Waymo announces that its robotaxis will drive freeways for the first time
Alphabet’s Waymo said on Wednesday that it will begin offering robotaxi rides that use freeways across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, a first for the Google subsidiary as it steps up expansion amid global and domestic competition in the self-driving industry.Freeway rides will initially be available to early-access users, Waymo said.“When a freeway route is meaningfully faster, they can be matched with a freeway trip, providing quicker, smoother, and more efficient rides,” it said.Waymo, which already operates in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, is also extending operations to San Jose, including Mineta San Jose international airport, the second airport in its service area after Phoenix Sky Harbor.The move comes as Tesla expands its robotaxi service with safety monitors and drivers, and Zoox – backed by Amazon – offers free robotaxi rides on and around the Las Vegas Strip.
Waymo is the only company that runs a paid robotaxi service in the US, a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles, without safety drivers or in-vehicle monitors.Waymo first began offering paid rides in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020 about 11 years after the company, formerly known just as Google’s self-driving car project, first began working on developing and testing out autonomous technology.Waymo has been growing slowly but steadily over the years, and the company, like its rivals, has faced federal investigations over unexpected driving behavior.Freeway driving is relatively less complicated than navigating the many variables of a city street but introduces a new set of factors the vehicles have to maneuver around at much faster speeds, including other merging vehicles and how to exit.While operating autonomous vehicles is more challenging in a city with pedestrians, frequent intersections and unpredictable situations, any mistakes or malfunctions at high speeds on a freeway could have severe consequences.
The company said it had developed new freeway protocols with local highway patrols and safety agencies,Sign up to TechScapeA weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our livesafter newsletter promotionWhile Tesla has long offered driver-assist features on freeways, the move will make Waymo the first company to offer driverless rides on a freeway,
Atlanta Fed chair steps down as Trump attacks central bank’s independence
The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announced plans to step down amid an extraordinary campaign by Donald Trump to exert influence over the US central bank.Raphael W Bostic, president of the Atlanta Fed, will retire from the role in February – creating another vacancy on the Fed’s powerful policy committee.As the Trump administration continues to demand interest rate cuts, and even target some Fed officials, Bostic is the latest senior figure to depart.After Adriana Kugler resigned in August from the Fed’s board of governors, Trump replaced her on interim basis with Stephen Miran, one of his top advisers.The US president will not pick Bostic’s successor, however
UK gets record demand at government debt auction; FTSE 100 index sets new closing high – as it happened
Britain has not lost the support of the bond markets, despite the turmoil in Westminster and uncertainty over this month’s budget.A new auction of inflation-linked UK debt, which matures in 2038, has attracted record demand from investors keen to buy the bonds.According to Reuters, demand for the UK debt broke the previous record.They say:Orders for the 1.75% September 2038 inflation-linked bond topped £69bn, a bookrunner said, beating a previous record of £67
A tax roadmap for electric cars | Letters
Rachel Reeves’s proposal to introduce a pay-per-mile tax levy on electric vehicles is idiotic, especially suggesting that hybrid vehicles will have a reduced rate and still pay the usual road tax (Rachel Reeves considering pay-per-mile tax for electric vehicles in budget, 6 November). Furthermore, requiring drivers to predict their yearly mileage in advance and then pay or reclaim the difference for actual mileage depending on whether they have underestimated or overestimated it is too cumbersome. If the DVLA is to oversee the collection/repayment system, it will undoubtedly need to recruit more staff or outsource the arrangement, with all the attendant pitfalls that would entail.The fairest way for the taxation of all motorists is to abolish the road tax and introduce a road toll system, as used on the Dartford crossing and the M6 toll road. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) would need to be an essential feature
Tech companies and UK child safety agencies to test AI tools’ ability to create abuse images
Tech companies and child protection agencies will be given the power to test whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse images under a new UK law.The announcement was made as a safety watchdog revealed that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material [CSAM] have more than doubled in the past year from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.Under the change, the government will give designated AI companies and child safety organisations permission to examine AI models – the underlying technology for chatbots such as ChatGPT and image generators such as Google’s Veo 3 – and ensure they have safeguards to prevent them from creating images of child sexual abuse.Kanishka Narayan, the minister for AI and online safety, said the move was “ultimately about stopping abuse before it happens”, adding: “Experts, under strict conditions, can now spot the risk in AI models early.”The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such images as part of a testing regime
Anthony Joshua set to face Jake Paul in December heavyweight bout
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal to meet in a heavyweight fight in Miami this December, sources told the Guardian, with Netflix preparing to announce the bout on Monday. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal is done and that the fight will take place on either 19 or 26 December.Paul had originally been scheduled to fight Gervonta Davis on 14 November at the Kaseya Center, but the event was cancelled after Davis was removed from the card amid domestic violence allegations. Davis’s former partner, Courtney Rossel, filed a civil lawsuit in Miami-Dade County accusing the lightweight champion of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Miami Gardens police confirmed they are investigating the alleged incident, which Rossel says occurred at the strip club where she works
Lions’ Amon-Ra St Brown apologizes for offense caused over ‘Trump Dance’ during game
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St Brown has apologized to anyone who was offended by his “Trump Dance” during his team’s victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.St Brown performed the dance – which has become popular with athletes over the last year – during the game, which the US president attended.The dance attracted backlash on social media, and the player addressed the criticism on the podcast he hosts with his brother, Equanimeous, who has also played in the NFL.“First of all, if I offended anyone, I do apologize. I did not mean to offend anyone
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