EU hails 'leap forward' in ties with Russia's ally Armenia

Health authorities were racing to find a port for a cruise ship battling a suspected hantavirus outbreak Tuesday, as it remained off Cape Verde with passengers isolating after three people died.

The MV Hondius will head to Spain's Canary Islands, the World Health Organization said, though Spanish authorities said no decision would be made on which port would receive the ship until epidemiological data on board had been analysed. 

The priority is to evacuate two crew members who require urgent care -- potentially to the Netherlands -- and "then the ship can move", the WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva.

So far, two hantavirus cases have been confirmed and there have been five other suspected cases among the 147 people who were on the cruise from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde off west Africa, the WHO said.

Three of those people had died, while one was critically ill and three others had reported mild symptoms, it said.

Two of those who had died and one who was sickened had left the ship, with one woman flying to Johannesburg before dying on April 26, spurring a search for people she may have come in contact with on the flight.

Passengers and crew have meanwhile been in isolation on the Hondius, operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions, after Cape Verde authorities barred the ship from docking.

- Human-to-human transmission? -

The WHO is working with Spanish authorities who "have said that they will welcome the ship to do... a full epidemiologic investigation," Van Kerkhove said.

They would also conduct a "full disinfection of the ship and of course, to assess the risk of the passengers that are actually on board," she added.

Spain's health ministry said a decision on where to send the boat would be taken based "on the epidemiological data collected from the ship during its stopover in Cape Verde".

The United Nations' health agency was scrambling for answers about how hantavirus had emerged on the Hondius, which set off from from Ushuaia on April 1.

Human hantavirus infection is a rare but potentially deadly disease that is primarily spread via infected rodents, the WHO said.

However, human-to-human transmission has also been reported in previous outbreaks involving one specific species of hantavirus called Andes virus, which circulates in South America.

Van Kerkove said the species of virus had yet to be confirmed.

"The sequencing is currently under way by the South Africans, and we hope to have a result soon," she said, adding though that "our working assumption is that it is the Andes virus".

Although investigation was required, she said "we do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts".

- Contact-tracing -

Among those close contacts was likely the first two people to die: a Dutch couple -- a husband who died on board on April 11 and his wife who died after she disembarked the boat in Saint Helena to accompany his body.

The WHO said that the wife, who left the ship with her dead husband on April 24, had been suffering from "gastrointestinal symptoms".

"She subsequently deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg" on April 25, it said, adding that she died a day later.

Now, Van Kerkhove said, "contact tracing has been initiated" for anyone the woman may have come in contact with on the flight.

She stressed that human-to-human transmission of hantavirus typically only happened "among very close contacts".

Passengers from Britain, Spain and the United States, as well as crew from the Philippines, were among 23 nationalities aboard the MV Hondius.

The ship's operator said a British passenger was in intensive care in Johannesburg. The two crew members needing urgent care were British and Dutch, it said.

- Likely infected off-ship -

Van Kerkhove said the typical incubation period for the hantavirus was between one and six weeks, leading the WHO to believe that the Dutch couple, who had joined the boat in Argentina, "were infected off the ship".

The Hondius, she highlighted, was an expedition vessel, with passengers going ashore on a number of islands in the Atlantic Ocean to do birdwatching and other activities -- meaning there could be "some source of infection on the islands".

The WHO has the risk to the global population from outbreak as "low".

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Romania's parliament on Tuesday voted to oust liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in a motion of no confidence initiated by the Social Democrats and the far right, deepening political turmoil in the EU and NATO country bordering Ukraine.

The move by the left wing Social Democrats (PSD), Romania's biggest party, to join with the far right to file the motion drew criticism that they were legitimising a surging far right.

The motion received 281 votes in the 464-seat parliament. Bolojan's liberals (PNL) and his USR allies were present, but did not vote.

The PSD quit the government last month and teamed up with the AUR, Romania's main far-right party, for the motion.

The AUR has passed the PSD in surveys since the last parliamentary elections, sitting at around 37 percent.

By joining with the AUR, the PSD has turned it "into a significant political player, from a party that was isolated, ostracised and kept on the margins of the political system", political scientist Costin Ciobanu told AFP.

AUR leader George Simion posted on X after the vote that "the voice of the people was heard today," calling for "national reconciliation".

- 'Find solution' -

Tensions with the PSD escalated as Bolojan, 57, pushed for unpopular austerity measures to reduce the deficit, the biggest in the European Union.

PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu said after the vote that Bolojan should resign while it is "the duty of responsible parties to find a solution".

"I want us to form a government quickly," he said.

Pro-EU President Nicusor Dan has given assurances that the eastern European country of 19 million people will keep its pro-Western direction, ruling out the possibility of a far-right government.

"Political discussions will be difficult, but it is my responsibility as president -- and that of the political parties -- to steer Romania in the right direction," he told reporters on Monday.

In parliament ahead of the vote, Bolojan defended his push for reforms, slamming the motion as "deceitful, cynical, and contrived."

"I chose to do what was urgent and necessary for our country," he said.

- 'Anxiety' -

Bolojan's liberals, the PSD and two other pro-EU parties formed a government last year following elections in which the far right won an unprecedented third of parliamentary seats.

The deal ended political tumult marked by the annulment of presidential elections over allegations of Russian interference in December 2024.

The no-confidence motion against Bolojan now threatens to revive the turmoil.

Ciobanu, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, said that weeks of political negotiations were likely, which could see a new government of the same four pro-EU parties but with a different premier.

"We're seeing this existential anxiety within the Social Democratic Party" which "doesn't know what it should do right now to get back to where it used to be", Ciobanu added.

Since the crisis erupted, the interest rates at which Romania borrows have risen, and the lei currency has depreciated against the euro, which reached an all-time high of 5.21 Romanian lei on Tuesday.

Romania, which had a deficit of 7.9 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of last year, has been subject to an EU excessive deficit procedure since 2020.

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The EU and Armenia laid the groundwork for closer ties at a summit in Yerevan Tuesday, marking another step in the former Soviet nation's cautious pivot away from Russia and towards Brussels.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the capital, resulting in several deals and pledges.

"With this summit, we take a leap forward in a new level of cooperation," von der Leyen said at the gathering -- the first of its kind.

Relations between Yerevan and its traditional ally Moscow have become strained in recent years, in part because Russian peacekeepers failed to intervene during military conflicts with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Under Pashinyan, Armenia has formally pursued a strategy of what he calls "diversification", in which the landlocked country pursues ties with both Russia and the West.

But analysts argue that really amounts to a tilt towards Brussels, given the country is currently a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and the Moscow-led CSTO security alliance, although it froze its membership of the latter in 2024.

"If we are accepted into the EU, we will be happy and satisfied," Pashinyan said Tuesday, adding that Yerevan was working towards meeting the bloc's strict membership standards. 

In another sign of its westward turn, the Armenian capital on Monday hosted more than 40 European leaders, including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO chief Mark Rutte, for a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC).

The EU summit coincided with a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is home to Europe's largest Armenian community and who received a hearty welcome in Yerevan.

"I believe deeply that Armenia's calling lies in Europe," Macron told a forum in Yerevan Tuesday.

"Europe is the most natural partner for Armenia and the South Caucasus at this period in time," he said.

- 'Regional hub' -

The nation of three million people between Europe and Asia signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with the European Union in 2017, deepening its cooperation in trade and other areas.

Last year, it adopted a law formally declaring its intention to apply for EU membership and is seeking to secure better visa access to the 27-nation bloc for its people.

On Tuesday it signed a "connectivity partnership" to strengthen transport, energy, and digital links with Brussels. 

The EU also urged European firms to invest in the country, underscoring the fresh opportunities created by a peace process with neighbouring Azerbaijan. 

"We have never before heard such a call, such a message," Pashinyan said, noting Armenia was previously seen as "a high-risk destination for investment".

The arch-foes have fought two wars over the Karabakh region in recent years. Azerbaijan finally seized the mountainous territory in a lightning offensive in 2023, ending three decades of rule by Armenian separatists.

A reset in ties was fostered last year by a deal brokered by the United States, which has been playing a larger role in the region, with Vice President JD Vance visiting Armenia earlier this year.

"Armenia sits on the shortest route between Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and Europe and in the past, because of war and geopolitics, this route was closed, but now you are changing this," von der Leyen told Pashinyan.

"Armenia can become a regional hub for new global trade routes, particularly in the crucial area of critical raw materials. And Europe is ready to support you."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared himself "completely calm" about Armenia's overtures to Europe, but also warned that belonging to both the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union was "simply impossible".

In April, the EU established a mission to help Yerevan tackle foreign interference, with Russia suspected of a disinformation push ahead of elections in June.

Opinion polls show most Armenians are in favour of European integration, while support for Russia has plummeted. But many are sceptical about whether joining the EU is realistic and worried about further provoking Moscow.

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A man suspected of ploughing a car into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig, killing two people, had recently been treated for mental health problems, reports said Tuesday.

The 33-year-old German national allegedly drove the vehicle Monday at high speed down a main street in the historic centre of the eastern city, leaving two people dead and many others injured. 

Germany has been shaken by a series of car-ramming attacks in recent years, including one targeting a Christmas market in 2024 in Magdeburg, and others in Berlin and Munich.

The suspect in the Leipzig incident was arrested at the scene and officials have said they do not believe he had a political or religious motive. 

Authorities have not commented directly on his mental health but both the Bild daily and local broadcaster MDR reported that he had recently been receiving treatment in a psychiatric facility.

Bild said he had admitted himself to the centre, but was asked to leave on Sunday due to aggressive behaviour towards other patients.

It was not clear whether the institution had informed the police before his release, which they are required to do in cases where a patient could pose a danger, it said. 

On Tuesday morning, the street where the deadly incident happened was still cordoned off as police searched the area.

At a church in the grounds of a university, Heidi Rheinsdorf said she had travelled to Leipzig from a nearby town to show support to the local community.

Wiping back tears, the 32-year-old told AFP she was "shocked" when she heard about the car-ramming, adding: "I just don't understand why (the alleged perpetrator) did it.

"I just feel so sorry for the people."

A 63-year old woman and a 77-year old man, both German citizens, were killed in the incident. Authorities have said many others were injured, without giving a precise figure.

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Iran's powerful chief negotiator warned the United States against any further escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, after a spate of attacks risked reigniting the Middle East war.

The US military said its Apache and Seahawk helicopters hit six Iranian boats threatening commercial shipping and its forces repelled missile and drones on Monday, while the UAE reported fresh Iranian attacks on its territory. 

Iran's latest warning followed US President Donald Trump announcing a plan to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Gulf, before the rivals traded fire as they vie for control of the waterway with duelling maritime blockades.

"We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; whilst we have not even started yet," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also the speaker in Iran's parliament, wrote in a post on X.

The war, which erupted more than two months ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread throughout the Middle East and roiled the global economy, impacting hundreds of millions worldwide despite a weeks-long ceasefire.

Ghalibaf said the actions of the US and its allies had put shipping security at risk, but said their "malign presence will diminish", with Tehran vowing not to surrender control of the Hormuz strait.

It denied any of its combat ships had been hit in US attacks but accused Washington of killing five civilian passengers on boats.

But despite the clashes under Trump's effort dubbed "Project Freedom", Denmark's freight giant Maersk said on Tuesday that one of its ships had successfully sailed through the Hormuz under US escort.

Iran's military had threatened to attack any US forces that approached or entered the trade route. 

- 'Direct consequences' -

The UAE called Iranian missile and drone attacks including one on an energy facility in Fujairah "a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression", while key US ally Saudi Arabia called Tuesday for efforts "to reach a political solution".

But negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far.

The sharpest escalation since the ceasefire delivered another shock to the global economy, with stocks sinking on Tuesday after crude prices surged a day earlier as the tensions raised fears over the truce, with no sign of a deal to reopen the strait.

Soaring energy costs for consumers due to the war have caused economic pain around the world and created a headache for Trump months before midterm elections.

Washington's European allies are also concerned that the longer the strait remains closed the more their economies will suffer.

"These attacks are unacceptable," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X, adding that "security in the (Gulf) region has direct consequences for Europe". 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also implored Tehran to "return to the negotiating table and stop holding the region and the world hostage", echoing calls from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

UAE authorities said four cruise missiles were launched, with three successfully shot down and another falling into the sea.

Iran also fired drones at a tanker affiliated with the UAE's state-owned oil giant ADNOC, they said.

Tehran said it had "no pre-planned programme" to target oil facilities in the UAE, but it blamed Washington's attempt to break Tehran's blockade of the Hormuz strait for its attacks.

"What happened was the product of the US military's adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through the forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military must be held accountable for it," an Iranian military official told state TV.

- High alert -

An Israeli military official said Monday that the army remained on high alert and was monitoring the situation after the US said it downed the Iranian missiles and drones.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have kept up their attacks despite a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday said a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is being sought by Washington.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives last month met twice in Washington -- the first such meetings in decades, which came after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2, sparking heavy Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.

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North Korea has welcomed foreign visitors and firms to a trade fair this week, showcasing homegrown products including the latest model of its sleek Jindallae smartphone.

Diplomatically isolated and under biting sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programmes, North Korea has an ageing manufacturing base which analysts doubt has the ability to make high-quality consumer technology.

Still, Pyongyang has touted Jindallae -- "azalea" in Korean -- as a convenient way for citizens to stay connected, albeit through a strictly controlled domestic network.

The devices, which come in a range of colours and feature a large circular camera module with multiple lenses, have been on display at the Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, the country's largest.

AFP images showed visitors browsing stalls at the event on Monday, with state media saying "more than 290 enterprises and companies" from North Korea, Russia, China, Mongolia, Switzerland and Thailand were represented.

There was no information on how many people attended or where they had come from.

Jindallae was first unveiled in 2017, and the latest model appeared to be similar to the version released last year, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan.

The vast majority of North Korea's 25 million people cannot access the global internet, with phones instead connecting to a highly restricted national intranet.

Mobile phones can also help authorities in North Korea -- one of the world's most tightly surveilled societies -- keep tabs on people. Reporting by the BBC has suggested devices can periodically capture screenshots, which are then stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

Pyongyang has released few details of how the devices are produced.

A 2024 report by North Korea scholar Martyn Williams suggested many phones are produced by Chinese firms and rebranded for the North Korean market. United Nations sanctions formally prohibit the import of mobile phone hardware to North Korea.

North Korea had 6.35 million mobile phone subscriptions at the end of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, according to the International Telecommunications Union.

Beyond Jindallae, other local brands include Arirang -- named after a traditional song -- and Phurunhanal, meaning "blue sky".

South Korean authorities said last month that they believe the North's long-moribund economy is recovering thanks partly to strengthening ties with Russia.

Pyongyang has sent troops and ammunition to aid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Analysts say North Korea is receiving economic, military and technical assistance in return.

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France's president donned his crooning hat during a state dinner on Monday, leading Armenian leaders in a rendition of "La Boheme," the 1965 classic by the late Charles Aznavour, a singer beloved in both countries.

Often called France's Frank Sinatra, Aznavour was born in France to Armenian immigrants, going on to become one of the most iconic voices in French music and a revered figure in the two countries.

Aznavour, who died in 2018 at age 94, often served as a cultural bridge between France and Armenia -- a role that was on full display at a state dinner held on Monday evening in the Armenian capital in honour of the visiting Macron.

In a performance captured in a video posted on social media, Macron launched into a rendition of Aznavour's classic about youth, love and the passage of time, as he sat behind a piano, microphone in hand.

Armenian President Vahagn Khatchatourian stood by his side and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has recently launched his own band, joined in on drums. 

"In the nearby cafes, we were a few who waited for glory," Macron sang in French to the delight of clapping audience members, looking visibly relaxed and smiling.

"And though miserable, with empty stomachs, we never stopped believing."

"Music in the spirit of friendship," Franceinfo director Agnes Vahramian, who posted the video of the performance, said on X.

The impromptu concert did not stop there. 

Khatchatourian later took to the piano to play "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves), a post‑war French classic.

For Macron, "La Boheme" is a familiar number. He previously sang the song during a dinner at the Elysee Palace in 2023.

The musical interlude came as Macron was on a state visit to Armenia, with the former Soviet republic seeking to pivot away from old master Russia and closer to Europe.

France is home to some 400,000 people of Armenian descent, the largest Armenian diaspora after those in Russia and the United States.

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Myanmar campaigners denounced on Tuesday US lobbyist Roger Stone, a close confidante of President Donald Trump, for accepting $50,000 a month to "rebuild" the Southeast Asian government's relations with Washington.

Myanmar's leaders have been considered political pariahs in many Western nations since 2021, when the military staged a putsch deposing the democratic government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering civil war.

The United States has imposed economic sanctions targeting Myanmar's top brass and their associates, as the nation suffered a half-decade human rights backslide that has crushed political dissent.

Filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act last week revealed conservative political consultant Stone has been commissioned through consulting firm the DCI Group to provide "public affairs services" to Myanmar's information ministry.

Campaign group Justice For Myanmar said in a statement that Stone and DCI "are profiting from a heavily sanctioned junta that is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity".

US government documents said Stone will work on "rebuilding relations between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the United States, with a focus on trade, natural resources, and humanitarian relief".

The revelation comes as Myanmar's post-coup authorities are touting a new chapter for the country, a campaign which rights monitors are treating with deep scepticism.

After five years of direct military rule, the junta oversaw tightly restricted elections returning a walkover win in January for its allies in civilian politics.

The polls excluded detained Suu Kyi's party.

A new parliament voted for coup leader Min Aung Hlaing to serve as the country's president, buttressing critics who describe the administration as a civilian fig leaf for military rule.

The new military-backed government is using the appearance of political reform to rehabilitate its image and reboot diplomatic ties, analysts say.

Justice For Myanmar said the lobbying work was registered "after the junta's last rebrand".

"Roger Stone has joined this contract with international criminals, which benefits US-sanctioned natural resource state-owned enterprises that the junta has illegally seized and is using to fund its widening attacks against schools, churches, monasteries and hospitals," their statement added.

Stone is a long-time firebrand conservative activist who served as a Trump campaign consultant.

In 2020 he was sentenced to 40 months in prison for hindering a congressional probe into whether Trump's first electoral bid conspired with Russia.

The sentence was commuted by Trump, sparing Stone jail time.

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The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said.

Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains.

Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smouldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble.

Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off.

Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that another five people had died since earlier reports that 21 were killed.

"We feel deeply grieved and filled with remorse," Chen said, adding that search and rescue work was "basically complete".

The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site, according to CCTV.

They had established a 3-kilometre (1.9-mile) control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby.

Police had apprehended the company's management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said.

President Xi Jinping had called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60 percent of the fireworks sold in China and 70 percent of those exported.

Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards.

Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin.

In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

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