Concern is mounting for King Harald of Norway as the 89-year-old monarch remains in a critical condition in hospital. The royal family, including the queen and the crown prince, has gathered by his side following an announcement from the palace regarding his deteriorating health status.

Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon, who is currently assuming regency duties, have postponed their royal responsibilities to be at Oslo University Hospital with King Harald. The family is united during this troubling time, with key members present.

Norwegian media outlets have captured images of the queen, Haakon, and his wife, Mette-Marit, along with their children, as they arrived at the hospital. Meanwhile, members of the public are expressing their concern and support by placing flowers outside the Oslo palace.

Also present at the hospital was Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. Hoiby, currently under house arrest with an ankle monitor due to a rape conviction he has appealed, joined family members in solidarity.

The palace issued a statement highlighting the gravity of King Harald’s condition, noting it as “extremely serious” but withheld further details regarding his health challenges.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who cancelled a work trip to Germany on Thursday following the update on the king’s health, said he was ‘deeply affected’.

‘I stand together with the entire country as we now send our warmest thoughts to the king and the rest of the royal family. I am confident that the king is being well taken care of, and that he is receiving good and compassionate treatment,’ he said.

Norway’s bishops also cut short a study visit to Rome where they had met Pope Leo and were to return to Norway, according to Christian newspaper Vart Land.

Caroline Vagle, a royal reporter for the Se og Hor magazine, called Thursday’s statement from the palace ‘dramatic’.

‘There is now a completely different atmosphere surrounding the King’s illness than before. Over the years, the Royal Household has been very restrained in its communication about the King’s health, even when he has been hospitalised or undergone treatment,’ she told AFP.

‘There is also an entire nation that is deeply concerned and saddened. King Harald is a much-loved king.’

The update comes days after the Royal Court said Harald V was stable and had ‘responded to treatment’ for a ‘bacterial infection in his blood’. 

King Harald has been receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder which sees red blood cells destroyed at an abnormally fast rate and leads to fatigue, paleness and breathing difficulties.

On Sunday, the palace said his health had ‘deteriorated over the weekend’ after he contracted an infection, as members of the Norwegian Royal Family have been pictured outside the Oslo hospital where he is admitted this week. 

Both his children, including Crown Prince Haakon – who has been serving as Regent in his father’s absence – and former princess Martha Louise reportedly rushed to the Oslo University Hospital to be with King Harald. 

It is said to have been an incredibly difficult time for Martha Louise, 54, whose husband, Durek Verrett, just underwent a successful kidney transplant after requiring dialysis multiple times a week ‘just to stay alive’. 

The American shaman is believed to have been admitted at the same hospital as his father-in-law.

In a statement, Martha Louise and Durek said they are ‘incredibly relieved and deeply grateful’ to the organ donor, adding: ‘It is difficult to put into words what such a gift means.’  

‘The new kidney has given Durek a second chance, and that is something we will never take for granted.’ 

While Durek is recovering, all eyes will be on the hospital amid the palace’s worrying update about King Harald. 

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He was admitted to hospital on August 17 and placed on sick leave for two weeks as the palace said: ‘The King has been treated with cortisone for the blood disease haemolytic anaemia in recent weeks.

‘This has led to fluid accumulation in the body that requires treatment in hospital.

‘The King is on sick leave for two weeks. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is Regent during this period. We will return to the consequences this will have for the Royal House’s official programme.’

The Norwegian monarch has been in and out of hospital this year, including earlier this month when he underwent a ‘planned check-up and follow-up with a doctor’. 

He was also rushed to hospital in February while spending time with his wife, Norwegian Queen Sonja, 89, in Tenerife.

The monarch’s condition at the time was said to have been ‘satisfactory’ after he received treatment for an infection and dehydration at Hospital Universitario Hospiten Sur.

It came just two years after he suffered a similar problem while on holiday in Malaysia. That ordeal resulted in him having a pacemaker fitted.

The monarch has, however, insisted that he will never abdicate from his position due to poor health, arguing that he took a lifelong oath before ascending to the throne in 1991.

‘I stick by what I’ve always said, that I swore an oath to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and it is for life,’ he said previously.

Harald has presided over a difficult few months for the Norwegian royal family amid a scandal involving his daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mette-Marit faced intense scrutiny when a tranche from the Epstein Files revealed she stayed at the paedophile financier’s Palm Beach mansion in 2013 – after his conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

One email suggested she was still in contact with Epstein just months before his death.

Mette-Marit, 53, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, later issued a grovelling apology in which she claimed the emails ‘do not represent the person who I want to be’.

Harald defended his daughter-in-law during a public appearance that month in which he insisted: ‘We must remember that the Crown Princess has not done anything illegal.

‘Unlike some others in Norway, she broke the connection very early. So I think we should give her credit for that.’

It came in the same week that Queen Sonja was rushed to Oslo’s National Hospital after experiencing ‘heart problems’.

At the time, a statement from the Norwegian Royal House read: ‘Her Majesty the Queen was admitted to the National Hospital today due to heart problems.

‘The Queen has heart fibrillation and heart failure, and has been hospitalised for a few days for examinations and observation.’

Sonja was later discharged and said to have been in ‘much better form’. The 89-year-old had a pacemaker fitted last year after experiencing cardiac fibrillation – a rapid and irregular heartbeat.

Harald became Norway’s Crown Prince in 1957 after the death of his grandfather. He married Sonja in 1968 before becoming the monarch 23 years later when his father, King Olav, passed away.

Prosecutors have revealed shocking new details in the case of the boater who crashed into a Boston pier, resulting in the tragic death of a 24-year-old former student athlete. The accused was reportedly intoxicated and recklessly taking his hands off the wheel to dance, steering a stolen boat into disaster.

Boston resident Lawrence Shieh, 40, faces a raft of charges after a Suffolk County grand jury indictment linked him to the fatal May 13 incident. The crash claimed the life of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dankert, aged 24, and left two of her friends injured. Shieh is charged with involuntary manslaughter, operating under the influence (OUI) causing death, multiple counts of OUI causing serious injury, unauthorized use of a boat, and a violation of the Logan International Airport security zone.

Following a night of visiting several bars, Shieh’s blood-alcohol content tested at more than twice the legal threshold, adding to the evidence against him.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden addressed the media, noting, “On the night of the crash, Lawrence Shieh partook in an array of alcoholic drinks at the ReelHouse and other bars in the Seaport area. His blood-alcohol level was recorded at a staggering .20, far above the Massachusetts legal limit of .08.”

The boat, which was not equipped with exterior lighting, had been docked at Freedom Boat Club in Boston’s Seaport District before it was taken without permission. Although Shieh held membership in the club, he had no authorization to remove the vessel. Hayden said cellphone footage — including video recorded on Dankert’s phone — captured the moments leading up to the deadly crash.

“Cellphone videos recorded Shieh’s conduct, including inattentiveness at the helm, dancing and engaging with the three young women. Approximately six seconds before the crash, Shieh is captured on video with both hands off the wheel of the boat,” Hayden said.

The boat then crashed nearly head-on into Pier 4R at Logan.

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“Recovered data from the boat navigation system indicates that the boat was traveling at a dangerously excessive speed for the area of 36 mph at the time of the crash,” Hayden said.

Dankert struck her head and died as a result of blunt force injuries. The other two women and Shieh suffered non life-threatening injuries.

Dankert, of Andover, was a 2024 graduate of Union College, where she played soccer.

“Lizzie was an exceptional student-athlete who had a tremendous impact during her four years at Union College,” Union College spokesperson Phillip Wajda told Boston 25 in a statement. News Media has reached out to Union College for comment.

In his first hearing, a cash bail was set at $25,000 with conditions for Shieh to stay away and have no contact with the female witnesses, Fan Pier and Freedom Boat Club employees, stay away from the ReelHouse in Seaport and no boating or consume alcohol during the investigations.

Shieh’s attorney, Nick Pisegna, said in the hearing that his client did not have a criminal record and has been “diligently attending” his appointments following the incident.

Shieh was released after posting bail. He is due back in court on Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. for a pre-trial conference. News Media has reached out to Shieh’s attorney for comment.

Tragedy struck a remote coastal community in Alaska on Wednesday when a small airplane plunged into shallow waters, resulting in the deaths of all four occupants aboard, as confirmed by officials.

The ill-fated aircraft, identified as a Piper PA-24-260, was en route to the quaint town of Seldovia from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage. The crash occurred at approximately 1:18 p.m., according to a statement released by the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Seldovia’s modest airport lies roughly 136 miles southwest of Anchorage, providing a vital link for the community.

“Alaska State Troopers received reports of a small plane’s crash within the Seldovia Slough area,” the statement detailed.

Responding to the emergency, a helicopter crew from Anchorage was dispatched to the wreckage site, while additional troopers traveled by boat from Anchor Point to lend assistance.

Following the crash, the plane was completely submerged in about 15 feet of water in the Seldovia Slough near the shore, according to Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska region chief.

Troopers were forced to wait until the tide went out in order to reach the aircraft.

Once the tide level dropped at about 6:30 p.m., troopers were able to retrieve the bodies of the four adult victims from the plane.

The bodies will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for autopsy. The victims’ names will be released once next of kin are notified, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

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It remains unclear what may have caused the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

This comes after another plane crashed last week at a remote military site in western Alaska, killing all eight people on board.

That aircraft had been making its second runway approach in heavy fog, and its pilots were struggling to see the gravel airstrip, according to officials.

In that incident, the Cessna’s two pilots were flying solely by instruments when the plane crashed.

Regulations required that the pilots abort their first landing attempt because of the lack of visibility, and the plane crashed on its second attempt, about one-third of a mile from the runway.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In a chilling case that has gripped Pennsylvania, authorities allege that a teenager and his mother used blue latex gloves to transport the body of his girlfriend, a budding soccer star, along several secluded roads. The mother-son duo reportedly drove in a two-vehicle convoy during the grim journey last week.

Eighteen-year-old Royce Moser now stands accused of the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Karoline Heintz, after a fatal confrontation in her vehicle. Prosecutors claim that following the incident, Moser called upon his mother, 56-year-old Rachel Moser, for assistance in disposing of Heintz’s body.

According to police reports obtained by the Daily Mail, these documents outline not only the tragic final moments of Heintz’s life but also detail how Royce and Rachel allegedly attempted to erase traces of their involvement. They purportedly donned disposable gloves in their effort to conceal fingerprints and cover up the violent crime.

Karoline Heintz was just 18 and on the brink of embarking on a promising academic and athletic journey as a freshman at Pennsylvania Western University, where she was set to compete in Division II soccer.

Tragically, her bright future was stolen from her on the night of August 19, shortly after 10 p.m., when law enforcement claims her boyfriend fatally stabbed her with a “large kitchen knife” in Washington County—a typically quiet suburban area nestled near Pittsburgh.

The nightmare began as Royce and Heintz were sat in her Jeep Cherokee outside Moser’s father’s home in North Strabane Township, according to Pennsylvania State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. 

Gagliardi told the Daily Mail that the couple began arguing about ‘how their relationship was going to go or last’ as she prepared to leave for college. 

Moser then pretended he ‘had something for Heintz’ in the house such as a gift or personal belonging and asked her to wait in the car, according to the state trooper. 

‘He goes into his father’s house, grabs a large kitchen knife, and stabs her in the chest with it,’ Gagliardi said, adding that it is unclear whether his father was home at the time. 

The police trooper said that Heintz tumbled out of the vehicle onto the ground before Moser placed her in the back hatch before driving to his mother’s house about 30 minutes away in Beallsville. 

Moser later told police that ‘demons’ had told him to hurt Heintz, according to his criminal complaint. 

The complaint adds that he called his mother during the early hours of Thursday morning, and told her ‘he needed to have her follow him to PennWest- California University to drop off a vehicle.’

The teenager then admitted to his mother that he had stabbed Heintz and he needed her to give him a ride back after he dropped off the Jeep, the complaint states. He allegedly added that he didn’t know whether his girlfriend was ‘dead or alive.’

Instead of alerting the authorities, Rachel Moser helped him clean the Jeep with disinfectant spray and the two drove from her home to California Public Library on Wood Street, about 15 minutes away, the complaint states.

Surveillance footage which police are not releasing to the public shows the duo traveling in tandem past Daisytown and Richeyville, both clutching the steering wheel in blue latex gloves, according to the document. 

Rachel later claimed that she was wearing the gloves because she had ‘picked up dog poop before she left and still had the gloves on,’ according to her criminal complaint.  

They left Heintz’s vehicle in the parking lot with her body still inside, before returning to Rachel’s home where she told her son to ‘take a bath and then shower,’ the filing states.

‘She took the knife that was used to stab the victim and put it in a garbage bag to be put in the trash outside of her residence’ and ‘put his clothes into the washing machine’, according to the complaint. 

Heintz’s family quickly alerted police to her disappearance after tracking her car and realizing that she had not returned to the university campus. 

Despite the alleged cleanup by the Mosers, detectives said they found ‘blood spatter’ across the driver side of the car and on the outside of the vehicle. 

Pennsylvania State Police arrested Moser and Rachel later on Thursday and they were filmed being escorted to a squad car with their ankles and wrists shackled. 

Though she hid her face from the cameras for the duration of the perp-walk, Rachel made a stunning admission to the reporters surrounding her. 

After declining to answer several questions, she said: ‘I’m sorry, my son took a life.’ 

Rachel also denied the charges leveled against her. 

When asked: ‘Why did you help your son cover up a murder?’ the 56-year-old replied: ‘I did not,’ as she continued to hide her face.

Moser did not respond to questions. He has been charged with homicide, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering of evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice.

His mother, meanwhile, faces charges of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering of evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse and obstruction.

Heintz’s heartbroken family released a statement through Pennsylvania State Police. 

‘This is a parent’s worst nightmare. It has been devastating for family, friends, and the whole community,’ the family said. ‘Karoline was loved by all. She was a kind, smart, beautiful girl. We want justice for our “sweet” Karoline.’

‘Please respect our privacy as we grieve. Any questions refer to the PA State Police.’

Heintz was slated to play Division II soccer at PennWest University, and she also played hockey for her high school team. 

In a statement, the school said it ‘is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Karoline Heintz, who was a first-year student at the California campus.’

‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, and all those affected by this tragedy.’

Her friends held a vigil in her memory, and her hockey teammates left their sticks outside their homes overnight in a tribute called ‘sticks out for Karoline.’

The U.S. Coast Guard recently thwarted a significant drug trafficking operation, intercepting a boat near Puerto Rico with an estimated cargo value exceeding $50 million in cocaine.

Officials reported to News Media that more than 7,000 pounds of the illegal substance were seized from the vessel situated approximately 50 miles from the U.S. territory’s shoreline.

On Saturday, August 22, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon, aided by Customs and Border Protection air and marine crews, successfully stopped the suspected boat involved in smuggling activities.

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An estimated 7,250 pounds of cocaine was seized, worth about $54.5 million.

Five people on the alleged smuggling boat were detained and taken into custody in the investigation.

The Coast Guard destroyed the boat as it “posed a hazard to navigation,” the agency said.

In a statement, Lieutenant Commander Michael D. Torgesen said: “An outstanding team effort thanks to seamless coordination with Coast Guard and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] air assets, cutter Richard Dixon was in the right place at the right time to stop a major shipment. I’m constantly humbled by my crew’s dedication and am proud to serve alongside them as we strike a direct blow against transnational smuggling operations and protect the nation’s maritime borders in the Caribbean.”

Coast Guard Southeast District Commander Admiral Adam Chamie said, “This interdiction shows what ready crews and strong interagency partnerships can achieve in the maritime domain.”

The Coast Guard has yet to announce charges in the operation.

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The cocaine bust announcement follows another development this week as the agency reached a milestone in which more than 75,000 pounds of illicit narcotics, valued at $473 million, were offloaded in Port Everglades in Miami, Florida, on Monday.

In a dramatic turn of events this week, a glacier collapse set off catastrophic flash floods on the border between Nepal and China, tragically claiming at least 273 lives and leaving more than 1,300 people unaccounted for. Described by officials as a “tsunami from the sky,” this natural disaster highlights the devastating power of the environment.

The incident occurred around 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday when a significant chunk of ice broke away from a glacier perched high in the Himalayas. This colossal piece plunged from a staggering height of about 17,000 feet, crashing into the valley below in what experts refer to as an ice avalanche, as reported by Al Jazeera.

During its descent, the ice gathered momentum and debris, ultimately colliding with the Lhende River, situated approximately 12 miles from the Nepal-China border.

The debris-laden ice initially dammed the river, which then burst through, releasing a furious surge of water downstream.

Bishal Nath Upreti, the president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, described the situation on the BBC’s “Today” show, emphasizing the enormity of the calamity: “Imagine having 20 million cubic meters of excess water rushing through the river, resembling a tsunami from the sky.”

“It’s such a huge debris, and everything on the way was completely washed out. Villages and villages along the almost 40 to 50 kilometres were completely wiped out.”

Upreti declared that Wednesday’s floods were “one of the largest disasters” in Nepalese history.

Initially, the US Geological Survey reported that a 4.4-magnitude earthquake had struck 41 miles north of the Nepal capital, Kathmandu, before revising its assessment. 

“Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred,” the USGS said, according to AFP.

The glacier collapse caused “catastrophic impacts downstream.”

A mudslide slammed into the Gyirong port in China-controlled Tibet, while villages on the paths of the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers in Nepal were devastated by the 33-foot-high wall of water, debris, and mud, which surged downstream.

“I started running,” Bibek Kumal, a 24-year-old Nepali laborer, said, revealing he was working on a toilet pit when the mudslides hit.

“Then a wall of water came thundering down as if it was an earthquake.”

Kumal, who was hospitalized but survived, counted his blessings as he ended up in a mango tree as he was being swept downstream.

“Had there been no mango tree, I would’ve been washed away to death.”

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Some 168 people have been killed, with authorities fearing the number will rise.

Hundreds of foreigners who had embarked on pilgrimages to the sacred Mount Kailash, located in southwestern China, were caught up in the floods.

It’s a revered peak in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Bon – and it has never been successfully climbed.

US citizens Ramesh Sharma, 65, and his wife Neelam Sharma, 64, are among the American citizens missing. They were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, their daughter Radhika Sharma revealed.

Some 63 American citizens are missing, according to Nepalese authorities.

At least 77 pilgrims traveling with the Isha Foundation – founded by the Indian guru Sadhguru –  lost contact when traveling back to Kathmandu after completing their journey to Kailash, according to the ANI news agency.

Nine Brits – who were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash with the Trekkers Society – are missing. The ages of the pilgrims range from 14 to 54, according to the Press Association.

The response has seen more than 5,000 army and police rescue personnel deployed. 

But rescue operations are being hampered by the infrastructure that has been damaged or destroyed in the floods and landslides.

Around 25 miles of roads were damaged and 19 bridges were destroyed.

Nepalese army personnel have been forced to carry out rescue operations by helicopter.

More than 100 people were rescued on Thursday, according to army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet.

Meanwhile, areas near the Gyirong port in China-controlled Tibet, which is near the border crossing, were covered in mud that was five feet deep.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said the flooding “has caused significant casualties and missing persons in both China and Nepal.”

With Post wires.