Earth just had its joint second-warmest March on record as the Antarctic sea ice continued to shrink to reach its second-lowest extent for the month of March, the European Union’s climate monitoring agency reported.

Its report is based on computer-generated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations worldwide.

It said temperatures were above average over southern and central Europe and below average over most of Northern Europe.

They were far warmer than average over much of North Africa, southwestern Russia, Asia, northeastern North America and South America, including drought-stricken Argentina, Australia and coastal Antarctica.

Conversely, the agency said it was much colder than average over western and central North America.

In the north, meanwhile, Arctic sea ice extent was 4% below average and joint fourth lowest for March on record, though concentrations were above average in the Greenland Sea.

An ice storm that battered eastern Canada left two dead and some million people without electricity on Thursday, as fallen trees blocked roads and downed power lines.

The storm pummeled Quebec and Ontario, Canada’s two most populous provinces.

“Montreal is devastated,” but the situation is “under control,” Quebec Minister of Economy and Energy Pierre Fitzgibbon said at a media briefing after weather warnings were lifted.

Even so, authorities called for caution, advising people to stay away from downed power lines and avoid walking in wooded areas where trees laden with ice might topple.

An Ontario resident was killed by a falling tree on Wednesday, while a man in his 60s died Thursday morning, crushed by a branch he was trying to cut in his yard, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Montreal.

Nearly one million customers were still without power Thursday evening, the majority in Quebec, but some lines had been restored.

It marked the largest power outage in Quebec since an ice storm in 1998, which threw the province into chaos for several weeks.

“It’s a very difficult moment for Montrealers, for people across the region who have been hit by this ice storm,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in Montreal.

The electricity outages were mainly due to tree limbs, heavy with ice, that snapped and damaged power lines. Road crews were still working Thursday evening to clear streets of debris.

By early afternoon, two of Montreal’s main bridges remained partially closed.

The city became a virtual ice garden when the storm hit Wednesday night, covering traffic lights, bicycles, vehicles, fire escapes and anything else outdoors with a thick layer of ice.

Riyadh has beaten the capitals of France, Germany and Spain in a global Smart City ranking, with Makkah, Jeddah, and Madinah included in the list for the first time.

The list, which seeks to find out how technology is enabling cities to achieve a higher quality of life for their inhabitants, places the Saudi capital 30th on the global ranking – making it the third highest Arab city.

It is also up from 39th last year and 55th in 2019.

Makkah is placed 52nd – which still makes it the fourth highest Arab city – with Jeddah coming in the 56th position and Madinah ranked 85th.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai lead the way for Arab cities, coming in at 13th and 17th respectively on the list of 141 settlements.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Smart City observatory is one of the global indexes that evaluates the preparedness of cities and it is an assessment tool and holistic, interdisciplinary approach for urban planners, decision-makers, and researchers to evaluate smart tech systems’ contributions to improving the living standards of residents.

The improvement in the Saudi cities’ ranking in the Smart City index was the result of collaborative efforts of all concerned agencies, including the National Smart City Platform, launched by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, added SPA.

The top ranked city is Zurich in Switzerland, followed by Olso in Norway, and Canberra in Australia.

The full report notes the absence of American or African cities in the top 20, which is dominated by those in Europe or the Asia-Pacific – with the exception of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

New York ranks 22nd while Cairo, at 108th, is the leading African city. Medellin in Colombia is the leading South American location at 118.

The Saudi Fund for Development has signed a $240 million loan agreement to help build a major hydropower complex in Pakistan’s northwest, the Pakistani government said on Friday, adding it would contribute to the country’s energy security and increase its resilience against floods.

Cash-strapped Pakistan relies heavily on energy imports from other countries. Islamabad has lately been looking to shift its energy sector to alternate sources, including hydro- and solar-power stations.

The country also witnessed deadliest floods last year that killed more than 1,700 people, affected 33 million others and cost $30 billion in losses.

The Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project will enhance water and food security, and improve the standard of living for people living in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, boosting the region’s socio-economic development by creating employment opportunities and reducing poverty levels. 

“The Saudi Fund for Development has signed a $240 million loan agreement to support Pakistan’s Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project, a major hydropower complex that will contribute to Pakistan’s energy security, increase sustainable water supply for agriculture and human consumption and improve resilience to floods,” the Pakistani economic affairs ministry said in a statement.

“This loan represents a strong partnership between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in promoting sustainable development and achieving the SDGs (sustainable development goals).”

According to the statement, the project, which is co-financed by the Saudi Fund for Development, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Islamic Development Bank, and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s energy and water sectors. 

“By using renewable energy sources, the project will generate 800MW of electricity production capacity, contributing to Pakistan’s energy security,” it said. 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial, wide-ranging ties in diverse sectors, such as economy, trade, defense, energy and others. Throughout their history, the Kingdom has extended financial assistance to Pakistan in economically difficult times. 

In January, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the SFD to study fresh projects with a view to increasing investments in Pakistan to $10 billion instead of the previously envisaged amount of $1 billion.

The SFD, to date, has financed around 41 development projects and programs in Pakistan, amounting to approximately $1.4 billion.

A council has submitted plans to develop Wales’ largest publicly-owned solar farm.

Cwm Ifor solar farm, to be built near Penyrheol, Caerphilly county, is expected to cost between £12m and £16m.

It is predicted to generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes and have an operational lifespan of 35 years.

The 20 megawatt farm was approved in theory by Caerphilly council cabinet in October 2022.

But no decision has been made on whether the council will develop the solar farm itself or sell the project on, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This is the first time the council has made moves to invest in the energy sector.

It hopes the solar farm will support decarbonisation of the local electricity system, as well as provide an opportunity to generate an additional income.

The land is privately-owned, so a lease agreement would be made between the owner and the council.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2024, if the now-submitted plans are approved next month.

The project has been classified as a “development of national significance”, meaning the Welsh government will make the final decision on the application.

Labour councillor Jamie Pritchard, the council’s deputy leader and climate change cabinet member, said: “In 2019, the council declared a climate emergency and has committed to being carbon neutral by 2030.

“The solar farm is a very exciting development and just one of a number of innovative initiatives planned by the council to reduce carbon emissions.”

Fes el Bali is the oldest walled part of the city of Fes in the northern part of the Kingdom of Morocco. Considered to be the biggest car-free urban area in the world, Fes el Bali was founded as the capital of the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808, which made it to be an important place in the area.

The walled small part of the city is a definite maze, as there are more than 9,000 winding alleyways which are too narrow for cars, but nowadays, they are too crowded with regular pedestrians.

At the beginning, the creator of Fes, Idris ibn Abdallah chose to build a new town on the right bank of the Fes River, where many of the inhabitants were refugees from Cordoba, Spain, whereas later in 809, his son Idris II, decided to build another city on the opposite side of the river.

This time, the new city was settled with refugees from the city of Kairouan, modern day Tunisia, and both of them were united in 11 century by the Almoravids, who were the rulers of an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty.

It was at that time when Fes lost a bit of its importance as a city, which in fact lost the status of a capital city, that was transferred to Marrakesh.

The Almoravids destroyed large parts of Fes el Bali and managed to create the walled city we see today, however, when they were defeated by the Marinid dynasty, the greatest period for the city came in 1276 with the transfer of the capital city again to Fes el Bali.

At that time, the city started growing outside of the walled old city, and the influx of more people was inevitable.

Nowadays, being the world’s largest surviving medieval city, it is easy to get lost in the small streets and it is interesting that nobody who finds himself there for the first time, would never know where he could end up.

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, this enormously large place has been under threat of the increasing population in an already overpopulated area, and the deterioration of the buildings are somewhat threatening that the city’s historic beauty will be somehow lost.

That is why the government is trying to protect this alluring place through a special plan for care by preventing the houses to collapse, increasing the sustainable tourism and most importantly, they are safeguarding everything so that the world would be stunned over and over again by the extraordinary charm Fes el Bali has.