While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 29, 2025
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People with luggage sit on the floor at Joaquin Sorolla train station, as a power outage hit large parts of Spain, in Valencia, Spain.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Power begins to return after huge outage hits Spain and Portugal
Power started returning to parts of the Iberian peninsula late on April 28 after a huge outage brought parts of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, grounding planes, halting public transport, and forcing some hospitals to suspend routine operations.
Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a national emergency and governments from the two countries convened emergency Cabinet meetings as officials tried to find out what caused the mass blackout, which began around 10.33am GMT (6.33pm Singapore time). Outages on such a scale are extremely rare in Europe.
Officials said the reasons for the blackout were unclear, with Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro saying there was “no indication” a cyberattack was the cause.
In Spain, power started returning to the Basque country and Barcelona areas in the early afternoon, and to parts of capital Madrid on the night of April 28.
Pakistan defence minister says military incursion by India imminent
PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistan’s defence minister said on April 28 a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent in the aftermath of a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions rise between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The attack killed 26 people and triggered outrage in Hindu-majority India, along with calls for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of backing militancy in Kashmir, a region both claim and have fought two wars over.
“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad.
Zelensky calls Putin truce proposal ‘attempt at manipulation’
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 28 branded a three-day truce announced by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an “attempt at manipulation”.
“Now there’s a new attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone has to wait until May 8,” Mr Zelensky said in his daily address.
Mr Putin on April 28 ordered the ceasefire on May 8-10, which coincides with Moscow’s World War II commemorations, drawing ire from Kyiv, which demanded Moscow pause hostilities immediately.
Israel’s security chief to step down on June 15 after feud with Netanyahu
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service announced his resignation on April 28, saying he would step down on June 15, six weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to oust him.
“After 35 years of service, in order to allow for an orderly process of appointing a permanent successor and a professional handover, I will end my role on June 15, 2025,” Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said in remarks released by the security service.
The Shin Bet, which handles counter-terrorism investigations, has been at the centre of a growing political battle pitting Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government against an array of critics ranging from members of the security establishment to families of hostages in Gaza.
Canada votes as Trump renews US takeover push for ‘cherished 51st state’
Canadians across six time zones were voting April 28 to choose a new leader to confront Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats, which the US president renewed in a forceful election day message.
The Liberal Party, led by new Prime Minister Mark Carney, looked set to lose to the Conservatives’ Pierre Poilievre until Mr Trump’s attacks on Canada sparked a sudden reversal in poll forecasts.
Mr Trump inserted himself into Canadian politics on election day with a social media post saying Canada would face “ZERO TARIFFS” if it “becomes the cherished 51st state.”
