European leaders meet in Finland as Arctic security concerns grow
European leaders are meeting in Finland for a high-level summit on Arctic security and cooperation as the region takes on greater strategic importa...
Following a rare nationwide blackout, Spain has restored nearly all electricity supply, though most trains remain idle and the cause of the outage remains unclear.
Spain’s electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica, announced on Tuesday that it had managed to supply nearly the entire country’s power demand following a massive blackout that disrupted the Iberian Peninsula the day before. All substations in Spain were operational by Tuesday morning, the operator said in a statement on X, while control centre teams continued efforts to fully stabilise the system.
Despite the restoration of electricity, the rail network remained significantly impaired. Madrid’s underground resumed limited operations with 80% of trains running, while the national railway operator Adif confirmed that most intercity and regional trains across Spain were still not functioning.
The unprecedented outage struck on Monday morning, impacting Spain and Portugal, halting public transport, grounding aircraft, and leading hospitals to scale back routine services. Power began to return late Monday, yet several sectors faced continued disruption into Tuesday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the blackout was triggered by a sudden drop of 15 gigawatts of electricity generation within five seconds—roughly 60% of Spain’s total demand. This abrupt loss disconnected Spain’s power grid from France’s, leading to a wider systemic collapse, according to Red Eléctrica's operations chief, Eduardo Prieto.
While minor outages were also reported in parts of France, Portugal’s grid operator indicated that the problem likely originated in Spain. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that there was no evidence pointing to a cyberattack.
The incident has reignited debate over the stability of renewable energy networks. Spain, a leading user of wind and solar energy, faces growing scrutiny over whether its energy infrastructure can withstand supply fluctuations. Prime Minister Sanchez said the root cause of the outage remains unknown and that no possibility, including technical failure or external interference, is being ruled out.
Sanchez also discussed the incident with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, according to sources in Brussels.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
European leaders are meeting in Finland for a high-level summit on Arctic security and cooperation as the region takes on greater strategic importance.
Amazon has paused its operations with 21 Air, the Miami-based cargo carrier that operated an Amazon Air flight which crashed at Miami International Airport last weekend, killing five people.
Voters in the southern Philippines are casting ballots in a historic election that could shape the future of one of the country’s most conflict-affected regions and put a decades-long peace process to a crucial test.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back against growing calls for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry to slow down, arguing that maintaining America’s lead over China is more important.
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