Banks, stock market hit as Zimbabwe battles central bank outage - Business Insider Africa

Published: October 20, 2026 at 8:17a.m. EDTLONDON — Online services for a number of U. K. banks in and around London were disrupted by a Google Cloud outage Tuesday. The cloud outages began just after 2 a.m. eastern, or 6:08 a.m. GMT. The center of the outage is London, but the impact can extend outside of the U. K. if apps in other countries rely on London-based infrastructure. “Our engineering team continues to investigate the issue,” Google Cloud said early Tuesday. U. K. banks that reported disruptions include Lloyds, Halifax, HSBC and Revolut. “We are currently experiencing a service disruption affecting multiple services,” Revolut said in an email. ”We can confirm that all our customers’ money and data are safe. We’ve been working to fix the issue since it was identified this morning and apologise to anyone affected and for any inconvenience caused.”There appear to be outages elsewhere in Europe, but it is unclear if they are connected. “We apologize to all who are affected by the disruption,” Google Cloud said, and promised an update around 8 a.m. eastern time.

Company NewsUpdated: October 23, 2026 at 3:49p.m. EDTPublished: October 23, 2026 at 3:48p.m. EDTToyota logo Toyota is recalling more than 24,000 vehicles in Canada due to an issue with seats that may increase the risk of injury in a crash. The recall affects Sienna Hybrid minivans from model years 2022 to 2026, according to a notice published by Transport Canada on Oct. 20 and updated Oct. 23. How to set CTV News as your preferred source on GoogleThe notice said the mechanisms that lock the second-row seat recliners in position may disengage under certain conditions when a seatbelt pretensioner activates. As a result, the seatbacks could move during a crash, potentially increasing the risk of injury to occupants. Toyota Sienna or Kia Carnival? This photo shows the Toyota Sienna minivan, available as a fuel-efficient hybrid. (Courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U. S. A. via AP) Toyota advised owners not to use the second-row seats to transport passengers until the recall repairs have been completed. The automaker will notify affected owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicles to a dealership.

TORONTO — In the absence of surefire technology to determine whether something was written by artificial intelligence, some Canadian publishers say they have to rely on something nearly as thorny: trust. Alana Wilcox, the editorial director of Coach House Books, wrote in an email that the company asks writers to be upfront about whether their work contains material generated by AI. She says the existing tools to discern the use of AI aren’t reliable. There is renewed attention on the role of artificial intelligence in the book industry after a Quebec publisher cut ties with an author accused of using AI to write his debut novel. Earlier this week, Montreal-based publishing house Les Éditions du Boréal said an analysis of some documents’ metadata found evidence author Thélyson Orélien used AI while writing his novel “C’était ça ou mourir” (“It was either that or dying”). Allegations that Orélien used AI in his book first emerged on social media in September. The author denied using AI to write the book but said he had used it for research. Orélien did not respond to The Canadian Press’ request for comment following the publisher’s announcement on Wednesday.

Published: October 23, 2026 at 3:13p.m. EDTBNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. The cost of building out the infrastructure needed to satisfy booming demand for artificial intelligence is changing the way major companies allocate resources. That can mean an end to some jobs once done by humans. Yet in many cases it means repurposing money once spent on workers so that more capital can be devoted to boosting AI capabilities. Just how much money is being spent on AI is a hot topic as fears of a bubble in the sector grow, but the potential impact on workers in some sectors is clear. Here’s a look at some of the companies that have announced layoffs or hiring reductions this year that are tied in some way to massive spending on AI. BarclaysThe U. K. bank and financial services company revealed in a quarterly financial report this week that it is looking to cut 5,000 jobs, or about five per cent of its workforce.

Published: October 23, 2026 at 2:26p.m. EDTScott Unger, co-founder and CEO of Kahua, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the barriers for construction companies to deploy AI. AI use is widespread in construction, but significant returns remain elusive. A Kahua survey found that only eight per cent of respondents reported significant value from their AI investments. BNN Bloomberg spoke with Scott Unger, CEO of Kahua, to discuss the survey’s findings and what they reveal about the construction industry’s adoption of artificial intelligence. How to set BNN Bloomberg as your preferred source on GoogleKey TakeawaysAI embedded directly into construction applications can deliver greater value than tools used separately from core business processes. Human review remains essential to check AI-generated information before accepting it as fact. Complex construction projects generate vast amounts of data that AI can help manage throughout design, construction and ongoing operations. Consolidating systems can reduce data silos created by numerous applications and project stakeholders.

BNN Bloomberg is Canada’s definitive source for business news dedicated exclusively to helping Canadians invest and build their businesses. NEW YORK — Stocks slipped on Wall Street Friday under increasing pressure from rising oil prices. The S&P 500 fell 0.4 per cent, adding to its decline from a day before. The index is on track for a second-straight week of losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 591 points, or 1.1 per cent, as of 1:52 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was down 0.1 per cent after giving up a modest gain. Rising oil prices weighed heavily on the market, where three out of every four stocks within the benchmark S&P 500 index fell. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 2.8 per cent to US$111.69. It has surged from less than $97 at the start of October and is now at its highest level since March. Several AI-related companies made big moves. Micron Technology jumped 3.4 per cent and Microsoft rose 0.7 per cent, helping ease the impact on major indexes from a drop for most stocks. Advanced Micro Devices jumped 1.9 per cent. S&P 500 market updates hereThe tech sector’s influence is also capable of quickly switching over to a heavy weight.