burger menu icon
Programs
Newscasts
Live
OneTV Logo
OneFM Logo
Politics
International Local

Norway's crown princess likely needs lung transplant, palace says

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit will likely need a lung transplant as her health has worsened in recent months, the country's royal household has said.The princess, 52, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The degenerative disease creates scar tissue that stiffens the lungs making it difficult to breathe and for oxygen to enter the bloodstream.Tests in autumn showed "a clear worsening" of her health, the palace said on Friday. "We are reaching the point where a lung transplant will be necessary," Are Martin Holm, head of respiratory medicine at Oslo University Hospital, said.Princess Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK that her illness had developed "faster than I'd hoped".No decision has been taken yet on whether she will be placed on the transplant waiting list, Dr Holm said. The palace said her doctors had started the process towards an evaluation for lung transplant surgery.In Norway, there are usually between 20 and 40 patients on the waiting list for a lung transplant and Princess Mette-Marit will not be given preferential treatment if she is placed on the list, local media reports.Although she is not yet on a donor list, Dr Holm said her healthcare team was "undertaking the necessary preparations to ensure that [a transplant] will be possible when the time comes".The palace said Princess Mette-Marit had "an increasing need" for rest and a targeted exercise regimen.However, she had "expressed a strong interest in continuing to carry out her duties", it added in a statement on Friday. Her royal duties and engagements will adapted to her ongoing health issues.Dr Holm described pulmonary fibrosis to reporters as a "dangerous disease" that often could not be seen because it depended on how sick an individual was.At rest, they might be able to breathe normally, he explained, but when they exert themselves - through exercise, for example - their lungs "can no longer keep up".Princess Mette-Marit's husband, Prince Haakon, Norway's future king, sat beside her for an interview with NRK, in which he explained that she may appear "perfectly fine" when sitting still, but said he had noticed her struggling more with breathing.He also said she had less energy and was getting ill more often.Hiking or skiing together - activities the pair enjoy - were no longer possible, the crown prince added.The thought of the transplant alone had been demanding, Mette-Marit said, as she knew it will involve risks.A successful transplant hinges on several factors, including finding the right match and ensuring the body does not reject the new organ.Transplant is seen as a last resort, Dr Holm explained, telling reporters that individuals must be significantly ill and have a limited life expectancy before a lung transplant can be deemed appropriate.News of the princess' deteriorating health comes months after her eldest son was charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape.Marius Borg Høiby, 28, denies the most serious accusations against him, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges when the trial begins, his lawyer Petar Sekulic told news agency Reuters in August.Mr Høiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, but does not have any royal title or official duties.

12/19/2025 6:49:00 PM

UN Aims to Fix Budget Rule Cutting Cash Availability Amid Crisis

U.N. officials are hoping to overhaul a "bizarre" rule that could see the global body credit hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent dues to states next year, even as it faces fears of bankruptcy.Under U.N. financial regulations, any money unspent, often because states paid too late or not at all, is automatically subtracted from their future dues.This means the global body would have to credit members nearly $300 million next year, U.N. officials say, reducing by close to 10% the planned budget of $3.2 billion.Tatiana Valovaya, director general of the U.N. in Geneva, called the rule "bizarre", saying reforms have been sought for years but so far have not succeeded."The organisation has to return to the member states the money which it hasn't received, and that could make our situation for the year 2026 even more difficult," she told reporters this week.The U.N. is already facing a 15% budget reduction as it seeks to cut costs in its 80th year amid a cash crisis, driven largely by arrears from top contributor the United States.A decision is set to be made on reforming the rule as part of ongoing talks on the 2026 budget, with the General Assembly set to make a decision before year-end, a U.N. spokesperson told Reuters.U.N. fees are based on the size of each of its 193 members' economies. Observers say the rule made sense when countries paid their dues punctually and in full but as of December 15 only 148 had done so, a U.N. website showed.Many fear U.S. President Donald Trump will not pay the U.S.' outstanding fees after criticising the body.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seeking to temporarily suspend the return of credits as part of the budget package, a U.N. document showed. In October, he estimated the amount to be credited to states will rise to $600 million in 2027 based on unspent funds from 2025."That means a race to bankruptcy," he said.U.N. finances expert Ronny Patz called it a "runaway crisis". "We are getting to a point where core functions cannot be performed and that impacts everything that depends on the Secretariat," he said.

12/19/2025 6:00:00 PM

Trump Officials Rush to Meet Friday Deadline for Epstein Files

President Donald Trump's Justice Department faces a Friday deadline to release a massive trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after Congress overwhelmingly approved a new law forcing their disclosure last month.That legislation followed months of political wrangling as well as rebellion by some of Trump's staunchest supporters over his administration's months-long reluctance to make the records public.It remains unclear how, or when, the files will be released on Friday, but they will likely not represent all unclassified records held by the agency. The law allowed the Justice Department to withhold personal information about Epstein's victims as well as any material that would jeopardize an active investigation.Attorneys in the Justice Department's National Security Division were ordered to review the materials and redact them in preparation for their release, two sources briefed on the matter said.They have been working on the task since after the Thanksgiving holiday and were ordered to prioritize it over other casework. But due to the quick turnaround time, some are nervous about potential mistakes and the chance that some personally identifiable information could accidentally remain, the sources said.Trump had initially urged Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, to oppose the law, arguing that releasing potentially sensitive internal investigative records could set a dangerous precedent. He publicly reversed course just before the vote, even as the White House quietly lobbied senators to slow-walk passage of the bill.But many Trump voters accused his administration of covering up Epstein's ties to powerful figures and obscuring details surrounding his 2019 death in a Manhattan jail, where he was awaiting trial on charges of abusing and trafficking underage girls. While Epstein's death was ruled a suicide, it sparked years of conspiracy theories, some amplified by Trump himself to his supporters when he was a presidential candidate.If the Justice Department does not release all of its files, it is likely that many Trump supporters will still not be satisfied. That could mean the issue remains a political headache for the president and his Republican Party heading into tough midterm congressional elections next year.Just 44% of American adults who identify as Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the Epstein issue, compared to his 82% overall approval rating among the group, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.Last month, Democrats in the House of Representatives released thousands of emails obtained from Epstein's estate, including one in which Epstein wrote that Trump "knew about the girls," without clarifying what that meant. Trump, in response, accused Democrats of promoting the "Epstein Hoax" as a distraction.House Republicans released more emails the same day, including one saying Trump visited Epstein's house many times but "never got a massage."Trump was once friendly with Epstein until they had a falling out in the mid-2000s, before Epstein's first conviction in 2008. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein's sex trafficking.But he reneged on a 2024 campaign promise to declassify the government's Epstein files if elected, prompting some lawmakers to launch what at first was seen as a long-shot effort to force a vote on disclosure.Two days after Congress' email releases, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate Epstein's connections to Democratic former President Bill Clinton and JPMorgan, in what critics viewed as an effort to shift the focus away from himself.The following week, despite White House pressure to delay the vote, U.S. lawmakers passed a bill forcing the release of the Justice Department records, which Trump then signed into law.

12/19/2025 3:25:00 PM

French Government Calls for Christmas Truce in Farmer Protests

The French government on Friday called for a Christmas truce with protesting farmers, warning against further blockades during the holiday season, a move the country's main union said depended on the prime minister's response to their demands.Farmers have been blocking roads, dumping manure and holding demonstrations in France for over a week to protest against the government's management of cattle lumpy skin disease and a trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur.Farmers gathered with tractors early on Friday in front of President Emmanuel Macron's residence in the seaside resort of Le Touquet in northern France, placing a coffin labelled "RIP Agri" and "NO Mercosur".Meanwhile, in the southern town of Avignon, farmers threw potatoes at public buildings.Protesters argue that the government's policy of culling an entire herd when lumpy skin disease is detected is excessive and cruel. They also claim the EU-Mercosur deal whose signing has been postponed to January would allow massive imports of products not meeting French standards.Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is holding meetings with the main farm unions. The head of the FNSEA, the country's largest, said Lecornu committed to sending a letter by evening with answers to a range of agricultural issues."This letter will be decisive," FNSEA Chairman Arnaud Rousseau told reporters, adding that the union would then make a decision on whether to suspend the protests.Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on RTL radio that the government would no longer tolerate further blockades and would do "everything necessary" to avoid them.Young Farmers union President Pierrick Horel said it would observe a Christmas truce.However, it was still unclear if unions Coordination rurale and the Confederation Paysanne, which have led the blockades, would call off protests.Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard was due to travel to a farm near Paris later in the day.

12/19/2025 3:10:00 PM

RSF artillery strikes kill 16 civilians in Sudan’s embattled Kordofan

At least 16 people have been killed in an artillery bombardment of a besieged city in Sudan’s embattled Kordofan region, adding to a mounting civilian death toll as the country’s brutal civil war enters a critical phase deep into its third year.The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) shelled residential areas of Dilling in South Kordofan over the past two days into Friday, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, a medical monitoring group.Women, elderly residents and children were among those killed in what the group condemned as the deliberate targeting of civilians.The attack on Dilling is part of an escalating campaign of violence across Kordofan that has killed more than 100 civilians since early December, as fighting in Sudan’s war has shifted from the western Darfur region to the strategic central heartland, where the conflict’s outcome will be decisively affected.The Sudan Doctors Network called on the international community to pressure both armed groups to immediately halt attacks on civilian areas and ensure humanitarian access to those trapped by the fighting.The bombardment has increased the crippling strain on health facilities already overwhelmed by cholera and dengue fever outbreaks in a city that has endured a siege lasting more than two years.More than 50,000 people have fled violence across Kordofan’s three states since late October, when the RSF captured a major army base and intensified operations in the region, according to the International Organization for Migration.Some 710 people have been displaced from Dilling alone during this period, with many arriving in neighbouring areas with nothing after witnessing what United Nations refugee officials described as “unspeakable horrors”.The violence prompted UN human rights chief Volker Turk to warn earlier this month that history was “repeating itself” in Kordofan following mass atrocities in Darfur, notably in el-Fasher, which the UN has described as a “crime scene”.Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed when drones struck their base in Kadugli, South Kordofan’s capital, on December 13. The attack, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “may constitute war crimes”, has forced the UN mission to evacuate its logistics base there after determining the security situation had made operations untenable.The RSF has established a pattern of systematic atrocities throughout the war. The government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has also been accused of atrocities in the war.A UN report released on Thursday detailed how the RSF paramilitary force killed more than 1,000 civilians during a three-day assault on the Zamzam displaced persons camp in Darfur in April, using sexual violence as what investigators called a deliberate tool of terror. The camp was almost completely emptied of its population.Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, has, according to some monitors, killed more than 100,000 people and displaced 14 million in what the UN terms the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.Against this backdrop, al-Burhan travelled to Cairo on Wednesday, where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received him with full ceremonial honours at the airport.Egypt warned it would not allow what it called “red lines” to be crossed in neighbouring Sudan, citing concerns over territorial integrity and parallel governments after the RSF declared a rival administration in Darfur.Cairo invoked its right under a 1976 joint defence pact to take necessary measures to protect its national security, which it said is “inextricably linked” to Sudan’s stability.Egypt backed renewed United States diplomatic efforts, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussing an urgent humanitarian ceasefire with Emirati officials on Wednesday. Sudanese officials, UN experts and war monitors have accused the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF, which Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied.

12/19/2025 1:57:00 PM

{{ article.title }}

{{safeHTML(article.Text)}}

{{article.publishDate}}

Article Image

More

Norway's crown princess likely needs lung transplant, palace says

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit will likely need a lung transplant as her health has worsened in recent months, the country's royal household has said.The princess, 52, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The degenerative disease creates scar tissue that stiffens the lungs making it difficult to breathe and for oxygen to enter the bloodstream.Tests in autumn showed "a clear worsening" of her health, the palace said on Friday. "We are reaching the point where a lung transplant will be necessary," Are Martin Holm, head of respiratory medicine at Oslo University Hospital, said.Princess Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK that her illness had developed "faster than I'd hoped".No decision has been taken yet on whether she will be placed on the transplant waiting list, Dr Holm said. The palace said her doctors had started the process towards an evaluation for lung transplant surgery.In Norway, there are usually between 20 and 40 patients on the waiting list for a lung transplant and Princess Mette-Marit will not be given preferential treatment if she is placed on the list, local media reports.Although she is not yet on a donor list, Dr Holm said her healthcare team was "undertaking the necessary preparations to ensure that [a transplant] will be possible when the time comes".The palace said Princess Mette-Marit had "an increasing need" for rest and a targeted exercise regimen.However, she had "expressed a strong interest in continuing to carry out her duties", it added in a statement on Friday. Her royal duties and engagements will adapted to her ongoing health issues.Dr Holm described pulmonary fibrosis to reporters as a "dangerous disease" that often could not be seen because it depended on how sick an individual was.At rest, they might be able to breathe normally, he explained, but when they exert themselves - through exercise, for example - their lungs "can no longer keep up".Princess Mette-Marit's husband, Prince Haakon, Norway's future king, sat beside her for an interview with NRK, in which he explained that she may appear "perfectly fine" when sitting still, but said he had noticed her struggling more with breathing.He also said she had less energy and was getting ill more often.Hiking or skiing together - activities the pair enjoy - were no longer possible, the crown prince added.The thought of the transplant alone had been demanding, Mette-Marit said, as she knew it will involve risks.A successful transplant hinges on several factors, including finding the right match and ensuring the body does not reject the new organ.Transplant is seen as a last resort, Dr Holm explained, telling reporters that individuals must be significantly ill and have a limited life expectancy before a lung transplant can be deemed appropriate.News of the princess' deteriorating health comes months after her eldest son was charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape.Marius Borg Høiby, 28, denies the most serious accusations against him, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges when the trial begins, his lawyer Petar Sekulic told news agency Reuters in August.Mr Høiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, but does not have any royal title or official duties.

12/19/2025 6:49:00 PM

UN Aims to Fix Budget Rule Cutting Cash Availability Amid Crisis

U.N. officials are hoping to overhaul a "bizarre" rule that could see the global body credit hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent dues to states next year, even as it faces fears of bankruptcy.Under U.N. financial regulations, any money unspent, often because states paid too late or not at all, is automatically subtracted from their future dues.This means the global body would have to credit members nearly $300 million next year, U.N. officials say, reducing by close to 10% the planned budget of $3.2 billion.Tatiana Valovaya, director general of the U.N. in Geneva, called the rule "bizarre", saying reforms have been sought for years but so far have not succeeded."The organisation has to return to the member states the money which it hasn't received, and that could make our situation for the year 2026 even more difficult," she told reporters this week.The U.N. is already facing a 15% budget reduction as it seeks to cut costs in its 80th year amid a cash crisis, driven largely by arrears from top contributor the United States.A decision is set to be made on reforming the rule as part of ongoing talks on the 2026 budget, with the General Assembly set to make a decision before year-end, a U.N. spokesperson told Reuters.U.N. fees are based on the size of each of its 193 members' economies. Observers say the rule made sense when countries paid their dues punctually and in full but as of December 15 only 148 had done so, a U.N. website showed.Many fear U.S. President Donald Trump will not pay the U.S.' outstanding fees after criticising the body.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seeking to temporarily suspend the return of credits as part of the budget package, a U.N. document showed. In October, he estimated the amount to be credited to states will rise to $600 million in 2027 based on unspent funds from 2025."That means a race to bankruptcy," he said.U.N. finances expert Ronny Patz called it a "runaway crisis". "We are getting to a point where core functions cannot be performed and that impacts everything that depends on the Secretariat," he said.

12/19/2025 6:00:00 PM

Trump Officials Rush to Meet Friday Deadline for Epstein Files

President Donald Trump's Justice Department faces a Friday deadline to release a massive trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after Congress overwhelmingly approved a new law forcing their disclosure last month.That legislation followed months of political wrangling as well as rebellion by some of Trump's staunchest supporters over his administration's months-long reluctance to make the records public.It remains unclear how, or when, the files will be released on Friday, but they will likely not represent all unclassified records held by the agency. The law allowed the Justice Department to withhold personal information about Epstein's victims as well as any material that would jeopardize an active investigation.Attorneys in the Justice Department's National Security Division were ordered to review the materials and redact them in preparation for their release, two sources briefed on the matter said.They have been working on the task since after the Thanksgiving holiday and were ordered to prioritize it over other casework. But due to the quick turnaround time, some are nervous about potential mistakes and the chance that some personally identifiable information could accidentally remain, the sources said.Trump had initially urged Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, to oppose the law, arguing that releasing potentially sensitive internal investigative records could set a dangerous precedent. He publicly reversed course just before the vote, even as the White House quietly lobbied senators to slow-walk passage of the bill.But many Trump voters accused his administration of covering up Epstein's ties to powerful figures and obscuring details surrounding his 2019 death in a Manhattan jail, where he was awaiting trial on charges of abusing and trafficking underage girls. While Epstein's death was ruled a suicide, it sparked years of conspiracy theories, some amplified by Trump himself to his supporters when he was a presidential candidate.If the Justice Department does not release all of its files, it is likely that many Trump supporters will still not be satisfied. That could mean the issue remains a political headache for the president and his Republican Party heading into tough midterm congressional elections next year.Just 44% of American adults who identify as Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the Epstein issue, compared to his 82% overall approval rating among the group, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.Last month, Democrats in the House of Representatives released thousands of emails obtained from Epstein's estate, including one in which Epstein wrote that Trump "knew about the girls," without clarifying what that meant. Trump, in response, accused Democrats of promoting the "Epstein Hoax" as a distraction.House Republicans released more emails the same day, including one saying Trump visited Epstein's house many times but "never got a massage."Trump was once friendly with Epstein until they had a falling out in the mid-2000s, before Epstein's first conviction in 2008. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein's sex trafficking.But he reneged on a 2024 campaign promise to declassify the government's Epstein files if elected, prompting some lawmakers to launch what at first was seen as a long-shot effort to force a vote on disclosure.Two days after Congress' email releases, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate Epstein's connections to Democratic former President Bill Clinton and JPMorgan, in what critics viewed as an effort to shift the focus away from himself.The following week, despite White House pressure to delay the vote, U.S. lawmakers passed a bill forcing the release of the Justice Department records, which Trump then signed into law.

12/19/2025 3:25:00 PM

French Government Calls for Christmas Truce in Farmer Protests

The French government on Friday called for a Christmas truce with protesting farmers, warning against further blockades during the holiday season, a move the country's main union said depended on the prime minister's response to their demands.Farmers have been blocking roads, dumping manure and holding demonstrations in France for over a week to protest against the government's management of cattle lumpy skin disease and a trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur.Farmers gathered with tractors early on Friday in front of President Emmanuel Macron's residence in the seaside resort of Le Touquet in northern France, placing a coffin labelled "RIP Agri" and "NO Mercosur".Meanwhile, in the southern town of Avignon, farmers threw potatoes at public buildings.Protesters argue that the government's policy of culling an entire herd when lumpy skin disease is detected is excessive and cruel. They also claim the EU-Mercosur deal whose signing has been postponed to January would allow massive imports of products not meeting French standards.Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is holding meetings with the main farm unions. The head of the FNSEA, the country's largest, said Lecornu committed to sending a letter by evening with answers to a range of agricultural issues."This letter will be decisive," FNSEA Chairman Arnaud Rousseau told reporters, adding that the union would then make a decision on whether to suspend the protests.Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on RTL radio that the government would no longer tolerate further blockades and would do "everything necessary" to avoid them.Young Farmers union President Pierrick Horel said it would observe a Christmas truce.However, it was still unclear if unions Coordination rurale and the Confederation Paysanne, which have led the blockades, would call off protests.Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard was due to travel to a farm near Paris later in the day.

12/19/2025 3:10:00 PM

{{ article.title }}

{{safeHTML(article.Text)}}

{{ article.publishDate }}

Article Image

More