Huge power cuts in Spain and Portugal

(Photo by Alex Camara/Anadolu via Getty Images) ____________________________________________________________________________ Download a free worksheet! ____________________________________________________________________________ The story Authorities in Spain and Portugal are trying to find out what caused a huge power cut in the countries earlier this week. The power cut caused chaos across Portugal and Spain and also affected parts of Andorra and France. Trains didn’t work, businesses had to close and mobile phone networks were also impacted. Power has now been restored, but the disruption is thought to have cost up to €1.6bn to the Spanish economy. News headlines Spain slowly returning to normal after crippling blackout Bloomberg In the Madrid power cuts, I saw patience and common sense – but we were woefully unprepared The Guardian Spain’s electricity grid operator rules out cyber attack as cause of blackout The Financial Times Key words and phrases blackout a situation where there is no light, often because of a power cut woefully extremely badly rule out decide someone or something is no longer an option Next If you like learning English from the news, click here.