logo
Veterans light flame as Netherlands marks 80th anniversary of liberation

Veterans light flame as Netherlands marks 80th anniversary of liberation

Irish Examiner05-05-2025

Dozens of Second World War veterans have been gathering in a Dutch town to mark the 80th anniversary of the Netherlands' liberation by Allied troops from Nazi Germany's 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 occupation as the war drew to a close across Europe.
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 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima attended a service to commemorate the war dead in Amsterdam (Peter Dejong/AP)
On Sunday, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and others laid wreaths at the national monument in Amsterdam, and two veterans lit a liberation fire in Wageningen hours later.
Mervyn Kersh, a 100-year-old veteran from Britain, and Nick Janicki, 101, from Canada, ignited the flame. Some 50 veterans from around the world were expected to attend Monday's celebrations.
Polish President Donald Tusk, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, is scheduled to give a speech later today. Polish troops were among Allied forces who helped liberate the Netherlands.
The country's southern regions were freed in 1944 but the populous western regions had to wait months and endure famine known as the Hunger Winter that killed thousands.
Events across Europe marking the end of the war come as the traditional friendly links with the United States, whose forces helped liberate the Netherlands and much of the continent, are fraying.
The European Union and the administration of President Donald Trump are now embroiled in a trade war.
On Sunday in Amsterdam, Prime Minister Dick Schoof discussed the grief his family felt over the death of his grandfather, who was executed by Nazi soldiers for his work in the resistance.
'On this day, in the two minutes of silence, that echo sounds extra loud. When we think of all the people who were murdered for who they were, who died of hunger or exhaustion, or who fought for peace and freedom — our peace and freedom,' Mr Schoof said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel after seizure
Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel after seizure

Irish Independent

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Independent

Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel after seizure

The boat, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in Ashdod in the evening, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. It published a photo on social media of Ms Thunberg after disembarking. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The 12 activists were undergoing medical checks to ensure they are in good health, the ministry said. They were expected to be held at a detention facility in Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing them. The activists had set out to protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since the Second World War, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid. Senator Lynn Ruane, actor Liam Cunningham and activist Caoimhe Butterly were among those who waved off the Madleen Freedom Flotilla before it set sail for Gaza. Senator Ruane said: 'Due to the fact the last Flotilla – Conscience – was attacked in international waters the general feeling was if they were going to take sail it was highly likely that there would be an interception this time round two." The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyage, said the activists were "kidnapped by Israeli forces" while trying to deliver desperately needed aid. "The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies - confiscated," it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Gaza, and Adalah asserted that Israel had "no legal authority" to take it over. This evening Ms Butterly, who is a member of the land co-ordination team of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has called for more action. She said: 'We have received so many messages from you from across the world expressing support, solidarity, love and concern and asking what you can do. More than anything at this point, as well as focusing on the well-being and the eventual release of all of those who are now detained, the need is to focus on Gaza. 'We need to sail those winds and those seas, those waves of solidarity that have been so beautifully present as a beacon of hope over the past ten days onwards into Gaza and that means action – more ships, more organising, more mobilising. We need people behind the scenes, all of these missions including this one took months almost a year to prepare for one ship alone.' Senator Ruane added: 'Everything that the Flotilla stands for is something people get behind and support, the fact that there is no aid is reaching into Gaza, they knew at some point the Israeli authorities would want to intercept them and it's an illegal interception. 'The Freedom Flotilla has various different countries that have organising committees, you can see them on the boat – there are several different nationalities. There's a huge level of co-ordination involved and there have been Irish people involved in the coordination over the years.' Before the Flotilla set sail Ms Butterly shared a photo of herself with Greta Thunberg who was spotted wearing a Bohemians x Fontaines DC jersey. Lyrics from the band's latest album along with the words 'Saoirse don Phalaistín', which in Irish means 'Free Palestine' are emblazoned on the top. The shirt was designed by guitarist Carlos O'Connell, with 30pc of profits going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that "the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel". It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing life vests. Israeli officials said the flotilla carried what amounted to less than a truckload of aid. "This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism," Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. In a statement this afternoon, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Madleen was 'an effort to get food and medicine to the starving people of Gaza; an unarmed civilian effort in the midst of devastation and catastrophic humanitarian conditions'. He added: "But it was much more than that; it was a powerful symbol of the urgent and essential need to end the blockade on humanitarian aid.'

Car makers 'in full panic' over rare-earths shortage amid China's export controls
Car makers 'in full panic' over rare-earths shortage amid China's export controls

Irish Examiner

time14 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Car makers 'in full panic' over rare-earths shortage amid China's export controls

Frank Eckard, chief executive of a German magnet maker, has been fielding a flood of calls in recent weeks. Exasperated car makers and parts suppliers have been desperate to find alternative sources of magnets, which are in short supply due to Chinese export curbs. Some told Eckard their factories could be idled by mid-July without backup magnet supplies. "The whole car industry is in full panic," said Eckard, chief executive of Magnosphere, based in Troisdorf, Germany. "They are willing to pay any price." Car executives have once again been driven into their war rooms, concerned China's tight export controls on rare-earth magnets — crucially needed to make cars — could cripple production. US president Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese president Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earths minerals and magnets flow to the United States. A US trade team was scheduled to meet Chinese counterparts for talks in London on Monday. The industry worries the rare-earths situation could cascade into the third massive supply chain shock in five years. A semiconductor shortage wiped away millions of cars from car makers' production plans, from roughly 2021 to 2023. Before that, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 shut factories for weeks. Those crises prompted the industry to fortify supply chain strategies. Executives have prioritized backup supplies for key components and reexamined the use of just-in-time inventories, which save money but can leave them without stockpiles when a crisis unfurls. This time, as the rare-earths bottleneck tightens, the industry has few good options, given the extent to which China dominates the market. The fate of car makers' assembly lines has been left to a small team of Chinese bureaucrats as it reviews hundreds of applications for export permits. Several European auto-supplier plants have already shut down, with more outages coming, said the region's auto supplier association, Clepa. "Sooner or later, this will confront everyone," said Clepa secretary-general Benjamin Krieger. Cars today use rare-earths-based motors in dozens of components — side mirrors, stereo speakers, oil pumps, windshield wipers, and sensors for fuel leakage and braking sensors. China controls up to 70% of global rare-earths mining, 85% of refining capacity and about 90% of rare-earths metal alloy and magnet production, consultancy AlixPartners said. The average electric vehicle uses about 0.5kg of rare earths elements, and a fossil-fuel car uses just half that, according to the International Energy Agency. China has clamped down before, including in a 2010 dispute with Japan, during which it curbed rare-earths exports. Japan had to find alternative suppliers, and by 2018, China accounted for only 58% of its rare earth imports. General Motors and BMW and major suppliers such as ZF and BorgWarner are working on motors with low-to-zero rare-earth content, but few have managed to scale production enough to cut costs. The EU has launched initiatives including the Critical Raw Materials Act to boost European rare-earth sources. But it has not moved fast enough, said Noah Barkin, a senior adviser at Rhodium Group, a China-focused US think tank. Even players that have developed marketable products struggle to compete with Chinese producers on price. David Bender, co-head of German metal specialist Heraeus' magnet recycling business, said it was only operating at 1% capacity and would have to close next year if sales do not increase.

Nato warplanes scrambled as Putin savages Ukraine AGAIN with huge overnight missile blitz hitting infamous Snake Island
Nato warplanes scrambled as Putin savages Ukraine AGAIN with huge overnight missile blitz hitting infamous Snake Island

The Irish Sun

time18 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Nato warplanes scrambled as Putin savages Ukraine AGAIN with huge overnight missile blitz hitting infamous Snake Island

NATO scrambled warplanes on Ukraine's border overnight amid huge Russian strikes on multiple cities. Drones and missiles were launched at Kyiv as Russia's Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were unleashed to rain hell on the infamous Snake Island in the Black Sea. Advertisement 3 Russia launched a mass kamikaze drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in the early hours of 9 June 2025 Credit: East2West 3 Ukraine strikes Russian plant in Cheboksary, key supplier of Iskander, drone and cruise missile electronics Credit: East2West 3 A Polish MiG-29 (file picture) Credit: Getty Moscow launched a massive strike on Rivne using its Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers to hit Dubny airbase. The planes are among those destroyed last week in Kyiv's daring Operation Spiderweb. Another key Ukrainian military airport - Hostomel - was also attacked as Putin sought revenge for the humiliating attack. Polish armed forces command said Nato fighter jets were patrolling due to 'intensive air attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory'. Advertisement More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store