Page 4 - London

Khalistani extremists attempt to breach Jaishankar's security in London

Khalistani extremists disrupted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's London visit, breaching security as a protester tore the Indian flag near his convoy before being detained by police

South Asian-origin men guilty of one of UK's largest money laundering plots

Four British men, including two of South Asian heritage who ran jewellery businesses, were on Tuesday convicted in one of the UK's largest money laundering prosecutions worth an estimated GBP 266 million following a complex eight-year investigation. Arjun Babber, 32, and Haroon Rashid, 53, were found guilty alongside Gregory Frankel and Daniel Rawson, both 46, at Leeds Cloth Hall Nightingale Crown Court in northern England over large amounts of unexplained cash passing through their businesses. Babber ran Goldsteel Limited and is said to have started laundering cash for others through Fowler Oldfield Limited in 2015. According to the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Babber's family members ran RPS Jewellers Limited, a well-known and reputable gold and jewellery business based in west London and Hatton Garden. Meanwhile, Rashid was the sole director of Rashid Jewellers Ltd and was a frequent visitor to the premises of Fowler Oldfield and had access to its computers. This case is

White House row with Ukraine heightens stakes for European summit in London

It was supposed to cap a week of whirlwind diplomacy advancing the prospect of peace in Ukraine. But a summit of European leaders on Sunday has been overshadowed by the extraordinary scolding by US President Donald Trump of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday for being ungrateful for US support. The London meeting has now taken on greater importance in defending the war-torn ally and shoring up the continent's defences. There's a real problem for European leaders to pick up the pieces and try and move forward, Peter Ricketts, the former British national security adviser, told BBC radio on Saturday. "It's going to be a damage limitation exercise. It's going to have to be an exercise in where do we go from here? The meeting at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old elegant mansion near Buckingham Palace, follows a charm offensive last week to engage with Trump at the White House to put Ukraine at the center of negotiations and tilt his allegiances toward ..

Leading Indian-origin hotelier Joginder Sanger passes away in London

Joginder Sanger, a leading British Indian hotelier, has passed away in London, family sources said. He was 82. Sanger is said to have died surrounded by family on Friday night after being hospitalised due to a stroke. The Jalandhar-born entrepreneur began his journey in the UK with a travel agency and exclusive Air India contract before going on to set up a range of popular London hotels, including the Washington Mayfair Hotel, Courthouse Hotels in Soho and Shoreditch, and the luxury boutique hotel Bentley in Kensington. These hotels have been frequented by prominent Indian celebrities and politicians over the years, including former prime ministers, ministers and Bollywood stars. He was a dear friend of mine since the 1950s; I will miss him terribly, said NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, 94. Like me, Joginder was also born in Jalandhar, and we shared so many experiences together. He will be missed by the Indian community in Britain, to which he has made immense contributions, he

Shein reports 2 child labour cases in 2024 as it increased supplier audits

The disclosure by Shein, which is planning an initial public offering in London, was in a February 7 response to questions from a British parliamentary committee

British MP slams Bengali signage at London station, Elon Musk backs stance

Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth and a member of Reform UK, shared a photograph of the sign featuring both English and Bengali on his official X account

Proposed obesity benchmark adds organ health, daily functionality metrics

The recommendation signals a long-awaited shift from a single imperfect metric toward a more personalised diagnosis

B'desh's ex-PM Khaleda Zia in London for treatment, meets son after 7 years

Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia was admitted to a specialised hospital in London on Wednesday for advanced treatment, her party said. Earlier, the 79-year-old chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had an emotional reunion with her eldest son, Tarique Rahman, at the Heathrow International Airport after more than seven years of separation. Begum Khaleda Zia was admitted to the London Clinic under Professor Patrick Kennedy at 6.30 pm (BST), BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan quoted Khaleda Zia's personal physician Professor AZM Zahid Hossain as saying. Zia was driven to the London Clinic directly from Heathrow Airport by her son and BNP acting chairman Rahman. Rahman's wife Dr Zubaida Rahman accompanied them. Bangladeshi physicians, who accompanied the former premier to London, handed over treatment related documents to the doctors of the London Clinic, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said. Later, the physicians of the clin

Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal acquires London's iconic Riverside studio

The founder and chairman of Vedanta Group Anil Agarwal is the new owner of the iconic Riverside Studio in London, announced a press release on Wednesday. The 100-year-old studio, which is a renowned global centre for arts and located on the north bank of the river Thames in the centre of London, will now operate under the name Anil Agarwal Riverside Studios Trust', it informed. "I have always believed that art has the power to transcend boundaries, unite people, and elevate human experience. Riverside Studios will become a premier global destination for showcasing Indian and global arts and culture. "I invite Indian artists and the film fraternity to showcase their artistic talent and cinematic depth at this world-renowned venue for a truly enriching experience. Global leaders from various spheres now have an opportunity to enthral the audience with their real-life experiences and journey, here," said Agarwal, who turned a tiny scrap metal business into London-headquartered Vedanta

B'desh's ex-PM Khaleda Zia leaves country to undergo treatment in London

Bangladesh's ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia left the nation's capital for London on Tuesday for medical treatment, said one of her advisers. Zahiruddin Swapan, an adviser to Zia, told The Associated Press by phone that the three-time former premier and also the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport late Tuesday on an air ambulance. Our senior leaders left the airport seeing her off, Swapan said. Zia's motorcade took nearly three hours to cross about a 10-kilometer stretch of road to get to the airport from her residence in Dhaka's Gulshan area as thousands of her desperate supporters greeted her on the way, creating traffic chaos. Her hours-long journey to the airport was broadcast live by television stations. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is running the country and plans to hold elections in December this year or in the first half of 2026. Zia was sentenced to 17 years in jail und

UK minister Tulip Siddiq under scrutiny over ties to former Bangladeshi PM

The filings show that the apartment was registered to Abdul Motalif, a developer linked to the Awami League, the political party led by Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's former PM and Siddiq's aunt

Elon Musk grooming attacks 'misjudged and misinformed': UK Health Secretary

A senior British politician pushed back Friday on Elon Musk's criticism of the government's handling of a historic child grooming scandal. In recent days, Musk has shared and reacted to posts on his X platform that have been critical of the British government after it rejected a call for a public inquiry into the grooming scandal in the north of England town of Oldham. Though Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Musk's views were was "misjudged and certainly misinformed, he urged the world's richest man and close confidant of US President-elect Donald Trump to work with the government on tackling the issue of child sexual exploitation. The government has argued that Oldham must follow in the footsteps of other towns and commission its own inquiry into the historical abuse of mainly girls. A 2022 report into safeguarding measures in Oldham between 2011 and 2014 found that children were failed by local agencies, but that there was no cover-up despite legitimate concerns that the ...

INS Tushil makes 1st port call to London, hosts diaspora, local community

After INS Tushil made its first port call to London as a part of its maiden operational deployment on December 21, the Indian Navy said that during the port call, Naval Regional Commander Commodore R Bellfield met with Captain Peter Varghese, Commanding Officer of INS Tushil, to discuss matters of mutual interest.Sharing a post on X, the Spokesperson for the Indian Navy wrote, "During the port call at #London, @CdreRBellfield, Naval Regional Commander (NRC LEE) paid a visit onboard #INSTushil & interacted with Capt Peter Varghese, Commanding Officer on issues of mutual interest."The ship also hosted members of the Indian diaspora and local community, with India's Deputy High Commissioner to the UK Sujit Ghosh and Commodore Sanjay Pote among the visitors."The ship was also kept open to visitors & hosted the Indian diaspora & local community in large numbers. The Deputy High Commissioner of India @sujitjoyghosh, and Cmde Sanjay Pote, NA, London also visited the ship," .

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to sell Foxtel to Britain's DAZN for $2.1 bn

News Corp will gain a board seat and hold a 6 per cent stake in DAZN, a London-headquartered streaming platform

Virat Kohli planning to settle in London, says childhood coach Rajkumar

Currently, Kohli is with the Indian cricket team in Australia for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Trump, not yet in office, already a figure in global economic policy

The Fed cut rates as expected on Wednesday amid a busy year-end run of central bank meetings from Ottawa and Frankfurt to Tokyo and London

Businessman Sanjay Bhandari's extradition appeal opens in UK High Court

Sanjay Bhandari, a consultant in the defence sector wanted in India on alleged tax evasion and money laundering charges, began an appeal in the High Court in London on Tuesday against his extradition order. The 62-year-old businessman had won permission to appeal against a November 2022 Westminster Magistrates' Court ruling clearing his extradition earlier this year. His lawyers began making their arguments in the case, which is listed for a three-day hearing this week with the judgment expected in the new year. Lord Justice Timothy Holroyde and Justice Karen Steyn began hearing representations from barristers James Stansfeld and Edward Fitzgerald at the Royal Courts of Justice on three main grounds of appeal whether the bar for criminality had been met in the English jurisdiction, whether a prima facie case had been made and whether the accused faces a risk of violence in an Indian prison. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), appearing on behalf of the Indian authorities, will ..

Ireland's major centre-right parties in coalition talks to form govt

Ireland faces weeks of coalition talks before it gets a new government, as the country's two major centre-right parties work to form a stable administration. With all but a handful of seats filled in the 174-seat legislature on Monday after three days of counting election ballots, Fianna Fail had won 46 seats and Fine Gael 38. The two parties, who have governed in coalition since 2020, look set to fall just short of the 88 needed for a majority without third-party support. The people have spoken, let us now get on with the work, said Fianna Fail leader Michel Martin. Left-of-center party Sinn Fein won at least 37 seats in Friday's election but is unlikely to be part of the next government. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have a longstanding refusal to work with Sinn Fein, partly because of its historic ties with the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. The outcome of the election is now clear. The numbers are there for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael

London-Delhi can collab on best ways for a clean climate: British minister

Britain's Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West, who just visited New Delhi, which has been struggling with poor air quality in recent weeks, has highlighted the scope of sharing best practices between the two countries to move towards a cleaner climate. West, who was in India last week for a visit covering aspects such as climate, technology, health, education and development, welcomed the announcement by Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi of the relaunch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations in the new year. "We have consistently said that we see an FTA as the floor and not the ceiling of our ambitions," West said in her keynote address at the second annual Indo-Pacific Conference in London on Monday. The minister noted that as the world's most populous country, India has a unique opportunity to help shift the dial and lead progress on climate and sustainable development. "When I visited India last week, everyone shared this enthusiasm for mutual ...

We want partnerships, not just investments: MP CM Yadav on UK-Germany visit

CM Yadav is on a six-day visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany, starting Monday, with the focus on enhancing investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh