President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam, 40MW Hydropower Station and Associated 132KV Switchyard, Transmission Line and Distribution Substation (Phase I) Project, located at the Kashimbila Dam site in Taraba State.

Speaking at a virtual ceremony held at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja on Thursday, the President underscored the importance of the project, highlighting its role in his administration’s commitment to achieving the target of 30GW of electricity in the country by 2030, under the Electricity Vision 30:30:30.

President Buhari, while inviting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello, to unveil the project on his behalf, noted that the Electricity Vision initiative aims to have renewable energy contribute at least 30% to the energy mix, thereby expediting the expansion of electricity access.

Furthermore, the President said the implementation and completion of the Kashimbila projects align with his government’s policies to alleviate poverty, generate employment opportunities, enhance healthcare services, and improve the overall standard of living of Nigerians.

‘‘The Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam in Taraba State, with storage capacity of 500million cubic metres, was conceived principally to checkmate the threat of the imminent collapse of the structurally weak and poisonous Lake Nyos, located at the line of volcanic activities in Cameroun Republic, which collapse could result in flooding and affecting millions of lives and properties.

‘‘Even though the Dam was meant to serve as a buffer to contain possible discharge of water of Lake Nyos, the engineering design maximized the benefits of the Kashimbila ecosystem by incorporating a 40MW Hydropower Station, 60,000 cubic metre per day Water Supply Scheme, 2,000 hectares of Irrigation System, an airstrip, fishing activities and tourism potentials,’’ he said.

According to the President, the Phase I of the Power Evacuation Component of the Project includes the 132KV Switchyard, four substations at Takum, Wukari, Rafin Kada, Donga, and the rehabilitation of the existing 132KV Yandev substation.

It also involves the installation of a 245km, 132KV Double Circuits line from Kashimbila to Takum, Wukari, Yandev, as well as a 45km, 33kv Double Circuits line from Wukari to Donga through Rafin Kada, he added.

‘‘I understand that the Water Supply component that is intended to service Takum and environs has reached about 65% progress, while the engineering design for the 2000 Hectare Irrigation Scheme has been fully completed, and physical works will commence in due course,’’ he said.

The President assured Nigerians that other projects aimed at boosting electricity supply, such as the 40MW Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant in Gombe State and the 700MW Zungeru Hydropower Plant in Niger State, are also ready for commissioning.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Federal Ministry of Power for their efforts in delivering the Kashimbila Project, expressing his anticipation for increased collaboration among various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in infrastructure development.

The President also praised the host communities and the individuals affected by the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam Project for their cooperation, understanding, and support during the implementation of this significant undertaking.

The latest archaeological dig in Alderney has uncovered “a very large amount” of Roman pottery.

Alderney is the third largest and the most northerly of the Channel Islands.

The Island is an independent British Crown Protectorate and a constituent part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Dr Jason Monaghan, the secretary for Dig Alderney, said about 1,000 pieces of pottery had been discovered so far.

Work at the dig is due to continue until 27 May.

This fragment has been provisionally dated to the 2nd Century AD by Dig Alderney
Dr Monaghan said: “Ten days in we haven’t found any Roman buildings, but what we have found is a very large amount of Roman material.

“We’ve found probably a thousand pieces of Roman pottery so far, and we’ve also found some objects from the Iron Age, which obviously have kicked up into the Roman layers.”

The Lieutenant-Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey has also been helping with the dig.

Lt Gen Richard Cripwell said he found the different types of pottery being discovered “fascinating”.

A large amount of Roman material has been unearthed along with some Iron Age items
He said: “There’s a difference between what’s of interest to me I suspect and the archaeologists, but we have found lots of pottery, different types of pottery, which I find fascinating.

“But what has also been very interesting to me is the way in which everything is of interest to the archaeologists, if they’re not sure they put it to one side, and then when they’ve got more time they actually try to understand what they found.”

Prior to the excavation at Longis Common, Dig Alderney carried out its first dig to understand the history of the Nunnery in 2021.

The archaeological charity found parts of the south and east walls of a large building under fortified remains and an “ornately carved stone arch” during the 2021 dig.

A subsea cable factory in the Highlands is expected to bring £200m of investment and create 150 jobs, the UK and Scottish governments have said.

Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries announced plans last month to build the facility in the Highlands.

On a visit to Easter Ross, Scottish Secretary Alistair Jack confirmed the plant would be located at Nigg on the Cromarty Firth.

The cables would be used to connect offshore wind farms.

Mr Jack said: “It’s 150 direct jobs with an additional 350 jobs behind that and obviously support companies as well.

“It will be a real boost to the area.”

Port of Nigg would feature as part of the planned Cromarty Firth Freeport special economic zone.

Scotland government energy secretary Neil Gray said Sumitomo’s investment would promote the rapid expansion of the renewables industry.

He said: “These will be highly-skilled green jobs from a business with a strong record in producing high-voltage underground cables.

“The cables and the wind turbines they connect can help reduce emissions as part of the fastest possible just transition for our oil and gas workforce.”

Sumitomo’s factory in Osaka in Japan has already manufactured and installed subsea links between England and Belgium.

It has also secured work to link the UK to Ireland and projects in Germany.

The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, which lies 3,800m (12,500ft) down in the Atlantic, has been created using deep-sea mapping.

It provides a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away.

The hope is that this will shed new light on exactly what happened to the liner, which sank in 1912.

More than 1,500 people died when the ship struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.

“There are still questions, basic questions, that need to be answered about the ship,” Parks Stephenson, a Titanic analyst, said.

He said the model was “one of the first major steps to driving the Titanic story towards evidence-based research – and not speculation.”

The Titanic has been extensively explored since the wreck was discovered in 1985.

But it’s so huge that in the gloom of the deep, cameras can only ever show us tantalizing snapshots of the decaying ship – never the whole thing.

The new scan captures the wreck in its entirety, revealing a complete view of the Titanic. It lies in two parts, with the bow and the stern separated by about 800m (2,600ft). A huge debris field surrounds the broken vessel.

The scan was carried out in summer 2022 by Magellan Ltd, a deep-sea mapping company, and Atlantic Productions, who are making a documentary about the project.

Submersibles, remotely controlled by a team on board a specialist ship, spent more than 200 hours surveying the length and breadth of the wreck.

They took more than 700,000 images from every angle, creating an exact 3D reconstruction.

As strong winds hit Ankara, Turkey, footage on social media appeared to show an outdoor sofa being blown off a high-rise into the sky.

Onur Kalmaz, who filmed the video, told Turkish news agency Demirören Haber Ajansı that nobody was hurt by the incident and the seat remained usable after the furniture ended up in his garden.

More than 20 rivers have burst their banks in Italy, leaving 13 people dead and forcing thousands from their homes after six months’ rainfall fell in a day and a half.

More bodies were found on Thursday after almost every river flooded between Bologna and the north-east coast 115km (70 miles) away.

Some 280 landslides have taken place.

“It was a very bad 48 hours. Water and mud took over our whole village,” said Roberta Lazzarini, 71.

Her home of Botteghino di Zocca, south of Bologna, was hit by a torrent on Wednesday. Streets, houses and gardens were inundated and Roberta said she was still scared.

“I’ve never seen anything like that here. We were stuck and didn’t know what to do. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Firefighters helped residents flee their houses, including a 97-year-old woman who had to leave her bedroom in a rubber dinghy.

The historic centre of Lugo, outside Ravenna was among the cities with the worst flooding
“Our community is broken,” said Roberta’s daughter, Ines, who runs the local cafe in the central square. “We felt completely cut out, isolated, some of us were truly terrified.”

“We’ve had floods before, but it has never been this bad as far as I can remember,” said Lamieri, 74, as he removed mud from his basement, where his son stores products to sell at the souvenir shop he runs in central Bologna.

“The street turned into river. We lost all of our stuff which was stored down here. We estimate thousands of euros in damage.”

This is one of many villages and towns flooded in the province of Emilia-Romagna, not just from rivers, but overflowing canals too.

More evacuations took place west of Ravenna on Thursday and more bodies were found, including a couple in a flat in the village of Russi, which was flooded hours before.

An EU Official Says G7 Leaders Meeting In Japan Will Discuss Sanctioning Russia’s Billion-dollar Diamond Trade, Hoping To Further Starve Moscow Of Funds For Its War In Ukraine.

Russia Exported Almost $5 Billion Worth Of Diamonds In 2021, According To The Observatory Of Economic Complexity, A Trade Data Project Linked To The Massachusetts Institute Of Technology.

The United Arab Emirates, India And EU Member Belgium Were Among The Top Importers.

The EU Official Said Indian Buy-in Would Be Vital To Make Sure Any Sanctions Regime Had Maximum Impact.

The Tadrart Rouge is a mountain range in southeastern Algeria. The translation of Tadrart rouge has a meaning Red Tadrart.

The range is a roughly 100 km long southern prolongation of the Libyan Tadrart Acacus.

It reaches its maximum elevation of 1,340 m towards the southern end of the range at about 160 km southeast of Djanet.

The Tadrart Rouge area is well known for the spectacular orange color of the sands contrasting with the jagged dark red rock formations of the range.

There are all kinds of variations in the forms of the rocks, so together with the sand, they can trick you into thinking that someone is playing with your mind.