Page 6 - London

London court to decide whether WikiLeaks founder to be extradited to US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces a hearing Monday in the High Court in London that could end with him being sent to the US to face espionage charges, or provide him another chance to appeal his extradition. The outcome will depend on how much weight judges give to assurances US officials have provided that Assange's rights won't be trampled if he goes on trial. In March, two judges rejected the bulk of Assange's arguments but said he could take his case to the Court of Appeal unless the US guaranteed he would not face the death penalty if extradited and would have the same free speech protections as a US citizen. The court said that if Assange, who is an Australian citizen, couldn't rely on the First Amendment then it was arguable his extradition would be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, which also provides free speech and press protections. The US has provided those reassurances, though Assange's legal team and supporters argue they are not good eno

India's technical assistance important, says Commonwealth chief

India's technical assistance is critically important to the Commonwealth, the Secretary General of the 56-member organisation said, asserting that it gives a huge amount of hope to many of the developing states to leapfrog the developmental challenges which have already been undertaken and surpassed by India. Patricia Scotland's remarks came as she hosted the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers meeting in London on the theme of Driving Resilience, Equity, and Skills for an Inclusive Future. Scotland welcomed India's willingness to share technological developments with the Commonwealth in an open-source way and hoped for greater commitment towards the organisation's educational goals. At the two-day meeting at the Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House headquarters in London which opened on Thursday, she called on ministers to help eliminate the barriers that impede access to education, harness technology and encourage lifelong learning. India has made it clear t

Over 10,500 London black cabbies take Uber to court for unlawful activities

A UK law firm said on Thursday that it has filed a multi-million-pound group action in the city's High Court on behalf of 10,887 licensed London black cab drivers in their claim against Uber for alleged losses sustained as a result of unlawful activities in the city's taxi market. Mishcon De Reya said its claim filed in the Commercial Court relates to actions taken by the US-headquartered ride-hailing company dating back to 2012 under the private hire vehicle licence granted by Transport for London (TfL). It is claimed their operating system did not comply with the requirements of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1988. Uber has denied the allegations and described the claim as "unfounded". "Uber has consistently failed to comply with the law that applies to private hire vehicles in London and so we are pleased to be issuing today's claim on behalf of almost 11,000 London cab drivers," said Richard Leedham, Partner and Head of Commercial Disputes at Mishcon de Reya. According

Man attacks public, police with sword in London, arrested by authorities

Police confirmed that the incident did not appear to be 'terror-related' and are not looking for any additional suspects

Mumbai's dabbawalas in London? Mahindra boss calls it 'reverse colonialism'

Anand Mahindra, top boss of Mahindra and Mahindra, recently shared a video about London's food delivery innovation, said to have been inspired from Mumbai's dabbawalas

NIA arrests key accused in attack on Indian High Commission in London

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a key accused in a case related to the attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March last year. Inderpal Singh Gaba, a resident of Hounslow in the UK, has been arrested for carrying out unlawful activities during protests that took place on March 22, 2023, in London, a statement issued by the agency said. NIA investigations in the case so far have revealed that the incidents in London on March 19 and 22 last year were part of a larger conspiracy to unleash vicious attacks on the Indian missions and its officials. The attacks in London in March 2023 were found to be in retaliation to the action taken by the Punjab Police against pro-Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh on March 18, 2023, it added. Further investigations in the case are continuing, the statement said.

UK's higher salary thresholds for overseas skilled work visas kick in

Significantly higher salary thresholds for overseas workers, including Indians, applying for the UK's Skilled Worker visas kicked in on Thursday, as part of tough new measures announced earlier to cut Britain's overall migration figures. For those applying under the Skilled Worker visa route, the salary threshold for an application will rise from GBP 26,200 to GBP 38,700 an increase of 48 per cent. The UK Home Office said it forms part of a robust and fair package of measures, which will mean 300,000 people who arrived in the UK last year would now not be able to and also prevent undercutting of domestic workers by cheap overseas labour. It's time to turn off the taps and end the flow of cheap workers from abroad. Mass migration is unsustainable, and it's simply not fair. It undercuts the wages of hard-working people who are just trying to make ends meet, said UK Home Secretary James Cleverly. We are refocusing our immigration system to prioritise the brightest and best who have t

TCS sets up Pace Port in London to promote business, tech collaboration

Seventh such international facility the Indian IT services company has set up

Wipro appoints Anne-Marie Rowland as CEO of Capco effective April 1

As CEO, Rowland will report to Delaporte and will become a member of Wipro's Executive Committee

Obama-Sunak's first one-to-one meet surprises many: All you need to know

Rishi Sunak was "happy" to have Barack Obama at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK PM, where the two held informal talks, an official statement said

UK officials deny reports claiming King Charles III has passed away

Multiple media outlets, including those in Russia, claimed on Monday that King Charles III had passed away. This comes as the UK King is being treated for cancer since his January surgery

Air India deboards Religare Enterprises Chairperson Saluja from UK flight

The incident happened on flight AI 161 before the scheduled pushback for take off and Saluja was deboarded following advice from the captain of the flight

OnlyFans paid $15 billion to its creators since launch in 2016: CEO Blair

OnlyFans is an online content creation platform with about 3.1 million creators. The website takes one-fifth of the payments generated on it and paid about $5.6 billion to its creators in 2022

Jacob Rothschild, banker who turned away from dynasty, dies at 87

Jacob Rothschild was also one of the UK's leading philanthropists. He chaired the boards of the National Gallery and the National Heritage Lottery Fund

MCR Hotels to purchase London's iconic BT Tower for around $347 million

The tower used to provide a number of network operations and antennas for connectivity, but the technology isn't needed any longer

King Charles III admitted to hospital for scheduled prostate operation

Britain's King Charles III was on Friday admitted to a private hospital here for treatment for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace announced. The procedure will be carried out at the London Clinic private hospital, where Catherine, the Princess of Wales, had surgery last week. The 75-year-old King visited the Princess of Wales in the hospital this morning, ahead of his own scheduled treatment. It is not yet known how long King Charles will remain in hospital. King Charles III had made his health problem public as a way of sending a message to other men to get their prostates checked. A statement from Buckingham Palace said the King was "delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness". He also thanked those who had "sent their good wishes," the BBC reported. The plan for King Charles to have a "corrective procedure" for his enlarged prostate was revealed by the palace last week. A benign prostate problem, which is non-cancerous,

Qatar's $450 billion sovereign wealth fund won't abandon Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf has struggled since the pandemic led to a shift to flexible working, bringing in fewer workers to populate the desks of the large office blocks that dominate its skyline

Rajnath Singh meets Rishi Sunak in London during his first official visit

The Defence Minister is currently on an official visit to Great Britain. The visit marks the first visit by a sitting Indian Defence Minister to the UK in more than 20 years

India emerges as key market for technology investments into London in 2023

India emerged as a key market for technology investments into London this year as a leading source in the tally for the UK capital's 100 foreign investment projects in the sector for 2023, according to the city's business growth agency. London & Partners said in an analysis released last week that among the 100 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects for the year, India leads with a 29 per cent share of inward investment. A sector that witnessed significant growth was climate tech, including an investment from RoadMetrics an artificial intelligence (AI) software mobility company from Bengaluru. India emerges as a key market...among the 100 FDI projects won by London & Partners, India leads with a 29 per cent share of inward investment into the capital, followed by Europe (24 per cent), and North America (23 per cent), London & Partners said in a statement. One sector that has witnessed significant growth is climate tech, which now makes up 23 per cent of FDI into the ...

Billionaire Adar Poonawalla to pay £138 mn for Mayfair mansion in London

Indian billionaire Adar Poonawalla has agreed to pay £138 million for Aberconway House, a 1920s home near Hyde Park, in one of the city's most expensive home sales of the year