Thousands of people were left trapped on trains or stranded overnight after the theft of copper cables halted high-speed services between Madrid and southern Spain's Andalusia region.

Authorities opened an investigation on Monday after Sunday's theft, which Transport Minister Óscar Puente called a "serious act of sabotage".

He added that the cable theft took place at five locations, all within a few kilometres of each other on the high-speed line. On Monday morning, Puente said train operations were being "fully restored" .

This travel disruption comes a week after Spain and Portugal suffered a blackout, which similarly saw trains comes to a standstill. The cause is still unknown.

"All of a sudden in the last two weeks - what is going on?" Kevin, a tourist from the US told Reuters news agency as he waited at Madrid's Atocha station, where thousands were stranded.

More than 10,000 passengers were affected between Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Valencia and Granada, and at least 30 trains.

The disruption came after a long weekend in Madrid and ahead of the week-long Feria festival in Seville, which sees an influx of travellers to the city.

"Operations are now fully restored after a very difficult night for commuters... and staff, who had to respond under extremely complex circumstances," the transport minister said on Monday morning.

The theft locations, he said, were in areas accessed via forest trails.

Train services were gradually returning to normal, Spain's national rail manager Adif said on Monday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the Spanish interior ministry said the country's civil guard, and police were in contact with Adif and other authorities to "clarify what happened and identify those responsible".

The price of copper has soared in recent years, and cable thefts from train and telecommunications networks have surged.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election.

George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May.

He will face liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who narrowly defeated the Social Democrat (PSD) candidate.

Ciolacu told party supporters that as the coalition had failed to meet its objective and "has no credibility after the Romanian vote, I will propose that PSD leaves this coalition".

His party had only come to power in a pro-EU coalition after elections on 1 December 2024, although George Simion's far-right party along with two other groupings had attracted a third of the vote.

Simion's victory was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations.

Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister.

Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote.

France's former interior minister has apologised for the first time for the 2022 fiasco at the Stade de France which saw Liverpool football supporters wrongly blamed for a riot.

Gérald Darmanin admitted that security arrangements for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid were wrong, and that his first public remarks – blaming English fans – were a mistake.

"It was a failure because I had not foreseen. That was a mistake on my part. I was led astray by my preconceptions," said Darmanin, now France's justice minister.

"The scapegoat was easy to find, and I apologise now to Liverpool supporters. They were quite right to be hurt. It was a mistake and a failure."

Police used tear gas on Liverpool supporters, and some fans were mugged by gangs of French youths.

In a lengthy interview on the Legend YouTube channel, Darmanin said the night was "the biggest failure" of his career.

"What I did not appreciate that evening was that the real problem was not coming from English supporters, but from delinquents who were robbing fans.

• Liverpool fans' claim 'can be heard in England'

"Our security arrangements were not designed for that eventuality. We had riot police … with big boots and shields – not great for running. What you need against that kind of delinquency is officers in running shoes.

"We got our arrangements wrong. We were expecting a war of (football) hooligans, and what we got instead was muggers."

In their first comments after the problems, Darmanin and police chief Didier Lallement said the dangerous crush at the stadium was largely caused by Liverpool fans in possession of fake tickets.

The claim was subsequently debunked in an independent report commissioned by UEFA.

In another section of the interview, Darmanin said that there was "no longer any safe place" in France - a comment that drew fire from the hard-right opposition.

"What a lot of French people can see is that (violence) has become general, it has metastasised. It's no longer only in the places where you once looked for potential problems.

"Nowadays you can see that the tiniest country village has experience of cocaine or cannabis."

National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy noted that Darmanin has been in government since President Emmanuel Macron's first election in 2017.

Tungay said he was "treating the French like imbeciles, making all these so-called tough declarations when the record is so catastrophic".

Darmanin, who is 42 and from the political right, did nothing in the interview to dispel speculation that he might be in the running to replace Macron in 2027.

"Do I think of the presidential election? The answer is yes," he said.

"That does not mean that I am going to be a candidate, but it does mean I have ambitions for the country to do better than what I see now."

Thousands of people were left trapped on trains or stranded overnight after the theft of copper cables halted high-speed services between Madrid and southern Spain's Andalusia region.

Authorities opened an investigation on Monday after Sunday's theft, which Transport Minister Óscar Puente called a "serious act of sabotage".

He added that the cable theft took place at five locations, all within a few kilometres of each other on the high-speed line. On Monday morning, Puente said train operations were being "fully restored" .

This travel disruption comes a week after Spain and Portugal suffered a blackout, which similarly saw trains comes to a standstill. The cause is still unknown.

"All of a sudden in the last two weeks - what is going on?" Kevin, a tourist from the US told Reuters news agency as he waited at Madrid's Atocha station, where thousands were stranded.

More than 10,000 passengers were affected between Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Valencia and Granada, and at least 30 trains.

The disruption came after a long weekend in Madrid and ahead of the week-long Feria festival in Seville, which sees an influx of travellers to the city.

"Operations are now fully restored after a very difficult night for commuters... and staff, who had to respond under extremely complex circumstances," the transport minister said on Monday morning.

The theft locations, he said, were in areas accessed via forest trails.

Train services were gradually returning to normal, Spain's national rail manager Adif said on Monday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the Spanish interior ministry said the country's civil guard, and police were in contact with Adif and other authorities to "clarify what happened and identify those responsible".

The price of copper has soared in recent years, and cable thefts from train and telecommunications networks have surged.

Ukraine said it hit a drone command unit in the Kursk region, amid reports of fresh attempts to cross into Russia.

Sunday's attack on the unit was located near the Russian village of Tyotkino, according to the Ukrainian general staff.

Multiple Russian military bloggers also reported that Ukrainian forces had attempted to cross into the village, posting images - as yet unverified by the BBC - of vehicles breaking through tank traps on the border.

The reports come after Moscow claimed in April to have regained control of the entire region, nine months after a Ukrainian forces launched a surprise invasion. Kyiv insists it still has soldiers operating across the border.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces fired missiles over the border and crossed minefields in special vehicles, according to the bloggers.

"The enemy blew up bridges with rockets at night and launched an attack with armoured groups in the morning," blogger RVvoenkor said according to Reuters news agency.

"The mine clearance vehicles began to make passages in the minefields, followed by armoured vehicles with troops. There is a heavy battle going on at the border."

In a statement on Monday, Ukraine said: "Nine months after the start of the Kursk operation, Ukraine's Defence Forces maintain a military presence on the territory of Russia's Kursk region."

While there has been no official response from Moscow, some military bloggers have also published maps showing opposing forces attempting to cross the border in two places towards Tyotkino - near where the drone command unit that was hit.

Meanwhile, in Sumy - around 12km across the border from Tyotkino in north-eastern Ukraine - local authorities urged people to evacuated from two settlements, Reuters reported.

Ukraine originally made its surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 to create a buffer zone and protect Sumy and surrounding areas, while also hoping to use it as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have greeted veterans at the VE Day Parade as thousands line the streets of London to mark 80 years since the end of the World War Two in Europe begin.

William and Catherine exchanged words with veterans sitting on the Queen Victoria Memorial viewing platform, amid applause from the crowd.

King Charles is overseeing the Victory in Europe (VE Day) events, which span four days, and include a flypast over Buckingham Palace featuring 23 current and historic military aircraft.

At noon, the ceremony began with a recitation of Winston Churchill's famous VE Day speech by actor Timothy Spall.

• Follow live: VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations to begin with procession and Red Arrows flypast

The King and Queen were joined by the prince and princess, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to watch a military procession through the capital on Monday. Other events are also taking place across the country.

A military procession, involving more than 1,300 people made its way from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

The King stood and saluted as the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Before the procession arrived, cadets and scouts watching on cheered and waved to the royal family from the paths nearby.

Later on, a flypast will follow, featuring 23 current and historic military aircraft.

Following Elizabeth II's death in 2022, this year will be the first landmark VE Day commemoration without any of the royals who stood on the balcony that day, 80 years ago.

VE Day was declared on 8 May 1945, after Britain and its allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender after almost six years of war.

At 15:00, the then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced WW2 in Europe had come to an end.

Spontaneous celebrations erupted across the country, and the late queen and her sister Princess Margaret joined a group of friends to experience the excitement in London.

On Monday morning, the excitement began early for Maria and Chris Naynor and their three grandchildren, who left their home in Reading at 05:30 BST to get a prime spot along the Mall - armed with cream tea and gin and tonics.

Chris's father served in the armed forces and was wounded in Dunkirk, and his mother was out celebrating on the streets of London on VE Day in 1945.

Maria said it was critical to remember "all the people who gave their lives for freedom" and teach children about it.

To mark the historic event, the Cenotaph in Whitehall has been draped in a large Union flag - the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.

Watching from the Mall, Grace Gothard, from Mitcham, made her Union Jack dress draped with the Ghanian flag while Satvinder Cubb, from Chingford made a frock made from two "Lest we forget" scarves.

Satvinder said they wanted to be in the capital to remember all the people "who fought for us", as the last generation of WW2 veterans were growing older.

She described the message of VE Day as bringing together people from different countries and different age groups to say "why don't we unite together? Why can't there be peace?"

The Royal Family is hoping "nothing will detract or distract" from the commemorations, following Prince Harry's candid interview with the BBC on Friday, in which he discussed his estrangement from his father and desire for reconciliation.

The King and Queen will host a tea party at Buckingham Palace later in the afternoon for around 50 veterans, their families and other members of the wartime generation.

Elsewhere, street parties will be held across the UK, with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations.

The Palace of Westminster, the Shard and Lowther Castle in Penrith are among buildings which will be illuminated from 21:00 BST on Tuesday.

A service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence of remembrance on Thursday. Churches and cathedrals across the country will also ring their bells at 18:30 BST.

Pubs and bars in England and Wales which usually close at 23:00 BST will be able to keep serving for an extra two hours to celebrate on Thursday.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench and Ashitha Nagesh

• SIMPLE GUIDE: Red Arrows, royals and street parties: What to look out for
• LIVE: Follow all the latest from VE Day commemorations
• BBC FOOD: How to throw a VE Day street party
• ANALYSIS: Europe marks VE Day with Trump on its mind
• EXPLORE: More on VE Day

France's former interior minister has apologised for the first time for the 2022 fiasco at the Stade de France which saw Liverpool football supporters wrongly blamed for a riot.

Gérald Darmanin admitted that security arrangements for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid were wrong, and that his first public remarks – blaming English fans – were a mistake.

"It was a failure because I had not foreseen. That was a mistake on my part. I was led astray by my preconceptions," said Darmanin, now France's justice minister.

"The scapegoat was easy to find, and I apologise now to Liverpool supporters. They were quite right to be hurt. It was a mistake and a failure."

Police used tear gas on Liverpool supporters, and some fans were mugged by gangs of French youths.

In a lengthy interview on the Legend YouTube channel, Darmanin said the night was "the biggest failure" of his career.

"What I did not appreciate that evening was that the real problem was not coming from English supporters, but from delinquents who were robbing fans.

• Liverpool fans' claim 'can be heard in England'

"Our security arrangements were not designed for that eventuality. We had riot police … with big boots and shields – not great for running. What you need against that kind of delinquency is officers in running shoes.

"We got our arrangements wrong. We were expecting a war of (football) hooligans, and what we got instead was muggers."

In their first comments after the problems, Darmanin and police chief Didier Lallement said the dangerous crush at the stadium was largely caused by Liverpool fans in possession of fake tickets.

The claim was subsequently debunked in an independent report commissioned by UEFA.

In another section of the interview, Darmanin said that there was "no longer any safe place" in France - a comment that drew fire from the hard-right opposition.

"What a lot of French people can see is that (violence) has become general, it has metastasised. It's no longer only in the places where you once looked for potential problems.

"Nowadays you can see that the tiniest country village has experience of cocaine or cannabis."

National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy noted that Darmanin has been in government since President Emmanuel Macron's first election in 2017.

Tungay said he was "treating the French like imbeciles, making all these so-called tough declarations when the record is so catastrophic".

Darmanin, who is 42 and from the political right, did nothing in the interview to dispel speculation that he might be in the running to replace Macron in 2027.

"Do I think of the presidential election? The answer is yes," he said.

"That does not mean that I am going to be a candidate, but it does mean I have ambitions for the country to do better than what I see now."

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election.

George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May.

He will face liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who narrowly defeated the Social Democrat (PSD) candidate.

Ciolacu told party supporters that as the coalition had failed to meet its objective and "has no credibility after the Romanian vote, I will propose that PSD leaves this coalition".

His party had only come to power in a pro-EU coalition after elections on 1 December 2024, although George Simion's far-right party along with two other groupings had attracted a third of the vote.

Simion's victory was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations.

Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister.

Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote.

Four days of events to commemorate 80 years since Victory in Europe Day began with a military procession through London in front of huge crowds, proud veterans and three generations of royals.

A military procession including Regiments of the Household Division and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery paraded down the Mall from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles saluted as the procession arrived at the Palace having made its way up the Union Jack-lined Mall.

He was joined by other royals as well as veterans, politicians and members of the public, who welcomed the military groups as they drew nearer the Palace.

Three generations of royals were on show, including the King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family.

Political figures in attendance included London's Mayor Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria.

Earlier, the procession began its journey outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as the clock tower's famous bells rang out.

Meanwhile, actor Timothy Spall stood in front of Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to recite part of the former wartime prime minister's original VE Day broadcast.

As he did so, the procession made its way around the corner and up the Mall.

Outside of the high profile benches in front of Buckingham Palace, members of the public lined the Mall to watch the procession and take in the atmosphere.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers joined the march, solemnly parading a Ukrainian flag and wearing military uniform.

While over at the Tower of London, a display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies made up the exhibition called The Tower Remembers, created by designer Tom Piper.

They were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins's Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower in 2014.

This VE Day 80 parade was a celebration that paid its respects, with some poignancy, to the wartime generation. There was an understated warmth that suited the moment.

This week's events will be one the last big public moments of recognition for the diminishing number of veterans from World War Two.

For Monday's events, veterans had pride of place on a viewing platform at the top of the Mall, sitting alongside the Royal Family and the prime minister, watching the military parade and marching bands.

These veterans are now in their late 90s and older, commemorating an event which took place when many were still only teenagers.

In today's fragile political climate there is often talk about defending democracy.

But these veterans had actually done that and won, and remain now as some of the last representatives of a generation that fought Nazism and all of the intolerance and barbarism that represented.

Many of those who had cared for others were now reliant on carers for themselves. It's a different kind of battle.

On the viewing platform King Charles was chatting to Joy Trew, a wireless operator in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, who was 18 on VE Day in 1945. This summer she will be 99 years old.

She said the King had helped tuck in a blanket to keep her warm on a chilly day. And she had told the King about the other female veterans: "A lot of the women look formidable and he said 'yes'."

After the modern RAF paid its own tribute with a thundering flypast, the veterans were slowly wheeled across to Palace, in one last column.

They were heading for a tea party held in their honour, with the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales hearing first hand stories that will soon slip into history.

Joyce Wilding, aged 100, remembered the celebrations in London on VE Day: "We went to Piccadilly where there was a stream of people singing and dancing, there were soldiers up lampposts, it was extraordinary.

"We were outside Buckingham Palace and you could hardly move there were so many people cheering and singing."

In that euphoric moment, the King's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, then in her twenties, had also secretly gone out among the crowds and had been part of a conga at the Ritz hotel.

Among the older guests was Henry Ducker, now aged 104, who was only 19 when he joined the RAF in 1940, working as a flight mechanic. He had spent VE Day in Italy.

He said Queen Camilla had been "quite funny, very humorous".

This 80th anniversary event had drawn big crowds along the Mall. They had given a particularly warm welcome to the Ukrainian contingent in the parade, carrying the blue and yellow flag of their country. It was a sharp reminder of present conflicts as well as those from the past.

The King had stood on the viewing platform, saluting the different military formations as they marched past. Was he thinking of his own grandfather, George VI, who had waved from the balcony on the original VE night?

Compared with reports of the feverish celebrations in 1945, these were relatively restrained crowds at this commemorative event. They were quietly paying their respects, many perhaps with their own thoughts and memories.

As is often the case with modern crowds, many were more interested in taking photos on their phones than cheering.

There is also an unmistakable growing distance in time.

Prince George was at Buckingham Palace for the tea party for veterans, listening in to the stories. But it's a long way back for his generation, with a 68-year gap between his birth and VE Day.

It's the same distance as between his father Prince William's birth and the outbreak of the First World War.

There were nostalgic street parties, but when younger generations hear about "spam" they'll be thinking about their email rather than the food cupboard.

This first big day of VE Day 80 commemorations caught the sense of reflection. The mood in London was good natured and supportive. Even the rain held off until the parade was over.

There were neighbourhood gatherings, from local community groups to Downing Street, celebrating the wartime spirit and a sense of togetherness.

And such public events might be a chance to privately remember those who had made sacrifices without ever seeking recognition.

It's a moment when memories are passed from one generation to the next and stories turn into history.

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