NHS plans more robotic surgeries to speed up treatment times
The NHS is planning a major expansion of robotic-assisted surgery to improve treatment times and patient outcomes. Currently, one in five keyhole surgeries is robot-assisted, but NHS England projects this will rise to 90% by 2035, with procedures increasing from 70,000 annually to around 500,000 over the next decade. Health secretary Wes Streeting, himself a kidney cancer survivor who benefited from robotic surgery, highlighted the potential of such technologies to transform healthcare delivery. Robot-assisted surgery enables greater precision, faster recovery, and shorter hospital stays. Surgeons operate using a console linked to robotic instruments and cameras, with some orthopaedic surgeries already partially automated. NHS leaders stress that embracing innovation, including robotics, AI, and data research, is essential to meet targets like reducing elective waiting times by 2029. John McGrath, chair of the NHSE robotic surgery committee, added that efficient use of robotic surgery could ease system-wide pressure. The initiative aligns with broader efforts to modernise the NHS and deliver faster, more effective care to patients across multiple medical fields.
Austria: national mourning after gunman kills ten
Austria has declared three days of national mourning after a 21-year-old former student fatally shot eight pupils and a teacher at his old high school in Graz, later taking his own life. A tenth victim, critically injured, has since died, and eleven others remain in hospital. Austria’s chancellor, Christian Stocker, called it a ‘national tragedy’, and the president said, ‘What happened today … strikes our country at the heart. These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them.’ The gunman, armed with legally owned firearms, opened fire in two classrooms. His motive remains unclear as the investigation continues. Mass shootings are rare in Austria, even though the nation has one of Europe’s highest civilian gun ownership rates. In response to the tragedy, crisis teams are supporting affected families and the community. The mayor of Vienna stressed that hate and violence must not prevail, and European leaders have expressed deep sorrow and sympathy.
Belgium: latest signs of booming illegal sales of ketamine
Customs officers at Brussels airport were stunned when crates expected to contain ketamine were actually full of salt. Authorities believe the drug was diverted into the black market during its complex journey from India, exploiting loopholes in Europe’s varied regulations. Ketamine, classified as a medicine in some nations, is shipped legally through multiple borders, making tracking difficult. Criminals forge documents, use front companies, and manipulate legal supply chains to mask their operations. Since 2023, Belgian investigators have uncovered 28 similar cases involving an estimated 28 tonnes of ketamine. The drug’s illegal trade is growing so fast that gangs now profit more from ketamine than from cocaine. In the UK, ketamine use surged 85% in one year, linked to 53 deaths in 2023. Its legal use in hospitals complicates enforcement. European police forces are now coordinating with Indian authorities to stem the flow.
UN report says world fertility rates in unprecedented decline
In India, Namrata Nangia and her husband long to have another child, but are held back by financial and time pressures - a dilemma increasingly shared worldwide. According to a new UN report, a global decline in fertility is not due to personal choice alone; many couples feel unable to afford larger families. Of 14,000 people surveyed across fourteen nations, one in five reported having fewer children than desired. Key barriers included financial limitations (cited by 39%) and lack of time. In nations like South Korea, the figure rose to 58%. Surprisingly, infertility accounted for just 12%. The UN urges caution against panicked policy responses, warning that such crises can prompt harmful nationalist or gender-conservative measures. Today’s challenges mirror shifts seen in countries that once feared overpopulation. As living costs, job demands, and social expectations rise, many parents like Namrata choose to focus their love and energy on one child - wrestling with the tension between desire and reality.
India: disastrous plane crash in Ahmedabad
In one of India’s worst aviation disasters in decades, at least 240 people were killed when a Boeing 787 owned by Air India crashed in Ahmedabad soon after takeoff. The sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, is in hospital but out of danger. The plane, bound for London, struck a residential building housing medical students; five students were killed and dozens injured. Charred wreckage and bodies were found across the crash site. Firefighters battled flames fed by full fuel tanks, while Indian army teams assisted rescue efforts. Eyewitness footage showed the plane descending before erupting into a fireball. Authorities reported the aircraft issued a mayday call before losing contact. Narendra Modi expressed profound sorrow, and Boeing is investigating its first-ever 787 Dreamliner crash. Investigators will analyse flight data to determine exactly what happened. Air India’s chairman said, ‘At the moment our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.’
USA: California governor condemns Trump’s use of National Guard
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has condemned Donald Trump’s uninvited deployment of the National Guard to quell unrest in Los Angeles, calling it an illegal escalation and ‘brazen abuse of power’. The unrest followed protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting illegal immigrants. Newsom argued that California could have managed the protests without federal intervention and accused Trump of using force theatrically, inflaming tensions. He warned that such actions threaten democracy nationwide. Newsom also criticised the Trump administration’s indiscriminate deportations, which target hardworking immigrant families and foster fear. ‘Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting the vulnerable but do not stop there,’ he cautioned. Linking Trump’s actions to broader attacks on American institutions, from the judiciary to the press, he called for peaceful resistance. Urging citizens to reject fear and silence, Newsom ended with a call to defend constitutional freedoms.