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Mallya loses $90 million aviation legal battle

Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya has lost another legal battle linked to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the UK High Court awarded Singapore-based BOC Aviation an estimated $90 million in claims.

The latest case involving the 62-year-old businessman, whose extradition case over alleged loan defaults amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores (£1 billion) returns to Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on March 16, is related to the leasing of aircraft by Kingfisher Airlines dating back to 2014.


Justice Picken, in a judgment dated February 5 at the Business and Property Courts of the High Court in London, ruled that "the defendants have no real prospect of successfully defending the claim".

The defendants in the claim brought by BOC Aviation in Singapore and BOC Aviation (Ireland) Ltd have been named as Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd.

"We are pleased with the judgment but would not like to comment further at this stage," said a spokesperson for BOC Aviation in Singapore.

The legal claim relates to a leasing agreement between Kingfisher Airlines and aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation involving four planes, of which three were delivered.

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England and Wales recorded a net increase of 723 retail premises in 2025

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UK high streets add 13 shops a week, but lose 6,000 spaces since 2020

  • England and Wales recorded a net increase of 723 retail premises in 2025.
  • More than 6,000 retail units have disappeared from local communities since 2020.
  • London saw the biggest five-year decline, losing 1,266 retail premises.

Britain’s struggling high streets may finally be showing early signs of stabilisation, with new figures suggesting retail openings are beginning to outpace closures again in several parts of the country.

According to analysis of Valuation Office Agency data by tax advisory firm Ryan, England and Wales ended 2025 with 507,810 retail premises in operation. That represented a net increase of 723 stores compared with the previous year, the equivalent of more than 13 additional retail units opening each week.

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