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Three evacuated from hantavirus cruise ship as Canary Islands rejects plans for it to dock there – Europe live | Spain
Canary Islands government rejects hantavirus-hit cruise plans to dock there
In other news from Spain, the regional government of Canary Islands said it is opposed to allowing a luxury cruise ship that has been hit by the outbreak of the deadly hantavirusto dock on the archipelago, its leader, Fernando Clavijo, said.
“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety,” Clavijo told radio station COPE, as reported by Reuters.
He added that he had requested an urgent meeting with prime minister Pedro Sánchez to discuss the issue. Clavijo leads a local coalition which includes the conservative People’s Party, the main national opposition to Sanchez’s Socialists.
Earlier today, Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported the cruise ship was set to dock at the Canary island of Tenerife, citing sources from the country’s health ministry. The ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Key events
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Evacuation of three people from hantavirus-hit cruise – in pictures
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Overall public health risk remains low, WHO chief insists, as three evacuated from virus-hit ship
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Brit among three people evacuated from hantavirus-hit cruise ship, Dutch ministry confirms
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German tourist to be evacuated from ship to Düsseldorf for treatment, Bild reports
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Three suspected hantavirus cases evacuated from virus-hit cruise ship, WHO confirms
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Two specialist doctors set to join hantavirus-hit ship, operator says
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Hungary’s Magyar to meet with Italy’s Meloni tomorrow
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Transfer of three passengers expected Wednesday morning, ship operator says
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Three people being evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship, WHO says
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South Africa confirms Andes strain of hantavirus in two cases linked to cruise ship hit by outbreak
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Europe needs to spend 5% on defence by 2030 or ‘it may be too late,’ Poland’s defence minister warns
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One person infected with hantavirus treated in Zurich, Swiss government says
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Canary Islands government rejects hantavirus-hit cruise plans to dock there
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Morning opening: Spain’s Sánchez v Trump
Evacuation of three people from hantavirus-hit cruise – in pictures
Overall public health risk remains low, WHO chief insists, as three evacuated from virus-hit ship
The director-general of the World Health Organisaion, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has just offered a bit more detail about the medical evacuation of the three people hit by the virus, as he insisted “the overall public health risk remains low.”
In a post on X, he said the three people were “on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands,” as part of the WHO’s mission with the ship’s operator and national authorities in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, and Cabo Verde.
“WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed,” the WHO’s chief said.
“Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities. WHO thanks all those involved. At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.”
Brit among three people evacuated from hantavirus-hit cruise ship, Dutch ministry confirms
The Dutch foreign ministry has just confirmed the nationalities of the three people evacuated from the ship, as confirmed by WHO, and they Dutch, British, and German citizens, Reuters reported.
German tourist to be evacuated from ship to Düsseldorf for treatment, Bild reports
We are getting more news about the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, with the German newspaper Bild now reporting that a German woman will be evacuated from the ship and brought to the German city of Düsseldorf for treatment.
She is believed to be one of the three people mentioned by the WHO in their report, and a close relative of one of the people who died from the virus, the paper said.
Three suspected hantavirus cases evacuated from virus-hit cruise ship, WHO confirms
Oh, that was much faster than expected: the World Health Organization has just confirmed that the three suspected hantavirus cases have been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands.
Two specialist doctors set to join hantavirus-hit ship, operator says
Back to the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, it looks like there is more support planned with two doctors specialised in infectious diseases heading to join the passengers, the ship’s operator said.
“Two infectious disease physicians, currently en route from the Netherlands, will embark m/v Hondius and remain with the vessel after its anticipated departure from Cape Verde,” said Oceanwide Expeditions in a statement.
These doctors would only board the ship following the successful transfer of three people, two of whom are suffering from “acute symptoms”, the operator added.
Hungary’s Magyar to meet with Italy’s Meloni tomorrow
In other news, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar has confirmed he will meet with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome tomorrow.
Magyar is in Italy to attend a screening of a documentary on his Tisza party, “Spring wind”, which went viral before the final of the election campaign last month, at the Riviera international film festival in Sestri Levante.
His meeting with Meloni – who used to be close with the outgoing Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán – comes just days before his formal inauguration on Saturday.
Curiously, Magyar will be in Italy at the same time as some other leaders, including US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, who are both also expected to meet with Pope Leo and Giorgia Meloni.
Transfer of three passengers expected Wednesday morning, ship operator says
The planned transfer of three passengers from the luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus is scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning, the ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.
“The planned transfer of three individuals from the vessel to specialized aircraft has not yet taken place. This is scheduled to occur this morning, Cape Verde local time,” the ship operator said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
“Once aboard the aircraft, these individuals, two of whom present acute symptoms, will be transferred to medical and screening facilities,” it added.
And we are getting some pictures of one of the ambulance boats involved in the operations near the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Three people being evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship, WHO says
Separately, the World Health Organization is reporting that there is on-going evacuation of three people from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, via AFP.
Three people – two crew members and one other person – thought to be infected with the virus were being taken off the MV Hondius, anchored off Cape Verde, the WHO said.
The ship has been at the centre of an international health scare since Saturday, when the UN’s health agency was informed that three passengers had died and the suspected cause was hantavirus – a rare disease usually spread from infected rodents typically through urine, droppings and saliva.
South Africa confirms Andes strain of hantavirus in two cases linked to cruise ship hit by outbreak
South Africa has identified the Andes strain of hantavirus, which spreads human-to-human, in two people who came off a cruise ship hit by an outbreak of the disease, the health minister’s presentation to parliament showed on Wednesday.
The ship, the MV Hondius, was preparing to travel from Cape Verde towards Europe, Reuters reported.
The presentation seen by Reuters said tests done by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) revealed that the Andes strain was the cause of infection in a Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg, and a British man who is still in hospital. Both had become ill on the ship.
“This is the only strain that is known to cause human to human transmission, but such transmission is very rare and as said earlier, only happens due to very close contact,” it said.
Europe needs to spend 5% on defence by 2030 or ‘it may be too late,’ Poland’s defence minister warns
Meanwhile, Poland’s defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz urged Nato countries to increase their defence spending as quickly as possible.
Speaking at a Defence24 Days conference in Warsaw, he said:
“Europe… is capable of developing its economic potential on an unimaginable scale, but it must say directly: this is the priority today. This is our greatest task today. There is no point in waiting until 2035 with five per cent. It must be achieved by 2030, because otherwise it may be too late.”
He particularly warned the countries in southern Europe that “the threat is not only related to the border with the Russian Federation or Belarus – the threat is everywhere and in cyberspace.”
Kosiniak-Kamysz said Europe needed to take more responsibility for its safety, “not to replace the US troops, because their role, strategic capabilities and nuclear deterrence is irreplacable, but to keep the US troops [here] and save the transatlantic alliance.”
Curiously, he also hinted at potential increase in US troops based in Poland, from current 10,000.
“Regardless of the decisions made today between the States and the Federal Republic of Germany, the presence of American troops and increasing this presence is our strategic goal. And we are ready for it, to receive further American soldiers. We have been preparing for this for a long time, not just today.”
He said Poland wants to have Europe’s largest army of 500,000 by 2030, including 200,000 professional soldiers.
One person infected with hantavirus treated in Zurich, Swiss government says
Meanwhile, the Swiss government has just confirmed that one person infected with hantavirus – who was a passenger on the cruise ship – is currently being treated in Zurich.
They added that there is currently no danger to the Swiss population, Reuters reported.
Canary Islands government rejects hantavirus-hit cruise plans to dock there
In other news from Spain, the regional government of Canary Islands said it is opposed to allowing a luxury cruise ship that has been hit by the outbreak of the deadly hantavirusto dock on the archipelago, its leader, Fernando Clavijo, said.
“This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety,” Clavijo told radio station COPE, as reported by Reuters.
He added that he had requested an urgent meeting with prime minister Pedro Sánchez to discuss the issue. Clavijo leads a local coalition which includes the conservative People’s Party, the main national opposition to Sanchez’s Socialists.
Earlier today, Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported the cruise ship was set to dock at the Canary island of Tenerife, citing sources from the country’s health ministry. The ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Morning opening: Spain’s Sánchez v Trump
Jakub Krupa
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has urged the European Commission to trigger its blocking statute against US sanctions on the international criminal court, which would effectively tell European companies to not comply with the measures.
In a post on X, Sánchez said:
“Spain does not look the other way. Sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human rights system at risk.”
In February last year, Donald Trump has signed an executive order that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the international criminal court (ICC), accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
As Ashifa Kassam reported in March, to date, 11 of the court’s officials – including the chief prosecutor and eight judges – have been placed under sanctions, subjecting them to measures that include bans on travel to the US and fines and prison sentences for American companies who provide them services.
Ever since, campaigners called on the EU to move against the sanctions, but the bloc did not want to put at risk already fragile relations with the US administration.
Now, Spain’s Sánchez, an outspoken critic of Trump who has already repeatedly drawn his criticism, is the first one to formally request the EU to act.
He said:
“The EU cannot remain idle in the face of this persecution. That is why, today, we ask the Commission to activate the Blocking Statute, to protect the independence of the international criminal court and the United Nations, and their actions to end the genocide in Gaza.”
The EU’s blocking statute is intended to protect Europe from extraterritorial sanctions imposed by other countries. It was used against the US before, in response to its sanctions on Cuba in 1996, and Trump’s first term sanctions on Iran in 2018.
But Sánchez’s initiative comes at an already tense moment for EU-US relations, with the bloc trying to defend itself from the latest threat of new US tariffs on cars and other industries, and looming threat of pulling out some US troops from the continent.
Later today, the EU will discuss the implementation of last year’s trade deal with the US, agreed in Scotland, in the latest push to get it in place before Trump comes up with more ideas on how to affect transatlantic trade.
In other news, I will also keep an eye on Friedrich Merz’s first anniversary as the German chancellor, US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s upcoming trip to Italy, and lots of smaller defence developments expected across the continent today.
Lots for us to cover today.
It’s Wednesday, 6 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
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