Travel delays as blackout chaos continues in Spain and Portugal

Travel chaos has continued into Tuesday in Spain and Portugal, after one of Europe’s most severe blackouts plunged the Iberian peninsula into darkness.

Around 500 flights were cancelled due to the blackout, according to an estimate by The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder. Large crowds remained at Madrid’s main train station on Tuesday.

Power has now returned to households in Spain and neighbouring Portugal. Investigators still looking into the cause of the blackout which remains unclear, but authorities denied foul play and rumours of a cyber attack.

“What happened yesterday cannot ever happen again,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday afternoon, vowing to hold private operators to account.

A power blackout hit most of the Iberian Peninsula on Monday around 12.30pm local time, forcing the two countries to declare a state of emergency.

The mass blackout upended the lives of tens of millions of people for hours as traffic and transport came to a standstill and left leaving many without water, Wi-Fi or mobile network.

Portuguese grid operator REN said there was a “very large oscillation in the electrical voltages, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system”.

Ronnie O’Sullivan faces talented Si in World Championship quarter-final

Ronnie O’Sullivan is already in control of his record-extending 23rd World Snooker Championship quarter-final against Si Jiahui as ‘The Rocket’ continues his bid for a history-making eighth world title.

O’Sullivan wasted little time in securing a routine 13-4 win over Pang Junxu in the second round at the Crucible Theatre and now leads talented youngster Si, who shockingly made the semi-finals here in 2023 at the age of just 20, 6-2 after their first session on Tuesday afternoon.

Now 22, the Chinese star has established himself in the top 16 but a best-of-25 clash against the greatest snooker player of all time still represents a huge challenge for the fearless potter and any errors during the first eight frames were punished by a ruthless O’Sullivan, who will look to break the back of the best-of-25 contest when the second session resumes at 10am on Wednesday.

Before O’Sullivan v Si got underway in Sheffield, another mouthwatering quarter-final clash begun in the morning session as snooker legends John Higgins and Mark Williams squared off once again. Both men turned professional in 1992, the same year as O’Sullivan, and celebrate their 50th birthdays this year but are still at the top of their game. The quarter-final got off to a compelling start as Higgins raced into a 5-1 lead but Welshman Williams dug deep to claim the final two frames of the session and trail just 5-3 heading into this evening’s second session.

Follow all the scores, results and latest updates from the World Snooker Championship below:

Police investigate Leeds ‘massacre’ plans as crossbow attacker dies

Police are investigating a Facebook account that detailed plans to carry out a “massacre” on a Leeds pub crawl, as the man arrested over a crossbow and firearms incident in which two women were injured has died in hospital.

Owen Lawrence, 38, who died from self-inflicted injuries, has been named as the key suspect following the incident that unfolded during the Otley Run in Headingley at 2.47pm on Saturday.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said officers would continue their investigation and asked if anyone had information that could assist them, to pass it onto police.

“We understand there are concerns around the incident, and questions about how and why this has happened. Our teams are committed to carrying out an in-depth investigation to provide answers to those affected,” he said, adding they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the attack.

“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this incident.”

Lawrence was arrested and taken to hospital on Saturday, while a crossbow and a firearm were recovered from the scene.

A 19 and 31-year-old woman were also injured. Police said on Sunday one of the victims had undergone surgery after suffering life-threatening injuries. She was on Sunday recovering in hospital in stable condition. The second victim was previously discharged from hospital.

Counter Terrorism police confirmed a Facebook account posting about an “Otley Run massacre” in which students, run participants, and police would be targeted, was being assessed as part of the investigation.

The account said the poster had also explored far-right ideologies, and had read material written by Brenton Tarrant, the man who carried out the March 2019 Christchurch massacre, in which 51 people were murdered.

The social media giant has now removed the account and is liaising police over the incident.

People were out running in their fancy dress for the pub crawl, which is seen as a rite of passage among students, involving 17 venues.

Local media had on the day cited an eyewitness who said that people had asked to hide inside the restaurant she worked at.

A woman who works at the Heaney & Mill restaurant told Leeds Live: “I was at work at a nearby restaurant and some girls were sitting outside. They asked if they could come in and finish what they were having because they’d seen someone with a crossbow.”

Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds said he had boosted the visibility of police on the streets and key community events over the coming days.

“We fully appreciate the understandable shock and concern that this incident has caused in the Headingley community, and we are continuing to work closely alongside our partner agencies to support and reassure those living, working or studying in, or visiting the area,” he said.

Famous anti-piracy campaign ‘used pirated font’

A famous anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s which became a part of pop culture history may have itself have been the product of piracy.

Social media users have discovered the font used for the dramatic “You wouldn’t steal a car” advert was pirated from a typeface created by designer Just van Rossum.

The campaign compared pirating films to stealing items such as handbags and televisions and regularly appeared in cinemas and on DVDs, with dramatic music playing in the background.

The thriller-style advert ended with the warning “Piracy. It’s a crime”.

One Bluesky user extracted the fonts used in one of the campaign’s old PDFs and made the discovery that it was actually a pirated version of Mr van Rossum’s licensed font FF Confidential.

Sky News reports that there was no evidence to suggest that the campaign’s designers were aware that the font was pirated.

At the time, Mr van Rossum’s font had been illegally cloned and re-released as the font XBand-Rough, which was widely shared and free to use.

“I had known about the ‘illegal clone’ of my font before, but I didn’t know that that was the one used in the campaign,” Mr van Rossum told Sky News.

“The campaign has always had the wrong tone, which (to me) explains the level of fun that has been had at its expense. The irony of it having used a pirated font is just precious.”

After first appearing in 2004, the advert was discontinued in 2009 but has remained on cassettes and DVDs in people’s collection.

Putin’s drones kill 12-year-old girl hours after he offers three-day ceasefire

Russia could strike Nato with nuclear weapons, a key Putin ally warned, as he hit out at Sweden and Finland joining the bloc.

Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian prime minister and security council deputy, said the two Scandinavian countries have “automatically become targets for our armed forces.”

Mr Medvedev is an anti-Western hawk and has made repeated nuclear threats since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“They are part of a bloc hostile to us which means they automatically became a target for our armed forces, including retaliatory strikes and even the nuclear component or preventive measures,” he said.

It comes after a major Russian drone attack on Ukraine killed a 12-year-old child this morning and wounded three others just hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a fresh 72-hour ceasefire next weekend.

The girl was killed after one of 100 drones fired by Russia overnight hit a residential building in Samarivskyi district in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine’s emergency service said.

Shortly before the attack, Volodymyr Zelensky accused Mr Putin of “another attempt at manipulation” with his latest offer of a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine.

How online schools can help children form friendships as they learn

When thinking about the best education for your child, it’s naturally not just academic success that comes to mind. A good quality school experience is made up of many parts and one key element is the socialising opportunities that school can provide. Socialisation is crucial for building social skills, growing emotional intelligence and helping children form their own individual identity, as well as giving them an additional incentive to attend a place where they have fun and feel part of a community.

While it might be assumed that the social options are reduced when children attend online school, this is not the case. In fact, there are a number of advantages in terms of the structures, support and diverse social opportunities offered to children who join online schools.

Online schools give students the opportunity to form connections with a much more diverse community of students. The online model allows schools to welcome young people from around the world and this gives pupils a chance to make friends with students from differing backgrounds and cultures. Furthermore, this means they can meet more like-minded individuals and form stronger bonds and more meaningful friendships. This access to such a big and vibrant community also ensures that students can really find ‘their people’ and avoids situations where students are stuck in small circles or forced to engage with classmates that don’t share the same interests or passions.

This is something that Grace, who is now in year 13, has experienced since moving to online school. At her previous school, she was struggling with socialisation and felt that she didn’t really have a self-identity. At an online school, she has found she can be more herself. “A lot of people think that online school is about being alone, but I’ve found that without the physical element, I can express myself better,” Grace explains.  Subsequently, the majority of her closest friends are from her online school and many she has met offline too. “I feel like I’ve met my people,” she says.

Isabella, who is in year 10, has also found that her experience of socialising at an online school has suited her much more than previous bricks and mortar schools. With her father’s job meaning the family moves country every three years, she has always previously struggled forming new friendships at the schools she joins. “I’m always the ‘new’ student, and it’s tough,” she says. After experiences with bullying, she found that online school is an environment she can thrive in. “You don’t have to turn on your camera or use your microphones if you’re not feeling comfortable. I’m not really a ‘social’ person, but I have made some friends here because we have these breakout rooms where we can talk to each other,” she adds.

While young people might not be meeting their fellow students physically every day, online schools put in place extensive measures to ensure that socialising is available for those who want to. This can be seen clearly at King’s InterHigh, the UK’s leading global online school which welcomes children aged 7 to 19 from across the world. Here, students join a warm and welcoming community with a huge range of opportunities for socialising. There’s dozens of clubs and societies for students across all year groups, representing a vast range of interests from chess to technology, sculpture to debate. Throughout the yearly student calendar, there are a number of events, showcases, and competitions of all kinds that provide a chance to socialise in different settings. Some happen internally, like the King’s InterHigh Arts Festival, while others allow students to interact with peers from outside their school when attending events like the International Robotics Competition.

Assemblies bring students together on a weekly basis and give them the chance to celebrate each other’s achievements, hear from their Student Council representatives, and find out what’s coming up at school. Each student is also assigned to one of the school’s eight houses and these smaller, tight-knit communities bring students a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Additionally, inter-house competitions are a fun and friendly way for students to engage and bond.

Although much socialising can come as a result of activities organised by the school, students at King’s InterHigh who are aged over 13 can continue building these relationships in a more informal setting thanks to the in-house, monitored, social media platform. Restricted solely to school students, the platform is safe, secure, and monitored to ensure a positive socialising environment for all those who choose to use it.

Online schools don’t just offer opportunities to socialise online but also offer ample opportunities to cement these connections in offline settings. At King’s InterHigh, there are global meet-ups throughout the year which bring together families allowing both children and parents and guardians to connect in real life. Regular educational school trips, from Geography excursions to science practical exams at other Inspired schools (the group of premium schools of which King’s InterHigh is part of) also allow children to socialise and have fun together in different settings.

Meanwhile, the annual summer camps, themed around a variety of interests and passions, including adventure sports, fashion, football, and tennis, are open to students across all Inspired schools and are held at spectacular Inspired campuses worldwide. Furthermore, the Inspired Global Exchange Programme offers a range of school exchange opportunities, lasting from one week to a full academic year.

Choosing where to educate your children is a big decision for any parent or guardian that involves many factors. However, when it comes to the social benefits, for the right child, online schools offer something truly transformative. To find out more about King’s InterHigh and whether it might be the right learning choice for your family, visit King’s InterHigh

French police to change rules on stopping small boats, Cooper claims

French police will intervene to stop migrants getting on to small boats when they’re in the water after the UK “persuaded France to change its rules”, the home secretary has said.

Small boat smugglers have been picking up migrants from the sea rather than French beaches in the latest attempt to evade police.

Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that smugglers are using the dinghies as “taxies”, launching much further up the French coast and then travelling down to beaches closer to the UK to pick up migrants.

Migrants are then wading or swimming out to clamber aboard the small boats in the water, rather than getting on the dinghy from the beach. These tactics have been particularly effective at evading the French police, as the authorities currently don’t intervene once migrants are in the water, Ms Cooper explained.

The home secretary told the BBC Today programme that the UK has recently “persuaded France to change its rules”. The French have agreed to intervene once migrants are in the water to stop the crossings, but the plan has yet to be put into action, Ms Cooper added.

She explained the trend saying: “We have to go after the gangs. One of the things that they are increasingly doing is described as ‘taxi boats’. The boat is launched much further up the coast, travels down the coast, and then picks people up from the water.

“If people are already in the water then the French authorities currently don’t intervene. Those are their rules which they’ve had for a long time. They don’t intervene in French waters. We’ve now persuaded France to change its rules. That’s gone through cabinet now. They’re changing their rules so that they can intervene in French waters to stop boats crossing, that’s hugely important. It’s not in place yet but it’s step by step, practical things like that.”

She said that the changes would come in “over the next few months”.

The number of people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year has now exceeded 10,000. Last year, this milestone was reached about a month later, on 24 May.

Ms Cooper said that a high number of good weather days has had an impact on the level of crossings.

She said the “criminal smuggler gangs… are also taking advantage of the very high of calm weather days. This has been much higher than previous years. We can’t carry on in this situation. The reason we are ending up in a situation with border security being affected by the weather is because of the way in which these gangs have taken root.”

The Home Office announced on Tuesday that migrants convicted of sexual offences will be banned from claiming asylum in the UK.

Under the Refugee Convention, countries are able to refuse asylum to those who have committed “particularly serious” crimes and are a danger to the community, with the provision currently used to block claims from criminals handed prison sentences longer than one year.

Sir Keir Starmer’s crackdown will extend the provision to include anyone convicted of a crime which places them on the sex offenders register, regardless of the length of their sentence.

Did Spain’s renewable energy push have an impact on its blackout?

The mass electrical blackout across Spain, Portugal and parts of France sparked hours of chaos before power returned – with the after-effects still being felt.

Both Spain and Portugal’s power grid operators have ruled out a cyber attack, but the cause of the outage is still under investigation.

The head of Spanish electricity operator Red Electrica, Eduardo Prieto, said two consecutive events, which took place at 12.32pm on Monday and then a second and a half later, pointed to a “generation disconnection” that had cut off the supply across the peninsula. While the system weathered the first event, but not the second.

Some have jumped on the suggestion that Spain’s push to use renewable energy had made an impact. Last year, renewables accounted for 53 per cent of the country’s power generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) accounted for 59 per cent of Spain’s electricity at the time of the blackout, wind nearly 12 per cent, nuclear almost 11 per cent and combined cycle gas plants 5 per cent, Red Electrica data showed.

In a span of just five minutes, between 12.30pm and 12.35 pm local time on Monday, solar PV generation plunged by more than 50 per cent to 8 gigawatts (GW) from more than 18 GW, the data showed.

There have been reports that a lack of “inertia” in the grid may have contributed to the blackout. Grid inertia helps maintain electricity supplies at a stable frequency, and is created by generators with spinning parts – such as turbines running in fossil fuel generators or hydropower – which solar panels and wind turbines do not have. In a blackout, you need to rebuild inertia before bringing things back online.

But Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ruled out the possibility that an excess of electricity generated by renewable sources caused the power blackout.

Mr Sanchez said on Tuesday that technicians were still attempting to find the precise cause of the collapse and the results of their enquiries would be used to reinforce the system.

“What happened yesterday cannot ever happen again,” he added.

Speaking to The Independent, Kristian Ruby, secretary general of European electricity industry group Eurelectric, suggested that there was a technical problem in a high voltage cable linking the French and Spanish grid, which is known as an interconnector.

However, Mr Ruby warned that it would take “weeks, if not months” for there to be a proper technical analysis confirming what went wrong, and he added that it is unlikely that such alone would have caused the problem.

“The power system is perhaps the most advanced and complex machine that we have in the world,” he explained. “It’s a combination of millions of different units that are injecting power into the same system, which transports it out to millions of end-users.

“But it is designed so that if you take out a critical asset, such as an interconnector or power plant, it should not cause a full set of countries to lose power for such a long time,” Mr Ruby continued.

More generally, the booming growth of renewables is posing a major challenge for electricity transmission systems, which in Europe can date back half a century or more. This is because weather-dependent solar and wind generators have high intermittency rates, and require new technologies to keep the grid balanced.

Mr Ruby said what is clear is that “[Power] grids need to be reinforced and strengthened much faster than they’re being done today” to keep them balanced as more renewables are fed into the system.

But he stressed that this should not mean countries should slow down their renewables roll-out. There may be new risks in introducing more renewables to the system – but the risks of leaving things as they are are even greater.

“We don’t have a choice in this matter. We cannot stop because it is looking a bit complex,” he said. “We are doing this for reasons of climate change, energy security, and military security.”

Specifically, renewables are needed for the sake of climate action – and, said Mr Ruby, the growing threat of extreme weather to electricity systems shows why we need to both tackle climate change, and invest in updating and making our power systems more resilient.

In addition, the roll-out of renewables is required so that European countries do not have to be dependent on gas or oil from Russia or other “unstable regimes”, said Ruby, which is the key factor that has caused chaos in European power markets in the past few years.