What happened
Two British passengers are self-isolating back home after possible exposure to hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, where three people have died during an outbreak. The pair left the ship during a stop at St Helena last month and travelled home via Johannesburg. Neither has shown any symptoms, but they contacted health authorities after hearing about the infections linked to the voyage.

Who said what
UK Health Security Agency chief scientific officer Professor Robin May said officials were tracing people who had been in close contact with the pair during their journey home. “We’ll be approaching all of those individuals and again working closely with them to make sure there’s no risk to them or to the people around them,” he said.

It is “still unknown where the outbreak originated from”, said Alex Kleiderman on the BBC, “and if people other than cruise ship passengers have been infected with the disease”.

What next?
About 150 passengers and crew remain on board the ship under strict precautions as it heads to the Canary Islands. A 56-year-old British man who was evacuated from the vessel is reported to be in a stable condition. Passengers without symptoms are expected to be flown home once the MV Hondius docks in Tenerife.

What happened
The UK government says it is in “discussions about supporting potential bids” for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport is also considering bids to stage the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s.

Who said what
“Sport brings our country together like nothing else,” said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. “We’ve proven ourselves to be outstanding hosts time and time again” and want to show the “best of Britain to the world.”

In order to make the UK “event ready”, the government is also planning to “criminalise reselling tickets” without authorisation, hoping to “shield fans from being fleeced by greedy touts”, said The Sun.

This year political leaders from the north of England wrote a statement campaigning for an Olympic bid for the regions that could “represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to “reset international perceptions of England”.

What next?
This summer the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the European Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games will all take place in the UK. Alongside Ireland, the UK is preparing to co-host the Men’s Euro 2028 tournament and is the sole bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup.

This week the breakaway group Stay Free Alberta submitted a petition for a referendum on the independence issue that had amassed 302,000 signatures – well ahead of the 178,000 (10% of eligible voters) required for the authorities to consider such a move. It marks “a key step” towards a possible vote, according to The Associated Press.

The separatist movement is rooted in what is known as “western alienation”, said the BBC. Some believe that Alberta is “often overlooked by decision-makers” in Ottawa. Anger with the federal capital has “long been brewing” in the province, particularly over its abundant natural resources.

Some Albertans believe the federal government, especially under the ruling Liberal Party, has “stood in the way of the province’s oil and gas industry in favour of pro-climate legislation”, added the BBC. Separatists maintain that independence would “unlock resources”. The overwhelmingly right-wing movement was once “on the political fringes”, but over the past year a “unity crisis has become increasingly likely”.

So far there has been no response from Prime Minister Mark Carney to the petition. But even if the federal government allows a referendum to go ahead in October, a vote for “yes” still wouldn’t automatically trigger independence.

In any case, polls suggest that the majority of Albertans would vote no, with only 26% supporting independence from Canada, according to a recent survey by Abacus Data. A rival petition by anti-separatist group Forever Canadian received 450,000 signatures. So, for its supporters, the dream of an independent Alberta is still a long way away.