Events are taking place across the UK to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe.

The King and Queen, as well as the prime minister and other senior royals, attended a service of thanksgiving and remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

The service was preceded by a two-minute national silence to remember those who served in World War Two.

King Charles and the Prince of Wales laid wreaths at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier.

The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, the dean of Westminster, led the service with a tribute to those "who have died the death of honour".

Alexander Churchill, the 10-year-old great-great-grandson of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill lit a Candle of Peace, whilst young members of the congregation handed out flowers to veterans.

Artefacts from the Second World War were processed through Westminster Abbey by members of the Armed Services.

The Princess of Wales placed flowers at the Innocent Victims' Memorial, following a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

MPs and peers walked in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, re-enacting the historic walk MPs did from Parliament on VE Day in 1945.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle was towards the front of the procession, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, a little way behind.

Some 1,800 guests attended the service including many veterans.

Among the politicians attending today's service, were several former PMs, including Lord David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Sir John Major.

Members of the public observed the two-minute national silence.

Earlier, Scotland's National Piper, Louise Marshall, played a lament at dawn to the fallen on Portobello Beach in Edinburgh.

Interest rates are widely expected to be cut on Thursday, with further falls predicted for later in the year.

Analysts say a cut to 4.25% from 4.5% by the Bank of England is highly likely, although no change or a bigger reduction remain possibilities.

Such a move would make borrowing money by businesses and individuals less expensive, but there are likely to be lower returns for savers.

The announcement will come at 12:02 BST, following a two-minute silence to mark VE Day.

If a cut is confirmed, it would be the fourth rate reduction from last year's peak of 5.25%, and the second this year.

Balancing act

Members of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will be paying close attention to the rate of price rises in the UK, as measured by inflation.

Interest rates are the Bank's primary tool in ensuring the annual rate of inflation remains at, or close to, the target of 2%.

The latest data shows an inflation rate of 2.6% in the 12 months to March, although a series of bill increases at the start of April - including domestic energy prices - mean the rate is expected to climb, perhaps only temporarily.

The committee will also be alert to wider global economic uncertainty. President Trump's tariff policy in the US was unveiled after the MPC's last meeting in March.

Many analysts say inconsistency and uncertainty regarding the policy may push down growth and inflation, leading to expectations of the MPC responding with more interest rate cuts this year.

How a cut would affect you

The likelihood of an immediate cut, with more to come, has been reflected in the markets and, in turn, on mortgage pricing.

Eight in 10 homeowners with a mortgage have a fixed-rate deal and will pay close attention to the interest on new deals when they first buy or when they shop around ahead of a current deal expiring.

Lenders have been cutting the mortgage rates on these new fixed deals in recent weeks, although not down to the levels seen during most of the 2010s. Given that lenders have already "priced in" a cut in interest rates, further falls in mortgage rates are not guaranteed.

The average two-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.15%, according to financial information company Moneyfacts, and a five-year deal is 5.08%.

Samren Reddy, a medical student at the University of Liverpool who got in touch with Your Voice, Your BBC News, is saving to buy a first home.

"I don't think a small decrease will be a game changer. We're saving for the initial upfront deposit," the 21-year-old said.

"If I'm trying to save for a home, alongside my day-to-day living, even if I may be paying less on a loan and could get a cheaper mortgage, it's swallowed up by the pressures of living."

A fall in interest rates are also likely have an impact on the returns people like Samren receive on their savings.

Base rate cuts generally lead to reductions in the interest provided by savings providers, particularly on instant-access accounts.

Anna Bowes, savings expert at financial advice firm The Private Office, said it was "encouraging" that fixed savings rates were still competitive, with relatively high interest paid.

However, she said that required people being willing to lock their savings into an account and to leave them untouched for the term of the deal, generally between one and five years.

A rate cut would guarantee some mortgage-holders lower monthly repayments.

Nearly 600,000 homeowners have a mortgage that "tracks" the Bank of England's rate, so a base rate change would have an immediate impact.

A typical tracker mortgage-holder is likely to see about £29 knocked off their monthly repayments if the Bank rate is reduced by 0.25 percentage points, according to calculations by banking trade body UK Finance.

Homeowner Vanda, who has a tracker, told the BBC: "I had a really good rate, then all of a sudden it changed and I got caught out.

"A drop would help because I've just been made redundant, so that would help a wee bit. I don't think it will ever go back to the way it was, though."

Those on standard variable rate mortgages will need to wait for the lender to decide on any changes to the home loan rate if the Bank's base rate changes.

Constance Marten has heavily criticised her "biological family" during an extraordinary cross-examination carried out by her partner and fellow defendant Mark Gordon during their retrial at the Old Bailey.

Mr Gordon, who is not legally trained, led the questioning after a judge allowed it. He is now representing himself in the case and is not using barristers.

The couple stand accused of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of their fifth child, Victoria, whose body was found in a Brighton shed in March 2023.

They both deny the charge and that of causing or allowing the death of a child.

They were previously found guilty of concealing Victoria's birth and preventing the course of justice by not reporting her death, but the jury could not come to a verdict on the outstanding charges. A retrial began in March.

In court on Thursday and under questioning by Mr Gordon, Ms Marten described how "all hell broke loose" with her family when she returned from Peru pregnant with her first child in 2017.

She also said she had become "very fearful" after their car "exploded" in January 2023. She said 15 previous vehicles had also malfunctioned in mysterious circumstances, and that they had found a GPS tracker on at least one of them.

"After I spoke out about a family member of mine... about eight years ago. I feel that this person doesn't want me alive," she said.

The jury heard that the couple had been living in a tent in Wales before the birth of their first child.

"The only reason we ended up in Wales was because of this person who I am convinced was behind the explosion of the car," Ms Marten said.

She said her family had hired two firms of private detectives and she felt it was "like a cat and mouse game".

She said she believed some of her relatives saw her as an embarrassment and that "some people from privilege think they are above the rules".

"You are up against these people who will stop at nothing, and have endless resources and connections, and I don't think I can get away from them," she told the court.

Ms Marten said that the police manhunt that began after their car caught fire following Victoria's birth meant that people started recognising them, so they decided to go and sleep in a tent on the South Downs.

"It was just a pitstop for a few days to get away from prying eyes," she said.

Ms Marten has told the jury Victoria died in the tent after a couple of days, after she fell asleep over her.

She said that for the following few weeks, the couple went on sleeping in the tent, moving around every few days. They carried their dead daughter's body with them in a Lidl bag for life.

Ms Marten and Mr Gordon's other children have been removed by social services.

In her testimony on Thursday, she also said that the time with her children before they were taken away had been the "happiest days of our lives".

"Mark is very hands-on with the kids," she said.

The trial continues.

More than four in 10 universities in England are expecting to be in a financial deficit by this summer, according to new report from the Office for Students (OfS).

The OfS, which regulates higher education providers, said universities were closing courses and selling buildings to cut costs, but "significant reform and efficiencies" were needed to turn the tide.

It said a drop in international students coming to the UK was the main reason for the worsening financial position.

Universities UK (UUK), which represents 141 institutions, said the report was "deeply sobering".

The report found that 117 of 270 higher education institutions (43%) registered with the OfS expected to be in deficit by July - despite course closures, job losses and selling off assets.

This third consecutive year of worsening finances was mainly driven by a fall in international student numbers, it said, particularly following visa changes in January 2024.

The number of international students was almost 16% lower last year than previously expected, according to the report.

Universities have become increasingly reliant on higher fees from international students in recent years, as tuition fees from UK students have not kept up with inflation.

Their financial plans predict that more than half of the growth in their income up to 2028 will come from international students - but the OfS warned that this was optimistic.

The OfS said it was working with a small number of institutions where it had particular concerns about financial viability.

Philippa Pickford, director of regulation at the OfS, said no medium or big institution was close to the brink and it was working with the government to draw up a failure regime.

In a briefing with journalists, she said the OfS was working with a small number of institutions where it had particular concerns about financial viability.

She added that any student going to university this autumn should expect the course to be delivered as advertised.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of UUK, said the report was "deeply sobering" but not surprising given frozen domestic tuition fees, visa changes and "a longstanding failure of research grants to cover costs".

She said universities were doing "everything they can" to manage costs and that a UUK sector-wide taskforce would "unlock greater efficiencies".

But she added: "The scale of the challenge means none of this will be enough without government on the pitch too."

A recent snapshot of the financial decisions of 60 of the 141 institutions in UUK found almost half of those responding had closed courses, or reduced options for students in the last three years.

Industrial disputes are under way in several cities as a result.

Universities are now anxiously awaiting the government's draft plan for managing immigration, which is expected to further limit visas for students applying from Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Attracting international students who pay higher fees and spend money in the UK is counted as an export. The rule change in January 2024 prevented postgraduate students from bringing relatives, and has led to a drop in numbers applying.

The higher fees paid by international students have been used to prop up university finances after many years in which tuition fees for students in England have barely increased.

While fees are due to go up this autumn to £9,535 for students in England, ministers have yet to say what will happen in following years.

The government is carrying out a review of university education, including funding, which is due to report this summer.

A man accused of crashing his car through the gates of actor Jennifer Aniston's home has been charged with stalking and vandalism.

Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, of New Albany, Mississippi, is accused of repeatedly sending the Friends star unwanted voicemail, email and social media messages since March 2023.

The 48-year-old is alleged to have crashed his grey Chrysler PT Cruiser through the front gate of Aniston's home in the Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors said the collision caused major damage and Aniston, 56, was at home at the time of the incident.

According to the LA Police Department, a security guard stopped Carwyle on Aniston's driveway before police arrived and arrested him.

Carwyle has been charged with felony stalking and vandalism, prosecutors said on Thursday.

He also faces an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm.

Carwyle is accused of harassing the Friends actor since 1 March 2023 by sending her unwanted communications.

He is due to appear in court on Thursday.

If convicted of the charges, he could face up to three years in prison, according to the LA Police Department.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said: "Stalking is a crime that can quickly escalate from harassment to dangerous, violent actions.

"My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who stalk and terrorise others."

Aniston has not yet commented on the incident and there have been no reports of injuries.

This is not the first time Aniston has encountered stalking, having previously obtained a restraining order against a man who believed he was in a relationship with her in 2010.

First Minister John Swinney has said he will not support a bill which would allow assisted dying in Scotland.

Legislation to allow terminally-ill people to take their own life is being put forward at the Scottish Parliament by the Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur and will be voted on by MSPs on 13 May.

If the bill passes it would allow a patient to request medical assistance to end their life, but only if they had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.

A Holyrood committee which is scrutinising the legislation has said members should vote at the first stage of the process as a "matter of conscience".

It is thought Swinney's position may sway some undecided MSPs, particularly in his own party.

The stage one vote next week will be the third time in the Scottish Parliament's history that a vote will be held on this issue.

In 2010, the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill failed, followed by an attempt in 2014 with the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

The terminology may have changed, but the principle is much the same.

The first minister said in October last year that he had "not come to a final view" on the issue but added that the initial proposed age threshold of 16 was "a very significant issue in my mind".

Liam McArthur has since said he would raise the minimum age in proposed legislation from 16 to 18.

The Lib Dem MSP said he had considered the matter "very carefully" and the change was in line with legislation in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

He has urged MSPs to vote in favour of the bill and help create "the most compassionate, safe and suitable law for Scotland".

MPs in England and Wales voted in favour of a bill to allow assisted dying last year, by 330 votes to 275.

Like the UK parliament, Holyrood will hold a free vote on assisted dying - which means MSPs will not be instructed on how to vote by their parties.

The Scottish bill has proved divisive, and is opposed by the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Scottish Association of Mosques.

Politicians including former First Minister Humza Yousaf and Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy have indicated they would vote against it.

The Church of Scotland is "partially opposed" to the legislation becoming law, but says its official position is currently under review.

Ally Thomson, the director of the Dignity in Dying Scotland pressure group, previously said the minimum age change from 18 to 16 made sense and that "compassion, choice and safety" remained at the heart of the bill.

Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan, the CEO of the charity Right To Life UK said despite the age change the legislation "remains riddled with irredeemable flaws and inadequate safeguards", claiming terminal illness is "defined worryingly loosely".

Holyrood's health committee, which is scrutinising the legislation, has highlighted a number of areas it said required further consideration should the bill progress to stage two.

These include the provision and quality of palliative care, how to ensure the mental capacity of patients opting for assistance to die and the possibility of healthcare professionals being able to "opt-in" to the practice.

VE Day marked the end of World War Two in Europe. Huge crowds took to the streets on 8 May 1945 to sing, dance and rejoice after nearly six years of war.

To mark the 80th anniversary, four days of commemorative events have been planned across the UK, from 5 to 8 May. Here's a guide to what's happening and when.

1. Commemorations at the Cenotaph

London's Cenotaph will become a focal point for quiet reflection when commemorations begin on Bank Holiday Monday.

The monument will be draped in Union Flags, echoing its 1920 unveiling in honour of the fallen soldiers of World War One.

Throughout the four days of remembrance, it will serve as a place of silent tribute to those who died in World War Two, both at home and abroad.

2. Red Arrows in the skies

On Monday, more than 1,300 armed forces and members of the public are expected to participate in a military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace.

The event will begin at 12:00 BST in Parliament Square with an actor reciting extracts from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's VE Day speech. The procession will travel down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall.

World War Two veterans will watch the event from the Queen Victoria Memorial, alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The procession will be followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft. This will include a Voyager transport aircraft - a fleet extensively used in the UK's support for Ukraine - and the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows, famous for their red, white and blue smoke trails in the sky.

3. Royals on the balcony

King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the military parade on Monday. They will also host a tea party for war veterans, their families and other members of the wartime generation in the palace gardens.

The 2025 VE Day commemorations will be the first to take place without any of the royals who appeared on the balcony 80 years ago. In 1945, large crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of King George VI, the Queen Mother, a young Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.

• King and Queen to host VE Day tea party for war veterans

4. Street parties and get-togethers

On Monday, HMS Belfast is hosting a private VE Day 80 anniversary event, with Radio 5 Live's Matt Chorley joining for afternoon tea. In the evening, there is a late night extravaganza with drinks, music and special guests. The famous ship, now parked next to Tower Bridge, is the most significant surviving WW2 warship. It fired some of the opening shots on D-Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the war.

Street parties will also take place up and down the country, with local communities encouraged to organise their own get-togethers to echo the celebrations from 80 years ago. Councils are hosting events and some have waived their usual road closure fee. Check your local council website to see what festivities are taking place in your area.

And pubs in England and Wales will stay open late on Thursday to allow customers to raise a glass in their local until 01:00 BST.

• From jelly to hummus: a history of street party food
• Pubs to stay open late for VE Day 80th anniversary

5. Poppies pouring across Tower lawn

On Tuesday, the Tower of London will open an art installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies. The flowers originally featured in Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, an artwork created to mark the centenary of WW1 and included 888,246 poppies at the castle.

Royal Historic Palaces (RHP) said the poppies "will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the blood-red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards".

Visitors can see the new installation as part of a general admission ticket to the Tower of London, although a small part will be visible from the public footpath. The exhibition runs until Armistice Day on 11 November.

• Poppies to return to Tower for WW2 anniversary

6. Music to remember

On Wednesday, the Parliament Choir will host an anniversary concert at the Palace of Westminster marking the moment when a newsflash announced 8 May 1945 as VE Day.

On the same day, the IWM North war museum in Manchester is hosting Letters to Loved Ones, a performance about personal stories of the conflict and people's understanding of the war today.

On Thursday commemorations will be marked by a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey and VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, an evening concert at Horse Guards Parade. Expected to draw over 10,000 attendees, the concert will feature stars such as Samantha Barks, Fleur East and John Newman.

At the Royal Albert Hall, VE Day 80: The Party, will feature the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and is organised by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

7. Celebrations across the nation

Outside London, elaborate VE Day celebrations are planned across the country. To search for an event in your local area, visit your council website or use the ve-vjday80.go.uk.

In Staffordshire, the Royal British Legion will host an anniversary tea party and service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Thursday, bringing together one of the largest gatherings of WW2 veterans and their families on VE Day.

In Belfast, there will be guided tours of wartime landmarks and a "tea dance" hosted in the City Hall. In Pontypool Wales, the Blaenavon Workmen's Hall is hosting a Great Victory Bake off, a Knit for Victory event and a costume competition. On the north coast of Scotland at Banff Castle, a "full programme of music, dance and entertainment" is slated for VE Day.

• VE Day 80 celebrations in Hull and East Yorkshire
• VE Day 80th celebrations in Lincolnshire
• VE Day street parties encouraged across the West
• VE Day celebrations across the South announced

How to follow the events on the BBC

The BBC will commemorate VE Day with a variety of special programmes. Highlights on BBC One include special editions of Saturday Kitchen on 3 May (10:00 BST), Antiques Roadshow on 4 May (20:00 BST), The One Show on 5 May (18:30 BST), Who Do You Think You Are? on 6 May (21:00 BST) and EastEnders on 8 May (19:30 BST). There will be special programmes across BBC Radio including a concert from Alexandra Palace on BBC Radio 2.

Online, BBC News will cover VE Day with a range of reporting including live pages of the commemorations and a rich selection of video interviews with people who lived through the war.

There will also be live broadcasts of major events on BBC One and iPlayer including:

Monday 5 May - VE Day 80: The Nation Pays Tribute (BBC One, 10:30 BST), presented by Sophie Raworth with commentary from Paddy O'Connell on the military procession in London.

Thursday 8 May - VE Day 80: The Nation Remembers (BBC One, 10:45 BST), a service of thanksgiving from Westminster Abbey presented by Sophie Raworth with commentary from Petroc Trelawny.

Thursday 8 May - VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember (BBC One, 20:00 BST) a live concert from the Horse Guards parade in London presented by Zoe Ball.

• To read more about what's happening across the BBC, click here.

A 97-year-old woman who met her husband on a train on VE Day exactly 80 years ago has said it was "love at first sight".

Rita Harvey had gone to London with a friend to celebrate the end of the war and was travelling home on 8 May 1945 when Ken, who was serving in the Army, offered her his seat on the busy train.

They exchanged addresses to write to each other and married in East Molesey, Surrey, in 1951, living happily together until Ken's death in 1993.

Rita, who now lives at the Royal Star & Garter care home in Surbiton, shared her story as the nation celebrates the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

"I wanted to go up to London to join in the VE Day celebrations, but I wanted some company so I asked a very good friend if she wanted to join me," said Rita.

"I wanted to see what was happening in London.

"We were drinking champagne and dancing in central London, and we had a wonderful day. Later we went to back to Waterloo to get the train home, and the carriages were packed," she said.

"Then, this lovely young man offered me his seat. That lovely young man was Ken, and it was love at first sight.

"We hit it off and he asked if we could exchange addresses and stay in touch. It was the start of a wonderful relationship and we were devoted to each other."

Rita, who is living with dementia, will be joining in with the celebrations at the Royal Star & Garter, which provides care to veterans and their partners.

• SIMPLE GUIDE: VE Day moments so far - and what's still to come
• IN PICTURES: Red Arrows, royals, veterans and tea
• WATCH: Unseen royal moments from VE Day commemorations
• 360 VIDEO: Experience the flypast from inside a Red Arrows cockpit
• EXPLORE: More on VE Day

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

Russia's unilateral, three-day ceasefire has proved to be a farce because of continued attacks across the front line, Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has said.

He accused Russia of 734 violations since its truce came into effect overnight into Thursday, adding that Ukraine was responding "appropriately" to every attack.

Russia's defence ministry insisted the ceasefire - called by Vladimir Putin to mark World War Two Victory Day - was being observed and accused Ukraine of 488 violations.

At least one person was killed in Ukraine's northern Sumy region following Russian strikes, according to emergency services.

Ukraine's air force said there had been no drone or missile strikes in its airspace overnight as of 08:00 (05:00 GMT) on Thursday, although Russia had intensified strikes using air-launched glide bombs in the Sumy area.

Buildings were hit in a residential area of Bilopillia, a town in Sumy just south of the Russian border. Rescuers freed a woman trapped under the rubble, emergency services said.

Ukrainian military spokesman Viktor Trehubov said there had also been Russian military assaults in several eastern areas after the Russian ceasefire officially came into force at midnight Moscow time (21:00 GMT on Wednesday).

Kyiv has rejected Russia's truce, with Volodymyr Zelensky calling it a "theatrical show" designed to protect the Moscow Victory Day parade on Friday. The Ukrainian president has reiterated calls for a longer truce of at least 30 days.

A temporary 30-hour ceasefire was announced by the Kremlin over Easter which saw a decrease in fighting but claims of hundreds of breaches from both sides.

The Kremlin has described its pause as a "test of Ukraine's readiness for peace", although Putin earlier rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire.

Russia's defence ministry said all groups of Russian forces in Ukraine had "completely ceased combat operations and remained on the previously occupied lines and positions". However, they were reacting in a "mirror-like manner" to violations by Ukrainian forces.

Reacting to the bombardment of the Sumy region, Sviatoslav Yurash, a Ukrainian MP and serving soldier, accused Moscow of lying.

"We don't want a peace that breaks apart in no time, and Russia takes another attempt to try and kill us and destroy us," he told the BBC.

Sergey Sanovich of Stanford University told the BBC the Russian truce was not meant as a gesture of goodwill to Ukrainians but rather to maintain interest in peace talks with the US.

Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has sought to end the war in Ukraine by mediating with both parties - but he has been accused of trying to pressure Ukraine into making painful concessions to secure a peace deal.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, including the southern Crimea peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.

For three consecutive days ahead of Russia's proposed truce, Kyiv and Moscow exchanged a barrage of strikes.

The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that 524 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed over the past 24 hours - a record number if confirmed. No casualties were reported but flights at Russian airports were suspended, causing disruption to some 60,000 passengers.

Sergey Sanovich told the BBC the Ukrainian drone strikes were an indication that Kyiv was not interested in "peace out of desperation".

On the eve of Victory Day in Moscow, China's Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to sign an updated investment deal. Xi said the two countries' ties had injected "positive energy" into a world in turmoil.

The Chinese president is one of a reported 27 leaders due to attend Russia's commemorations in Moscow's Red Square.

Ahead of the event, Ukraine warned it could not guarantee the safety of anyone attending the parade.

Andrei Fedorov, a former Russian deputy foreign minister, told the BBC that "Russia is seriously concerned about the possibility of attack by Ukrainian drones".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian military and special services were taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the celebration takes place "in a calm, stable and peaceful atmosphere," including jamming mobile internet connections ahead of the parade.

Unlike Russia, the rest of Europe celebrates Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8 May. Commemorations this year mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Zelensky released a video address on Thursday, where he was seen walking through central Kyiv and paying his respects to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at a large display of Ukrainian flags.

He said Ukraine was marking Victory Day along with all those who had fought to ensure evil would lose and and would be "never again".

"Unfortunately, three years ago, it happened again and just like before the air raid siren roared over Kyiv," he said.

Deriding Russia's celebration as a "parade of cynicism", he warned that evil had to be fought "resolutely, with force".

Access to the social media account of Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, has been blocked by the authorities in Turkey.

Imamoglu, who is the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can no longer send messages in Turkey to his 9.7 million followers on X. His account is still accessible abroad.

His social media feed has been his main tool for communicating with his supporters and keeping himself in the public eye.

He had been posting daily by sending messages out from prison via his lawyers. "It's like the authorities want to make him disappear," one commentator said.

Imamoglu's Republican People's Party (CHP) - the main opposition party in Turkey - told the BBC that blocking his account was a continuation of "the coup attempt on 19 March", when he was arrested.

''Now they won't even allow him to speak to the public," said CHP Secretary General Selin Sayek Boke. "It clearly shows the fear of those in power that they will be losing power. It's a coup attempt against the next ballot box."

Opinion polls suggest that Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor of Turkey's largest city three times, would win a presidential election if he was able to stand.

The next presidential election is not due to be held until 2028.

A message on his account on Thursday said it had been blocked due to a legal demand, although it is still available in Turkey with the use of a virtual private network (VPN).

A lawyer representing X said he had filed a court challenge to the ban, at the request of the social media platform.

Istanbul prosecutors are investigating a post on Imamoglu's account, on the basis that it may constitute an incitement to commit crime, according to the president's communications office.

In that post last month, the mayor condemned his arrest and a wider crackdown on the opposition and called on the nation to complain and "raise your voice".

Some X users have replaced their profile pictures with images of the mayor, including Yusuf Can, analyst at the Middle East Programme of the Wilson Centre in Washington.

"Elon Musk has blocked the account of the hostage mayor and presidential candidate, upon Erdogan's request – silencing the country's most prominent opposition voice. We are all Imamoglu," he said.

The mayor has been behind bars since March on corruption charges, which he has denied.

He is being held in Marmara high security prison in Silivri, on the outskirts of the city he was elected to run.

He has plenty of company - around 100 people were arrested with him - including city officials and members of his party. Dozens more have been arrested since, including his lawyers, and lawyers acting for those lawyers.

Human rights groups say the arrests are part of an accelerating attack on civil society in Turkey.

Imamoglu's supporters say the charges against him are politically motivated, and that Turkey's courts have been weaponised. The government has said the judiciary are independent.

In his most recent post, on Wednesday, Imamoglu called on supporters to join a protest rally in Istanbul that night.

It was one of the biggest in recent weeks with tens of thousands turning up.

His arrest in March sparked the largest anti-government protests in Turkey in over a decade.

The protests were largely peaceful but around 2,000 people were arrested in just a few days, many of them students.

The demonstrations are continuing in Istanbul, and around the country, but numbers have been smaller.

Armed Israeli security forces have forced the closure of three schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

Hundreds of Palestinian students were sent home from the schools in Shuafat refugee camp just after classes began on Thursday morning.

The Palestinian Authority, which runs most of the towns and cities in the occupied West Bank, said the move was a "violation of children's right to education".

An Israeli ban on Unrwa took effect earlier this year and Israel accuses the agency of being infiltrated by Hamas. Unrwa denies this claim and insists on its impartiality.

Videos showed girls in uniform hugging each other outside one school in Shuafat following the arrival of Israeli forces outside.

A closure order fixed to the wall of the school read: "It will be prohibited to operate educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching staff or any other staff, and it will be forbidden to accommodate students or allow the entry of students into this institution".

Unrwa said that more than 550 pupils aged six to 15 were present and that one of its staff members was detained, in what its director in the occupied West Bank called "a traumatising experience for young children who are at immediate risk of losing their access to education".

The agency said that Israeli police were also deployed at three other schools in East Jerusalem, forcing them to send students home too.

Last year, Israel's parliament passed laws forbidding contact between Israeli officials and Unrwa, as well as banning activity by the agency in Israeli territory.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, in the 1967 Middle East war.

It effectively annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 in a move not recognised by most of the international community, and sees the whole city as its capital.

Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for future state.

Approximately 230,000 Israeli settlers currently live in East Jerusalem alongside 390,000 Palestinians.

Most of the international community considers the settlements built there and elsewhere in the West Bank to be illegal under international law - a position supported by an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year - although Israel disputes this.