Power Is Restored in Spain and Portugal. But the Cause of the Outage Remains a Mystery
This morning, Spain's electricity grid is almost entirely restored and all homes in Portugal now have power restored, some 18 hours later. The Madrid Metro has been busy as usual this morning, and residents in the Spanish capital cheered this morning as lights came back on.
It is one of the most significant power outages in European history, and the largest since a blackout hit Italy in 2003 that lasted three hours and affected 57 million people.
What is believed to have caused the outage?
During Monday's abrupt outage, it was reported that a possible cause could have been an astrological phenomenon, according to Portugal's grid operator.
However, Spain's meteorological agency has since reported no such phenomena occurring across the country, nor any sudden fluctuations in temperature.
President of the European Council António Costa said on Monday afternoon that there were 'no indications of any cyber attack.'
That conclusion has been supported by the operator of Spain's national grid, Red Eléctrica, which has located where outages began on Monday. Two separate incidents of power outages led to instability in the grid leading to a 'breakdown in interconnections with France,' leaving the Iberian grid isolated.
On Tuesday, Red Eléctrica ruled out a cyber-attack as the cause.
Investigations from both Portuguese and Spanish grid operators and cybersecurity teams are ongoing, but there is no clear answer as to what caused the outages yet.
A technical analysis to fully understand the outage could take weeks or even months, Kristian Ruby, secretary general of Eurelectic, a trade body, told the New York Times.
What was affected?
Everything from sport to transport was hit by Monday's outage, with tens of millions affected. Tennis star Coco Gauff's post-match interview was cut short as systems went down at the Madrid Open.
Metro services and trains across both countries were also halted, as well as traffic systems, causing havoc in multiple cities. Members of the public in Madrid were seen trying to get rides home from others as transport came to a halt.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said that his government will 'demand responsibility from private operators,' in response to the outage while urging caution over misinformation about causes at this stage.
Sánchez said that determining the cause was essential so that a similar event 'never takes place again.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Want to take a dip in Paris? River Seine reopens to public swimming for first time in a century
PARIS — For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a $1.5-billion cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year. Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank will open on Saturday — one close to Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris. Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons. The Seine was one of the stars of the Paris Olympics in 2024, whether as the scene of the ambitious opening ceremony or the triathlon and marathon swimming competitions. That didn't go without challenging hurdles such as rainfall increasing levels of bacteria, which postponed some competitions. This city's authorities have given the green light for the public opening, with water quality results consistently in line with European regulations. 'It's a symbolic moment when we get our river back,' said sports coach and influencer Lucile Woodward, who will participate in the first amateur open water competition in the Seine on Sunday. Woodward, who enjoyed a dip alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo just before the start of the Olympic Games, is confident things will go well. 'We're going to enjoy swimming in it, being there and setting an example,' she said. 'For families, going to take a dip with the kids, making little splashes in Paris, it's extraordinary.' In the run-up to the Games, authorities opened new disinfection units and created a huge storage basin meant to prevent as much bacteria-laden wastewater as possible from spilling directly into the Seine when it rains. Houseboats that previously emptied their sewage directly into the river were required to hook up to municipal sewer systems. Some homes upstream from Paris also saw their wastewater connected to treatment plants instead of the rainwater system flowing directly into the river. Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said water is tested daily to confirm it's safe to swim. As on French beaches, different colored flags will inform visitors whether or not they can go in. 'Green means the water quality is good. Red means that it's not good or that there's too much current,' he said. Tests have been in line with European regulations since the beginning of June, with only two exceptions due to rain and boat-related pollution, Rabadan said. 'I can't make a bet on the numbers of days when we'll have to close this summer, but water quality seems better than last year,' he added. 'We're in a natural environment … so weather condition variations necessarily have an impact.' Last year, several athletes became ill after competing in the triathlon and open water races during the Olympics, though in most cases it was not clear if the river was to blame for their sickness. World Aquatics stressed the conditions met the sport's accepted thresholds. 'The legacy of these efforts is already evident, with the Seine now open for public swimming — a positive example of how sports can drive long-term community benefits,' the organization said in a statement. Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a Paris and Los Angeles-based water monitoring tech company, has routinely and independently tested bacterial levels in the Seine for several years. Despite being in line with current regulations, the official water testing methodology has limitations and undercounts the bacteria, he said. 'What we see is that the water quality in the Seine is highly variable,' Angelescu said. 'There are only a few days in a swimming season where I would say water quality is acceptable for swimming.' Some Parisians have shown skepticism toward the idea of swimming in the Seine. The feeling is often reinforced by the water's murky color, floating litter and multiple tourist boats in some places. Enys Mahdjoub, a real estate agent, said he would not be afraid of swimming, but rather 'a bit disgusted. It's more the worry of getting dirty than anything else at the moment.' Until the end of August, swimming sites will be open for free at scheduled times to anyone at least 10 or 14 years old, depending on the location. Lifeguards will keep a watchful eye on those first dips. 'It's an opportunity, a dream come true,' said Clea Montanari, a project manager in Paris. 'It'd be a dream if the Seine becomes drinkable, that would be the ultimate goal, right? But already swimming in it is really good.' Corbet and Schaeffer write for the Associated Press. Oleg Cetinic and Alexander Turnbull contributed to this report.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
U.S., Colombia withdraw ambassadors amid accusations of coup plotting
The United States and Colombia have recalled their respective ambassadors amid tensions surrounding an alleged plot to oust President Gustavo Petro in which two Florida congressmen were implicated. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he ordered the recall of John T. McNamara, the acting ambassador in Bogotá, on Thursday 'following baseless and reprehensible statements from senior Colombian government officials.' The State Department also called Colombia an 'essential strategic partner' but said it would pursue 'other measures to make clear our deep concern over the current state of our bilateral relationship.' In response, Petro said he would call back Ambassador Daniel García-Peña from Washington in order to 'brief us on the progress of the bilateral agenda to which I committed myself from the beginning of my government.' Although Rubio did not elaborate on the alleged 'reprehensible' statements, Colombian newspaper El Tiempo on Thursday published a letter allegedly sent to the U.S. House Committee on Ethics calling for an investigation into House Republicans, including Florida lawmakers Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Rep. María Elvira Salazar, and Rep. Carlos Antonio Gimenez. The letter was signed by 30 Colombian representatives. In it, the congressmen expressed 'deep concern' about the lawmakers' conduct and said that 'any unjustified interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country undermines' the principles of mutual respect between nations. Representatives Díaz-Balart and Gimenez were mentioned alongside Trump advisors including Rubio in recordings leaked to the Spanish newspaper El País that purport to show Petro's former Foreign Minister, Álvaro Leyva, seeking U.S. pressure to oust his old boss. 'I was in the United States with a top-tier figure: Mario Díaz-Balart. The Díaz-Balarts are the ones behind the Secretary of State,' Leyva allegedly told an unknown person in the recording. (Rep. Salazar was not mentioned in the recording but Colombian lawmakers accused her of making public comments aimed at delegitimizing Petro). According to El País, the White House never considered Leyva's proposal, and Díaz-Balart dismissed the claims, saying he meets with all kinds of groups including officials in Colombia's current government. 'I laugh at so many fabrications, nonsense, and hypocrisy. It reminds me of the saying 'every fool with his own agenda'', he said. Gimenez sloughed off the accusations as a 'media circus by Gustavo Petro and his henchmen' and said they shouldn't complain if the U.S. denies later denies them visas. Concrete evidence of an actual coup plot remains elusive and analysts see the rhetoric from Colombia's government as problematic. 'The only proof that we have [of a coup plot] are Leyva's recordings… We do not even have real evidence of this happening from Leyva associates, which is problematic because it is not clear if these individuals were actively conspiring, especially as many of them have strongly denied these allegations,' said Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a consultancy. 'The U.S. Congress doesn't want to remain silent nor let this slide,' he added. The recall of ambassadors is the most severe escalation yet in the tense relationship between Trump and Petro that has been brewing for months. Guzmán points to a number of factors deteriorating the relationship including Petro's treatment of the opposition; lack of political protection for presidential candidates; Colombia joining the BRICS development bank, and rising coca cultivation which could lead to U.S. aid cuts to combat drug trafficking. The analyst said that Petro's impulsive foreign policy has made 'Colombia increasingly isolated and less credible' with its ally the United States. His current Foreign Minister, Laura Sarabia, also announced her resignation on Thursday. Senator Paola Holguín from the opposition Democratic Center party told the Miami Herald that Petro's 'repeated disrespectful statements, lack of commitment to fighting drug dealing and terrorism, and the alignment of our country with anti-democratic regimes and U.S. rivals are creating growing hardships' between the two countries. Meanwhile, Petro's supporters demand U.S. politicians respect Colombia's sovereignty and its democratically elected president. 'Calling him a narco-terrorist and drug addict is more than an insult; it's also an unacceptable fallacy; it's an affront to our nation and its sovereignty,' wrote Senator María José Pizarro Rodríguez of Petro's Historic Pact for Colombia political party on X. Colombia and the U.S. have built strong bonds over two centuries but the relationship has been strained in the past — namely over Cold War politics and the war on drugs. This latest diplomatic row, however, is disconcerting for those who study the relationship. 'We are very worried over the current state of the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Colombia,' said Holguín. 'The U.S. has been our main commercial partner, a great ally in our fight against narcotrafficking and terrorism, and an important humanitarian supporter.' Benjamin Gedan, Director of the Wilson Center's Latin America Program, echoed the concerns, stating, 'For decades, Colombia has been the most strategic U.S. partner in the region, so it is troubling to see yet another diplomatic crisis.'
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Trump confirms US tariffs to start when July 9 deadline arrives
American tariffs on dozens of countries will come into effect next Wednesday as scheduled, although several deals could still be worked out before then, President Donald Trump confirmed Friday. 'They'll range in value from maybe 60% or 70% tariffs to 10% and 20% tariffs, but they're going to be starting to go out sometime tomorrow. We've done the final form, and it's basically going to explain what the countries are going to be paying in tariffs,' Trump told reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews. Trump first announced the so-called reciprocal tariffs of different sizes in April before issuing a 90-day pause which expires on July 9. The levies are separate from a 10% 'baseline' U.S. tariff on all countries. Since then, U.S. officials have reached a deal with Britain and later agreed to a temporary trade truce with China to allow for further negotiation. Earlier this week, Trump announced a deal with Vietnam that will see the Southeast Asian country pay a 20% tariff on 'any and all goods.' He also said a deal with Japan seems 'unlikely' at this point. Malaysia, India and the European Union are among the more than 50 nations that have so far failed to reach an agreement with American negotiators. Trump said Friday, his administration will start sending letters immediately to every country that has yet to make a deal with the United States, informing it of the exact percentage it will pay when the tariffs kick in. Letters will continue until the pause ends next week. The tariffs are calculated using a formula that takes into account the trade imbalance between the trading partner and the United States. India faces a 26% tariff, while South Korea's rate is 25%. Japan's rate is slightly lower at 24% and European 20% against the 27 member states making up the European Union. Trump said Friday, smaller countries could expect to see their U.S. tariffs kick in last, with first payments scheduled for the start of August. 'It's a lot of money for the country, but we're giving them a bargain,' Trump told reporters Friday. European Union officials said this week they are not hopeful of reaching a comprehensive deal before the deadline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called reaching such a deal over a short 90-day period 'impossible.' 'What we are aiming at is an agreement in principle,' Von der Leyen told reporters earlier this week, adding a framework deal was the best thing to aim for with less than a week remaining before the deadline. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
