The Norwegian palace confirmed to news wire NTB that the king was to leave hospital following the procedure three days ago.
https://www.thelocal.no/20201012/norways-king-harald-leaves-hospital-after-heart-surgery
Norway to make coronavirus vaccine free for everyone
A vaccine against the coronavirus will be made freely available to everyone in Norway, the government has promised.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s government hopes that a Covid-19 vaccine will be ready to be offered to the population early in 2021, according to a government statement released on Tuesday.
https://www.thelocal.no/20201013/norway-to-make-coronavirus-vaccine-free-for-everyone
Norway accuses Russia over cyber attack on parliament
Norway’s government on Tuesday said that it believes Russia was behind an August cyber attack targeting the email system of the country’s parliament.
The attack was detected in August, when Norway announced hackers had attacked the parliament’s email system, gaining access to some lawmakers’ messages.
“Based on the information the government has, it is our view that Russia is responsible for these activities,” foreign minister Ine Eriksen Søreide said in a statement.
https://www.thelocal.no/20201013/norway-accuses-russia-over-cyber-attack-on-parliament
World’s population likely to shrink after 50 years
The population of sub-Saharan African countries, such as Nigeria, could triple, experts predict by 2100.
(CNN)The world’s population is likely to peak at 9.7 billion in 2064, and then decline to about 8.8 billion by the end of the century, as women get better access to education and contraception, a new study has found.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/14/world/world-population-shrink-intl-scli-scn/index.html
Trump gives in to the mask but takes new risks with schools
(CNN)President Donald Trump on Saturday finally did the one thing that public health experts and even his own aides have begged him to do to save lives. He wore a mask in public during a visit to wounded service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Given his intransigence for so many months, it was a small but significant gesture at a time when coronavirus cases are surging in the US and the President has failed to grasp the depth of the crisis or offer any coherent strategy to control the spread of the virus.
The United States is ‘looking at’ banning TikTok
Hong Kong/Washington (CNN Business)The United States is “looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.
Pompeo suggested the possible move during an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, adding that “we’re taking this very seriously.”
Pompeo was asked by Ingraham whether the United States should be considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, “especially TikTok.”
“With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too, Laura,” he said. “I don’t want to get out in front of the President [Donald Trump], but it’s something we’re looking at.”
China is investing billions in chipmaking to close the gap with its global rivals
Hong Kong (CNN Business)China’s largest semiconductor maker could raise as much as $7.5 billion this year by listing its stock in Shanghai — a move that could deliver the Chinese mainland its largest share sale in a decade, and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign chips.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), which already trades in Hong Kong, said in a stock exchange filing last week that it wants to raise at least $6.6 billion. The bigger number would be hit if the company exercises an “over-allotment option” and issues additional shares in response to strong demand from investors.
Google Chrome users may have been impacted by a massive spying campaign, report says
San Francisco (CNN Business)Google Chrome extensions downloaded more than 32 million times were used to spy on the popular browser’s users in a massive global surveillance campaign, according to a new report.
The report, from cybersecurity firm Awake Security, found at least 111 “malicious or fake” Chrome extensions capable of taking screenshots, stealing login credentials and capturing passwords as users typed them. The campaign impacted a wide range of sectors including financial services, healthcare and government organizations, it added.
A mutation shows why the coronavirus is such a formidable foe
All living organisms mutate and adapt to maximize survival in their ecologic niche. For months, scientists have been looking into whether the novel coronavirus — known as SARS-CoV-2 — is mutating and becoming more transmissible or more lethal. Recent evidence points to a preliminary answer to half the question: yes, a study has found that the virus has mutated and the dominant strain today is now capable of infecting more human cells. But the scientists say more research is needed to show whether this changed the course of the pandemic, and it remains unclear whether this mutation is more lethal.
Tracking coronavirus’ global spread
Since December, the virus has spread to nearly every continent and case numbers continue to rise.
Authorities in 214 countries and territories have reported about 7.6 million Covid‑19 cases and 422,000 deaths since China reported its first cases to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December.
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-maps-and-cases/