Archives for April 2025

Barcelona: Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to large parts of the country after a massive and unprecedented outage Monday that also hit Portugal could take 6-10 hours.

The company declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout. The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Electrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.”

The outage hit across Spain and Portugal, including their capitals, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.

Authorities said the cause was not immediately known, though one Portuguese official said the problem appeared to be with the electricity distribution network in Spain.

The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited power distributor Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations.

The countries have a combined population of over 50 million people. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian Peninsula.

A couple of hours later, Spain’s electricity network operator said it was recovering power in the north and south of the peninsula, which would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide.

Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitão Amaro was quoted as saying.

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system,” according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilise the network, according to Expresso.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark.

A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop around 12.15 pm from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

Video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona.

Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were underway when power went down.

Spain’s traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage.

In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.

Portugal’s E-Redes said parts of France also were affected.

In a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators.

Portuguese hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working and trains stopped running.

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon stopped working.

It was not possible to make calls on mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli army airstrike in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip

Deir Al-Balah: Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight into Monday killed at least 27 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory’s two million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the fighter group to release hostages.

The daily bombardment and widespread hunger is taking a heavy toll on Gaza’s most vulnerable residents, including pregnant women and children.

An airstrike hit a home in Beit Lahiya, killing 10 people, including a Palestinian prisoner, Abdel-Fattah Abu Mahadi, who had been released as part of the ceasefire. His wife, two of their children and a grandchild were also killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, which received the bodies.

Another strike hit a home in Gaza City, killing seven people, including two women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service. Two other people were wounded.

Late Sunday, a strike hit a home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least 10 people, including five siblings as young as four-years-old, according to the Health Ministry. Two other children were killed along with their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says it makes every effort to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the fighter group operate in densely populated areas.

The war began when Hamas-led group attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of Gaza and left most of its population homeless.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is either destroyed or agrees to disarm and leave the territory. He says Israel will then implement US President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle much of Gaza’s population in other countries through what the Israeli leader refers to as “voluntary emigration.”

Palestinians say the plan would amount to forcible expulsion from their homeland after Israel’s offensive left much of Gaza uninhabitable. Human rights experts say it would likely violate international law.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the ceasefire that Israel ended.

Maharajganj (UP): At least six labourers were injured when an under-construction bridge collapsed on the Sonauli-Gorakhpur National Highway near Mohanapur Dhala here, a police official said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Monday night during ongoing road construction work.

“During the highway construction activity, a portion of the under-construction bridge suddenly gave way, trapping several workers under the debris,” Dharmendra Singh, Station House Officer of the local Purandarpur police station, said.

Police teams rushed to the scene immediately after the incident. The injured labourers were rescued from the rubble and transported to Pharenda Community Health Centre (CHC), he said.

“All the injured workers have been admitted to the hospital, and their condition is stable,” Singh added.

The debris was cleared using JCB machines, and the site has been secured. Further investigation into the cause of the collapse is underway.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve.

Several opposition MPs have made a similar demand to the government in the wake of the dastardly attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed last week, leaving the nation grief-stricken and outraged.

India has cited “cross-border linkages” to the horrific incident and promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike.

In the letter to the prime minister, Kharge said, “At this moment, when unity and solidarity is essential, the opposition believes that it is important to convene a special session of both Houses of Parliament at the earliest.

“This will be a powerful demonstration of our collective resolve and willpower to deal with the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on innocent citizens on April 22. It is our fond hope that the session will be accordingly convened,” the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha added.

Rahul Gandhi too wrote a letter to Modi with the same request and said the Pahalgam tragedy has outraged every Indian.

“At this critical time, India must show that we will always stand together against terrorism. The Opposition believes that a special session of both Houses of Parliament should be convened, where the representatives of the people can show their unity and determination.”

“We request that such a special session be convened at the earliest,” he added.

Sharing his letter to the prime minister on X, Gandhi said, “At this critical time, India must show that we always stand together against terrorism.”

Mandsaur: A speeding van plunged into a water-filled well after hitting a bike in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district on Sunday, leaving 11 persons, including a biker and a rescuer, dead, police said.

The incident occurred in the Narayangarh police station area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

“Saddened by the loss of lives in an accident in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” Modi stated on X.

Ratlam range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Manoj Singh said 13 persons were travelling in the van.

“Four of them were rescued while nine others died. A villager, identified as Manohar, who descended into the well for rescue, also died,” he said, adding that the body of a victim of the accident is yet to be pulled out of the well.

Prima facie, the van driver lost control of the wheel after the vehicle hit a bike and fell into the well. The bike rider was also killed, he said.

A rescue operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and personnel of other units, is underway.

Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, who rushed to the site, said the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and land into a well.

Pithoragarh (Ukd): More than 80 per cent of high schools and intermediate colleges in Uttarakhand are functioning without principals, according to a reply to an RTI application.

The data was provided by the secondary education department in response to the RTI application filed by Pankaj Bhatt, a resident of the Tildhukri area here.

According to the data, 831 of the 910 sanctioned posts of principals are vacant in the state’s high schools. Of these sanctioned posts, 753 are for men and 78 for women.

Pauri district tops the list with 109 of the 116 sanctioned posts vacant.

In intermediate colleges, 1,180 of the 1,248 sanctioned posts of principals are vacant. Out of the total sanctioned posts, 1,043 are for men and 97 for women, the data stated.

It showed Tehri district has the highest number of vacancies with 172 of the 183 sanctioned posts vacant.

New Delhi: Krunal Pandya recorded his first fifty in IPL since 2016, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru pull off a six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals on a challenging Feroz Shah Kotla track here on Sunday.

Krunal (73 not out of 47 balls), who has part of every IPL season since his debut in 2016, paced his innings perfectly while batting alongside chase master Virat Kohli (51 off 47).

The duo shared a 119-run stand off 84 balls as RCB chased down 163 in 18.3 overs to extend their unbeaten run away from home.

RCB bowlers put a squeeze on Delhi Capitals in the middle overs through Josh Hazlewood and the spinners to limit the home team to 162 for six.

For RCB, it was their seventh win in 10 games while DC suffered only their third loss in nine matches. Both teams are on course to make the play-offs.

At 26 for three, RCB felt the heat before Krunal and Kohli bailed them out.

In his maiden season for RCB, Krunal has made valuable contributions with both bat and ball.

Srinagar: Authorities here have demolished the houses of three alleged active terrorists in Bandipora, Pulwama and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir as security forces continued their crackdown on the terror ecosystem following the Pahalgam terror attack.

With this, nine houses of suspected terrorists and overground workers of terror outfits have been razed so far since the April 22 attack in the lush meadows of Baisaran that killed 26 people and left the nation grief-stricken and fuming.

As part of the anti-terror crackdown, that picked up more steam after the Pahalgam tragedy, security forces have raided more than 500 locations in the Valley in just five days and grilled hundreds of suspects. Political parties have urged the Centre to ensure that innocent people are not targeted while it goes after terrorists.

Carrying on with the targeted demolition drive, authorities pulled down the house of Adnan Shafi at Wandina in Shopian district on Saturday night, officials said and claimed that Shafi had joined terrorist ranks last year.

The house of another suspected active terrorist Amir Nazir was pulled down in Pulwama district, they said.

In Bandipora district, the house of suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, Jameel Ahmad Shergojri, was razed. Officials said Shergojri has been an active terrorist since 2016.

With security agencies launching a massive operation against the terror ecosystem active in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre should proceed carefully and avoid alienating innocent people while hunting down terrorists.

“The Indian government must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians following the recent Pahalgam attack. It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror,” she said in a post on X.

The former chief minister alleged there were reports of “thousands being arrested and scores of houses of common Kashmiris being demolished along with those of militants”.

“I appeal to the government to direct the authorities to take care that innocent people are not made to bear the brunt as alienation aids terrorists’ goals of division and fear,” she added.

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also asked the Centre not to punish innocent Kashmiris in its quest for justice for the victims of the terror attack.

“While the Kashmiris collectively condemn the heinous crime at Pahalgam, and it is imperative to bring its perpetrators to justice, indiscriminate arrests and videos of houses and neighbourhoods being demolished circulating on social media is disturbing and distressing.

“I urge the authorities that in seeking justice for the innocent victims do not punish innocent Kashmiri families,” he said on X.

People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone said those handling law and order should not do anything that can reverse the mindset that has changed after the Pahalgam attack. “The mass protests against the Pahalgam killings was a rare occurrence, a first of its kind in the last 78 years… This a monumental shift, a milestone, but fragile at the same time.”

“I hope that those in charge of law and order do understand the significance of the shift and don’t do anything erroneously which impedes the shift or facilitates a return to the earlier mindset,” he wrote on X.

The former minister said there was a general feeling across the Valley that the whole family was being punished for the actions of one person. “We approached the court also and termed it a form of collective punishment, inspired by the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, where the British were convinced of criminality and attributed it to ancestry.”

“Using collectiveness to define criminality or terrorism is a curse and will never allow reconciliation and social introspection. I hope what has been achieved in the aftermath of the heinous carnage in Pahalgam, is understood by those at the helm. And these precious gains are not frittered away,” he added.

Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to hunt down the killers “to the ends of the earth” as his government linked the dastardly attack to Pakistan.

Since then New Delhi has announced a raft of retaliatory steps, including the cancellation of visas and suspension of the 1960s Indus Water Treaty, and Islamabad hitting back with a string of tit-for-tat measures, that included putting the 1972 Shimla Agreement in abeyance.

Pakistan has warned that if India actually goes through with diverting or blocking the Indus water flow, Islamabad would see it as an “act of war”.