Spain confirms to receive hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Spain's Health Ministry has confirmed that the country will receive the Dutch-operated cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak at one of its ports in the Canary Islands.

The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has infected eight people and resulted in three deaths, prompting a major international public health response involving countries across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

The ship is currently sailing for the Canary Islands. Passengers abroad have been asked to remain in their cabins while being disinfected. Anyone who develops symptoms will be isolated immediately.

Arrival in the Canary Islands was expected in "three to four days", the ministry said, without specifying the port.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said on Wednesday that Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these passengers, among whom are also several Spanish citizens.

Spanish authorities will set up a medical evacuation and repatriation mechanism for passengers upon arrival, Garcia said.

Unless their medical condition prevents it, all passengers will be repatriated to their countries through a civil protection mechanism, the minister added.

Regarding the 14 Spanish nationals on board, Garcia said they would undergo medical examinations before being transported to Madrid aboard a military aircraft for quarantine at the Gomez Ulla military hospital.

Spain has activated the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, which helps mobilize assistance among member states to deal with emergencies, said the minister.

Spain confirms to receive hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Spain confirms to receive hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Shanghai will host one stop of the expanded Olympic Q-Series in 2028, the International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday, as the qualification event makes a return to the city that hosted the inaugural edition in 2024.

The four-stop series, formerly known as the Olympic Qualifier Series, will take place between May and June 2028 in Tokyo, Shanghai, Montreal and Orlando. Shanghai's stop is scheduled for May 11 to 14, one week after the opening event in Tokyo.

The Olympic Q-Series will feature six sports: 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, climbing, flag football and skateboarding. The sports program for each stop will be confirmed at a later date.

The expanded series builds on the success of the inaugural Olympic Qualifier Series in 2024, which included stops in Shanghai and Budapest and featured multiple sports in compact, festival-style urban settings.

The 2028 edition will open in Tokyo from May 4 to 7, a city where 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, climbing and skateboarding made their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo 2020 Games. After Shanghai, the series crosses to Montreal from June 1 to 4 at the 1976 Olympic Park, before concluding in Orlando from June 8 to 11.

The Olympic Q-Series serves as a key qualification pathway for the LA28 Olympic Games, offering athletes a decisive opportunity to secure direct quota places shortly before the Games begin.

Shanghai to host Olympic Q-Series in 2028