Cable theft in Spain delays high-speed rail passengers
Madrid, May 5: Thousands of rail passengers in Spain were hit with delays after the cable used in the signalling system of the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville was stolen at four locations, Spanish rail authorities said Monday.
The theft, which happened late Sunday, affected dozens of trains travelling between Madrid and Andalucía, just as many people were returning home to the capital after a holiday weekend.
The cable theft took place at four points on the high-speed line in Toledo in central Spain, Spain’s railway infrastructure company ADIF said on X.
The incident came a week after a massive power outage in Spain and Portugal ground high-speed train traffic to a halt, stranding thousands of train passengers. (AP)
Thousands gather near Buckingham Palace to mark V-E Day
London, May 5: Thousands of people lined the roads around the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace on Monday as British and allied troops paraded past at the start of four days of pageantry to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
After Big Ben tolled at the stroke of noon, actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech that Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8, 1945. Britain started its commemorations of V-E Day three days early, because Monday is a public holiday in the UK.
The Cenotaph, the nation’s war memorial, was covered with Union Jack flags.
It was the first time that the memorial had been draped in the flags since it was unveiled by King George V in 1920, two years after the end of World War I.
About 1,300 members of the British armed forces are being joined by troops from the United Kingdom’s NATO allies and Ukraine – a nod to the present war in Europe. (AP)
Veterans light flame as Netherlands celebrate WWII liberation
Wageningen, May 5: World War II veterans watched military aircraft fly over a central Dutch town Monday as the Netherlands marked the 80th anniversary of its liberation by Allied troops from Nazi German occupation.
Festivities in Wageningen centred on a square outside the Hotel de Wereld, where German top brass signed papers on May 5, 1945, that formally ended the brutal five-year occupation as the war drew to a close across Europe.
A small group of veterans, their chests decorated with medals and legs covered in blankets, sat on the front row watching the ceremony. They were given a standing ovation as they arrived.
Germany finally surrendered on May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day.
Liberation Day in the Netherlands is celebrated on May 5, a day after the country observes two minutes of silence to honour its war dead.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans used the occasion to call for renewed efforts to nurture peace.
“War and aggression are back in Europe and it is up to us to protect peace,” he said.
Brekelmans’ speech was briefly disturbed by a small group of protesters who shouted “Free free Palestine!” Police detained five people as Brekelmans continued to address the crowd, some of whom booed at the demonstrators as they were led away. (AP)