken.

In a separate development, Amsterdam has announced plans to beef up night-time culture for young people.

The city has outlined its aim to find nightclub locations such as disused tunnels and garages to develop the talent of “creative young people who want to organise something at night”.