The UK’s largest opencast coalmine must close after an extension to keep it running was rejected.

It means production at Ffos-y-Fran, near Merthyr Tydfil, must now stop after 16 years of excavation.

The operators asked for an extension until 2024, arguing coal from the mine was needed by the steel industry.

But planning officials advised that the proposed extension did not fit with Welsh government policies on tackling climate change.

The Ffos-y-Fran land reclamation scheme won planning permission in 2005 and work began two years later to excavate 11 million tonnes of coal across a site the size of 400 football pitches.

The other aim was to restore the land – riddled with the remains of old industries – back to green hillside for the community’s benefit as work progressed.

But there was stiff opposition due to the mine’s proximity to homes and businesses.

The closest houses were initially less than 40m (132ft) away, and residents led a long campaign, saying their lives were being blighted by coal dust and noise.

Their protests even attracted the support of the United Nations’ top legal expert on the human rights of communities affected by pollution in 2017.

The mine itself always rejected the claims, arguing that it was heavily regulated and provides well-paid jobs in an area that badly needed them.

After 15 years, planning permission ran out in September 2022 – but the company in charge applied for an extension.

Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd wanted to be allowed to keep coal mining until the end of March 2024 and push back the date for final restoration of the site to June 2026.

Welsh government coal policy prevents the development of new mines or extensions to existing ones apart from in “wholly exceptional circumstances”.

The Masurian Lake District, also known as Masurian Lakeland, is a lake district in which more than 2,000 lakes can be found, and it is located in the region of Masuria within the Republic of Poland.

Having an area of about 52,000 square km (20,000 square mi), this impressive place was shaped by the Pleistocene ice age, and extends around 290 km (180 mi) to the east from the lower part of the Vistula River to the Russian border.

All of the lakes are connected with rivers and canals which form and extensive system of waterways, suitable to hoping from one to another lake, it is also connected to the Baltic Sea with the Masurian Canal which was built in 18 century.

This whole land is full of treasures to those who are eager of exploration of untouched nature, especially to those who are in love with sailing, kayaking and even swimming.

Even though the weather is a little bit cooler compared to other parts of Poland, the Masurian Lake District contains the largest lake in Poland called Śniardwy, however, the most popular towns in the area are: Giżycko and Mikołajki, Węgorzewo, Ryn, Pisz and Iława.

In all these towns, there is something worth being seen, such as the ancient fortress, historic church, bridges, and passenger boats in the town of Giżycko.

Getting a bigger popularity in recent years, people who enjoy in fly fishing, trekking, biking are visiting this region in order to enjoy the stupendous nature and also wildlife, edible berries and mushrooms which can be seen all around.

Due to the importance the lake district has, it was put on the New7Wonders of Nature list, where even it did not became one of the 7 nature wonders, still it was among the 28 other impressive natural beauties around the world.

The world’s largest multi-use electricity power line will be built under the North Sea, boosting UK energy supplies with enough to power 1.8 million homes – more than Birmingham and Manchester combined.

The new LionLink will connect the UK and the Netherlands with offshore wind farms, providing clean affordable and secure energy to Britain which will help cut household bills and drive Putin’s Russia further out of the energy market.

The cross-border electricity line will be only the second of its kind in the world, with the first having been built by Germany and Denmark.

However, it will be able to carry more than four times the amount of electricity as its predecessor – making it the largest of its kind in terms of capacity anywhere in the world.