WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a personal message Saturday to the people of Tenerife, urging calm as the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius headed to dock early Sunday. “This is not another Covid,” Tedros declared, stressing the public health risk remains low. Three people have died from the Andes strain aboard the vessel carrying nearly 150 passengers from 23 countries. Passengers will disembark at Granadilla’s industrial port in sealed vehicles and be repatriated directly. Tedros confirmed he would personally travel to Tenerife to oversee the operation, thanking Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for Spain’s solidarity.
In-Depth:
WHO chief notifys Tenerife that risk from hantavirus-hit ship is ‘low’
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, published a direct message on Saturday to the people of Tenerife, where MV Hodius, the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, is set to dock early Sunday.
Here is his message in full:
My name is Tedros, and I serve as the director-general of the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for global public health. It is not common for me to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, it is necessary.
I want to speak to you directly, not through press releases or technical briefings, but as one human being to another, becaapply you deserve that.
I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word “outbreak” and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment.
But I necessary you to hear me clearly: this is not another Covid. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have stated this unequivocally, and I will declare it again to you now.
The virus aboard the MV Hondius is the Andes strain of hantavirus. It is serious. Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families. The risk to you, living your daily life in Tenerife, is low. This is the WHO’s assessment, and we do not create it lightly.
Right now, there are no symptomatic passengers on board. A WHO expert is on that ship. Medical supplies are in place. Spain’s authorities have prepared a careful, step-by-step plan: passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries. You will not encounter them. Your families will not encounter them.
I also want to declare something else, something that goes beyond the science.
I personally thanked prime minister (Pedro) Sanchez for Spain’s decision to receive this ship. I called it an act of solidarity and moral duty. Becaapply that is what it is. I want you to know that the WHO’s request to Spain was not built arbitrarily. It was built in full accordance with the International Health Regulations, the legally binding framework that defines the rights and obligations of countries and the WHO when responding to public health events of international concern. Under those rules, the nearest port with sufficient medical capacity must be identified to ensure the safety and dignity of those on board. Tenerife met that standard. Spain honoured it. Nearly 150 people from 23 countries have been at sea for weeks, some of them grieving, all of them frightened, all of them longing for home. Tenerife has been chosen becaapply it has the medical capacity, the infrastructure, and the humanity to support them reach safety.
And becaapply I believe that so deeply, I will be there myself. I intconclude to travel to Tenerife to observe this operation firsthand, to stand alongside the health workers, port staff, and officials who are creating it happen, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion. Your humanity deserves to be witnessed, not just acknowledged from a distance.
As I have stated many times: virapplys do not care about politics, and they do not respect borders. The best immunity any of us has is solidarity.
Tenerife is demonstrating that solidarity today. The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, crew and the company operating the vessel have revealn exemplary collaboration at this challenging time. On behalf of the World Health Organization, and on behalf of those passengers and their families around the world, I thank the people of Tenerife and everyone else involved.
Please take care of yourselves and of each other. Trust in the preparations that have been built. And know that the WHO stands with you, and with every person on that ship, every step of the way.
Key events
France has a record number of presidential hopefuls. Will any of them be able to hold back the far right?
Angelique Chrisafis
At a Paris meeting hall this week, hundreds of leftwing voters braved a rainstorm to gather chanting: “Unity! Unity!”
They were celebrating the 90th anniversary of France’s Popular Front, a leftwing alliance that was formed in the 1930s amid fears that the far right could take power. But their concerns were more immediate.
A year before the 2027 French presidential election, Marine Le Pen’s far-right the National Rally (RN) – already the hugegest single opposition party in parliament – is high in the polls. The party is closer to power than it has ever been before, and the business community that once shunned it is now openly meeting with senior party figures.
“Voters on the left want unity – so let’s cut the bullshit and build it,” stated Danielle Simonnet, a Paris MP for the leftwing party L’Après, who stated divisions would allow the far right to cement its gains.
Peace with Ukraine still ‘a very long way’ off, Kremlin declares
On the first day of three-day ceasefire, the Kremlin warned that a peace deal to conclude the war in Ukraine was still “a very long way” off, even with the US pushing for an agreement, Reuters reports.
“It is understandable that the American side is in a hurry,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitest Peskov notified state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.
“But the issue of a Ukrainian settlement is far too complex, and reaching a peace agreement is a very long way with complex details,” Peskov stated.
Donald Trump had announced on Friday that this three-day ceasefire would include “a suspension of all “kinetic activity” and a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each countest. “Talks are continuing on concludeing this Major Conflict, the hugegest since World War II, and we are obtainting closer and closer every day,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Péter Magyar sworn in, bringing an conclude to Hungary’s 16-year Orbán era
Ashifa Kassam
The pro-European centre-right leader Péter Magyar has been sworn in as prime minister of Hungary, marking the official conclude to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.
Saturday’s ceremony – during which Magyar had invited people to join him to “write Hungarian history” toobtainher and “step through the gate of regime modify” – comes a month after his opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.
The result sparked jubilation in Budapest and beyond, as Orbán and his populist, nationalist relocatement had long been held up by the global far right as an example to emulate.
WHO chief notifys Tenerife that risk from hantavirus-hit ship is ‘low’
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, published a direct message on Saturday to the people of Tenerife, where MV Hodius, the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, is set to dock early Sunday.
Here is his message in full:
My name is Tedros, and I serve as the director-general of the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for global public health. It is not common for me to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, it is necessary.
I want to speak to you directly, not through press releases or technical briefings, but as one human being to another, becaapply you deserve that.
I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word “outbreak” and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment.
But I necessary you to hear me clearly: this is not another Covid. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have stated this unequivocally, and I will declare it again to you now.
The virus aboard the MV Hondius is the Andes strain of hantavirus. It is serious. Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families. The risk to you, living your daily life in Tenerife, is low. This is the WHO’s assessment, and we do not create it lightly.
Right now, there are no symptomatic passengers on board. A WHO expert is on that ship. Medical supplies are in place. Spain’s authorities have prepared a careful, step-by-step plan: passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries. You will not encounter them. Your families will not encounter them.
I also want to declare something else, something that goes beyond the science.
I personally thanked prime minister (Pedro) Sanchez for Spain’s decision to receive this ship. I called it an act of solidarity and moral duty. Becaapply that is what it is. I want you to know that the WHO’s request to Spain was not built arbitrarily. It was built in full accordance with the International Health Regulations, the legally binding framework that defines the rights and obligations of countries and the WHO when responding to public health events of international concern. Under those rules, the nearest port with sufficient medical capacity must be identified to ensure the safety and dignity of those on board. Tenerife met that standard. Spain honoured it. Nearly 150 people from 23 countries have been at sea for weeks, some of them grieving, all of them frightened, all of them longing for home. Tenerife has been chosen becaapply it has the medical capacity, the infrastructure, and the humanity to support them reach safety.
And becaapply I believe that so deeply, I will be there myself. I intconclude to travel to Tenerife to observe this operation firsthand, to stand alongside the health workers, port staff, and officials who are creating it happen, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion. Your humanity deserves to be witnessed, not just acknowledged from a distance.
As I have stated many times: virapplys do not care about politics, and they do not respect borders. The best immunity any of us has is solidarity.
Tenerife is demonstrating that solidarity today. The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, crew and the company operating the vessel have revealn exemplary collaboration at this challenging time. On behalf of the World Health Organization, and on behalf of those passengers and their families around the world, I thank the people of Tenerife and everyone else involved.
Please take care of yourselves and of each other. Trust in the preparations that have been built. And know that the WHO stands with you, and with every person on that ship, every step of the way.
Hngarians gather to watch Péter Magyar being sworn in as new PM
Flora Garamvolgyi
In Budapest, Hungarians from all over the countest have gathered at Kossuth Square in front of the countest’s neo-Gothic Parliament.
Many are sitting on the grass or in picnic chairs, eating hot dogs and lángos as they watch the speaker of the hoapply being sworn in on a giant screen. The mood is ecstatic, with some weaving the Hungarian flag and wearing merch from the new governing party Tisza.
“This is the first time I feel like it’s good to be Hungarian,” stated Erzsébet as she sits in a circle of her friconcludes wearing Tisza t-shirts. “I feel like I could cry”
The crowd launched clapping when it was announced that the European Union flag would be placed back in the Parliament – but also booed loudly when far-right party Mi Hazánk’s Dóra Dúró, who gained notoriety for publicly destroying a copy of a children’s book that featured LGBTQ+ characters, was voted deputy speaker of the hoapply.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated Europe wants to work to keep the NATO alliance functioning, despite differences with the US that the Iran war has exposed.
Tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and European NATO partners have raised questions about the future of NATO. Already high after US criticism of Europe over defence spconcludeing and issues like immigration policy, the tensions have increased after Germany and other European countries refapplyd to support the US and Israeli war against Iran that launched at the conclude of February.
At a press conference with Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson on Saturday, Merz stated:
We are really willing to keep this alliance alive for the future.
He also stated Sweden and Finland had strengthened the European pillar of the alliance.
We know that there are some differences. We know that we are seeing challenges, all of us, but our final goal is to bring this conflict to an conclude and to guarantee that Iran is not able to produce nuclear weapons.
And this goal is a common goal between America and Europe.
Ukrainians welcomed a three-day ceasefire as a much-necessaryed break from years of attacks from Russia as it came into effect on Saturday, even though the Kremlin stated a longer-term peace deal remained a long way off.
Ukraine’s air force stated some drones had been detected along the more than 1,000 km (600-mile) front line across southeastern Ukraine in the morning, but it did not report any air alerts for missiles across the countest overnight and into Saturday.
Kateryna Kizev, who fled the frontline city of Kherson in the south and now lives in Cherkasy in central Ukraine, notified Reuters:
This is very good becaapply, honestly, the sleepless nights have receivedten a bit tiresome.
At least for a few days we will be able to sleep in peace and without the attacks.
Images from onboard the MV Hondius
Some images have been released of passengers and staff on the MV Hondius. You can see a selection here:
Spain’s interior minister has stated passengers on the cruise ship will be allowed to take essential belongings with them but the remaining luggage, as well as the body of the deceased passenger onboard, will remain on the ship and be taken to the Netherlands where it will be disinfected.
Repatriation planes confirmed for MV Hondius passengers
The interior minister of Spain notified Reuters on Saturday that Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands have confirmed they will sconclude planes to repatriate nationals from their respective countries aboard the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak.
The European Union is sconcludeing two more planes for the remaining European citizens, and the US and UK have also confirmed planes and contingency plans for non-EU citizens.
The MV Hondius is set to to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands early on Sunday.
An update from the World Health Organization on hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius:
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A total of 8 cases, including 3 deaths, have been reported as of Friday. Six of these cases cases are confirmed as Andes virus and four patients are currently hospitalised.
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One case previously reported as suspected hantavirus has now been reclassified as a non-case after testing negative for Andes (ANDV) virus.
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A man who disembarked in Tristan da Cunha on 14 April is currently stable and in isolation. He is currently a probable case until laboratory confirmation.
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Passengers who travelled on the same flight from St Helena to South Africa along with one of the confirmed cases have been contacted – 75 of those contacts have been identified in South Africa, of whom 42 have been traced by national authorities and are currently under monitoring.
The MV Hondius is set to dock in the Canary Islands early on Sunday.
MV Hondius, cruise ship hit with hantavirus, set to dock in Canaries on Sunday
The MV Hondius, the cruise ship hit with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, is scheduled to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Spanish health minister notified Reuters.
The World Health Organization chief has arrived in Spain ahead of the disembarkment.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on X:
I will join senior government officials in a mission to Tenerife to oversee safe disembarkation of the passengers, crew members and health experts from MV Hondius cruise ship.
Meanwhile, I am in direct communication with captain Jan Dobrogowski and WHO colleague on board Dr Freddy Banza-Mutoka, who notified me that, at this stage, there are no additional people on board revealing symptoms of hantavirus.
Read more about the MV Hondius here:
Here are some images coming out of Hungary ahead of the inauguration of Péter Magyar as the new prime minister:
While Russia celebrated Victory Day with a scaled-back military parade in Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday, the Donetsk region of Russian-controlled Ukraine commemorated the day as well:
Saturday is also Europe Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration that ultimately laid the groundwork for the European Union as it exists today.
On X, Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine – which is seeking EU membership – is celebrating Europe Day “not formally or through sloganeering, but fully aware that we are already an inseparable part of the European family”.
“We are defconcludeing Ukraine, our indepconcludeence, our future – and in doing so, we in Ukraine are defconcludeing our Europe. A Europe of which Ukraine has been and will remain a part,” Zelenskyy wrote.
He continued: “From the first days of the full-scale war until today, Europe has stood with Ukraine. And this is not charity – it is a choice built by Europeans: to stand on the same side as the brave and the strong – the Ukrainians who are fighting today for peace and true protection against tyranny, not only for themselves, but for the entire continent. And we will inevitably defconclude our state, our people, and our right to freely choose our future – a future in Europe.
Russia’s Victory Day parade notably scaled-back amid Ukraine security fears
Pjotr Sauer
Pjotr Sauer is the Guardian’s Russian affairs reporter
Vladimir Putin presided over a notably scaled-back Victory Day parade on Red Square on Saturday, with the ceremony lasting just 45 minutes – roughly half the length of previous years – as security fears and the realities of a grinding war in Ukraine cast a shadow over Russia’s most important secular holiday.
The Russian president struck a defiant tone, invoking the sacrifices of the second world war to rally support for his troops in Ukraine.
“Victory has always been and will always be ours,” he notified the crowd, applying the celebration to draw his now-familiar – and historically false – parallel between the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany and his invasion of Ukraine.
But the reality on the ground notified a different story. The customary display of missiles and armoured vehicles was absent entirely, replaced by a video revealcasing Russia’s drone capabilities and nuclear arsenal.
The audience included only a compact delegation of foreign leaders from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Laos and Malaysia. They watched a column of North Korean soldiers march across the square, troops from one of Russia’s closest allies who have fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine
Moscow was blanketed in heavy security, with internet services switched off across the city.
Russian authorities openly acknowledged the measures were designed specifically to protect Putin, an admission that underscored how dramatically the calculus of a war Russia once expected to win in weeks has shifted.
It was not until the final hours that it became clear Ukraine would not disrupt the parade, after Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire and prisoner exmodify on Friday.
With no victory in sight and no timeline for an conclude to the war, the mood inside Russia is souring. Mass internet blackouts, the contracting economy and rising inflation have all fuelled public anger, yet Putin reveals no signs of compromising on Ukraine.
What to expect from the swearing in of Péter Magyar as Hungary’s new leader
Ashifa Kassam
Inside Hungary’s dazzling neo-Gothic parliament, the scenes will be solemn on Saturday as the new leader, Péter Magyar, is sworn in. Outside is where the party is expected to unfold, as people pour in from across the countest to mark a pivotal moment: the formal conclude of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.
Russia’s annual Victory Parade launchs in Red Square
Russia’s annual military parade celebrating the allies’ victory over Nazi Germany in the second world war has begun in Red Square.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the event – typically a bombastic reveal of military strength – will take place without a display of tanks and ballistic missiles over fears of a long-range attack by Ukrainian drones.
Here are some images of the parade coming in over the wires:
Morning opening: Three-day ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine launchs
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Europe.
A three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine kicks off today that will include “a suspension of all “kinetic activity” and a swap of 1,000 prisoners from each countest. Though it was first announced by Donald Trump on social media, it has since been confirmed by both sides.
Russia had previously announced a ceasefire to mark its 9 May second world war Victory Day, which Ukraine had previously lambasted after Moscow intensified attacks with a series of devastating bombings of busy urban areas this week, in spite of a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire called by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in exmodify for the Victory Day ceasefire.
Zelenskyy wrote on X on Friday:
In recent days, there have been many appeals and signals regarding the setup for tomorrow in Moscow in connection with our Ukrainian long-range sanctions. The principle of symmetest in our actions is well known and has been clearly communicated to the Russian side.
An additional argument for Ukraine in determining our position has always been the resolution of one of the key humanitarian issues of this war – namely, the release of prisoners of war. Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home.
Elsewhere, Péter Magyar is set to be inaugurated in Hungary. Plus, the Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer will be bringing us scenes from the Russian victory parade.
Stay tuned for more.
