21 Vietnamese found in lorry, driver arrested
08 Nov 2018
A Romanian man has been charged with people trafficking after 21 Vietnamese stowaways, including children as young as 12, were found inside a refrigerated lorry at Newhaven. The eleven children were passed into the care of social services, but one has since absconded, a spokesman for East Sussex County Council said. The children were said to be ‘fine’ and did not require medical treatment. After the ten adults were interviewed by immigration officials, two were removed from the UK. Following his arrest, the driver was charged with assisting unlawful entry to the country, and was remanded in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court at a later date.
A UK hospital is investigating a patient's death after the UK's first robot-assisted heart valve surgery. The pioneering robot-assisted operation ended in catastrophe, with a cascade of failures causing the death of retired conductor Stephen Pettitt at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Lead surgeon Sukumaran Nair and his assistant could hardly hear each other due to a ‘tinny’ sound emanating from the robot console Nair was operating. He had to shout to warn his colleague that the robot was stitching up the valve incorrectly - and then shout again when he saw the robot knock one of the surgical assistants' arms. The patient's aorta was damaged. As events spiralled out of control, the two robotics experts who should have been on hand to take over in a crisis could not be found, having already gone home. The surgeons abandoned the robot and began open chest surgery, but by this point the patient’s heart was functioning ‘very poorly’. He died days later of multiple organ failure. The coroner said it was ‘more likely than not’ that the patient would have survived conventional open-heart surgery.
In a BBC documentary to mark his 70th birthday, Prince Charles said the idea that as king he would continue making interventions was 'nonsense'. He said he would have to operate ‘within constitutional parameters'. He has campaigned on issues including the environment, wildlife preservation, architecture and the use of GM crops. When asked about what some people call his 'meddling', he said he had always tried to remain 'non-party political'. He said: 'I think it's vital to remember there's only room for one sovereign at a time, not two. So, you can't be the same as the sovereign if you're the Prince of Wales or the heir. The two situations are completely different.' Asked whether his public campaigning would continue, he said: 'No, it won't. I'm not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So of course I understand entirely how that should operate.’
Armistice centenary celebrated
08 Nov 2018
On 11 November 1918, the Armistice was signed, bringing an end to the First World War. Big Ben sounded in Parliament Square to ring in the news as thousands gathered to celebrate, sparking three days of jubilation across Britain. Prime minister Lloyd George told the House of Commons, ‘I hope we may say that thus, this fateful morning, came an end to all wars.’ The national mood was not exclusively joyous. Wounded veterans met the news in silence, reflecting on a victory that had cost so many lives. Over the next two years, 5,000 war memorials were erected in towns and villages, as reminders of the past and warnings to future generations not to repeat the mistakes of history. This year, appropriately, Armistice Day coincides with Remembrance Sunday. The two-minute silence will commence at precisely 11 am, marking exactly 100 years to the second since the war came to an end.
UK economic growth will be slowest in Europe
08 Nov 2018
The UK will join Italy next year as the slowest-growing economy in Europe, before holding that title alone in 2020, according to a European Commission forecast. These gloomy predictions are based on a soft Brexit - meaning that Britain is expected to lag behind all its EU peers even if Theresa May can reach a deal with Brussels before 29 March. The commission expects consumer spending growth to remain weak, continuing a poor performance since the June 2016 referendum. The result will be GDP growth of only 1.2% in 2019 and 2020. The forecast came as the IMF sounded the alarm over the mounting risks to the European economy from a no-deal Brexit, the escalation of trade disputes around the world, and high levels of Italian government debt.
Ukraine: activist dies after acid attack
08 Nov 2018
Following the death of activist Kateryna Handziuk on Sunday, Ukraine’s leaders face mounting demands to protect its civil society and end the impunity of powerful criminals. In August someone poured sulphuric acid over Ms Handziuk (33) outside her home in the southern city of Kherson, where she was an adviser to the mayor and campaigned against police and political corruption. From her hospital bed in Kiev, she had called for urgent action over the assaults on more than forty Ukrainian activists in the past year, and expressed doubts about whether five men arrested for the acid attack were actually responsible. Out of more than 140 attacks on journalists since the start of 2017, only 14 have gone to court; police and officials seem unable or unwilling to defend those who expose the lucrative links between politics, business, and crime in the country. The US ambassador, Marie Yovanovitch, urged Ukraine to ‘bring the perpetrators to justice, including those who ordered the attack’.
European defence coalition launched in Paris
08 Nov 2018
The European Intervention Initiative (EII), a military coalition ready to react to crises near the continent's borders, was launched in Paris on 7 November amid calls by French president Emmanuel Macron for a ‘real European army’. The French-led initiative would not conflict with the almost 70-year-old US-dominated NATO alliance, proponents say, but reflects concerns about a more isolationist USA under President Trump. The EII took official shape in Paris after months of negotiations with Germany, which France wants at the centre of the force. It will see members collaborate on planning, the analysis of new military and humanitarian crises, and eventual military responses to those crises. ‘In an environment where threats and upheavals nature are multiplying, the EII must send the message that Europe is ready and capable’, a French defence ministry official said.
USA: Trump and midterm elections
08 Nov 2018
The Democrats took control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections on 6 November, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump. A Democratic majority will restrict his ability to steer his programme through Congress. However, the Republicans strengthened their grip on the Senate. The elections were seen as a referendum on a polarising president, even though he is not up for re-election till 2020. The Democrats could now launch investigations into Mr Trump's administration and business affairs; they could also block his legislative plans, notably his signature promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico. On 7 November, Trump fired his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, with whom he has been at loggerheads for over a year over the inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The move was not unexpected, but nevertheless drew heavy criticism. See