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BBC News, I'm John Shea.
Spain has declared a state of emergency and is deploying 30,000 extra security personnel after an almost total power outage during Monday that also affected neighboring Portugal. The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said about half of the country's power had now been restored and that all possibilities were being looked at. "What's caused this sudden loss of supply? This is something that specialists have not yet been able to determine, but they will. And the relevant state institutions and all the private operators are working in a coordinated way to understand what's happened. All potential causes are being analyzed, I insist again, without ruling out any possibility." Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has accused Russia of trying to "manipulate" and "deceive" the world by declaring a three-day unilateral cease-fire for next week. The Kremlin said the pause in fighting would run from the 8th to the 11th of May, coinciding with celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany 80 years ago. Mr. Zelenskyy accused President Putin of only announcing the truce to ensure calm during a Russian military parade. "Everyone is supposed to wait until May the 8th and only then cease-fire in order to provide Putin with silence during the parade. We value human lives, not parades. That is why we believe, the world believes, that there is no reason to wait until May the 8th. The fire must be stopped, not just for a few days, only to resume killing afterward. An immediate, complete and unconditional cease-fire for at least 30 days." Polls are starting to close in parts of Canada after what's being seen as one of the most consequential elections in the country's history. The campaign has been dominated by President Trump's threats of annexation. As voters cast their ballots, he repeated his calls for Canada to become a U.S. state. From Ottawa, here's Lise Doucette. The country is said to be at a crossroads, not just choosing the next prime minister, but also choosing a direction in an election that's been overshadowed by the threats coming from the country next door. President Trump, not just imposing the kind of swinging tariffs that other countries are reeling from, but a very specific threat to take over Canada and to make it the 51st state. If there is one thing that all leaders in this election agree upon, that is not going to happen. Police in northeast Nigeria say 26 civilians were killed when their truck drove over a roadside bomb close to the border with Cameroon. They said six children and four women were among the casualties in the attack on Monday morning close to the town of Gamboru. There's been a surge of jihadist activity in the region since January as two rival factions, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, vie for dominance. World News from the BBC. The United Nations has expressed deep alarm at reports that a U.S. strike in northern Yemen has killed scores of people at a detention center for African migrants in Houthi-controlled territory. Houthi media reports said 68 migrants died at the Sada camp. There's been no independent confirmation of casualties. A U.N. spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said they were saddened by the tragic loss of life. "We are deeply alarmed by reports of an airstrike hitting a detention center holding migrants in the Sada governorate that took place reportedly overnight. And we're saddened by the tragic loss of life where many of these migrants are believed to have been killed and injured. We continue to call on parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians." Iran's interior minister says a deadly explosion at the country's largest commercial port was caused by negligence and a failure to comply with safety measures. Eskandar Momani told Iranian state TV that some materials held at the port near the city of Bandar Abbas should not have been there. The blast on Saturday killed 70 people and injured more than 1,000. Migrants who are convicted of sexual offences in Britain are to be banned from claiming asylum in the country. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the change in the law would ensure that sex offences were treated with the seriousness they deserved and would help repair a dysfunctional immigration system. She also announced plans to use artificial intelligence to speed up the processing of asylum claims. Amazon has launched internet satellites into space, marking the start of its push to rival Elon Musk's Starlink program. The 27 satellites are the first of more than 3,000 due to be sent into orbit for Project Kuiper, which aims to beam high-speed broadband across the globe. But Amazon is playing catch-up with SpaceX, which has more than 6,000 operational Starlink units serving five million customers. BBC News. |