London

    Uber drivers team up in gangs to force higher prices before they pick up passengers, research has revealed. Researchers at the University of Warwick found Uber drivers in London and New York have been tricking the app into thinking there is a shortage of cars in order to raise surge prices. According to the study, seen by the Times, drivers manipulate Uber's algorithm by logging out of the app at the same time, making it think that there is a shortage of cars. Uber raises its fare prices when there is a high demand for vehicles and a short supply of drivers available. Fares are known to increase during peak times such as rush hour, during public events and late at night. Surge pricing can boost the cost of rides to multiple times the normal rate. The study said drivers hav...

    The High Court has blocked a bid by a former chief of staff of the Iraqi army to bring a private prosecution against Tony Blair over the Iraq war. General Abdul Wahed Shannan Al Rabbat has accused Mr Blair, while UK prime minister, of committing a crime of aggression by invading Iraq in 2003 to overthrow President Saddam Hussein. The general wanted to prosecute Mr Blair and two other key ministers at the time foreign secretary Jack Straw and attorney general Lord Goldsmith. His lawyers asked London's High Court for permission to seek judicial review in an attempt to get the Supreme Court, now the highest court in the land, to overturn a ruling by the House of Lords in 2006 that there is no such crime as the crime of aggression under the law of England and Wales. Lord Thoma...

    The busiest-ever summer for holidays abroad is putting unprecedented strain on airlines, airports and passengers, research by The Independent has shown. Thousands of travellers remain stranded after their weekend flights were cancelled, with easyJet alone grounding at least 28 flights. The budget airline is blaming congested airspace, particularly in the London area, adverse weather and air traffic control delays. Heathrow and Gatwick airports are handling far more passengers than their design capacities. Airspace over France, used by more than 1,000 British flights every day, has too few staff to handle the growth in traffic. And tougher passport checks at European airports mean passengers face queues of up to four hours to pass border controls, with thousands of flights ...

    A man has been charged following an acid attack in east London which left two people with life-changing injuries. Rahad Hussain, 23, of no fixed address, has been charged with two counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and one count of possession of an offensive weapon, namely acid. He is due to appear in custody at Thames Magistrates Court today. The two male victims, aged 23 and 24, were taken to hospital after what police described as a noxious substance was thrown at them on Tuesday near Roman Road, Bethnal Green. Earlier on Friday, police said of the two injured men: Whilst their condition is not being treated as life-threatening, it is being treated as life-changing.

    A protest about a man’s death following a police chase turned violent on Friday night, as people erected makeshift roadblocks and threw bottles at officers. Wheelie bins, mattresses and debris blocked part of Kingsland Road in east London, where crowds gathered in response to the death of Rashan Charles. Some of the makeshift blocks were set on fire. Riot police, including police on horseback, tried to regain control of the situation. Riot police at a protest in Kingsland Road in east London, where people gathered in response to the death of Rashan Charles. Dozens of protesters, some masked, lined the streets. Shattered glass littered the road, where a handful of protesters held Black Lives Matter placards. At one point, a line of officers were filmed walking back in retre...

    Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of terror offences. An man has Wednesday been arrested in east London on suspicion of dissemination of terrorist publications. Police made the arrest of the 36-year-old under section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006. They took him to a central London police station where he remains in custody. Officers are carrying out a search at the address and enquiries continue.

Teenagers leaving care homes and going into the adult world are to be excempt from Tower Hamlets council tax until they are 25, the local authority decided last night. Cllr Amy Whitelock Gibbs... Those leaving our care struggle with finances moving to independence. It follows a plea by the Children’s Society that those leaving care often struggle to make ends meet because they don’t have family support. The council has responsibility as corporate parents to improve their life chances, cabinet members heard. We want them have the best transition into adult life, Cllr Amy Whitelock Gibbs agreed. Those leaving our care struggle with finances while moving to independence. A relatively small cost to the council can prevent them falling into debt and financial hardship. Cllr David Edgar said: ...

Small business start-ups, budding creatives and ambitious local entrepreneurs have received a big boost with the opening of the Whitechapel Enterprise Hub, in the home of the former post office building on Whitechapel Road. The new centre for enterprise offers attractive and flexible working and meeting space, alongside practical support and specialist start-up courses to help local residents and businesses to thrive. A team of architects and contractors have transformed the 280sqm Royal Mail site with a grant of almost £230,000 following a successful bid made by the Council to the Mayor of London's High Street Fund. It marks a key next step in the wider Whitechapel Vision, which is regenerating the area by delivering a new Crossrail station in 2018 transformation of the former Old Royal L...

GPs in Tower Hamlets will now be offering Hepatitis C testing to help increase diagnosis and treatment for this life threatening disease. In the run up to World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, the council and its partners across health services are drawing attention to Hepatitis C – a virus that affects the liver, doesn't have any symptoms and is a major cause of liver cancer. The borough-wide screening is thought to be the first in the country and was launched by Mayor John Biggs, Jubilee Street practice GP Dr Salma Ahmed, Professor Graham Foster, Consultant Hepatologist from NHS Barts Health and Queen Mary University of London and Dr Stuart Flanagan from Queen Mary University of London. Jubilee Street Practice was one of four practices in Tower Hamlets that participated in the HepFree study, w...

The council has developed a new strategy to encourage local communities to play a bigger and more active role in shaping their neighbourhoods and council services. John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets said: "I want our council to draw on all the talent and experience of our community and to include more local people in our decision making. "With government continuing to cut council funding each year its more important than ever that residents are at the heart of everything we do. Working together to identify local priorities and develop solutions to the challenges we face is vital." A wide programme of consultation was done with key stakeholders to develop the current priorities in the strategy, and to help define the council's vision for involving the community. As part of the final phase o...