The Spanish government, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), plans to finish evacuating all 118 passengers aboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship on Monday, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
The evacuation began on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Sunday following a deadly outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus. So far, 94 passengers of 19 nationalities have been successfully sent back to their home countries.
The last 24 passengers are set to be evacuated on Monday -- six are returning to Australia and another 18 will be flown to the Netherlands.
Spanish health authorities said they were trying to simplify the transit process for the passengers and shorten their stay in Tenerife, to reduce the risk of virus exposure for residents there.
The remaining 34 crew members will stay on board and continue their journey to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where the ship will undergo thorough disinfection upon arrival. Their departure from Tenerife will mark the official conclusion of the evacuation.
Evacuation of passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship to conclude Monday
The CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+) held an online workshop on Monday to guide media colleagues from several African media outlets through the company's self-developed 'MediaMix' intelligent media service platform.
Representatives from the Gambian Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and five African media organizations, including Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency(RBA) and Namibia Daily News attended the online meeting, where they learned about the key features of the platform and were given a demonstration of its suite of tools.
MediaMix is an AI-powered platform designed to enhance news production efficiency, content personalization, and cross-platform distribution, and aims to address some of the key digital and economic challenges facing media outlets across the Global South.
The online workshop on Monday focused on introducing the platform's core functions, operational procedures, and application scenarios, and provided live technical demonstrations.
Attendees spoke highly of the MediaMix platform's capabilities, practical value, and future application prospects. They agreed to strengthen regular communication and collaboration with CCTV+, share practical experiences, and build greater consensus on cooperation.
The online workshop marked the first training session CCTV+ has held under the recently inaugurated Global South Media Partners Mechanism.
Initiated by the China Media Group (CMG) in November, the Global South Media Partners Mechanism aims to deepen collaboration among media organizations from Global South countries, enhance the international discourse power and narrative capacity of the Global South and promote a more inclusive and balanced global communication landscape.
CCTV Video News Agency hosts AI media service platform workshop for African partners
