Author: France 24

As the world saw with COVID-19, the only thing that spreads faster than a virus is misinformation, and Hantavirus is no exception. Despite only a few confirmed cases, conspiracy theories have swirled on social media falsely claiming Hantavirus is a planned pandemic, or a ploy to disrupt the US midterm elections. Others alleged it’s a “bioweapon” created by big pharma  to “poison” people or even that it’s a side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. 

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé on Monday was named the Ligue 1 player of the year for the second year running. Paris Saint-Germain and RC Lens shared the main trophies.

British prime minister Keir Starmer said he would introduce legislation this week to give the government powers to take full ownership of British Steel in Scunthorpe, the last plant in the UK that can make steel from scratch.  Last year the government seized control of the steelworks from its Chinese owner to stop the potential closure of the blast furnaces. Plus, French farmers dump manure near TotalEnergies’ refinery to protest at soaring energy costs. 

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with Scottish-American duo Witch Post. Despite living more than 4,000 miles apart, Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser crossed geographical barriers to form this band, united by a shared love of indie-rock, songwriting and folklore from their respective homelands. They are on tour with their sophomore EP “Butterfly”, a record steeped in fantasy and the supernatural.

The world has just weeks to prevent a crisis that could tip tens of millions of people into hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not allowed through the Hormuz strait, the UN warned Monday. Peace talks between Iran, the US and Israel are looking increasingly shaky as President Donald Trump said Sunday that Tehran’s response to the latest peace proposal was “totally unacceptable”. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates

Passengers started disembarking on Sunday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship anchored off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, hours after arriving there as evacuation plans got underway.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Brest (1-0) and are all but certain to be crowned French champions. With two games remaining, PSG are six points clear of Lens and have a significantly better goal difference.

After Donald Trump announced a pause to the US operation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s online propaganda machine was quick to declare victory. Explosive Media, one of the groups behind Lego-style videos mocking Trump, proclaimed it “TACO Tuesday”, ie that the US president had “chickened out”. Meanwhile, Minecraft, the Minions and Simpsons-style characters are joining the legions of copycats. FRANCE 24’s Technology Correspondent Peter O’Brien looks at how these videos are actually made.

A total of 22 films are competing for the Palme d’Or this year as the presitigious Cannes Film Festival begins in the south of France on Tuesday. The nine-person jury this year will be headed by South Korean director Park Chan-Wook but will also feature US celebrity Demi Moore, star of “The Substance”.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated after reports of US fire on Iranian-linked tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran warned of retaliation against American targets in the region as diplomatic efforts continue over a proposed deal involving sanctions, nuclear limits, and maritime security.