MV Hondius, with more than 140 passengers and crew on board, is headed to Spain’s Canary Islands and is expected to arrive at the island of Tenerife this morning

The head of the World Health Organization has delivered a message to reassure residents of the Spanish island where passengers of a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship are expected to be evacuated.

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, with more than 140 passengers and crew on board, is headed to Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, and is expected to arrive at the island of Tenerife this morning.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived Saturday at the island, where he, Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska planned to coordinate the disembarkation of passengers and some crew.

READ MORE: Steps scientists are taking to learn more about Hantavirus as fast as they canREAD MORE: Terrifying map shows Hantavirus spread as suspected cases confirmed across continents

“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,” Tedros said in a statement to the people of Tenerife.

“But I need you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” Tedros added.

WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions said nobody on the Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus.

Hantavirus can cause life-threatening illness. It usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus.

Some Tenerife residents say they don’t want the ship there

Some on Tenerife say they are worried. On board the cruise ship, some Spanish passengers have voiced concern about being stigmatized. “I tell you, I don’t like this very much,” said 69-year-old resident Simon Vidal. “Anyone can say what they want. Why did they have to bring a boat from another country here? Why not anywhere else, why bring it to the Canary Islands?”

Others said they empathized with the boat’s passengers, but were still concerned.

“The truth is that it is very worrying,” said 27-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Samantha Aguero. She added: “We feel a bit unsafe, we don’t feel as there are 100% security measures in place to welcome it. This is a virus after all and we have lived this during the pandemic. But we also need to have empathy.”

Passengers can take only limited belongings and will be isolated

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Garcia said passengers and some crew would disembark in Tenerife “under maximum safety conditions.”

The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms and won’t be taken off the ship until a flight is already in Tenerife waiting for them, Garcia said during a news conference in Madrid. There are currently people of more than 20 different nationalities on board.

Authorities are aiming to complete the evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday, the director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, Maria Van Kerkove, said in a briefing Saturday.

Both the U.S. and the U.K. have agreed to send planes to evacuate their citizens. Americans are to be quarantined at a medical center in Nebraska.

All Spanish passengers will be transferred to a medical facility and quarantined, Garcia said. Oceanwide has listed 13 Spanish passengers and one Spanish crew member on board.

Those disembarking will leave behind their luggage, Garcia said, and will be allowed to take only a small bag with essential items, a cellphone, charger and documentation. Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to the Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, the minister added.

This root vegetable could help lower your blood pressure naturally, according to a doctor and studies

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A specific red vegetable could help in lowering blood pressure, according to a doctor. Also referred to as hypertension, high blood pressure is a potentially dangerous condition thought to affect approximately one in three adults in the UK.

Having high blood pressure means your heart has to work significantly harder than it should to pump blood around your body. This puts extra strain on the heart, blood vessels and other organs over time.

If left untreated, it can result in serious complications, with high blood pressure linked to medical emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks. Diet is acknowledged as a major contributing factor to hypertension, with foods high in salt amongst the main culprits.

Salt causes the body to hold onto water, which in turn increases blood pressure. However, what we eat can also have the opposite effect.

In a video shared on social media platform TikTok, Doctor Suraj Kukadia highlighted several benefits of eating beetroot. Dr Kukadia, known online as Dr Sooj, said: “Are beetroots good for you?

“Beetroots are an excellent dietary nitrate, which has been proven to lower blood pressure both centrally and peripherally. On top of this, it can also help improve athletic performance.

“If you find the taste of beetroot a bit too earthy, you can also just mix it with a bit of apple or a bit of ginger and even mix it into fruit juices.”

What does the research indicate?

His guidance is backed by research exploring the effect of beetroot juice on blood pressure levels. In a study published in the journal Hypertension in 2015, scientists from Queen Mary University of London discovered that a 250ml glass of beetroot juice resulted in an average drop in blood pressure of around 8/4 mmHg.

Consequently, numerous participants in the study experienced their blood pressure returning to a healthy range. The researchers highlighted this was especially important, considering that every 2mmHg increase in blood pressure is thought to raise the risk of death from heart disease by seven per cent and stroke by 10 per cent.

The blood pressure-lowering qualities of beetroot were credited to the substantial concentration of dietary nitrates present in the vegetable. Other foods rich in nitrates include spinach, rhubarb, celery, lettuce and watercress.

In a university statement, lead study author Professor Amrita Ahluwalia explained: “Diseases of the heart and blood vessels – which can cause heart attacks and strokes – remain the biggest cause of death worldwide.

“However, unlike some other serious illnesses, we are fortunate in that we can make certain lifestyle changes which dramatically improve our heart and blood vessel health.

“This research has proven that a daily inorganic nitrate dose can be as effective as medical intervention in reducing blood pressure and the best part is we can get it from beetroot and other leafy green vegetables.”

A more recently published study arrived at a similar conclusion. A meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2022, reviewed seven existing studies and established that nitrates present in beetroot juice reduce systolic blood pressure, though not diastolic blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension.

NHS advice

To lower your blood pressure, the NHS recommends you:

• Have a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week
• Lose weight if you’re overweight
• Do not eat too much salt – avoid salty food or adding salt to your meals
• Do not drink too much alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 alcohol units a week on a regular basis
• Do not drink too much caffeine – drinks high in caffeine include coffee, tea and cola
• Do not smoke

If you are concerned about your blood pressure, you should speak to your GP.

Everyone gets stuck sometimes when playing video games, as a reader explains why he didn’t feel bad about seeking help while playing the award-wining Animal Well.

Usually I don’t like platform games. Teeth-clenching frustration when you miss a vital jump for the umpteenth time, head-scratching puzzles, simply rendered gaming worlds in two dimensions… Recently however, while searching for something to play with a subterranean theme, I happened upon a game that I’d never heard of before. Going by static screenshots alone Animal Well appeared a tad basic, but then I saw a video of the game in motion and I was sold.

Animal Well starts off showing you four flames and a glimpse of a frightening face, Exorcist style. These fleeting icons are clues, and the game is full of this kind of subtle signposting. You are a small blob that hatches inside a spectral labyrinth rendered in 8-bit retro style graphics.

While you explore the game’s pixelated maze various sound effects create a calming yet spooky atmosphere; the haunting call of a cuckoo and eerie echoes, the flapping wings of startled birds, and dripping water and splashes. Other audio cues are more ambitious. Some animals emit unique noises that were created, I believe, with the use of a synthesiser, with unfamiliar and often unnerving resonances. Off-kilter tones that help underline the fact that you’re inside a digital nature reserve teeming with irregularity.

Mostly everything wants to peck or maul you to death in Animal Well. Small blobs are at the bottom of the food chain. At least your jumping little explorer is waterproof. As you proceed through the game’s many caverns and chambers, negotiating ledges and pressing buttons, unlocking doors and discovering treasure chests, you’ll meet one or two animal friends.

There are giant muskrat things that have no concept of personal space, but they can serve as useful footstools. Ghost doves too are quite welcome, since these ultra responsive birds refuse to let you fall. In the main however, when the other creatures aren’t attempting blobicide they show cold indifference. You’re just a small blob who can’t do fighting. Why would the other inhabitants of Animal Well care?

Nothing that I’ve so far described is predefined. The official Animal Well website offers a loose description of the game with no specifics in regard to its wildlife. The majority of the 8-bit creatures that inhabit the map are recognisable anyway: rabbits, hedgehogs, storks, mice, kangaroos. Despite their real-world familiarity everything that roams the well does so in the margins of existence. You’re never quite sure if the beings that you encounter are living or dead.

Ghosts are definitely dead and you meet plenty of them in this game, floating and gliding about in various shapes and sizes. Firecrackers help to extinguish or ward off the ghosts. Firecrackers are one of the items that you’ll need to make good use of. Like everything else in this game, the items that you collect, where those items are, and what to do with them is never obvious.

One complaint you could have with Animal Well is its absolute lack of hand-holding. For instance, I was a good few hours into the game when I came across a staircase/ledge puzzle with two levers. By flipping the levers I could phase alternate steps/ledges in and out. I messed around for ages inside this one room, flipping levers then flipping them back because gaming lore implied that somewhere nearby lay the answer to my progression.

It turns out I needed an item that I hadn’t come close to finding yet. One of the game’s essential tools, the disc. When you throw the disc it rebounds between the room’s levers, phasing the steps/ledges of the staircase in and out, and this in turn allows you to climb up. Clever stuff but not remotely obvious. I guess without online resources you’d discover the answer eventually, by finding the disc and mucking about with its amusing physics.

During my initial playthrough I solved a fair portion of Animal Well’s puzzles myself. But for every eureka moment I sought out multiple instances of help. I never felt like I’d made my life too easy watching expert playthroughs however, because I still had to repeat all of those blob acrobatics myself.

Even when you know where to go and what to do, some parts of Animal Well demand superhuman reflexes. Access to trickier areas often requires patience, persistence and split-second timing.

The aforementioned experience might sound frustrating, but I can honestly say that Animal Well has never made me rage quit. Even if you’re temporarily stuck there’s so much to admire in this game. I particularly like how Animal Well plays with light. For example, the topography of some dark enclaves is revealed only in flashes. And the lantern, a tool you obtain late in the game, is also ultra cool. The way the lantern’s beam temporarily melts away walls of ghostly baddies is a beautifully rendered effect.

Since Animal Well revels in mystery and rewards experimentation it seems a shame to reveal any more about it. In summary perhaps what I can say is this…

Four flames. Five animal bosses. You are an insignificant blob. Within this eerie maze there are many other bigger, scarier things to remind you of your insignificance. Special items/tools are required to progress. The physics and operation of these tools is often very clever and cool. If you see an unexplored part of the map, you probably need to go there. Last of all, don’t mess with the ghost dog.

By reader Michael Veal (X/Twitter)

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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Saturday will start off cloudy and cool, with temperatures around 9°C to 10°C.

There is a small chance of light drizzle at times, but nothing significant.

The afternoon will see brighter conditions with sunny intervals, and temperatures will rise steadily to 15°C to 16°C by early evening.

Showers are expected to become increasingly likely from 8pm onwards, with light rain developing later in the evening and overnight.

Winds will strengthen slightly to around 10mph to 12mph.

Sunday will be cooler and breezier, but much drier after Saturday night’s rain.

The morning will be mostly overcast and chilly, with temperatures around 7°C to 8°C.

A moderate breeze near 10mph will make it feel cooler.

The afternoon will see gradual improvement with increasing sunny intervals, and temperatures will climb to 11°C to 12°C.

The evening will be clearer, with temperatures falling quickly after sunset towards 5°C to 7°C, with lighter winds.

The warmest period of the weekend will be Saturday late afternoon, while the wettest period will be Saturday night.

The brightest conditions are expected on Sunday afternoon and evening.

Police revisited the scene on Saturday night as part of an appeal for information

The PSNI have issued a renewed appeal backed by a reward of up to £20,000 for information on an attack at a police station.

Detectives investigating the attack at Dunmurry Police Station on April 25 have revisited the scene and carried out road stops two weeks on.

During the incident, a delivery driver was threatened by a masked gunman, with their vehicle hijacked, an improvised explosive device placed inside, and the driver ordered to drive to the police station. The device exploded at around 11.15pm.

READ MORE: Man arrested in Lurgan PSNI station attack charged with attempted murderREAD MORE: Man charged with five offences over Dunmurry police station attack

As part of a renewed appeal, the independent charity Crimestoppers are offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack.

Detective Inspector Campbell, from the Police Service’s Terrorism Investigation Unit, said: “Two weeks ago, on the night of Saturday 25 April, at around 10.45pm, a delivery driver was threatened by a masked gunman. This terrifying ordeal took place in the Summerhill area of Twinbrook.

“The driver’s vehicle was hijacked, an improvised explosive device placed inside, and the driver ordered to drive to Dunmurry Police Station. Here, at approximately 11.15pm, the device exploded.

“This cowardly and senseless attack, which could have claimed so many innocent lives, sent shockwaves across the community. The fact that local residents, including two babies, were being taken to safety by officers when the device exploded speaks volumes.”

The detective continued: “Earlier tonight, officers revisited the scene. We’ve been handing out appeal leaflets, and we’ve been speaking with pedestrians, drivers and passengers.

“I’m asking you to think, for just one minute, of the utter devastation that could have resulted. And I’m asking you to do the right thing. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem, please speak to us.

“I’m also keen to offer assurance that Crimestoppers, who are a charity and independent of the police, can be contacted with 100% anonymity. The charity is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information, received directly, that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack. With Crimestoppers, calls are never recorded, there’s no caller line display or 1471 facility.”

Contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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