Simon Calder: Everything you need to know about the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
Two people who returned to the UK from the cruise ship that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak have been told to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency said.
The organisation added that “the risk to general public remains very low” after they returned from the MV Hondius.
It is now believed that a Dutch couple who visited a landfill during a bird-watching tour in Argentina may be the source of the outbreak.
Two Argentine officials said the government’s leading hypothesis was that the couple could have been exposed to rodents on the trip in Ushuaia.
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Eight suspected cases of hantavirus have now been linked to the boat, the World Health Organisation said, with five of the cases confirmed.
On Wednesday, three patients were medically evacuated from the boat to receive treatment in the Netherlands.
Spain’s health minister said that a British doctor who was evacuated from the boat is no longer in a critical condition.
Oceanwide, the cruise ship operator, said the planned destination for the ship was still the Canary Islands, despite its leader, Fernando Clavijo, blocking the vessel from docking in Tenerife.
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MV Hondius heading to Canary Islands after three people suspected of hantavirus infections evacuated
The cruise ship MV Hondius is now heading to the Canary Islands from Cape Verde after three people suspected of having hantavirus infections were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday.
The three passengers are from Britain, the Netherlands and Germany. Earlier reports said the British person was a doctor, but that now appears to be incorrect.
Two other British passengers had already left the ship earlier and are currently self-isolating at home after possible exposure.
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The ship is still heading to the Canary Islands with 145 people on board, all reportedly symptom-free according to the operator, Oceanwide Expeditions.
Spanish authorities say there is “no risk” to local residents, but the Canary Islands’ president says he is concerned and was not properly consulted.
Maroosha Muzaffar7 May 2026 04:25
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Passenger stuck on ship at centre of hantavirus outbreak says atmosphere ‘relatively good’
Passenger stuck on ship at centre of hantavirus outbreak says atmosphere ‘relatively good’
Harriette Boucher7 May 2026 04:00
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
Hantaviruses, which have been present for centuries, have a documented history of outbreaks across Asia and Europe.
In the Eastern Hemisphere, these viruses have been associated with severe conditions such as haemorrhagic fever and kidney failure.
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A distinct group of hantaviruses emerged in the early 1990s in the southwestern United States, leading to the acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Hantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing a risk of inhalation.
People are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning out enclosed spaces with little ventilation or going into areas where there are mouse droppings.
The WHO says that while rare, hantaviruses may spread between people.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region – the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
It was a doctor with the Indian Health Service who first noticed a pattern of deaths among young patients, said Michelle Harkins, a pulmonologist with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center who for years has been studying the disease and helping patients.
Most US cases are in Western states. New Mexico and Arizona are hotspots, Dr Harkins said, likely because the odds are greater for mouse-human encounters in rural areas.
Harriette Boucher7 May 2026 03:00
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Pictured: The MV Hondius cruise ship, where 150 passengers are isolated in their cabins
The MV Hondius cruise ship is heading to Tenerife (Misper Apawu/AP) (AP)
(AFP/Getty)
Harriette Boucher7 May 2026 02:00
Airline says Dutch national who died from hantavirus was briefly on board aircraft
Dutch airline KLM has confirmed that a Dutch passenger who died from hantavirus was briefly on board one of its aircraft in Johannesburg.
The airline’s crew decided to not allow the passenger to travel on the flight due to their medical condition.
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The flight concerned was KL592, which departed Johannesburg for Amsterdam on 25 April.
In a statement, the airline said: “Yesterday evening, the Dutch public health authority RIVM informed KLM that one of the Dutch nationals who died from hantavirus had briefly been on board a KLM aircraft in Johannesburg on April 25, 2026.
“Due to the passenger’s medical condition at the time, the crew decided not to allow the passenger to travel on the flight. The passenger sadly later passed away in Johannesburg. KLM extends its condolences to the next of kin and wishes them much strength during this difficult time.”
Harriette Bouche7 May 2026 01:00
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US travel blogger comes to defence of hantavirus-struck cruise ship and says vessel is clean with strong biosecurity
Travel blogger Jake Rosmarin has been documenting his time aboard the illness-stricken ship, telling The Independent in a statement that aside from the two confirmed cases, the other passengers on board are “doing well” and remain “in good spirits”.
Mr Rosmarin noted that the MV Hondius is an expedition vessel, not an average cruise ship, and is held to a higher standard of cleanliness due to the types of trips it takes
“These ships operate with strict protocols and a strong emphasis on cleanliness, especially given the remote and environmentally sensitive regions they visit, which require high levels of biosecurity,” he said.
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“The vessel is maintained to a very high standard, and suggestions that it is unclear are not accurate,” he added.
Harriette Boucher7 May 2026 00:00
Why the Andes virus is a concerning member of the hantavirus family
The word hantavirus refers to a broad family of viruses, with different versions in different countries.
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Almost none of them have been found to spread from person to person — with the possible exception of the Andes virus, which has been confirmed in the current outbreak.
Still, transmission between people does not happen easily, and would require “close and prolonged” contact, according to the World Health Organisation.
“We haven’t had huge person-to-person spreads of hantavirus infection ever before, and there’s no reason to suspect a huge outbreak from this case at this point,” said Steven Bradfute, an associate professor and associate director of the Center for Global Health at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which specialises in hantavirus research.
South African tests first confirmed the Andes virus when health authorities said they identified the strain of hantavirus in two passengers who were on the ship.
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WHO said the Andes virus is found in South America, primarily in Argentina and Chile.
Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 23:40
Up to eight weeks of isolation needed for hantavirus exposure
The UKHSA has said up to eight weeks of isolation could be needed after exposure to the hantavirus.
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A spokesperson said this was the “most cautious scenario” and the public health body would be monitoring exposed passengers “very closely” over the coming days and weeks.
“Most cases of hantavirus, we think, are transmitted within the first few weeks, but up to eight is the figure we are working with,” the spokesperson said in a video shared by Sky News.
“We are working on the most cautious scenario, which is the potential eight week isolation. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be monitoring these people very closely and we may be able to adjust that as time goes on.
“We are going to see how the data derives in the coming days. As you would expect, we are going to treat everything with the utmost caution.”
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Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 23:30
Passenger who was on MV Hondius was ‘shocked’ to hear of virus outbreak
A passenger on board the MV Hondius has said it was “shocking” to learn of the outbreak on the vessel.
Ruhi Cenet was on the ship for 24 of the 36 days of the cruise and left after the first person had died.
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He told Sky News: “We were on board with these people for 24 days straight. We had relationships.
“I knew these people, I’m very sad that they’re going through this human crisis, I just wish them to get well.”
He said they were told on 12 April that a passenger had passed away due to “natural causes”, which he said was a “relaxing explanation”, but turned out to not be true.
With the World Health Organisation’s involvement, he said he was noe “hopeful” for the passengers on board.
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Harriette Boucher6 May 2026 23:10
Two of three evacuated patients in hospital, while third experiencing delays
Two medicalised aircraft, carrying two of the three individuals transferred from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship earlier today has landed in the Netherlands and the passengers have been taken to the hospital.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise ship operator, said a second aircraft carrying the third individual was experiencing a delay, but the individual on board remained in a stable condition.
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The company confirmed that the vessel had departed Cape Verde and is headed for the Canary Islands.
“This is expected to take 3-4 days,” a statement said.
“Three additional medical professionals have embarked m/v Hondius to provide optimal medical care during the crossing.”
The applicants said there is an ‘identified need’ for affordable homes in the area
Affordable homes could be built on part of a former golf course. The homes could be built on the old practice ground of Girton Golf Club on land north of High Street and fronting Oakington Road in Girton.
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Fifteen homes are proposed, including six two-bedroom houses, four one-bedroom houses, one three-bedroom house and four two-bedroom bungalows. A new green space is also proposed, as well as the creation of two new junctions to access the site via Oakington Road.
Out of the 15 homes, 13 will be affordable homes, while the other two will be offered as shared ownership. The proposals seek to “respond to an identified need for affordable housing”.
From a report on the need for more affordable housing in Girton, the application added that there was “significant demand and need for affordable housing in Girton to meet the needs for the community”.
It added: “The need is mainly for smaller homes of one and two bedrooms and this should be considered by any development that may be proposed.” As well as two new junctions, other access points are proposed as part of the plans.
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New footpaths are proposed for pedestrians, as well as a road layout that “accommodates appropriate measures to reduce speed and create a safe environment” for cyclists. The roads will also be designed so vehicles can’t “travel at speed” throughout the site. From a highways report, no concerns were raised about the proposed road layout.
The applicants have submitted previous planning applications for the same site. Initially in June 2024, they proposed 18 affordable homes.
However at the pre-application stage, concerns were raised over the “form of the development and amenity considerations”. The proposals were then reduced to 15 homes.
Part of the former golf practice ground is on land that is prone to flooding. However, the homes are proposed on the east side of the area, which the applicant said is “not at risk from fluvial flooding”.
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The application has been submitted by several companies, including Abbey Properties Cambridgeshire Ltd, Girton Golf Club, Burmor Construction Ltd, Flagship Housing Ltd and Flagship Developments Ltd.
Brenda Heist had dropped her children off at school in February of 2002 and then mysteriously disappeared; when she returned, there was a tragic reason as to why
Rory Gannon Showbiz Journalist
07:00, 07 May 2026
A devoted mum vanished after dropping her children off at school – 11 years latern and after she had legally been declared dead, she re-appeared with a sinister explanation as to what had happened to her.
Brenda Heist was found alive in 2013, over a decade after she was last seen dropping her kids off at school in February of 2002. In the midst of a bitter divorce at the time, speculation had swarmed around her husband Lee.
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Brenda’s friends and family gradually came to terms with her disappearance and were able to start to move on with their lives – until her sudden reappearance.
According to All That’s Interesting, Lee and Brenda Heist had lived a simple life in the town of Lititz, Pennsylvania. In 2002, their two children were 12 and eight, while Brenda held down a job as a bookkeeper at a nearby car dealership.
But behind closed doors, not all was what it seemed as Brenda and Lee’s marriage was breaking down.
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In the midst of a bitter divorce, Brenda grew worried she would not have enough money to get by, taking a few days off work to look for somewhere to live.
The last time she was seen alive was on February 8, 2002, when she dropped her kids off at school and headed to a park. There, three strangers approached her, asking her what was wrong.
She opened up to them, and she says they then suggested she come with them hitch-hiking to Florida; a move she ultimately agreed to, without telling her family.
Over the next 11 years, Brenda’s family would hear nothing from her, after her worried loved ones reported her missing that evening.
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Her car was found four days after the initial report, with Lee being pinned as a potential murder suspect. Eventually, officers dropped the case against him as a result of insufficient evidence in Brenda’s disappearance and after he passed a lie detector test.
Meanwhile, the family were left in shock as they had to move on without Brenda in their lives, with Lee now having to raise the kids as a single dad with no job. In 2010, after waiting a required seven years, Lee filed paperwork to declare Brenda as being legally dead.
He then remarried, seeming to move past the horror of what happened. Then in 2013, he got a phone call confirming that Brenda was still alive. She revealed her story, saying she had been living a double life for years around Florida as Kelsie Lyanne Smith.
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She had even met another man and lived with him for seven years in his camper van.
Brenda, or Kelsie as she was now known made sure she only took work where she didn’t have to show ID, such as cleaning jobs, and didn’t stay in any work place for long. She also made sure she was only ever paid in cash.
It was when the man she was living with decided to move to Florida Keys and Brenda didn’t want to go with him that she moved in with her friend, Sondra Forrester, who she had also been cleaning for.
Sondra said: “She was such an awesome, nice housemate. She caused no trouble and my kids loved her.”
Brenda had told her friend that her husband had died and that she had never had children – both lies.
After some initial shock at the discovery, her family ultimately shunned her for her decision to walk out on them.
In the wake of her disappearance, her children said they had to endure incredible hardship, saying they lost everything as a result of their mum walking out on them.
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“I can’t believe she would do that because she was a good mom,” daughter Morgan said in 2013. “She was great, but, I mean, I guess something happened. Something snapped in her. I’m not going to go down memory lane with her… I hope she respects the fact me and my brother aren’t ready to talk to her, and we both need to accept this and let time go on.”
Speaking to Dr Phil while in prison for offences including stealing a driver’s license in 2013, Brenda revealed all as to why she abandoned the family, admitting she was “ashamed” of what she had done. When asked about her motivations, she said: “I just thought it would be better if I wasn’t there.”
After spending several months in jail, Brenda was eventually released in November of 2013. She has not seen her family since she was released, instead moving home to Texas to be with her mother.
WARNING: GRAHPIC CONENT – Dean Corll lured dozens of teenage boys – with the help of two other teens – into his various properties in Texas before carrying out his heinous crimes
Jane Lavender and Steven White
07:00, 07 May 2026
A seemingly mild-mannered electrician and army veteran hid a monstrous double life as a serial killer that would later earn him a chilling nickname.
Between 1970 and 1973 Dean Corll murdered at least 29 teenage boys in Texas, US.
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He worked at his family’s candy business, handing out sweets to local kids – later being dubbed the ‘Candy Man’ killer – and would often lure his victims with alcohol or the promise of a party.
Shockingly, the sinister killer managed to acquire the help of two troubled teens – David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley – to help him entice his chosen victims to one of his many properties.
Once there, Corll would torture and rape the youngsters for days before either strangling or shooting them.
The disappearance of all the children went largely undetected for years, however, until August 8, 1973. One that day, Henley shot and killed Corll, who was aged 33, during an argument over the killing of two teens, who were friends of the accomplice.
He subsequently led the police to the shallow graves of a number of victims in boat sheds, along desolate beaches and in woods where Corll’s family had a lakeside log cabin.
The details of his boys’ final moments are stomach-churning and around a third of them remained unidentified until the 2000s even.
Authorities found some bodies with chewed genitals, plucked pubic hairs and glass rods inserted in urethras that had been smashed.
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Elsewhere, objects had been inserted into rectums and one boy’s mouth was so wide open it was thought he may have screamed to death.
One victim’s severed genitals were also found beside the body inside a plastic bag.
The news of Corll’s depravity was so shocking that even the Vatican sent condolences and the Kremlin condemned the police’s “astounding inaction” at not recognising the killing spree, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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Both Brooks and Henley were jailed for their parts in the deaths, each being sentenced to life in prison.
In 2020, Brooks died after contracting Covid and Henley remains the sole survivor of the mass murders. Last year, a documentary called ‘The Serial Killer’s Apprentice’ was released which shared new interviews with the now 69-year-old.
In it, the convicted murderer is questioned over the phone by Dr Katherine Ramsland, revealing his transformation from a manipulated teenager to a killer.
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“I believe that I was originally taken over to Dean’s as a victim. What scares me is, did Dean recognise a fellow psychopath?” Henley admitted.
He went on to describe being groomed by Corll at 15-years-old and how the manipulation resulted in his participation in the killings. Henley has been eligible for parole since 1980 but has been denied each time, with the most recent on November 7, 2025.
A childhood friend of one of the victims, Billy Lawrence, told the Independent that Henley should “die” in prison. “They weren’t hoodlums. They weren’t out to get into trouble. They were just innocent young boys that got kidnapped,” said Debbie Stellas.
She went on: “Being murdered was one thing – but being tortured and then murdered was another,” before adding, “what was he gaining by participating in this sickness?”
The Repair Shop star Dominic Chinea has suffered a series of setbacks with his Land Rover restoration and VW Caddy restoration projects at his Cornwall workshop
The Repair Shop‘s engineering expert Dominic Chinea confessed “it’s getting worse and worse” as he revealed the latest developments in his Land Rover restoration project.
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The engineering specialist has been painstakingly restoring a run-down 1957 Series 1 Land Rover that he discovered buried in a hedge close to his new home in Cornwall. He has described it as one of the most demanding projects he has ever undertaken, given that the chassis was completely rotten and the vehicle had been half-submerged in undergrowth for a number of years.
Dominic hasn’t exactly been blessed with good fortune during the rebuild. Just a few weeks ago, he acknowledged hitting a significant setback after accidentally causing damage to the Land Rover’s seat base while lifting the rear tub.
He revealed he was considering enlisting the help of Repair Shop colleague and upholstery specialist Sonnaz Nooranvary before the Land Rover could be deemed finished.
However, Dominic’s troubles with the Land Rover restoration aren’t his sole headache at present, as he has encountered a second mishap with his vintage VW Caddy.
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The BBC star is something of a motoring enthusiast, with his impressive collection including a 1957 Porsche 356a, multiple Land Rovers (Series 1 and Defender 110), a 13-window VW camper, a 1958 VW split bus, and a 1936 BSA motorbike. Among the various vehicles currently being restored in Dominic’s new workshop is an early Eighties Volkswagen Caddy pickup.
Back in February, successive storms triggered a serious accident in his new workshop, inflicting considerable damage to the Mk1 Caddy. Dominic explained: “Previously, during the last storm, part of the roof flew off of the workshop and landed on the Caddy, smashed into the bonnet. It made a hole in the bonnet, dented the wing, and I was gutted.”
He went on to reveal that the reinforced concrete beams supporting his workshop’s structure are becoming increasingly deteriorated: “The steel rebar is getting rusty and swelling up and it’s breaking the concrete and a chunk of that has fallen off the roof.
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“Of course, it’s landed on the windscreen of the Caddy and broken the windscreen.”
Dominic took responsibility for the incident, noting that he’d recently had work carried out to install a ramp into the workshop, and that vibrations from the machinery may have dislodged the loose lump of concrete. “That is my stupid fault,” he said. “I should have put something a board over [the cars] or moved them outside or something like that.”
Dominic admitted that following this latest setback he was on the verge of abandoning the pickup altogether: “I may well sell it because I haven’t really used it since I’ve been down here and I feel bad that the poor thing is just getting worse and worse whilst it’s here.”
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He appealed to his followers, confessing he had little idea what the vehicle might fetch on the open market, saying: “Make me an offer.”
Our gardens can be a vital resource for hedgehogs, but today they often lack the natural shelter, resources and safe access between spaces to thrive.
There are plenty of simple things you can do to make yours a haven for these spiny visitors this spring, however, and our readers have lots of insight to share.
From tips on setting up feeding stations and houses to making your own and creating hedgehog highways – a small hole in a fence or other barriers for hedgehogs to pass through, connecting them to other green spaces – here’s advice that has actually worked in gardens up and down the country.
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How to get started
If you’re not sure where to begin, the good news is that small, simple changes make a real difference.
Having noticed hedgehog droppings in their garden, Peter Cobbe and his wife, Shirley, from Kent, set up a hedgehog house and a protected feeding station last year. “It was an interesting exercise in ‘build it and they will come’,” he says.
After spending time reading about the lifecycle of hedgehogs and their needs, the couple made their garden more accessible by providing safe nesting material, removing hazards and cutting a 13cm square gap in their wooden gate.
“We have a large green and hedge area opposite our house with lots of trees,” explains Cobbe, which is attractive to these creatures who travel a mile or more every night.
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Creating hedgehog highways lets them roam more freely, to find enough food and a mate.
It is important not to disturb hedgehogs, so Cobbe installed a Ring Wi-Fi camera to capture his spiky visitors, costing around £50.
Kevin Costner’s beloved film, adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s novel, is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
The film that helped propel a Hollywood icon to fame, a star-studded fantasy picture cherished by both audiences and critics alike, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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Based on the novel Shoeless Joe by WP Kinsella, it tells the fantastical tale of a farmer who builds a baseball diamond amongst his crops, allowing the spirits of long-departed baseball legends to gather and play.
Kevin Costner took on the central role of Iowa farmer Ray in the blockbuster Field of Dreams.
Joining him in the ghostly baseball narrative are Ray Liotta and Shoeless Joe Jackson, James Earl Jones as Terence Mann, Burt Lancaster in his final on-screen role as Doc Archibald Graham, and Amy Madigan as Annie.
Released in 1989 and helmed by director Phil Aiden Robinson, Field of Dreams was adapted from WP Kinsella’s celebrated novel Shoeless Joe.
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Beyond its remarkable commercial triumph, the film also garnered widespread critical praise, reports the Express.
One critic wrote at the time: “A work so smartly written, so beautifully filmed, so perfectly acted, that it does the almost impossible trick of turning sentimentality into true emotion.”
The picture received three Academy Award nominations, encompassing Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
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To this day, Field of Dreams maintains an impressive 88 per cent approval rating on the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
One reviewer says: “This is a story about passion, not just for baseball, but also a passion to do something with our one precious life even if people think it’s crazy.”
Another wrote: “It’s hard to imagine a cynicism so hardened that it won’t crumble at the sight of a lush green baseball field nestled into an Iowa cornfield and at this movie’s final inspiring scene of youth and innocence recaptured.”
While a third contributed: “Too idiosyncratic and witty merely to wallow in sentimentality, Field Of Dreams will surely stand as a classic update of what made Old Hollywood so magical. It’s still a wonderful life.”
The picture also holds a treasured position in the affections of enthusiasts.
One posted: “This film is pure magic! I have seen this movie probably a hundred times in my life.. I’ve just finished watching it again tonight and I still get the same feeling I got the first time I saw it.”
Another said: “One of the greatest films ever made. Men, get ready to cry. My favorite movies are ones that elicit an emotional response. “If you build it, he will come.””
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Meanwhile, a third added: “This is still probably my favorite movie of all time after seeing it over 30 years ago. A lesson in the value of having faith and valuing family along with paying a homage to baseball when it truly was Americas pastime, it is sentimental nonsense in the best way, as Ray says to Terrence Mann when returning back to Iowa to after picking up Moonlight Graham, “It’s Perfect!””
Field of Dreams is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Londoners are heading to the polls on Thursday to elect councillors for 32 London boroughs.
A total of 1,817 seats are up for grabs across the capital, while voters in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets will also select their mayor.
The Conservatives currently hold six councils, while the Liberal Democrats run three. Tower Hamlets is run by the independent left-wing Aspire party and Havering is under no overall control.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the prospect of losing hundreds of council seats across England at Thursday’s elections
PA Wire
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How did London vote in 2022?
At the last local elections in 2022 Labour dominated in London, winning 21 of the city’s 32 councils.
In two boroughs – Barking and Dagenham and Lewisham – Labour won every single seat.
In most London areas it was a straight fight between two of the mainstream parties.
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Barnet, Bexley, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Southwark, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Newham, Islington and Westminster returned councillors from just two parties.
Reform UK, which only officially rebranded from the Brexit Party in January 2021, did not win any seats.
Meanwhile the Greens, whose candidates have mounted a major challenge to Labour in inner London this year, returned just 17 councillors across eight boroughs.
Since 2022 Labour’s popularity in the capital has slumped, resulting in a number of council by-election losses and defections.
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More than 50 Labour representatives have joined the Greens since the 2024 general election and Zack Polanski’s party has formed opposition groups in several boroughs.
Independents have also made major gains in east London, winning by-elections in Newham and Redbridge since the 2022 vote.
The mainstream political parties are running candidates in almost every ward in the capital.
Independent parties are fielding a full set of candidates in some London boroughs.
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Smaller parties, such as the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, the Christian Peoples and The Official Monster Raving Loony Party, are also running in some areas.
Most voters will select two or three representative for their area, meaning there will likely be more than a dozen candidates to choose from on your ballot paper.
Usually, polling stations are set up at public buildings such as schools, town halls and churches.
For Thursday’s elections, you can find your assigned polling station by entering your postcode into one of the websites below:
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• Where Do I Vote? A dedicated tool that allows you to find your polling station by postcode.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch during a visit to a supporter’s house in Hillingdon
PA
To cast your vote in person, you will need to take your photo ID to your local polling station. You do not need your polling card.
Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm.
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What time will results be declared?
Some London town halls will begin counting straight away on Thursday night while others are set to begin on Friday morning.
Results are set to trickle in from about 2.30am until Saturday evening.
Tower Hamlets, Newham, Croydon, Hackney and Lewisham have directly elected mayor votes to count as well as councillors.
The pub hopes to “achieve a significantly improved rating” once it has been re-inspected
A Cambridgeshire pub has received a zero food hygiene rating after it was taken over by new landlords. The Railway Vue in Impington was inspected by the Food Standards Agency on Saturday, March 21, and was told improvements to the way the pub handled its hygiene were “necessary”.
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The standards of the food handling such as the preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage processes were described as needing improvements. “Improvement necessary” was also highlighted in terms of the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building.
This relates to the ventilation, layout of the building, hand washing facilities, and pest control, which all help to “enable good food hygiene”. The management of food safety was rated as needing “urgent improvement”, which means systems and checks need to be in place to make sure all “food sold or served is safe to eat”.
There should also be evidence that “staff know about food safety”. The food safety officer must have “confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.
The Railway Vue, which is owned by the bar and pub operator Punch Pubs & Co, closed temporarily in September 2025 to undergo a £300K refurbishment. The pub welcomed back the community in October last year under new management.
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Punch Pubs & Co Operations Manager, David Hill, said: “We take this matter extremely seriously. As a business, we expect all of our pubs to meet the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. Since the last inspection, we’ve been working closely with our Publican and their team to ensure all required improvements have been completed swiftly.
“The pub remains open and is operating safely. We are confident that the actions now in place will enable the pub to achieve a significantly improved rating upon re-inspection.”
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Ecommerce Business Park (UK) Ltd has submitted a proposal to Bolton Council to transform part of a warehousing unit on the Express Trading Estate, Stone Hill Road, Farnworth, into an indoor padel tennis centre.
The scheme would involve converting 1,776 square metres of the existing warehouse space and reorganising the car park layout.
Site plan (Image: Bolton Council)
A transport statement included with the application said peak usage times for the padel centre would complement the warehouse operations, with leisure demand in the evenings and at weekends.
The site, which includes a 4,110 square metre warehouse, currently accommodates around 25 vehicles on hardstanding areas, but the plans propose a formal layout with 57 spaces, up from the existing 43.
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Up to 20 players could use the courts at any one time.
Highways analysis found no injury collisions on surrounding roads between 2020 and 2024 and concluded that the development would not create new risks.
The site is accessible via bus stops on Worsley Road and Westland Avenue, with services to Bolton, Salford, and Manchester.
The proposal aligns with regional planning policies that encourage the reuse of brownfield land and the promotion of active travel under the Greater Manchester “Places for Everyone” framework.
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No impact on biodiversity is expected, with the applicant citing a “de minimis exemption” as no natural habitats would be affected.
If approved, the development would raise employment at the site from eight to 13 full-time equivalent jobs.
A decision on the application will be made by Bolton Council in due course.
Liverpool’s midfield has laboured this season but they could find a solution in the form of a player Jurgen Klopp was eager to bring to Anfield
Liverpool may be wrestling with numerous issues across the pitch this season, but there is one department that demands immediate attention this summer: their midfield. Arne Slot could go a long way towards addressing that concern by landing the club’s long-standing target, Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.
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The Dutch boss’s central axis was ruthlessly exposed by Manchester United during the Red Devils’ 3-2 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday. The national press dissected the United defeat, with the Reds’ midfield singled out for criticism over a shortage of quality.
Supporters have also voiced their opinions, and the overwhelming view is that Liverpool are missing intensity and bite in their engine room. While Slot’s team, driven by Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, cruised to the Premier League title last term, this campaign has seen Liverpool’s midfield frequently overrun and overpowered.
It seems a far cry from the Liverpool witnessed under Jurgen Klopp, equipped with the tireless, grafting attributes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho, which would suffocate rivals without allowing them a second to breathe.
Yet even with a midfield brimming with creativity and power, Klopp still set his sights on Tchouameni, which is precisely why the 26-year-old must remain a priority for Liverpool this summer. Tchouameni was strongly linked with a switch to Anfield back in 2022.
The midfielder had shone for Monaco throughout the 2021/22 campaign, and it was widely reported at the time that Klopp had even made a personal trip to France in a bid to seal the deal, while also reportedly holding phone conversations with the defensive midfielder.
Tchouameni ultimately opted for Madrid over Liverpool in a transfer worth up to £85million and even acknowledged that the Merseyside club had made their move for him.
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“The first club to show interest in me was Liverpool,” Tchouameni told Le Parisien in November 2022. “There were discussions, but as soon as Real Madrid entered, my mind was made up. I didn’t hesitate for a second. I told my agent, take me to Real Madrid.”
Tchouameni undoubtedly remains a prized asset for Los Blancos right now. Yet with another change in the dugout looming, and the likes of Manchester City’s Rodri and Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez being touted with moves to the Spanish capital, the French international could find himself looking for a fresh challenge.
There is a compelling case for bringing a player of Tchouameni’s formidable physical profile to Anfield. He is commanding in the tackle, winning nearly 70 per cent of his duels this season, and a dominant aerial presence. He also boasts a passing accuracy of 91.4 per cent this season, according to FotMob.
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The Frenchman would bring World Cup and Champions League-winning pedigree to a Liverpool midfield that appears exhausted. While Szoboszlai has impressed this season on the whole, Curtis Jones has found himself marginalised – and is entering the final 12 months of his deal.
Mac Allister has continually struggled this campaign as well, looking weary to put it mildly, while Florian Wirtz has laboured on the left and in the space behind the Reds’ forward line. Defensive midfield anchor Wataru Endo is a long-term casualty through injury and is expected to be sold this summer.
Ryan Gravenberch, who signed a new long-term contract this season, has also been unable to replicate last year’s impact. Yet the arrival of a genuine holding midfielder in Tchouameni could prove transformative for the Dutchman’s progression at Anfield.
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It won’t be a straightforward deal for Liverpool to complete. Reports suggest that Madrid plan to offer the Frenchman a new long-term contract until 2031. They are also believed to be optimistic that he’ll stay at the Bernabeu, with two years left on his existing deal.
Manchester United and Arsenal are also understood to be keen, with any potential buyer expected to fork out around £80m. Yet it could be a more than worthwhile outlay to finally provide Slot with a dominant midfielder who can handle a Premier League that’s growing more physical by the game.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
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