As the world continues to monitor an outbreak of deadly hantavirus on a Dutch cruise ship off the West African coast, many on social media have wondered if the rare, rodent-borne illness could trigger the next global pandemic and reinstate Covid-era lockdowns.

Researchers are tracing passengers who were potentially exposed to the virus in Georgia, California, Arizona, Virginia and Texas and in other countries around the world.

But experts still say there is little reason to believe hantavirus – and even this rare strain – will spread widely.

“The key to transmission is shedding virus in the presymptomatic and asymptomatic phase,” Vincent Racaniello, Higgins Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University, told Newsweek Wednesday. “Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are very good at it. For hantavirus, the barrier is efficient human-to-human transmission,” he said.

Even on the vessel with nearly 200 passengers and crew, infections have only been seen in people with the closest contact, including as a married couple. Three people have died, including the couple, and three cases of hantavirus have been confirmed by laboratory testing since mid-March.

The ship is currently making its way to the Canary Islands, where it is expected to evacuate passengers, none of whom are showing symptoms of the virus, according to shipowner Oceanwide Expeditions.

Several passengers have already been medically evacuated and 30 guests disembarked the ship at St. Helena on April 24, including six of the ship’s 17 Americans.

Hantavirus is fatal in nearly four out of 10 people who are infected, with fever and dizziness typically seen within two months after contact with an infected rodent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the risk to the American public remains “extremely low,” the agency assured Wednesday.

That’s a sentiment echoed by the World Health Organization and its leaders, too.

“This is not the next Covid, but it is a serious infectious disease,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the organization’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”

A virus such Covid is much more easily transmissible through the air and can spread before symptoms start.

Whereas this strain of hantavirus, known as Andes virus, is usually limited to people who have close contact with the ill person – though there has been little research conducted on its spread.

It can also be spread for weeks after falling ill, but a previous outbreak in Argentina showed the window for transmitting Andes virus appears to just be about a day, Dr. Gustavo Palacios, a microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told CNN.

First detected in the U.S. in the early 1990s, the virus has had plenty of time to explode.

“If it were going to become an epidemic, it would have happened a long time ago,” Thomas Ksiazek, a virologist with extensive experience tracking emerging infectious diseases, also told Newsweek.

While experts are insistent that the next pandemic is not Andes virus, researchers have long warned it’s on the horizon.

The prospect of disease outbreaks will likely triple in the coming decades, with the probability of a pandemic similar to Covid sitting at about 2 percent in any year, researchers at Duke University’s Global Health Institute said in 2021.

“Is there another pandemic coming? Yes. When? Which pathogen? How severe will it be? No one can say for sure,” Yonatan Grad, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement in 2024.

“But the big demographic changes that are coming, due to climate change as well as economic and other factors, will alter the landscape and create new risks, both for new pathogens to emerge and for known pathogens to re-emerge,” he added.

The Foreign Office has warned British travellers that hantavirus is now a health concern in Argentina and it has added the virus to its travel advice for people heading to the nation in South America.

It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there are now five confirmed cases in the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise, which set sail from Argentina on 1 April. Three people have died either on board the vessel or after travelling on it.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said eight cases of the virus have been reported, with five confirmed and three suspected.

Although none of the passengers or crew currently on board are symptomatic, Dr Ghebreyesus warned more cases may be identified given the incubation period of the virus, which can be up to six weeks, but said the public health risk is low.

Additionally, four British nationals remain in overseas territory St Helena after disembarking the cruise on the tiny island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Seven British people got off the vessel there last month, before the hantavirus outbreak was announced, and two have returned to the UK to isolate, while the seventh individual has also been contacted and is not currently in the UK.

Record View says the new cohort of MSPs entering Holyrood must take concerns over teen violence seriously.

Kory McCrimmon was just 16 when he was stabbed to death in a dispute over £50 by a younger teenager in Glasgow’s east end.

The tragedy was followed by a series of horrific knife incidents involving young men in Scotland over the following year.

Two teenagers, 15-year-old Amen Teklay and 16-year-old Kayden Moy, died in street stabbings that shocked the country.

Now Kory’s best friend has spoken out in the Daily Record in the hope that no more lives will be lost.

He has singled out our political leaders, claiming young people of his generation have been “failed and forgotten”.

That should be a wake-up call to the new cohort of MSPs entering Holyrood after yesterday’s election.

To give credit where it is due, First Minister John Swinney has taken concerns over teen violence seriously.

He called an anti-violence summit after the Daily Record’s Our Kids… Our Future campaign highlighted growing concerns over knife crime and bullying –much of it filmed for online “likes”.

Swinney also met with bereaved parents of knife crime victims to hear first hand the devastating effects ofScotland’s blade culture. Whether he returns as FM is up to the voters.

But whoever has the keys to Bute House once the votes are counted today needs to make sure we don’t endure another summer of pointless knife-related deaths.

That means investment in community facilities to give young people ­alternatives to hanging about the streets.

But politicians can only do so much. Every parent can do their bit to tackle teen violence by getting involved in their community to help our young people.

Whether it’s supporting the local youth football team, helping out at local clubs or even just watching out for your kids and their pals, we can all do our bit.

If Scotland’s kids feel they are “failed and forgotten” let’s show them they are loved and respected instead.

Fantasy footie job

They say God loves a trier. So 10 out of 10 to John Walker for his bold attempt to land the best job in world.

The Tartan Army stalwart from Airdrie has applied for the role of Fifa’s World Cup Watcher. The tough gig involves sitting watching every single minute of the summer ­football festival in New York’s Times Square.

Best of luck to John – and we hope he lands the job of his dreams.

As for the rest of us, we may not become professional World Cup Watchers.

But we will be more than happy to do it for free.

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

“As you can see, we are scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas”

Nigel Farage is celebrating a ‘historic change’ in politics after Reform UK gains a swathe of council seats across the country after the 2026 local elections.

Thousands of seats across 136 councils were being contested, including a third of councillors are to be elected in Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Manchester, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. Elsewhere, six mayoral elections have taken place in England, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments have also been held.

As of around 3:30am on Friday, May 8, full results were in from 13 of the 136 councils. Reform UK had gained 103 seats, with Labour losing 80. The Conservatives had lost 11 seats, independents 22 and Your Party one, with the Greens gaining eight and the Liberal Democrats three.

Follow the M.E.N.’s local election coverage LIVE here

A jubilant Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told reporters at the party’s Millbank headquarters: “I think what you’re witnessing is an historic change in British politics. Forget left-right, there is no more left-right. It is gone, it is out of the window, it’s finished.

“As you can see, we are scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas. We’re currently averaging about 39% of the vote, of the seats that are in already, we’re currently on 145 seats won.

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“We are way exceeding anything that I thought.”

When speaking about his predictions later Friday, he said: “What you’ll see tomorrow is the same pattern repeated across the south when we win Essex by an extraordinary margin and Norfolk by an extraordinary margin.”

As Reform surged in early local election results, the party said on X: “It’s clear that Labour voters are switching directly to Reform. We are penetrating the red wall in a way the pollsters and experts simply didn’t predict.

“Britain wants Reform.”

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And Nigel Farage suggested his party was on course for a general election victory after Reform UK’s local election success. He compared the substantial gains to clearing Becher’s Brook, a famously difficult jump in the Grand National.

He said: “This for me was our Becher’s Brook. If we cleared Becher’s Brook and landed well, we go on to win the Grand National. What is very clear to me is that our voters will stick with us now all the way through.

“They are not lending their vote to Reform.”

In Greater Manchester, Reform won 13 seats of the 21 up for election on Salford City Council. Labour, which previously had 16 of the seats, held three. Three seats went to the Green Party, while one Conservative candidate and one independent were elected. The council remains under Labour control but the party now has 34 seats, rather than 47.

The Liberal Democrats secured Stockport Council, ending a no overall control deadlock which had remained in place since 2011. Responding to the Liberal Democrats taking Stockport council, which was previously under no overall control, a party spokesperson said: “This is a great result and shows that Liberal Democrat teams can win right across the country.

“Our hardworking local team has held off the rise of Reform – while others sought to sow division and chaos, we focused on the issues that matter.”

Labour lost 20 councillors in Wigan as Reform UK won all but one of the seats available. Although Labour retains control of the council, represented in Parliament by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, it does so with a much-reduced majority.

Reform won 24 seats on the authority, bringing its total to 25, with an Independent candidate picking up the remaining seat on offer. And the Conservatives lost their one remaining seat in Wigan.

Reaching all three finals almost happened last season, when Chelsea won the Conference League and Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final.

But the last English team left in the Champions League was Arsenal, who were beaten by eventual winners Paris St-Germain in the final four.

The Premier League has had at least three teams across the finals of the Champions League and Europa League before.

In 2021, Kai Havertz scored the only goal as Chelsea defeated Manchester City in an all-Premier League Champions League final, while Manchester United lost in the Europa League final.

And in 2019, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in the same week Chelsea defeated Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku.

Meanwhile, in 2006 English teams lost both finals – when Arsenal were beaten in the Champions League by Barcelona and Middlesbrough were thrashed 4-0 by Sevilla in the Uefa Cup.

But you have to go back more than 20 years from that point to find the previous season in which English clubs won two of the three available competitions.

In 1984, Liverpool claimed a fourth European Cup by defeating Roma, and Spurs defeated Anderlecht to win the the Uefa Cup for a second time.

Liverpool also won the European Cup in 1981 with a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in Paris, while Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town defeated AZ Alkmaar in the same year’s Uefa Cup final.

Jason Meade has become the second white law enforcement officer to be convicted of the killing of a Black man in Ohio since the 2020 killing of dad-to-five George Floyd

A police officer has been found guilty of reckless homicide after shooting a young man who was merely taking sandwiches to his grandmother’s house.

Jason Meade gunned Casey Goodson Jr six times — five times in the back and once in the side — having pursued him into the property after passing each other in their vehicles. It led to outrage during the five years since, and Mr Goodson’s family says they can only now start “finally start truly grieving”.

Meade, now 47, has become the second white law enforcement officer to be convicted of the killing of a Black man in Ohio since the 2020 killing of dad-to-five George Floyd. Mr Goodson’s killing happened just six months later, in December of that year, and Meade was later tried for murder. This case ended in a mistrial and Meade stood in the dock again this year at a court in Columbus, Ohio.

Meade, who is white, said his repeated shooting of Mr Goodson was justified because he saw the 23-year-old holding a gun and turning toward him in the doorway of the house in Columbus. No one else testified they saw Mr Goodson holding the gun he was licensed to carry, and no cameras recorded the shooting.

READ MORE: CCTV captures brazen killer calmly returning home after punching pensioner on night outREAD MORE: Death row inmate who believes he’s ‘immortal’ avoids execution at last minute

Mr Goodson was actually taking sandwiches to his nan. Meade had testified in the first trial that he pursued Mr Goodson after the man waved a gun at him as they passed each other in their vehicles. According to his family and prosecutors, Mr Goodson was holding a bag of Subway sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other, and was listening to music through earbuds when he was killed.

Tamala Payne, Mr Goodson’s mother, said the guilty verdict gives her family closure and peace. She told reporters outside the court: “I know now Casey can rest. You know, we’ve been fighting for five and a half years, and Casey sees his family fighting. He knows the stress. He knows the pain. He knows the heartache. And now, not only can we try to find peace and finally start truly grieving, my baby can rest.”

Meade, who retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021, did not take the stand at his second trial. His prosecutors said the evidence suggested the gun wasn’t in Mr Goodson’s hands, but in a flimsy holder under his belt. They added it was found under his body, its safety mechanism still engaged, as Mr Goodson laid mortally wounded on the kitchen floor of his grandmother’s house.

The defendant, also a Baptist pastor, will be sentenced on July 16. Ohio law defines murder as the purposeful causing of a death, while the lesser charge of reckless murder means the defendant acted recklessly in causing a death. The former is punishable by up to life in prison, while the latter carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Ofsted, the schools inspectorate in England, was the subject of a UK parliamentary inquiry after the death by suicide of Ruth Perry, headteacher of Caversham Primary school in Berkshire, in 2023. The coroner’s report had concluded that Perry’s death was “suicide, contributed to by an Ofsted inspection”.

The parliamentary inquiry called for submissions of evidence about Ofsted from members of the public. Our recent research has analysed the 233 published submissions, many of which were from teachers. One submission to the inquiry included an impact statement by a headteacher written in 2022. It read:

The manner in which the inspection was conducted and the lack of integrity from the Lead Inspector has meant that my family have had to support me through suicidal thoughts and through countless occasions of being in floods of tears as soon as I think back to that day.

“It seems incredible that an issue like the conduct of school inspection should be a life-and-death matter, but so indeed it has become,” the submission from her school stated.

Theory of suicide

Sociological theory helps us ask questions and seek radical answers about how societies function, including government policy such as the inspection of schools.

Sociologist Émile Durkheim’s theory of suicide argues that suicide does not only happen because of mental illness, but that it also has a social context. Durkheim examined how the interaction of people and social control, as well as notions of shame, guilt, failing expectations and feeling trapped, might result in someone having suicidal thoughts and feelings.

We found evidence of teachers feeling shame. One submission mentioned “the enormous shame and distress that is felt by those leading and working within the school”.

Teachers also reported feeling trapped:

In my last inspection in November 2019, I lost half a stone in the three days (starting from the phone call) and lost my voice. My family suffered, there were arguments and I slept on the couch. The stress and pressure was all too much. As a school leader, I live in fear and I came into education because I love teaching but now I feel trapped.

The risk of a less than good inspection was “petrifying”. Having to be always ready for an inspection was “intolerable”. The thought of letting colleagues down by making a mistake was “unbearable”.

Teachers wrote about ill health because of Ofsted experiences. These accounts included vomiting, physical collapse, panic attacks, incontinence and suspected stroke with a temporary loss of speech. One wrote that they had a miscarriage the day after a deeply stressful Ofsted inspection.

The government and Ofsted’s response

The Education Committee’s report noted that the committee had heard that “Ofsted has lost trust and credibility among many in the teaching profession.”

However, a number of reports on Ofsted’s practice, including the independent learning review commissioned by Ofsted, fail to acknowledge that teachers can have suicidal thoughts and feelings because of Ofsted.

Ofsted’s developments since the inquiry include introducing report cards for schools. Ofsted says this is fairer, but teachers say it creates more stress. An independent risk assessment warns that “the revised framework does not reduce the pressure on leaders to achieve a desirable outcome. The consequence of not meeting the expected standards of the revised framework will remain high stakes in nature.”

Other developments include changes regarding inspections of provision for children in care and inspection frameworks themselves.

But we do not believe that these changes constitute the “root and branch” review of Ofsted previously called for by education leaders.

Professor Julia Waters, Ruth Perry’s sister, has said that our study “presents the evidence of the terrible human cost posed by Ofsted inspections, evidence that Ofsted and successive governments have still not fully grasped”.

Both Ofsted and the government should review how the inspectorate works. Not to do so runs the risk of school inspections remaining a life-and-death matter.

If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, the following services can provide you with support:
In the UK and Ireland – call Samaritans UK at 116 123.
In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.
In Australia – call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.
In other countries – visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.

Bunny Shaw was coy when asked about her future amid speculation that she will leave Manchester City when her contract expires at the end of the season.

Shaw has enjoyed another prolific season in front of goal, scoring 19 goals in 21 games to help fire City to their first WSL title in a decade.

But despite scoring a remarkable 113 goals in 134 games for City since signing in 2021, the Jamaican international appears poised to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Guardian reported on Thursday that Shaw has failed to reach an agreement with City over a new deal and will seek a fresh challenge in the summer, with Chelsea among the frontrunners to sign the 29-year-old.

But asked about her future, Shaw kept her cards close to her chest, telling Metro: ‘For me, I have two more games at least. And then obviously, it depends on what happens with the game on the weekend [City’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea].

‘But for me, I just want to finish the season strong with Man City, and then we hope for the best and see what happens.’

Shaw’s goalscoring exploits saw her named Player of the Year at the 2026 Women’s Football Awards, capping off a whirlwind 24 hours that began with City being crowned WSL champions following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday.

‘It’s been a very interesting 24 hours from winning the league last night to being here winning this award tonight,’ Shaw said.

‘But it’s been a long time coming and it’s something that we wanted to get our hands on and to finally see it happen. It’s a good feeling.

‘We were all together as a team, coaches, staff, background staff, everyone. We were just sitting there watching the game, hoping for the best outcome and obviously we got it, so we’re all elated.’

Having finished fourth and 17 points behind champions Chelsea last season, City have been much improved this season, with Shaw keen to credit the freedom given to the team by manager Andree Jeglertz.

‘He came in and gave us a lot of freedom as a group,’ she noted. ‘It’s all about going out and expressing yourself, enjoying it.

‘If you lose the ball, which, you know, it’s football, it’s going to happen, just go and win it back and keep going and keep trying to have fun and express yourself.

‘And I think if you watch the way we play, we play with a lot of freedom and fluidity. We were able to put in very good performances each game without dropping points early on, and I think that definitely helped us towards the end of the season.’

And while keen to celebrate their league triumph, City still have plenty to play for this season as they seek to punch their ticket to the FA Cup final with a win over Chelsea this weekend.

‘We spoke about it [the domestic double],’ Shaw ended. ‘Definitely going to Wembley. I’ve only been to Wembley once and I really enjoyed it.

‘So I think playing Chelsea and beating them will definitely give us a good chance of going there. We’ve won the league now, so we can definitely put all our focus on that game, and we’re going to attack it and give everything we’ve got.’

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Philip Hayes, 54, died after a crash involving a Tesla on Preston Road at around 5.30am on Thursday, April 30.

His family have paid tribute in a statement.

Police on scene after crash in Coppull on April 30 (Image: Phil Taylor)

The family said: “Phil was the most beautiful father, husband and person.

“Whether it was his sarcastic jokes, his dedication to his dogs or his acts of kindness dropping off food for people or presents, nobody could say a bad word about him.

“Even if you only met him once or twice, he left an impact on you. And everyone who knew him has absolutely amazing memories with him that they will treasure always.”

The statement added that everyone is “devastated” about the news.

They said: “We have had people reach out from all over – those who may have gone to the pub with him, helped a new colleague settle into a job, or just used to see him on dog walks. Everyone is devastated.

“He did absolutely anything for his family, with gorgeous memories of holidays to Cornwall, Paris and Portugal, and even simpler times of watching tele and having a takeaway.

“We are absolutely crushed by the loss and still in complete shock. Such an amazing man has had his life ripped away from him so early due to the reckless and dangerous driving of one individual.

“Their actions have left a huge hole in all our hearts and lives that can never be replaced. No amount of justice will ever make up for the most gorgeous soul that has been taken from us.

Police on scene after crash in Coppull on April 30 (Image: Phil Taylor)

“Dad, hubby, mate, we will miss you each and every hour. You live on through your two sons and wife. Whenever we have a cream cake, look at a bottle of whiskey or see any geeky t-shirts, we will always think of you.

“Phil’s final resting place will be Cornwall for all the amazing times we had there. We hope you get rest and we can’t wait for when we get to see you again. We love you so much, and we really hope you knew just how much.”

READ MORE: Man, in 50s, dies after crash on Preston Road, Coppull

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail with conditions.

Lancashire Police are continuing to investigate the collision and are appealing for further information.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage from the area is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log 0170 of April 30.

Information can also be emailed to the serious collision investigation unit at SCIU@lancashire.police.uk.