British passengers are now preparing to be flown home to isolate at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral

Passengers are being removed from a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak this morning, as the MV Hondius has docked in Tenerife.

British nationals aboard are now making preparations to be transported home for isolation at the UK’s original Covid quarantine location. The MV Hondius reached Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spain commencing evacuations of the vessel organised by nationality.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed British passengers will be relocated to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, following their repatriation to the UK via a chartered flight. Representatives from the UKHSA and Foreign Office were scheduled to meet the MV Hondius upon its arrival in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, with British nationals aboard undergoing hantavirus testing prior to disembarkation.

Should individuals test negative and show no symptoms, they will be transported directly to a chartered repatriation flight staffed by medical professionals and equipped with personal protective equipment including face masks.

In a social media statement on Sunday morning, World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated: “The disembarkment of the first group of MV Hondius passengers has started. WHO experts on the ground are working with the Spanish Health Ministry on the epidemiological assessment of the passengers and coordinating charter flights with the Interior Ministry.” Upon their arrival back in the UK, passengers will be accommodated in a dedicated facility at the Arrowe Park site, separated from the hospital’s main public zones, where they will undergo medical evaluations and screening as a safety precaution. The site previously served as the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site, with blue tarped fences surrounding accommodation blocks being installed on Sunday morning, reports the Irish Mirror.

Emergency authorities across the North West region indicated passengers would remain in the “managed setting” for as long as 72 hours. They confirmed the NHS Trust and hospital continues “operating as normal” with no danger posed to patients, visitors or staff, emphasising that “people should continue to come forward for care as usual”.

After completing their isolation period, public health experts will determine whether individuals can self-isolate at their own residences or at alternative appropriate venues depending on their domestic circumstances. British nationals returning home will remain in self-isolation for 45 days and will be prohibited from using public transport to reach their destinations.

The WHO confirmed on Saturday that no passengers aboard the MV Hondius were displaying symptoms, while the UKHSA maintained the threat to the public “remains very low”. The UN health body reported six confirmed hantavirus infections associated with the MV Hondius, with four patients presently receiving hospital treatment.

The health body confirmed that a total of eight cases, including three fatalities, had been documented – with one previously suspected case being reclassified following a negative hantavirus test. The UKHSA stated that three British citizens are amongst the eight cases – two involving confirmed hantavirus and a third suspected case.

The two confirmed British cases are receiving hospital treatment in South Africa and the Netherlands, while the third British citizen with a suspected case is receiving support on the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha, where they reside.

Six paratroopers, alongside an RAF consultant and Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade, were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, with oxygen supplies and medical aid also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is typically accessible only by sea.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed this marked the first occasion that medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.

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He added: “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.”

Lucius Books has moved into its new store at 70 Micklegate.

The specialist traders have been a staple of York since 2004 and began a restoration project to transform the shop – once home to Ken Spelman Booksellers – three years ago.

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The company, which started trading in rare works in 1993, has steadily grown over the years and opened a larger premises at 144 Micklegate in January 2019.

The book company has settled into the historic four-storey building dating back to the 1500s (Image: Newsquest)

The man behind it, James Hallgate, told The Press in January 2026 that the store’s Grade II* listed building, originally built around 1500, had needed extensive work.

He said: “The roof and guttering needed replacing. There was little in the way of modern conveniences such as heating, and the building needed completely rewiring.

“We were able to return several aspects of the building to the original layout, for example uncovering the original cellar stairs.

“Then it was a case of bringing the building up to modern standards of efficiency, in an environmentally conscious manner that respects its history.”

The store features books and art spread across two floors. The historic building, once home to Ken Spelman Booksellers, took three years (Image: Newsquest)

The original stairs down to the building’s cellar are a prominent feature in the bookshop, with visitors able to look at the piece of history below their feet through a viewing glass set in the floor.

The shop’s bespoke shelving is filled with hundreds of one-of-a-kind, antiquarian books, which have been individually selected and catalogued by a member of James’s team.

Speaking about this, James said: “Building a large stock book by book is a labour of love, and some books are in our hands only for a matter of hours before they are off to a new home.”

Hundreds of years old, the stairs to the buildings cellar are a feature in the store, visible by a floor viewing glass (Image: Newsquest)

James first started dealing in rare books aged 16 after attending book fairs with his father.

After more than three decades building his collection, James has grown Lucius Books into one of the most prominent dealers of rare books and manuscripts in the north.

He is an elected member of council for the Antiquarian Booksellers Association and chair of its standards committee.

He also runs two of the largest book fairs in the UK and is a faculty member of the York Antiquarian Book Seminar.

For more on James and Lucius Books, please visit here.

Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola is one of the leading candidates to replace Ruben Amorim permanently if Michael Carrick does not get the job

Andoni Iraola insisted he is in no rush to take his next job after Bournemouth beat Fulham to keep their hopes of European football alive. Iraola has been heavily linked to the Manchester United position, and it is understood he is one of the frontrunners should Michael Carrick not take the job.

Carrick was appointed interim boss in January after Ruben Amorim’s explosive press conference following the draw at Leeds. His return was initially seen as temporary so as to steady the ship and allow Ineos time to conduct a ‘thorough’ managerial search. However, his tenure has been superb.

United have only lost twice since, and confirmed Champions League football last weekend with a win over Liverpool. On Thursday, Carrick insisted he was calm about the uncertainty surrounding his long-term future. Instead, he has focussed on the here and now as he looks to push United to a top three finish.

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Big name candidates such as Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Luis Enrique are seen as unattainable this summer. Iraola, who has confirmed he is leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, is seen as the best option aside from keeping Carrick. Following Saturday’s game, the 43-year-old refused to comment on other jobs.

“I’m in no rush,” Iraola responded. “I will not talk about my future. I’m fully focused on trying to finish this season with a reward, something tangible for the [Bournemouth] players and supporters.” He added: “It was not an easy decision [to leave] but once it is made you feel relief.

“I feel we have used it in a positive way. Since that day, we’ve had great results but also the mood.

“Everyone is clear, the relationship is so clean and honest. Okay, this is going to happen, next season Marco Rose will be our manager.

“Everyone knows what’s happening. We are in good place and can use this in a positive way.”

United drew both matches against Bournemouth this season. The first was a classic 4-4 draw at Old Trafford before recently holding on to take a point off the Cherries with ten men.

Moreover, those who voted for Reform and the Greens have now seen that a vote for their parties can in fact result in them winning seats. With just a handful of results yet to be declared, the joint tally of council seats won by Reform and the Greens stands at 2,063, almost 200 more than the total of 1,864 won jointly by the Conservatives and Labour. Meanwhile, Britain’s traditional third party, the Liberal Democrats, have won 842 local council seats too.

When reports emerged that hundreds of people had been killed in an attack on a primary school in southern Iran, a small team of investigators rushed to social media.

It was the first day of the joint US-Israeli strikes, and misinformation began to spread online. Restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities made it dangerous for people who witnessed the strike to speak out.

That left the Human Rights Watch’s digital investigation team with the critical task of uncovering the facts and establishing the truth surrounding the attack.

The team of eight, which investigates war crimes worldwide, immediately got to work, painstakingly analysing every piece of digital evidence to reconstruct the events of what has been one of the deadliest incidents in the ongoing war in the Middle East.

From their offices in London, Berlin, Geneva, and California, they scoured social media for any footage or information they could find.

Over the next week, they spent hours verifying and analysing scores of videos and photographs recorded immediately after the strike or during search-and-rescue operations, as well as from funerals.

Satellite images from the past 25 years were reviewed by the team and compared to those captured following the attack. They showed both the site and the nearby cemetery where victims were apparently buried.

They revealed that at least eight structures across the compound had been directly struck by munitions, including at least one that had been hit and severely damaged the school.

Sophia Jones, who is part of the team, said: “A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday.”

A report was published a week later, which called for the US and Israel to immediately assess their responsibility and prosecute anyone responsible for war crimes.

What is the digital investigations lab?

The case is one of many for the team, whose work ranges from tracking down suspected criminals to analysing immigrant deportation patterns, using technology to investigate conflict violations and human rights abuses worldwide.

Dubbed the team’s digital investigations lab, the team uses social media, artificial intelligence, and satellite imagery to identify and hold perpetrators to account by documenting crimes and abuses.

Their work spans protests in Europe and conflicts in the Middle East to deaths in custody in El Salvador, as well as violence in countries including Burkina Faso, Sudan, and Myanmar.

​The team was established a decade ago and investigations can take anywhere from days to years. Their findings are published reports, which expose wrongdoing and aim to put pressure on governments and policymakers to act.

Sam Dubberley, who directs the organisation’s technology, rights and investigations division, said the work is essential at a time of rapid misinformation.

​“It’s definitely becoming a much faster space where human rights defenders are under a lot more pressure than they ever used to be,” he told The Independent.

​How are they using technology?

The team is constantly across social media platforms, hunting for photos, videos, or audio of attacks, which they verify and fact-check.

​They investigate military units, alleged perpetrators, or victims to determine who they are, what they have posted online, and whether there is evidence they were involved in a crime.

​“People post videos that you think they never would, often in spaces where they think it’s not so public, like smaller Telegram groups,” Mr Dubberley explained.

​One of their main tools is satellite imagery analysis, which is used to track the destruction of villages or sites. They painstrakingly reconstruct areas of attacks using 3D models to provide clear evidence of the before-and-after effects.

​Artificial Intelligence is an essential part of their operations, helping them gather data from foreign government websites or mine data sets for patterns in arrest rates.

​Earlier this month, they published a two-year-long report into civilian killings in Burkina Faso. The team used AI to uncover essential information and analyse nearly 40,000 posts, which exposed the activities of perpetrators at a scale that would have been impossible to cover otherwise.

​Where are they working?

Digital tools have made it possible for the team to investigate alleged crimes everywhere, including in countries where they can’t enter, such as Russia, Iran, or Myanmar.

Mr Dubberley said: “Technology allows us to look over those walls that are being built, even in places like China. Looking over the Great Firewall, it’s very hard, it’s very difficult, it requires brave people, but it’s possible.”

Iran’s internet blackout has made it difficult for them to obtain and verify information, but they are still able to reach sources via WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media. “People know technology is key for them to have their stories told,” Mr Dubberley added.

“We know that capturing their stories and verifying them is a really important way for us to do our work, and for us to achieve accountability and prevention.

​“It’s important, of course, to investigate what’s going on in the Middle East right now. It’s important to investigate what’s going on in Ukraine, and we do that.

​“But it’s also really important to make sure that we have the resources to investigate situations that are forgotten.”

What have they achieved?

One of their biggest achievements, Mr Dubberley said, was a 2023 report that found that Saudi border guards had killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between 2022 and 2023.

The organisation was able to map the route used to cross the border thanks to geospatial and open-source researchers from the digital investigations team, who verified videos and images recorded by migrants and border residents.

Analysis of satellite imagery allowed them to assess the development of security infrastructure on the border and identify burial sites near migrant camps, which had grown considerably.

Following the report, the German Justice Ministry suspended its training programme for Saudi Arabian border guards.

“We got so many media hits, that was part of the strategy, to embarrass Saudi Arabia as much as anything else, to see if we could get the killings to at least slow down, and for a while at least, they did,” Mr Dubberley concluded.

While there are many exciting names said to be in the running to land one of two vacant host roles on Strictly Come Dancing, one surprise contender is now being touted as a favourite.

Comedian Josh Widdicombe is reportedly now ‘a strong contender’ for the job, following long-time presenting duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s decision to step down at the end of the last series.

Recent weeks have seen names like Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, Alex Jones, Bradley Walsh, Alison Hammond and last series’ breakout star La Voix in the mix, following recent ‘secret auditions’.

This past week, Zoe Ball – former finalist and It Takes Two host – and past contestant Angela Scanlon emerged from the pack and had fans convinced they would be announced as the new duo.

But now 43-year-old Josh could have changed all that, with a decision on the new presenters said to be ‘imminent’.

A source told The Sun of his audition: ‘Josh blew the producers away with his dead-pan, witty banter. He is family friendly, having helmed several shows now, and loves Strictly.’

Bosses are thought to believe he would be ‘ideal to take the show into a new era’, especially following the scandals that have rocked Strictly in recent years.

If picked, he would be the first male host since Sir Bruce Forsyth fronted the show for its renewal from 2004 to 2013, alongside Tess.

Josh also competed in the 2024 Christmas special with pro partner Karen Hauer.

‘After years as a stand-up, he can handle a live audience and is razor-sharp,’ the insider added.

‘He’s not a household name, yet, and so to step into Brucie’s shoes would be a stellar move for his career.’

Josh and Karen performed a festive themed Charleston as penguins to Let it Snow.

At the time of his announcement, The Last Leg team captain quipped: ‘I am utterly terrified this will end in humiliation and worried I’m going to be so bad I will ruin Christmas for the nation. Why have I done this?’

However, he went on to deliver a charming and fun performance which was a real crowd-pleaser.

Metro has contacted the BBC and reps for Josh Widdicombe for comment.

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A place in the EFL is at stake at Wembley for Boreham Wood and Rochdale today

Boreham Wood and Rochdale are set to go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium this weekend with a place in the Football League on the line.

After a gruelling National League season, the two sides meet in the play-off final.

Rochdale, who only narrowly missed out on automatic promotion after a dramatic final day clash with York City, will be looking to secure an immediate return to the EFL.

Meanwhile, Boreham Wood are aiming to reach the top four divisions for the first time in their history.

Here is everything you need to know about the clash.

What time is Boreham Wood v Rochdale kick-off?

The match between Boreham Wood and Rochdale kicks off at 3pm on Sunday, May 10. ^{The game is being played at Wembley Stadium.}

Is the game on TV? What about living streaming?

The match will be broadcast live. ^{In a shift for the National League, the final will be shown exclusively on DAZN.}

Viewers in the UK can access the match through the DAZN app on smart TVs, mobile devices, and games consoles. ^{For those with a Sky box, the DAZN channel (usually found on channel 429) will also carry the coverage.}

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What is the team news?

Boreham Wood are expected to rely on play-off hero Zak Brunt, who has scored winners in both the eliminator and semi-final. Leading scorer Matt Rush, who has 26 goals this season, will spearhead the attack.

Meanwhile, Rochdale have a clean bill of health following their semi-final victory over Scunthorpe. ^{Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, who is level with Rush on 26 goals for the season, remains their primary goal threat.}

What are the latest odds?

• Boreham Wood win: 19/5
• Draw: 5/2
• Rochdale win: 11/10

(Odds courtesy of SkyBet and correct at time of publishing. 18+ please gamble responsibly)