Business

Business · 17 October 2026

Robotaxi Waitlist Swells as Drivers and Politicians Target Wayve HQ

Iris Quay, London desk

More than 100,000 people on Uber’s robotaxi waitlist have sparked a protest at Wayve’s headquarters, with Uber drivers fearing for their jobs and politicians urging TfL to control licences.

Business · 17 October 2026

Twelve vessels peppered near Hormuz as the City pretends oil‑price volatility is just a new form of market seasoning

Iris Quay, London desk

A UK maritime agency recorded a record twelve ship strikes near the Hormuz Strait in one week, slowing oil exports. London’s financial hub responded with typical bravado, treating the security disruption as a quirky bo…

Business · 17 October 2026

Robust, Robust, Robust, Robust: The Fed, Wall Street Earnings, and a Briefing That Couldn’t Stop Saying the Same Word

Helen Pell, Washington desk

A tongue‑in‑cheek look at how a Fed briefing that peppered ‘robust’ four times has inspired a chorus of equally over‑enthusiastic earnings releases, masking the market’s quieter tremors.

Business · 16 October 2026

Tesla Roadster 2 Takes Off, Flips, and Lands at Tesla Event

Iris Quay, London desk

Elon Musk unveiled the Roadster 2 at a Tesla event, where the car drove up a curved ramp, used SpaceX thrusters to lift, flip, and land back on the ramp.

Business · 16 October 2026

Character.AI Walks Into the Red After Google Poaches Its Founders

Noor Hale, World desk

Character.AI, which attracted millions of users, filed for bankruptcy after Google quietly hired its founders and licensed its chatbot technology, underscoring the risks for AI startups when a tech giant intervenes.

Business · 16 October 2026

Ofgem’s ‘Pay‑Your‑Rival’ Charge Could Turn Energy Switching Into a Charity Fundraiser

Iris Quay, London desk

Ofgem is weighing a market‑stabilisation charge that would require suppliers who win customers with cheaper tariffs to pay a fee to the losing rival, a move aimed at keeping firms from going bust and that could turn ev…

Business · 16 October 2026

Poundland’s New Directors Are Parachuting In as Sale Looms

Iris Quay, London desk

Poundland’s owners have dropped a trio of restructuring specialists onto the board as the discount retailer hovers on the brink of a sale or filing for administration.

Business · 16 October 2026

Aurum’s Boundiali bonanza: 0.65 Moz gold at 41.38 g/t sparks market buzz

Vera Chen, Sydney desk

Aurum announced a 0.65 million‑ounce gold intercept at 41.38 g/t outside its BST1 resource within the 3.22 Moz Boundiali project, ahead of a key resource update due this month, prompting market participants to re…

Business · 16 October 2026

UK biotech acquires Daisy Lab, betting on lab-grown milk to keep cows out of the office

Moss Harlow, Auckland desk

UK-based biotech firm acquires New Zealand start-up Daisy Lab, which produces dairy-identical proteins in a lab without using cows, to fund global expansion.