News of an airborne virus is frightening, especially when the memory of covid-19 is still strong. The outbreak of hantavirus, typically spread by inhaling airborne particles from rodent droppings or urine, is no different. Its emergence on a cruise ship has caused familiar alarm, sending health authorities scrambling. We explain, however, that if a responsible containment plan is followed, the risk of a global health disaster remains low.

Elsewhere, repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on oil facilities in Tuapse, a Russian port city on the Black Sea, have caused serious environmental damage. One short video showed burning fuel flowing through a street like molten lava. Vladimir Putin said that the situation was under control. But in a guest essay we published, a former senior Russian official suggests that the president may be losing his grip on the country.