Chinese robotaxis are due to be on the streets of London next year after the US ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber announced tie-ups with Beijing-based Baidu to deploy its self-driving technology. Lyft is the third firm to announce plans to introduce self-driving taxis to the UK capital next year, after Uber and Waymo, the main operator of robotaxis in the US. Its ride-hailing services are the major rival to Uber’s in the US and Canada, and this year Lyft expanded into Europe after acquiring the Freenow app in the summer.…
Tag: London
UK government delays decision on China’s super-embassy until January
The government has delayed its decision on whether to approve China’s super-embassy in London until January, when Keir Starmer is expected to visit Beijing. Ministers are expected to greenlight the controversial plans after formal submissions by the Home Office and Foreign Office raised no objections on security grounds. The Guardian reported last month that the security services had signalled to ministers that they could handle the security risks of the embassy, which would be China’s biggest diplomatic outpost in the world. A government spokesperson said on Tuesday that consolidating China’s…
MI5 ‘very relaxed’ about proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, sources say
MI5 officers told the House of Commons speaker at a private meeting that they can tackle the risks of a proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, opening the door to its approval. The Guardian understands that in a meeting held with Lindsay Hoyle in the summer, senior figures from the Security Service indicated they were “very relaxed” about the prospect of a 20,000 sq metre embassy being constructed at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. It is considered that the espionage risks stemming from the large outpost can be managed. China…
London businessman jailed for life after filming his sex attacks on women
Chao Xu, 33, may be one of worst sex offenders in British criminal history, police fear A businessman has been jailed for life for drugging women then subjecting them to sexual attacks which he recorded for his pleasure, as well as committing hundreds of other sexual offences. The judge said Chao Xu’s offending was “calculated and planned” and he posed a high risk to women. Continue reading… The Guardian
China threatens UK with ‘consequences’ over delayed London mega embassy
Tensions between Britain and China have escalated after Beijing criticised further delays to a planning decision on its proposed “mega embassy” in London. China’s ministry of foreign affairs expressed “grave concern and strong dissatisfaction” after Steve Reed, the housing secretary, pushed back his final decision on the proposal until 10 December. The row further complicates attempts by Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to reset relations with Beijing, which have already been damaged by a row over alleged Chinese espionage in the UK. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign…
Met police disrupt suspected international smuggling ring in UK’s ‘largest’ phone theft crackdown
Police have disrupted an international network suspected of smuggling tens of thousands of stolen phones from the UK in its largest operation to tackle phone theft in London, the Metropolitan police said. The criminal organisation is believed to have smuggled up to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China over the past 12 months – up to 40% of all phones stolen in the capital, the Met said on Monday. The force launched Operation Echosteep in December 2024 after a box containing about 1,000 iPhones being shipped to Hong…
Home Office grants extra visas for UCL international students told to defer
Hundreds of international students will be able to take up their promised places after negotiations between the Home Office and University College London ended with the government granting extra visas. Hundreds of students, many from China, had been left in limbo after UCL underestimated the demand for places this year and exceeded its allocation of confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) electronic documents allowed by the Home Office. UCL issued an apology to those affected, telling them it was “extremely sorry for the disruption and uncertainty”, and offering to pay…
Starmer on horns of dilemma over China’s seven-year mega-embassy saga
In 2018, a prime piece of real estate near the Tower of London that was once home to a Cistercian abbey and later became the historic manufacturing site for British coins was sold to the Chinese government. The £255m deal, brokered by Eddie Lister, one of Boris Johnson’s closest aides, provided China with a site to build a new diplomatic complex stretching across 20,000 square metres. China’s then ambassador, Liu Xiaoming, expressed hopes that the deal would “write a new chapter for a China-UK golden era”. But over the seven…
International students left in limbo by UCL after university exceeds visa allocations
Hundreds of international students accepted on courses by University College London have been left in limbo and facing thousands of pounds in costs, after the university admitted it had run out of places just days before many were due to start. About 200 students from China alone have been affected after UCL exceeded its visa allocations for the coming academic year, with the university initially telling the students that they would have to defer their studies until 2026. UCL has blamed “an extraordinary surge in demand” for the over-recruitment of…
Sir Terry Farrell obituary
Terry Farrell, who has died aged 87, was arguably the most influential and prolific of the architects associated with the British postmodern movement. At the start of his private practice in 1965 he worked in partnership with Nicholas Grimshaw, and a few years later he seemed destined to join Richard Rogers and Norman Foster as a “high-tech” pioneer, the first movement in British architecture to achieve worldwide recognition since the arts and crafts designers of the late 19th century. A residential tower in St John’s Wood of 1970, streamlined and…