Norway’s king, 83, has op to replace heart valve

Oslo: Norway’s 83-yearold king has undergone an operation to replace a heart valve at the main hospital in Oslo.

The royal palace said the surgery was successful and his condition was described as good.

Following the op at Rikshospitalet’s Cardiovascular and Lung Clinic, King Harald V was transferred to an intensive care unit for further observation, his doctor, Bjoern Bendz, said in a palace statement.

Dr Bendz said the intervention was necessary to improve the king’s breathing, and added that this kind of operation is regularly performed.

Last month, the king was admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties, but doctors ruled out Covid-19.

After yesterday’s surgery, the palace said he will be on sick leave for the rest of October.

Moscow: Russia has reported more than 12,000 new coronavirus infections, its highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic.

The government taskforce dealing with the outbreak said the 12,126 infections reported yesterday took the country’s total close to 1.3 million.

Russia has the world’s fourth-largest number of confirmed cases and has reported more than 22,000 deaths.

Authorities insist there is no immediate plan to impose a second lockdown in the country, which has lifted most virus-related restrictions imposed in the spring.

But authorities in Moscow, which has seen a quick rise in new cases, with 3,701 infections reported over the past 24 hours, have encouraged businesses to have at least a third of their employees work from home and recommended the elderly self-isolate at home.

Meanwhile, new reported infections in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were the highest for a third straight day.

The Czech Republic registered another 5,394 cases, taking the country’s total to over 100,000.

Infections in Slovakia reached 1,184 on Thursday, up from 1,037 set a day earlier. Slovakia has had 16,910 reported cases since the start of the pandemic, with 57 deaths.

Berlin: Police in heavy riot gear have been clearing out a notorious squat in the German capital, encountering only passive resistance from residents as they carried them individually down a fire engine ladder.

Thilo Cablitz, a police spokesman at the scene, said 1,500 officers had been called out to aid in clearing the Liebig 34 squat in the Friedrichshain neighbourhood.

An armoured car sat in front of the graffitifestooned building and police kept onlookers at a distance.

Officers entered the building after residents refused to open the door for a court employee to deliver their eviction notice.

Some residents pumped their fists in the air as they were led down a ladder from an upper level by police, while others forced officers to carry them out.

The building has been partially occupied for 30 years and subject to many court battles.

Esperance:

A surfer has vanished in a suspected shark attack off the Australian southwest coast.

A surf board was found at Wylie Bay near the town of Esperance and a search was under way for the man who had been riding Beds Beach late yesterday morning.