Power Failures Cause Disruption on London Tube

 People walk at Waterloo station, after Transport for London (TfL) reported a power failure across the London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk at Waterloo station, after Transport for London (TfL) reported a power failure across the London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
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Power Failures Cause Disruption on London Tube

 People walk at Waterloo station, after Transport for London (TfL) reported a power failure across the London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk at Waterloo station, after Transport for London (TfL) reported a power failure across the London Underground, London Overground and the Elizabeth line, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)

Power failures caused delays and disruption on London's Tube network on Monday, as several of its busiest lines were suspended.

The Bakerloo line was completely suspended as of 1715 local time (1615 GMT), while other services including the Jubilee, Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines were facing severe or minor delays following a power outage more than two hours earlier.

Transport for London (TfL) said it was working to get the whole network back to normal service as quickly as possible.

"Due to a brief interruption of the power supply to our network, several lines lost power for a short period earlier this afternoon," TfL Chief Operating Officer Claire Mann said in a statement.

Britain's National Grid confirmed that a fault on its transmission network had caused a power failure.

"The fault was resolved within seconds and did not interrupt supply from our network, but a consequent voltage dip may have briefly affected power supplies on the low voltage distribution network in the area," a spokesperson said.

The incident also caused a small contained fire which was brought under control, National Grid said.

The potential for power failures to cause major disruption came into sharp focus in March when London's Heathrow Airport was forced to shut for 18 hours due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, stranding hundreds of thousands of air travelers.

Transport trade union TSSA called for an inquiry into the incident to ensure a similar power outage does not happen again.

"Safety for all is key at this moment, but in due course we will need a proper inquiry into what happened and the lessons to be learned," TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said.



Prince William, Wannabe DJ and Film-Lover, Appears on UK Chat Show

Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
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Prince William, Wannabe DJ and Film-Lover, Appears on UK Chat Show

Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Britain's Prince William meets with the public on a street during a royal visit to the Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1966 disaster, in which 109 children and five teachers were killed at Pantglas Junior School when a coal spoil tip collapsed onto the Welsh village, Britain, October 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Prince William talked about his ‌love of Christopher Nolan films and how he once wanted to be a DJ as he appeared on a British television chat show on Friday to promote his annual award for climate change innovation.

The heir to the throne, 44, has in recent years regularly appeared in less formal settings in a bid to connect with younger audiences, including Radio One, one of UK's biggest stations for under 30s, and sports podcasts.

William surprised celebrity guests including actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham when he joined them ‌on the ‌sofa for an episode of the BBC's Graham ‌Norton ⁠Show, which is ⁠due to air later on Friday.

Asked about how he relaxes, he said he and his family together enjoy reality show The Celebrity Traitors, while he personally turns to music and films.

"I'm a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep and I ⁠absolutely love that," William said.

"He takes concepts that ‌are completely out there and ‌makes them incredibly entertaining."

Before accepting that his future job would be that ‌of king, he said he had wanted to be a ‌policeman.

"Then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ – I wasn’t very good," he said.

William has in recent years sought to provide insights into his personal life, without creating waves by ‌giving too much away about the challenges of life in the public eye.

Two years ago, both ⁠his father, ⁠King Charles, and his wife Kate began treatment for cancer. His wife is now in remission, while Charles's treatment continues.

He has also been estranged from his brother Prince Harry for about six years, after Harry published a book detailing the breakdown of their relationship and repeatedly criticized the royal family.

Talking about The Earthshot Prize, which he set up six years ago to award five winners £1 million each to fund their ideas to save the environment, William said the aim was to bring optimism into an issue which can otherwise feel depressing.

"There are some amazing people out there doing things to protect the world," he said.


Monet’s ‘Iris’ Becomes Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction in France, Sotheby’s Says

This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
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Monet’s ‘Iris’ Becomes Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction in France, Sotheby’s Says

This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.
This photograph shows French painter Claude Monet's "Iris", 1924–1925, during a preview of 28 Impressionist works of the Schlumberger Collection unveiled ahead of the October 22, 2026, sale at Sotheby's auction house in Paris on September 17, 2026.

Claude Monet's "Iris" was sold late on Thursday for €50 million ($56.05 million), becoming the most expensive work of art sold at auction in France, Sotheby's said.

The painting, completed toward ‌the end ‌of Monet's ‌life, attracted ⁠frantic bidding with six ⁠people battling it out for 45 minutes for the piece, before the final two continued ⁠to scrabble for a ‌further ‌20 minutes.

"Iris" finally went ‌to an Asian ‌collector who bid over the phone.

The painting was one of several works ‌up for auction from the Schlumberger Collection ⁠and ⁠had been expected to sell between €22 million and €30 million.

The previous French auction record was set in 2010, by Amedeo Modigliani's "Head of a Caryatid," which sold for €43.2 million.


Greece Passes Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

FILE PHOTO: Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Greece Passes Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

FILE PHOTO: Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Greece's parliament approved a bill on Friday that bans the use of social media platforms for children under 15 amid growing concerns over their impact on the health and safety of minors.

The ban comes ‌into force ‌on January 1, ‌2027, said Reuters.

Australia was the ⁠first country to pass legislation to curb the use of social media by minors, doing so last year. A similar law ⁠passed in France ‌was struck ‌down by the country's Constitutional Council ‌in August

Greek Prime ‌Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said social media platforms have 2-1/2 months to devise a way ‌to verify users' ages and protect their privacy

Greece ⁠is ⁠among seven European Union countries seeking an age verification solution with the European Commission

Greece says it is standing by parents to help curb the "endless scrolling" that deprives children of sleep, concentration and time with their friends