Yonggwang Station is a metro station which is part of the Mangyongdae Line of the Pyongyang Metro System, and it is located in the vicinity of the Pyongyang Train Station in the capital city of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pyongyang.

Intricately built, this metro station until recently was one of two metro stations where tourists were allowed to visit, simply because of its unique and beautiful design.

The entire station is constructed in cathedral like form, with columns on the two platforms next to the tracks that are joined at the upper part of the station.

In between them, there are lights which are emitting bright white light in order for the people to be able to get from one to another point of the station.

The columns on one hand are 3 meters (10 feet) tall and smaller at the base, but as moving upwards they are becoming wider.

Built from grey marble, in some way they represent torches with a flame that holds the eternal flame.

The chandeliers at the center of the station are uniquely made in order to represent the national Kimjongilia flower which bring some color to the entire place.

Even though they are not the only colorful detail of the station, in addition, on each of the platforms, there are nicely created, very detailed murals from North Korea’s capital, as well as the intricately painted Heaven Lake which is at the top of the stairs, on one side, and the Great leader, Kim Jong-il on another one, where both are leading to the station’s platform.

With its 80 meters (260 feet) in length, the Yonggwang Station is definitely something that should not be missed when visiting the mystical, yet quite intriguing North Korea.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised country, is in the grip of an energy crisis that critics say is much deeper than the authorities openly acknowledge.

The periodic electricity blackouts are expected to reach a critical stage as winter arrives in the Southern Hemisphere and sends energy demand soaring, experts warn.

Over the past 15 years, South Africa’s electricity crisis has been deepening, with power shortages blamed on insufficient investments in the country’s ageing coal-fired power plants.

The crisis has worsened over the past 12 months, with the country spared the debilitating rolling blackouts, known as load shedding, only on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and a handful of other occasions.

To manage the shortfalls, the state-owned power company Eskom imposes daily scheduled rationing to cope with the production shortfalls.

But more recently the power cuts have lengthened, and many people are forced to endure blackouts of up to 12 hours a day.

Under pressure to end the power cuts, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared in February a National State of Disaster, a legal move introduced to prioritise efforts to address the problem.

He also appointed an electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, with the sole task of ending the blackouts.

But analysts say Ramokgopa, a civil engineer and former mayor of Pretoria, has run into a series of obstacles.

The South African winter, which runs from June to August, can get cold, with temperatures plunging below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

Ramokgopa has already warned people to brace for a dark and cold winter.

The treasury, meanwhile, has said the debt-saddled Eskom cannot borrow more funds for the next three years and needs to find the resources for badly needed repairs and refurbishments on its own.

The energy situation is so dire that experts warn the country could be on the brink of a widespread collapse of its electricity grid.

Eskom, which provides the bulk of South Arica’s electricity, can guarantee supplies of 27,000 megawatts, the new electricity minister has said.

But summer demand peaked at 32,000 MW, and in winter it can soar to 37,000 MW — raising the prospect of dire cold for millions of people.

Since the start of the year, South Africans have had just a single day of uninterrupted electricity supply — on the eve of demonstrations called by opposition parties to protest the blackouts.

The outages continue to hold back economic activity, with economists warning that growth could contract significantly, possibly plunging the country into recession.

As Sudan’s rival generals made a new attempt at a 24-hour cease-fire after a failed truce the night before, Khartoum residents tried to stock up on water and other basic essentials.

Residents carried empty barrels and plastic containers through the capital to fill up with water from a tank.

Mohammad Qasem said there was a “big water problem” and added that people are “suffering a lot.”

Terrified Sudanese had fled Khartoum earlier in the day, hauling whatever belongings they could carry and trying to get out of the capital, where forces loyal to the country’s top two generals have been battling each other with tanks, artillery and airstrikes since Saturday.

The Ghana Cocoa Board was established by ordinance in 1947 with the sum of 27 million CEDIS (being Ghana’s share of the net profit of the West African Produce Control Board) as its initial working capital.

The Board traces its beginning further back to the cocoa hold-up of 1937.

Now, the African Development Bank is financing a cocoa rehabilitation program.

Ghana, the world’s second largest cocoa grower, and top producer Cote d’Ivoire, together account for nearly 70 percent of global supply. Aidoo said around 50% of the loan will go toward rehabilitation of cocoa farms.

Ccobod regulates the cocoa industry in Ghana and assists farmers with farming methods and tools that improve husbandry and yield.

With the new investment, the country projects that output will exceed 1 million tonnes, up from a yearly average of 850,000 tonnes.

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has said it is taking possible measures to avert the challenges of flooding along the waterways as the rainy season draws near.

Managing Director of NIWA, George Moghalu said the authority has started sensitising the people and embarked on ongoing wreck removal efforts across the country to address the problem.

He said this after a private visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The NIWA Boss noted that the agency is aware of the high water tides and incidence of floods ravaging communities around the country and the authority is working to make the nation’s waterways channels navigable all year round while ensuring that they are put into active use.

To ensure navigational safety of the lower River Niger channel to boost both hinterland and coastal trade, Moghalu added that the agency has started environmental impact assessments of some major waterways especially that of Makurdi following the launch of the survey and navigation chart, a collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and NIWA with financial support from both NEXIM and Afreximbank.

Meanwhile, he called on the national assembly to consider the interest of the people in the deliberations of the Water Resources Bill to ensure its passage for the benefit of the country.