Spain declares state of emergency after nationwide power blackout
Spain's Interior Ministry on Monday announced a state of emergency in response to a nationwide power outage that affected most of the Iberian Peninsula.The ministry clarified that the emergency status would be implemented only in regions that formally request it.So far, Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura have sought assistance from the central government, asking it to assume control over public order and additional administrative functions, reports Reuters.advertisement
Earlier, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Snchez told reporters that the cause of the power outage remains unknown. "We do not yet have conclusive information on the reasons for this (power) cut, so I ask the people, as we have done in past crises, to inform themselves through official channels," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a national address. "For the time being, there's no evidence of any civil protection problems. I repeat, there are no problems of insecurity."He said Spain's national security council would meet again on Monday evening to take stock of the situation.Widespread power outages are rare in Europe. In 2003, a fault in a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland triggered a major blackout that affected the entire Italian peninsula for approximately 12 hours. Similarly, in 2006, an overloaded power grid in Germany caused disruptions that extended beyond the country, impacting parts of France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and even reaching Morocco.Also Read: Russia made 'pretty big concession' by not taking all of Ukraine: TrumpMust Watch
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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
400 drones, 40 missiles: New footage shows Russia's intense air attacks on Ukraine; watch video
In one of the heaviest aerial bombardments of the war, Russia launched over 400 drones and 40 missiles across Ukraine overnight, killing at least six people and injuring around 80 others on Friday. Footage of the assault showed missiles slamming into the ground, lighting up the night sky with deafening booms and fiery explosions. The devastating attack came days after Kyiv carried out a drone strike on Russian airfields, and just hours after US President Donald Trump said Moscow would likely retaliate. The assault lasted several hours and hit six Ukrainian regions, including 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, according to Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat. Ukrainian defences shot down roughly 30 missiles and up to 200 drones. The barrage killed emergency workers in Kyiv and civilians in Lutsk and Chernihiv, further dimming prospects for peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to X to condemn Russia's actions. "This is not a country seeking peace," he said. 'Russia doesn't change its stripes.' The timing of the strike coincided with Trump's remarks that it 'might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while' before attempting further peace efforts. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Health Plans for 2025 – Start Here Search7 Learn More Undo His comments mark a shift from earlier calls for a negotiated settlement and cast doubt on any immediate diplomatic breakthrough. Although two rounds of direct peace talks have taken place, negotiations remain stalled. Ukraine has proposed a 30-day ceasefire and a direct Zelenskyy-Putin meeting, but the Kremlin has rejected the offer, continuing to demand terms unacceptable to Kyiv. "The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war," the Institute for the Study of War of Moscow said Thursday The massive barrage by Russia destroyed residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Fires broke out in multiple Kyiv districts, leaving over 2,000 homes without power. 'They were working under fire to help people,' said Ukraine's Interior Ministry about the emergency responders killed in the capital. Furthermore, drone debris caused blackouts in Ternopil, Lviv, and Khmelnytskyi, while Russia's defence ministry claimed it hit military targets, including arms depots and drone factories. Ukraine launched retaliatory drone strikes on Moscow and other regions, damaging industrial sites and injuring three people. Russian air defences intercepted 174 drones and three Neptune missiles, and reported sabotage of railway infrastructure in Belgorod.
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- The Hindu
Deadly Russian bombardment of Ukraine further dampens hopes for peace
Russia struck Ukraine with a thunderous aerial bombardment overnight, further dampening hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon, days after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. The barrage was one of the fiercest of the three-year war, lasting several hours, striking six Ukrainian territories, and killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. The attack came after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack Sunday on Russian military airfields. It was also hours after Mr. Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. 'Russia doesn`t change its stripes,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Also Read | Zelenskyy slams Russia after three generations killed in drone strike The war has continued unabated even as a U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. 'The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russia's repeated refusal to offer any concessions,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in coming weeks, as is another exchange of prisoners of war. The attack involved 407 Russian drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. The Kyiv emergency workers were killed while responding to the strikes. 'They were working under fire to help people,' the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Russia's Defense Ministry said it aimed at Ukrainian military targets with 'long-range precision weapons' and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. But fitting a pattern for Russian attacks throughout the war, Friday's bombardment also struck apartment buildings and other non-military targets, Associated Press reporters observed. In Kyiv, explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Vitalina Vasylchenko, a 14-year-old Kyiv resident, sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. 'I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand," she said. "Then there was a very loud explosion. My whole life flashed before my eyes — I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack. ... I'm shocked that I'm alive.' In Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the burning unit. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyiv's eastern bank were without power, city officials said. Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, the northern Chernihiv region, and the central Poltava region, where at least three people were injured. In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. As a precaution, flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended overnight Thursday into Friday and then again late Friday afternoon. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia now? Salvadoran man returned to the US, charged with human smuggling
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, is now back in the United States to face serious federal criminal charges. Following months of legal wrangling and mounting tensions between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary, Abrego Garcia finally returned. Donald Trump said, Garcia is a 'bad guy' and that the courts will 'show how horrible this guy is.,' per Fox News. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Friday that Garcia had been flown back to the U.S. and is now in federal custody. After his deportation to El Salvador in March, courts repeatedly ordered the government to 'facilitate' his return. ALSO READ| Abrego Garcia, mistakenly deported to El Salvador, returns to US to face criminal charges Abrego Garcia is now facing two felony charges in the Middle District of Tennessee: conspiracy to unlawfully transport undocumented 'illegal aliens' for financial gain. The indictment alleges that Garcia was part of a long-running smuggling operation that transported thousands of migrants many of whom were allegedly linked to the MS-13 gang. 'The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,' said Attorney General Bondi. 'They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country.' After his initial court appearance on Friday evening, Abrego Garcia answered 'Yes, I understand' in Spanish when U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes asked if he understood the charges against him. Judge Holmes scheduled his arraignment for 13 June and will also consider the government's motion to keep him in pre-trial detention, citing concerns that he 'poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight.' ALSO READ| Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US, charged with transporting people in the country illegally 'If convicted at trial, the defendant faces a maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment for 'each alien' he transported,' prosecutors said. 'They'll stop at nothing at all — even some of the most preposterous charges imaginable — just to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case.' Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said, and added, 'Mr. Garcia is going to be vigorously defending the charges against him,' per ABC News.
