The Gaza journalist killed on the day his daughter was born
Gaza City, Gaza Strip – May 7, 2025, was the day Amal Sobeih’s daughter was born. It was also the day her husband was killed. Yahya Sobeih saw little Sana come into the world. At six in the morning, he took Amal to the hospital as she struggled through labour pains. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list At the time, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza was still raging, and military strikes across the enclave had not stopped. But the couple were filled with excitement as they prepared to welcome their third child, and the first sister to their two sons, Baraa and Kenan, who were four and three at the time. Amal explains that doctors told her she needed an emergency caesarean section after she arrived in the hospital, but aside from that, the delivery went smoothly. “It was a perfect day at the beginning … the delivery went quickly, the baby was healthy, and everyone was happy,” Amal says. “Yahya was overjoyed. He carried his daughter and kept telling everyone, ‘My beautiful princess is here.’” He went on to spend several hours with his wife and newborn daughter. He checked on them, recited the Islamic call to prayer into the baby’s ears, took photos of her, and welcomed relatives who arrived to congratulate him. Before leaving, Yahya told Amal he would step out briefly and return soon. “He asked me to rest and take care of myself. He said he would check on our two boys at home and bring some supplies for the baby, then come back so we could choose a name together,” Amal recalls. “Unfortunately, I did not know that would be the last time we would ever see Yahya.” Advertisement Yahya, who worked as a journalist, survived for five hours after the birth of his baby daughter, whose photo he proudly shared on social media while holding her in his arms. Later that day, Yahya was killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a commercial area in central Gaza City. The strike killed at least 17 people and wounded dozens more. Sana, whose birth last year coincided with the death of her father, Yahya Sobeih, at her family home in central Gaza City [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] Shocking news Relatives gathered around Amal in the hospital were unsure how to break the news to her, so soon after she had given birth. Their only concern was how they would tell her while she remained in such a fragile physical and emotional state after delivery. But she knew something was up. “There were constant phone calls, tense faces, conversations that suddenly stopped whenever I came close. Even the medical staff kept checking on me, and my mother was whispering all the time,” Amal says. “I kept asking my mother, ‘Is something wrong? What’s happening?’ But nobody answered me clearly. Everyone spoke in a strange way,” she explains. “I picked up my phone and immediately called Yahya. I called more than 15 times, but he never answered, which was unlike him. He always answered me immediately or at least sent a message.” She only found out what had happened after she accessed the internet. “The headline appeared right in front of me: ‘Journalist Yahya Sobeih killed five hours after welcoming his newborn daughter,’” Amal says through tears. “I felt the blood freeze in my veins. I screamed uncontrollably because I could not believe it. I felt like I was losing my mind.” Yahya had been attacked while distributing sweets to relatives and friends in celebration of his daughter’s birth. Among those killed with him were his cousin, his closest friend and his brother-in-law – the same people who had been in the hospital only hours earlier congratulating him, holding the baby and taking photos. Amal says the shock was not only in losing him, but also in being unable to say goodbye. Still recovering from surgery, she was forced to remain lying in bed for hours. “I just wanted to see him one last time … to touch him, to say goodbye … but I couldn’t.” Yahya Sobeih was killed five hours after his daughter was born. He was able to hold her and take photographs with her before leaving the hospital [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera] A year of grief Amal had already lost her brother, his wife, and their three children in the war, as well as her sister and her four children, all killed in Israeli attacks. Advertisement But Amal calls the past 12 months, since the death of Yahya, “the year of grief”. She says she has battled through not one war, but two: the ongoing military conflict itself and the struggle of raising her children alone. Yahya’s sudden absence forced Amal into a reality she had never imagined, even though he had often prepared her for the possibility that he could be killed at any moment because of his work as a field journalist covering the war. “Every time I heard about a journalist being killed, I felt terrified,” Amal says tearfully. “But I never imagined I would lose him.” Only a few months after Yahya’s death, Amal was displaced with her three children to southern Gaza after the Israeli military announced a ground operation in Gaza City last September. She describes the suffering of searching for shelter and living in a tent under harsh conditions with a four-month-old baby and two young boys who were still struggling to understand their father’s absence. “Yahya was a source of support, a wonderful husband and father. We never lacked anything with him around, even during the war,” she says. “During the famine, he searched for food and paid whatever he could for his children. Losing him under such circumstances was unimaginably painful.” Gradually, Amal realised she had to become both mother and father to her children. Despite her grief, she decided to continue her husband’s path and began working for the same media company he worked for. “I try to continue my husband’s message,
Iran war day 69: Tehran ‘reviewing’ US proposals; Israel bombs Beirut
Trump says US-Iran talks are progressing as Tehran reviews a US proposal delivered through Pakistan. Published On 7 May 20267 May 2026 United States President Donald Trump has said the US has held “very good talks” with Iran and suggested a deal to end the conflict could be within reach, as Tehran says it is still reviewing a US proposal delivered through mediator Pakistan. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the proposal remains “under review” and that Tehran will communicate its response once it has “finalised its views”. Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of list The diplomatic push comes amid continuing regional tensions, with uncertainty remaining over whether the negotiations can produce a breakthrough after weeks of military escalation and political threats between Washington and Tehran. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military campaign by bombing Beirut in the first strike on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire, widely seen as fragile, came into force on April 17. Here is what we know: In Iran Iran reviewing US proposal: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said a US proposal to end the war is still “under review” by Tehran. Iran will convey its views to key mediator Pakistan after “finalising its views”, Baghaei told the ISNA news agency. Iranian speaker mocks US operations: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ridiculed recent military operations against Tehran, joking on social media that “Operation Trust Me Bro failed” and that Washington had now returned to “Operation Fauxios”. War Diplomacy Iran seeks China’s help: Tehran is looking forward to China’s support for a “new post-war” regional framework following its conflict with the US, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on X. Pakistan PM ‘hopeful’: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator between Iran, the US and Israel, said he was “hopeful” the current momentum of negotiations would lead to peace in the region. Trump pushes for fast Iran deal: Trump is aiming to secure an agreement with Iran before the end of his upcoming trip to China, as negotiators work through a reported 14-point framework via Pakistani mediators. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett says the compressed timeline suggests the White House believes a breakthrough may be close, while also allowing Trump to project momentum before a high-profile foreign visit. Advertisement In the Gulf US warplane disables Iranian tanker: The US military says a Navy fighter jet fired on and disabled the rudder of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel allegedly tried to breach Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports. In the US Trump predicts quick end to war: Trump says the conflict with Iran “will be over quickly” as Washington pushes for a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Speaking to supporters, Trump said the US “cannot allow” Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, according to the Reuters news agency. US threatens escalation: Trump threatened to resume bombing in Iran if it did not agree to a deal. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump said in a social media post. In Israel Sirens sound in northern Israel: Israel’s military says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from Lebanon after warning sirens sounded across northern Israel. In Lebanon Lebanon ceasefire under strain: Israeli forces are carrying out daily air strikes deeper inside Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire, signalling a widening of the conflict beyond the country’s south. Hezbollah steps up attacks: Hezbollah says its fighters carried out 17 targeted strikes against Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory, accusing Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire. Global economy Hormuz closure hits global shipping: German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd says the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is costing it about $60m a week in fuel and insurance, as companies avoid the waterway over fears of Iranian attacks and potential sanctions linked to IRGC-controlled transit procedures. China banks urged to halt refinery loans: Beijing’s financial regulator has reportedly advised major Chinese banks to pause new loans to five oil refineries sanctioned by the US over alleged links to Iranian oil, according to Bloomberg News. Adblock test (Why?)
French warship moves towards Hormuz for possible defensive mission
Iran says it is reviewing a US proposal that Donald Trump says could bring the war to an end. Published On 7 May 20267 May 2026 A French aircraft carrier is heading south of the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea in preparation for a possible defensive mission aimed at restoring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically critical waterway that has been effectively blocked amid the US-Israel war on Iran. The French Ministry of Armed Forces said on Wednesday the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle was en route to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s traded oil transited prior to the war. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission towards restoring freedom of navigation in the strait, which they say would be entirely defensive and deployed only once the war ended. “[It] may help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers,” Macron said on X. “It remains distinct from the parties at war.” Macron, who spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, said he also intends to raise the matter with United States President Donald Trump. “A return to calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations on nuclear issues, ballistic matters, and the regional situation,” Macron wrote. “Europeans … will play their part.” France is framing the mission as a win-win solution for Iran and the US in an effort to incentivise them to agree. “What we are proposing is that Iran gains passage for its ships through the strait and in return commits to negotiating with the Americans on issues of nuclear materials, missiles, and the region, and we propose that the Americans, for their part, lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and, in return, obtain Iran’s commitment to negotiations,” a French presidency official told the AFP news agency. Advertisement The announcement comes as Tehran says it is reviewing a US proposal that Trump says could bring the war to an end. Trump signalled progress in the negotiations on Wednesday, but at the same time threatened to resume bombing if Tehran did not accept the US plan. Iran played down reports that an agreement was close, saying it had yet to present its response to Pakistani mediators. Trump has frequently played up the prospect of an agreement that would end the war, but the two sides remain at odds over a variety of issues, ranging from Iran’s nuclear programme to its control of the strait. The Reuters news agency, citing a Pakistani source and another person briefed on the mediation, reported that the two sides were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum to formally end the conflict. US media outlet Axios also said the two sides were “getting close” to an agreement on a memorandum, in which Iran would agree not to develop a nuclear weapon and halt enrichment of uranium for at least 12 years, it said. The US would lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and both sides would agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days of signing. The spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Tehran has yet to provide its response to the US proposal and that “the investigation into the exchanged texts is ongoing”. Adblock test (Why?)
CNN founder Ted Turner dead at 87
Ted Turner, the brash sportsman and entrepreneur whose ambition and instincts led to a media empire that included the groundbreaking news network CNN, has died, CNN reports, citing a press release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87. No cause of his death on Wednesday was given. In September 2018, Turner revealed that he had Lewy body dementia, a degenerative nerve disease. He became a billionaire by taking over his father’s billboard business, buying a television station in the 1970s and parlaying that into what would become a vast, groundbreaking television group. “Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid and fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement. He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement. “Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognise him and his impact on our lives and the world.” Turner became one of the most powerful figures in US media and entertainment, his networks specialising in news, sports, reruns and old movies. But he did not stop there. He added the MGM/UA movie studio to his portfolio before making an even bigger move – merging his Turner Broadcasting System with Time Warner in 1996. Turner headed the new company’s cable networks division and was its leading shareholder, but he struggled to fit into a corporate system after decades of running his own show. He eventually lost control of his networks. He made a name for himself with spectacular business deals, his ownership of professional sports clubs, his marriage to actor Jane Fonda, his leadership of a competitive yachting team, and his devotion to charitable and environmental causes. Advertisement “Ted Turner was a bold man, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, and even those who at times strongly disagreed with him respected him,” Brian Kemp, governor of the state of Georgia, where CNN’s main studio is located, said in a social media post. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III went to a military boarding school in Tennessee and then attended Brown University, but was expelled before graduating. Turner took over a faltering family advertising business after his father, despondent over financial problems, committed suicide. Media mogul Ted Turner and his then-wife, actor Jane Fonda, leave the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 18, 1994, after visiting French President Francois Mitterrand [AFP] First 24-hour cable news network After he bought a number of radio stations, Turner’s purchase of a struggling Atlanta station in 1970 was his first move into television. Ten years later, that became the flagship of his nationwide Turner Broadcasting System, the profits from which he used to launch CNN. CNN went on the air in 1980 as the first 24-hour cable news network, gaining traction in the United States and later internationally. The launch came as viewers were shifting from broadcast TV to cable, and CNN became a key news source during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, delivering extensive live coverage via satellite. “Ted Turner created an unstoppable media revolution for the BENEFIT of all humankind,” CNN International Anchor Christiane Amanpour said in a social media post. “Throughout nearly 43 years at CNN, working for Ted and his vision has been the proudest achievement of my lifetime.” Ted Turner addresses the CNN World Report Contributors banquet on May 4, 1995, in Atlanta, Georgia, the US [File: John Bazemore/AP Photo] (AP) CNN’s success inspired the creation of other 24-hour news channels, including Fox News, launched by longtime Turner rival Rupert Murdoch, MSNBC, and many more worldwide. Turner’s television empire expanded beyond CNN to include TBS and TNT for sports and entertainment, Turner Classic Movies, and the Cartoon Network, among others. Turner sold back the Hollywood group MGM/UA five months after buying it, while retaining rights to large portions of its catalogue, including MGM films. Adblock test (Why?)
Four killed in post-election violence in India’s West Bengal
Unrest grips the key eastern state after Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP wins the state election for the first time. Published On 6 May 20266 May 2026 At least four people have been killed in political unrest after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party won the state election in West Bengal, police and party officials say. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the polls in its first-ever victory in the key eastern state, home to about 100 million people, winning 206 of the 294 assembly seats, according to results announced on Tuesday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list West Bengal had been ruled by Modi’s fierce critic and adversary, Mamata Banerjee, as chief minister since 2011. Banerjee, leader of the regional All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, also lost her seat in the polls and has rejected the results, accusing the federal government of rigging the election. Police said clashes between rival party supporters erupted in the state capital, Kolkata, and other West Bengal districts after the results were announced. The BJP said two party workers were killed, while the TMC said two of their workers were beaten to death. “Two of our workers were killed after results of the elections were announced on Monday,” BJP state leader Samik Bhattacharya told the AFP news agency, insisting that the party stands “for peace”. TMC, in a statement on social media, reported the “brutal murder” of two party workers. “Our party offices were attacked in several areas of the state,” TMC spokesman Narendranath Chakraborty told AFP. “Two of the victims were grassroots political workers.” A senior police officer, who was not authorised to speak to reporters, confirmed four deaths in clashes and said one officer had been shot in the leg. Advertisement The TMC also said its offices were vandalised by alleged BJP workers. Police in Kolkata said a law and order situation arose on Tuesday in parts of Topsia and Tiljala areas, “during which certain miscreants vandalised public property, etc”. Police guard the road leading towards the official residence of outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata [AFP] After the election results were announced, Banerjee refused to resign as chief minister. Calling the BJP’s win an “an immoral victory,” Banerjee claimed more than “100 seats were looted by the BJP”. According to the Indian constitution, the state’s governor can demand Banerjee’s resignation or wait for her term to expire, after which newly elected politicians would be sworn in and the process of forming a new government would begin. Banerjee’s term is set to end on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has denied allegations of misconduct, directed West Bengal’s top officials to enforce “zero tolerance” towards any incidents of post-poll violence. “The ECI asked the state administration and security agencies to take all necessary steps to prevent intimidation, reprisals or clashes linked to the electoral outcome,” public broadcaster All India Radio reported. Analysts say the BJP’s victory in the largely Bengali-speaking state is one of its most significant since Modi was first elected prime minister in 2014, expanding its dominance beyond the Hindi-speaking heartland of north and central India. Adblock test (Why?)
Who is Zack Polanski, UK Greens leader and rising political star?
The United Kingdom’s Green Party leader Zack Polanski, a 43-year-old self-styled “eco-populist” presenting himself as a progressive alternative to Keir Starmer’s governing Labour Party, is banking on a political breakthrough in British local elections this week. More than 5,000 council seats will be up for grabs on Thursday as voters in 136 local authorities head to the polls, including in London and other major UK cities. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list According to polling group YouGov, the Green Party appears set to make major gains in the capital and could come first in as many as eight of London’s 32 councils. The party’s ratings have steadily improved since Polanski was elected leader in a landslide victory in September last year. In February, the Green Party won its first-ever parliamentary by-election, taking Gorton and Denton, a constituency in Greater Manchester which had been held by the governing Labour party for nearly a century. Polanski is viewed by political observers in the UK as a media-savvy representative of a green socialist movement which seeks to inspire younger generations for change, along the lines of New York’s Zohran Mamdani. To achieve this, the Green Party has expanded beyond its core environmental mission, experts say. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said that under Polanski’s leadership, the Greens have become “far more left-liberal and pro-Gaza focused than environmentally concerned”. “The reason the party’s poll ratings have increased lies partly in the visibility his considerable communication skills have given them, partly in Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon, and partly in widespread frustration among left-liberal voters at the Starmer government’s hardline rhetoric on immigration,” Bale told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “The Greens have elected a headline-grabbing leader at the same time as they’re facing off against a terribly unpopular PM and government that has disillusioned many of its 2024 voter coalition.” If the polls are accurate, the upcoming local vote could consolidate the Green Party’s position as an alternative to Starmer’s Labour party – traditionally associated with the working class in the UK. Who is Zack Polanski? The Green Party leader grew up as David Paulden in a Jewish community in Salford, Greater Manchester. At the age of 18, he changed his anglicised name to a version of his original family name to recognise his Jewish heritage, he said. He studied drama at Aberystwyth University in Wales and began a career in community theatre, before switching to become a hypnotherapist and mental health counsellor. Polanski, who is openly homosexual and “proudly vegan”, began his political career with the Liberal Democrats, standing for the party as a councillor in north London in 2015 and as a London Assembly candidate in 2016. He joined the Green Party the following year and was elected to the London Assembly in 2021 and as deputy leader of the Green Party in 2022. He was nominated as party leader in September last year, winning the vote with 20,411 votes against 3,705 ballots cast for his rivals Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns, who ran on a joint ticket. What are some of Polanski’s key positions? Following his election as party leader, Polanski promised to “work every single day to deliver environmental, social, racial and economic justice”. He professes a brand of “eco-populism” that links environmental policies with socialist ones, including a wealth tax on billionaires, stronger workers’ rights in cases of unfair dismissal and a 15-pound ($20.41) per hour minimum wage for workers of all ages. In an interview with the podcast The Rest Is Politics, hosted by former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and former Conservative leadership contender Rory Stewart in November last year, Polanski argued it was necessary to take back the term “populism”, arguing it should represent those who support the interests of the 99 percent of people rather than the wealthy 1 percent majority. In the UK, as in other Western countries, the term “populism” has become associated with the far-right, driven by concerns over immigration and declining trust in governance as expressed by political parties such as Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage. Going by his definition, Polanski told the podcast, “I am a populist, Farage is not.” Why is the Green Party facing accusations of antisemitism? Polanski has called on Starmer’s government to take action over Israel’s genocide in Gaza. “We have to be clear and say this loud – our government is not just complicit but active participants,” he told crowds of protesters gathered at a march for Palestine in London last year. Advertisement “This is not self-defence [by Israel], this is collective punishment. The UK must immediately end arms sales to Israel, support an urgent and permanent ceasefire, and back a full international investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity.” But Polanski’s popularity has taken a hit in the run-up to the local elections this week in the wake of a row with the chief of the Metropolitan Police after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, a residential area of north London with a large Jewish community, on April 29. Both victims suffered serious injuries in the attack, which the Metropolitan Police declared a terrorist incident. Polanski later apologised for sharing an “inaccurate” post on social media in which he criticised police officers for “violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” during their intervention. He claimed he had found the whole incident “very traumatic, especially as a Jewish person”. Despite his heritage, Polanski and other Green Party candidates have also faced accusations of anti-Semitism over a series of social media posts. One post by Philip Brookes, a Green candidate for Newcastle City Council, described Israel as “a bunch of Polish, Russian, Hungarian terrorists killing Palestinian people for 76 years”. Brookes also published an image of an Israeli flag being torn up to reveal a Nazi swastika flag on his Facebook page, and wrote that it “takes serious effort not to be a tiny bit antisemitic” when considering the situation in Gaza. Mohammed
Protesters rally in Louisiana and Tennessee against redistricting
NewsFeed Demonstrators rallied in Louisiana and Tennessee against a US Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections in the Voting Rights Act, opening the door for Republicans to redraw congressional maps ahead of pivotal November’s midterm elections. Published On 6 May 20266 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Spain agrees to let hantavirus-hit cruise ship dock in Canary Islands
Spain has granted permission for a luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and anchored off the coast of Cape Verde to sail to the Canary Islands. Spain’s Ministry of Health said in a statement late on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) had explained that Cape Verde in West Africa was unable to receive the 147 crew and passengers of the MV Hondius. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities,” it said. “Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are also several Spanish citizens.” The ministry said it would receive a medical flight carrying the ship’s doctor, a Dutch national, who it said was gravely ill, following a formal request from the Dutch government. A Dutch couple and a German national have died of the rare disease, which is usually spread from infected rodents through urine, droppings and saliva, on board the ship in early April. A British national, who was evacuated from the ship, is in intensive care in South Africa, officials said. Two crew members require urgent medical care, according to the Dutch-flagged ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions. Another person on board with a suspected case has only reported a mild fever. Medical evacuations The Spanish Health Ministry said the MV Hondius will journey on to the Canary Islands once those who need evacuation are taken off the ship. The Dutch government said earlier on Tuesday that it was preparing to receive the evacuated passengers. Oceanwide Expeditions said the journey to the Canary Islands will take three days of sailing and that the MV Hondius will dock in either Gran Canaria or Tenerife. Advertisement When the rest of the crew and passengers arrive in the Canary Islands, they will be examined, treated and repatriated to their respective countries, Spain’s Health Ministry said, in coordination with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the WHO. All necessary safety measures would be taken, the ministry said, with medical care and transportation provided in special facilities and vehicles to avoid contact with the local population and protect health workers. According to the WHO, the cruise ship, which set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for Cape Verde, had 88 passengers and 59 crew members from 23 countries on board. A WHO official said on Tuesday that she suspected some rare human-to-human transmission had occurred between close contacts on board the ship. “We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the WHO, told reporters in Geneva. Van Kerkhove also sent a direct message to the people on board. “We just want you to know we are working with the ship’s operators,” she said. “We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared.” Andes strain Human-to-human transmission is not common, and the WHO reiterated that the risk to the wider public was low, adding that it had been told that “there are no rats on board” the ship. A limited spread among close contacts has been observed in some previous outbreaks of the Andes strain of the virus, which spreads in South America, including Argentina. Van Kerkhove said the typical incubation period for hantavirus was between one and six weeks, leading the WHO to believe that the Dutch couple, who had been travelling in Argentina before boarding the cruise, “were infected off the ship”. Other cases may also have been infected while on bird-watching trips to islands where birds and rodents live, the WHO said. Such trips are part of the cruise. The Hondius is carrying mostly British, American and Spanish passengers on the luxury cruise, which set off from the southern tip of Argentina in late March. The cruise visited the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha, some of the remotest islands on the planet. The voyage was marketed as an Antarctic nature expedition, with berth prices ranging from 14,000 to 22,000 euros ($16,000 to $25,000). Advertisement The first stricken passenger, the Dutch man, died on April 11. His body remained on board until April 24, when it “was disembarked on St Helena, with his wife accompanying the repatriation”, Oceanwide Expeditions said. His wife had gastrointestinal symptoms when she was disembarked, and deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg. She died upon arrival at the emergency department on April 26, the WHO said, adding that contact tracing was under way for passengers on the flight. South African authorities have confirmed that the British patient, who is being treated in a Johannesburg hospital, tested positive for the hantavirus. Adblock test (Why?)
US pauses plan to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz
NewsFeed US president Donald Trump has said that the US military operation “Project Freedom” guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be paused for a short period. He cited a request from Pakistan and progress towards a final deal with Iran. Published On 6 May 20266 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Oil prices surge as violence flares in Strait of Hormuz
Brent crude rises nearly 6 percent as soaring tensions in waterway push ceasefire to the brink. Published On 5 May 20265 May 2026 Oil prices have risen sharply as violence in the Strait of Hormuz cast doubt over the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Brent crude, the primary benchmark for oil prices worldwide, rose by nearly 6 percent on Monday to $114.44 a barrel. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Brent futures eased somewhat on Tuesday morning, trading at $113.54 as of 02:00 GMT. The latest surge in prices came after the US military said it had destroyed six of Iran’s small boats in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway, and the United Arab Emirates reported coming under attack from Iranian missiles and drones. An Iranian military source cited by the official IRNA news agency denied that US forces had sunk several Iranian boats, branding the US claim “false”. The market is pricing oil higher as it factors in the risk of “more oil infrastructure damage and the likelihood that the Strait of Hormuz will be shut beyond the timeline that the Trump administration has laid out,” said June Goh, a senior oil market analyst at Sparta in Singapore. Despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday that the United States military would “guide” commercial vessels through the critical strait, shipping companies have been hesitant to transit the waterway amid persistent safety concerns. While the US military reported that two US-flagged merchant ships crossed the strait in the hours after Trump announced “Project Freedom”, there have yet to be any signs of a substantial resumption of maritime traffic in the region. On Monday, the head of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said that ships should not be asked to cross the strait “without a full guarantee of safety”. Advertisement “Freedom of navigation must be restored in full accordance with international law, but it must be done in a way that is coordinated, transparent and puts seafarers’ safety first,” ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton told Al Jazeera, adding that there was “little clarity” about how the operation would “provide safe evacuation, nor assurance from Iran that transit will be guaranteed”. “Until we have those assurances, we are calling on shipowners and flag states not to treat this announcement as a green light,” Cotton said. “These workers have already endured weeks of fear, uncertainty and hardship. They must not now be put in harm’s way.” According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), up to 20,000 seafarers remain stranded on some 2,000 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The IMO has said that there was “no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age”. The United Nations, meanwhile, has called for freedom of navigation in the strait, saying the closure of the waterway is “impeding the delivery of oil, gas, fertiliser, and other critical commodities” and “strangling the global economy”. Brent prices have risen more than 50 percent since the start of the war in late February, amid an estimated daily production shortfall of 14.5 million barrels. Even if Washington and Tehran reach a deal to end the war, oil prices are likely to remain elevated for some time due to the backlog of unloaded cargo, damaged regional infrastructure, and the need to clear Iranian mines, according to analysts. Goh, the analyst at Sparta, said she expected prices to rise further as countries dip into their energy supplies. “As more OECD inventory reports are published showing significant drawdown rates, we should see an even more bullish trend for the Brent price,” Goh said. Adblock test (Why?)