International

Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 21:58 UTC
Spain agrees to receive hantavirus-hit cruise ship in Canary Islands following WHO request

The Spanish government on Tuesday night authorised the docking in the Canary Islands of the polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on which a hantavirus outbreak has already left three people dead, after Cape Verdean authorities denied it entry to their ports and following a formal request from the World Health Organization (WHO) that invoked Spain's “moral and legal obligation” to assist the 147 passengers and crew on board, including 14 Spanish citizens.
Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 18:10 UTC
Falkland House in London hosts an exhibition of ceramic work by Graham Bound

Graham Bound, who was born and raised in the Falkland Islands, is widely known as a journalist and writer. Among his achievements, he founded the weekly newspaper Penguin News and he has authored several books focusing on the 1982 war and the present-day Falklands, from the perspective of the Islanders.
Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 03:23 UTC
Cape Verde denies docking to hantavirus-hit cruise ship as WHO confirms seven cases

Cape Verde's health authorities on Monday denied permission to dock at the port of Praia to polar cruise ship MV Hondius, on board which the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven cases of hantavirus — two of them laboratory-verified — and three deaths linked to the voyage. The decision leaves the nearly 150 people remaining on board in prolonged isolation in Atlantic waters, while medical evacuations are coordinated for patients in the most serious condition and authorities evaluate the possibility of continuing the journey toward the Canary Islands, on Spanish territory.
Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 02:40 UTC
US destroys six Iranian boats while opening Strait of Hormuz to trade amid threatened ceasefire

US military forces on Monday destroyed six Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast boats and neutralised cruise missiles and drones launched against warships and commercial vessels during the first day of “Project Freedom,” the operation announced by President Donald Trump to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic. The two US destroyers that led the transit — the USS Truxtun and USS Mason — passed through the strait without being struck, despite what US Central Command described as a “sustained barrage” of Iranian threats.
Tuesday, May 5th 2026 - 01:34 UTC
Why the Falkland Islands are British

By Graham Pascoe - On April 24 it was reported in the Guardian and the Telegraph in London that President Trump has asked the Pentagon to “review Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands”, as a possible “punishment” for Britain’s unwillingness to support his war on Iran.
Monday, May 4th 2026 - 01:45 UTC
Three dead in hantavirus outbreak aboard polar cruise ship from Ushuaia bound for Cape Verde

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed three deaths on Sunday aboard the polar cruise ship MV Hondius from a hantavirus outbreak, a disease typically transmitted through rodents. The vessel, operated by the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, had set sail from the port of Ushuaia, in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, on March 20, bound for the port of Praia in Cape Verde, where its journey was scheduled to conclude on May 4.
Monday, May 4th 2026 - 01:08 UTC
Venezuelans rally in more than 120 cities worldwide demanding release of political prisoners

Dozens of cities in Venezuela and more than 120 gathering points around the world joined on Sunday a global day of mobilization called by Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado to demand the release of political prisoners and to bring international visibility to the country's human rights situation. The rallies took place simultaneously at noon Caracas time and included events across the Americas, Europe, and other regions with significant Venezuelan diaspora communities.
Friday, May 1st 2026 - 17:12 UTC
RAF chief calls Falklands defence 'non-negotiable' as Rubio plays down Pentagon memo

The head of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF), Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, said on Friday that the United Kingdom remains “on high alert and ready” to defend the Falklands “at a moment's notice,” in remarks published by The Times that reaffirm London's military stance on the archipelago following the leak of an internal Pentagon memorandum that considered reviewing US historic support for British sovereignty over the islands. Smyth stressed that the RAF's role in defending the territory was “non-negotiable,” a formulation that reflects the hardening of British military rhetoric in the latest phase of the diplomatic crisis.
Friday, May 1st 2026 - 07:44 UTC
Brent touches $126 amid US military plan for 'short and powerful' strikes on Iran

Brent crude touched $126.41 a barrel on Thursday, its highest level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after Axios reported that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) was preparing a military plan contemplating a wave of “short and powerful” strikes on Iranian infrastructure to force Tehran back to the negotiating table. The price subsequently moderated to close near $114, a decline partly attributed to the expiration of the June futures contract, but the European benchmark has gained more than 60% since the start of the war against Iran on February 28.
Friday, May 1st 2026 - 06:40 UTC
After 25 years of negotiation, the Mercosur-EU agreement takes effect this Friday

The association agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) enters provisionally into force on Friday May 1, after more than a quarter-century of negotiations, in what constitutes one of the world's most ambitious trade deals and the largest reciprocal opening ever finalised by the South American bloc. The final signing took place on January 17 in Asunción and, although final ratification by the European Court of Justice and subsequent approval by the European Parliament remain pending, provisional entry into force allows the immediate start of tariff reductions covering 95% of Mercosur products and 91% of EU products.