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Norwegian king will remain in Spanish hospital a few more days, doctor says

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway’s king will remain in a hospital for a few more days for treatment and observation after being admitted during a vacation on the Spanish island of Tenerife, his doctor said Wednesday.

The royal palace announced on Tuesday evening that King Harald V, who turned 89 last weekend, had been taken to the hospital while he and Queen Sonja were on vacation. His personal doctor, Bjørn Bendz, traveled to Tenerife on Wednesday.

Bendz said in a statement released by the palace that the king’s general health is good and that he is responding well to treatment of a skin infection on one of his legs. He said Harald will remain in the hospital for a few more days.

The doctor noted that it’s always serious when people nearing 90 are admitted for treatment to an infection and said it’s important to get a good overview of Harald’s health before he is discharged, “even though his condition is stable now.”

Two years ago, the king fell ill during a private vacation with the queen in Malaysia and received a temporary pacemaker there. Harald returned aboard a medical airplane to Norway, where he was fitted with a permanent pacemaker.

Harald has been Norway’s monarch since 1991. His hospitalization in the Canary Islands comes at a turbulent time for the Norwegian royal family.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit — who is married to the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon — has faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks over her contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Meanwhile, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship is currently on trial in Oslo for multiple alleged offenses, including charges of rape.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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