Portugal and Spain power outage: Latest updates
It stated that "all plans to restore power supplies have been activated in stages in coordination with European energy producers and operators" and that "the possible causes of this incident are being analyzed."
The Spanish energy distribution firm, meanwhile, stated that it might take six to ten hours to get power back to a sizable portion of the nation following a broad blackout.
Parts of Portugal and Spain experienced mayhem due to the power outage, as traffic lights malfunctioned and caused congestion. As hospitals lost power and transportation networks shut down, people found themselves stuck in elevators and metros.
According to informed sources, a crisis committee was established in Spain and the governments of Portugal and Spain convened to examine the power loss, which momentarily impacted areas of France.
Due to a severe power outage that affected both Spain and Portugal, the Spanish train operator declared in a breaking news broadcast that it had suspended all train services by the evening.
Portugal's National Cyber Security Center said in a statement that there was no proof the disruption was the result of a hack. Reporters were informed by Eduardo Brito, the company's chief operational officer, that the power outage was "exceptional and unusual."
Later this afternoon, however, Portugal's Minister of Development stated that the country's power loss "may be due to a cyberattack."
The prime minister of Portugal went on to state that "nothing is ruled out, but there is no indication that the power outage is related to a cyberattack."
The power outage in Spain and Portugal affected metro networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATMs, including the capitals of both countries.
The Spanish prime minister convened a National Security Council meeting in the presidential palace to address the problem, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent.
According to a European Commission spokesperson, the Commission is corresponding with national authorities in Portugal and Spain to determine the reason behind the power outage.
The president of the European Commission stated that she has discussed the situation with the Spanish prime minister and that she is keeping an eye on it with national and European authorities as well as the Electricity Coordination Group.
Separately, the power failure caused difficulties and stoppages at several major European airports in France, Portugal, and Spain, according to navigation data from the Flightradar website, which specializes in tracking aviation traffic.
The Portuguese electricity company said the power loss was triggered by an unusual weather occurrence on the Spanish grid and could take a week to restore regular service. The President of the European Council said there are no signs of a hack related to the outage and that Portugal and Spain's electrical grid managers are investigating. He also said he is in touch with Portugal and Spain's prime ministers about the power outage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump vows not to be intimidated ahead of Putin summit
US President Donald Trump insisted Thursday he would not be intimidated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the eve of a high-stakes summit and said Ukraine would be involved in any deal on its fate. Putin flies to Alaska on Friday at the invitation of Trump in his first visit to a Western country since he ordered the 2022 'Special Military Operation' in Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands of people. As Russia made gains on the battlefield, the Kremlin said the two presidents planned to meet one-on-one, heightening fears of European leaders that Putin will cajole Trump into a settlement imposed on Kyiv. Trump insisted to reporters at the White House: "I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me." "I'll know within the first two minutes, three minutes, four minutes or five minutes... whether or not we're going to have a good meeting or a bad meeting," Trump said. "And if it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future," said Trump, who gave the summit a one-in-four chance of failure. Trump has voiced admiration for Putin in the past and faced wide criticism after a 2018 summit in Helsinki where he appeared to accept the Russian's denials of US intelligence on Moscow's meddling in US elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the Alaska summit, which he has denounced as a reward to Putin, and has refused Trump's calls to surrender territory. Trump promised not to finalize any deal with Putin alone, and said he hoped to hold a three-way summit with Zelensky, possibly immediately afterwards in Alaska. "The second meeting is going to be very, very important, because that's going to be a meeting where they make a deal. And I don't want to use the word 'divvy' things up. But you know, to a certain extent, it's not a bad term," Trump told Fox News Radio. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters any future deal needed also to ensure "security guarantees" for Ukraine. But Trump has previously backed Russia's stance in ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine. Shifting Trump tone Trump had boasted that he could end the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House in January. But his calls to Putin -- and intense pressure on Zelensky to accept concessions -- have failed to move the Russian leader and Trump has warned of "very severe consequences" if Putin keeps snubbing his overtures. The talks are set to begin at 11:30 am (1930 GMT) Friday at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, a major US military installation in Alaska that has been crucial in monitoring Russia. Zelensky met in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who vowed solidarity, a day after receiving support in Berlin. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Putin on Friday to seize the "opportunity" of a ceasefire. "The goal must be a summit also attended by President Zelensky" where "a ceasefire must be agreed", he said in a statement, adding that Trump "can now take a major step toward peace". Russia has made major gains on the ground ahead of the summit. Ukraine on Thursday issued a mandatory evacuation of families with children from the eastern town of Druzhkivka and four nearby villages near an area where Russia made a swift breakthrough. Mixed views on diplomacy Diplomacy since 2022 has largely failed to secure agreements beyond swaps of prisoners. Russia said Thursday it had returned 84 prisoners to Ukraine in exchange for an equal number of Russian POWs. The war has proved divisive in the United States, with a Pew Research Center poll finding that 59 percent of Americans lacked confidence in Trump's wisdom on the issue. Anchorage, nestled under mountains, bore few indications it was the center of global attention except for signs denouncing Putin put up on downtown streets, where people gave mixed opinions of the summit. "I think it's a travesty to invite a war criminal like Putin to the United States. My primary concern is that he's going to negotiate away everything and it's not going to be possible to have a peaceful solution," said Jay Ahuja, 62, a retiree from North Carolina. But Kimberly Brown, a 63-year-old retiree from Ohio, said Alaska was a "perfect place" for the summit.
Roya News
8 hours ago
- Roya News
Iran works with China, Russia to avert possible European sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran is coordinating with China and Russia to prevent potential European sanctions. On Tuesday, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France informed UN Secretary-General António Guterres that they are prepared to re-activate sanctions on Iran if no negotiated solution to its nuclear program is reached by the end of August. Speaking to state television, Araghchi warned: 'If that happens, it will be negative. We will try to prevent it. We are working with China and Russia to stop it.' He added, 'If it doesn't succeed and they implement it, we have tools to respond. We will talk about them at the right time.' The foreign ministers of the three European states, known as the E3, have threatened to trigger the 'snapback mechanism' from the 2015 nuclear deal, which eased UN Security Council sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, 'We have made it clear that unless Iran is willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or takes the opportunity for an extension, the E3 is prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism.' Araghchi called the return to sanctions a 'negative' move but claimed there was 'exaggeration' about its potential economic consequences. Last month, Araghchi sent a letter to the UN arguing that the E3 lacks the legitimacy to reinstate sanctions. In their Tuesday letter, the three ministers countered that there is 'no basis' for his claim.
Ammon
a day ago
- Ammon
Macron: Trump agreed only Ukraine can negotiate territorial concessions
Ammon News - U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with European leaders that Ukraine must be part of any discussions about territorial concessions to end the war with Russia, Emmanuel Macron said. The French president was speaking after an hour-long meeting between Trump, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders ahead of the U.S. president's meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. 'Territorial questions that fall under Ukraine's authority cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the President of Ukraine,' Macron said, adding that Trump had 'expressed' the same. Trump said on Monday that a peace settlement would require 'land swapping' done by both Ukraine and Russia, but did not specify which territories are on the table. There were not any 'robust' discussions regarding land swaps during the call, Macron said, speaking from his holiday residence in the south of France alongside European Council President António Costa. Zelenskyy has forcefully rejected the idea that any land swaps could take place without Ukraine's say-so. 'I want to emphasize right away that any issues related to the territorial integrity of our state cannot be discussed, despite our state, our people, the will of the state, the will of our people's Constitution of Ukraine,' he said after Wednesday's call. Other points of agreement with Trump, Macron and Costa both said, include seeking out a ceasefire and the U.S. taking part in future security guarantees for Ukraine. Politico
