35 h. ago Germany boosts Nato’s eastern flank with new Baltic brigade amid threat from Russia – Europe live

Friedrich Merz visits Lithuania to mark the official formation of Germany’s first permanent overseas military unit since the second world warPortugal wants European energy regulators’ agency ACER to lead an independent investigation into the causes of the huge power outage that brought most of Spain and Portugal to a standstill last month, its acting energy minister told Reuters.Maria da Graça Carvalho said prime minister Luís Montenegro wants an independent investigation led by the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators to complement the technical report being prepared by the European network of transmission system operators ENTSO-E. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago Cotswolds village named UK's prettiest plunged into chaos as tourists descend

A new video gives a slice of tourism reality in Bourton on the Water, a small village which has now been likened to a Disney theme-park

Events

5 d. ago ‘I’m from Glasgow – the swearing came naturally!’ The full uncensored history of The Thick of It

It was the political satire that gave us omnishambles, pet asbos and the terrifying Malcolm Tucker. Two decades on, creator Armando Iannucci and stars including Peter Capaldi and Rebecca Front lift the lid on its chaotic creationTwenty years ago this month we were plunged straight into the middle of an omnishambles. It was a moment in time when petrified politicians lurched from crisis to crisis, scrambling desperately to control the narrative as their endless gaffes derailed even the vaguest attempts to change this country for the better. But am I talking about the tail-end of the Blair years or the televisual tour-de-force that was Armando Iannucci’s The Thick of It?It could be either. It could even be right now – such was the show’s prescient genius. This was a satire that didn’t just mimic the government’s calamities but seemed somehow to foresee them. Over its seven-year run, The Thick of It came up with farcical policies that the government went on to adopt (pet asbos, anyone?...

Politics

9 d. ago Readers reply: If you were prepping, what would your top five items be?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts. This week’s followed the Spain/Portugal outagesIf you were prepping, what should be your top five things to hoard in light of the recent power outages in Spain and Portugal? Alina Ahmad, JohannesburgSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Tube network plunged into chaos as multiple London Underground lines hit by massive power failure

Outage at power station leaves thousands of travellers stranded in central London

Events

1 week ago London Underground power cuts: Passengers plunged into chaos with 'no service on eight Tube lines'

The London Underground has been hit by major delays today as a power cut rendered eight Tube lines out of service

Events

1 week ago Entire Tube network plunged into chaos as huge power outage shuts FOUR lines

Entire Tube network plunged into chaos as huge power outage shuts FOUR lines  The Sun

Events

1 week ago Passengers plunged into chaos as London Underground network suffers power outage

Passengers plunged into chaos as London Underground network suffers power outage  lbc.co.uk

Events

1 week ago Stansted Airport plunged into travel chaos as IT fault causes major delays and missed flights

Thousands of holidaymakers were forced to queue for hours

Transport

2 w. ago 'Cash rule' warning for UK tourists in Spain, France and Portugal amid power outage threats

Holidaymakers have been urged to ensure they are carrying physical cash

Events

2 w. ago Nicole Scherzinger wows in plunging Met Gala dress after chaotic drive to event

Nicole Scherzinger looked gorgeous at this year's Met Gala, but she shared a behind-the-scenes video of her way there which appeared anything but cool, calm and collected

Politics

2 w. ago Spain's train network grinds to a halt after vital signalling cables stolen in ‘act of sabotage'

It comes just a week after Spain and Portugal suffered an unprecedented and unexplained power blackout

Politics

2 w. ago BBC Breakfast plunged into chaos as host missing and guest 'cut off' mid

BBC Breakfast, which was without two of its regular presenters this morning, experienced some major tech issues.

Events

3 w. ago Jobs report defies expectations and hiring remains steady despite concerns over Trump’s tariffs

The report gives the first glimpse of how the economy has fared after Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ when he introduced sweeping tariffs that plunged the stock market into chaos

Politics

3 w. ago Key information issued for people going on holiday to Portugal and Spain after countries plunged into chaos

The European Union's cyber security wing ruled out that the power outage was the result of a hack

Events

3 w. ago ‘No one knew what to do’: power cuts bring chaos, connection and revaluation of digital dependency

People share their experiences of Monday’s massive power outage across Spain, Portugal and parts of France that upended modern life“It felt like chaos,” said Iñigo, a doctor at a hospital in northern Spain.With no electricity from noon on Monday, the building’s emergency generators were kept for the critical areas, leaving staff without access to patient data, broken communications due to no telephone signal or email, and colleagues unable to carry out some of their duties, he said. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Britain’s electricity system is ‘highly resilient’, says minister

Michael Shanks said the UK was not affected by the power cuts in Spain and Portugal but the Government continues to prepare for ‘all eventualities’.

Politics

3 w. ago Solar storm warning over risk of nuclear disaster 'worse than Chernobyl'

The monster power outage in Spain and Portugal this week saw nuclear plants automatically stopped.

Events

3 w. ago Spanish PM calls on private energy firms to help find cause of massive power cut

Pedro Sánchez says changes needed to guarantee ‘supply and future competitiveness’ of electricity after blackout Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has called on private energy operators to help his government establish the cause of Monday’s unprecedented power cut across the Iberian peninsula, and said changes and improvements must be made to guarantee “the supply and future competitiveness” of the country’s electrical system.Spain and Portugal suffered a massive power loss that began just after 12.30pm on Monday and lasted into the night. At least five people are thought to have died in Spain as a result of the blackout, which left people trapped on paralysed trains and in the static lifts of apartment blocks and offices. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Professor explains 'induced atmospheric vibration' after Spain's blackout

Professor Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian said we are at at increasing risk of mass power cuts like the one seen in Spain, Portugal and France

Politics