Self-driving shuttles extend Milton Keynes city centre trial
Vehicles will drive under 15mph and make multiple pick-up and drop-offs along their route.They will be monitored from a new city centre control room.New Zealand company Ohmio has built the shuttles, having set up a UK headquarters in Milton Keynes.Councillor Shanika Mahendran said: "The driverless shuttles are a fantastic example of the innovation that is taking place right here in our city and my thanks go out to all of our partners involved in this project. "We've been able to show the vehicles off to potential investors and decision makers who were all inspired with the progress we're making in trialling smart city tech."
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Belfast Telegraph
15 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Kris Meeke reveals the two things he's relying on to help banish his Rali Vinho da Madeira hoodoo
The 46-year-old makes his fifth start at the island-based event this evening, determined to banish past disappointments and return to the podium's top step with Stuart Loudon. Meeke's single best performance on Madeira came in 2009 during his Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) days when he finished fifth overall as a Peugeot UK-backed driver. Retirement beckoned the following year when his car developed an oil leak, followed by a bad accident in 2023 that left him injured, and a ten-minute time penalty last season. 'Madeira has not exactly been a happy place for me; the first time was in 2009 and it was tough,' said Meeke, who currently holds a slim five point lead over Armindo Araujo in the Portuguese Rally Championship points' standings after the opening five rounds. 'Since then, I have had two more attempts where, again, luck was not on my side. This year, however, I am bringing more experience and – above all – I am bringing a car that I love.' Meeke has quickly gelled with the GR Yaris Rally2 since his switch to it after two spells in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, beginning the defence of his crown with three consecutive wins. Since then, late suspension damage meant he failed to finish Rally de Portugal and lost maximum points in the process, with a retrospective time penalty on last month's Rali de Castelo Branco handing the win to his close friend and rival, Dani Sordo. 'The GR Yaris Rally2 was incredible in Castelo Branco, perhaps even better on asphalt than on dirt,' said Meeke. 'Of course, I know that the Portuguese drivers know all of these stages very well, as they have been doing this race for 20 years, so the challenge will be enormous – but I am very happy to be back in Madeira and to give my all for a good result.' He added: 'It was really tough to lose in Castelo Branco like that, but I am very happy with the performance. The duel with Dani was excellent – he is one of the best asphalt drivers in the world – so I really had to give it my all to stay ahead of him. When the battle is like that, decided by tenths of a second on such fast stages, it is a real pleasure to compete.' Comprising 13 special stages, the first is the short Cidade do Funchal street stage this evening (7.30pm) followed by six on Friday and a further six on the Saturday.
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Air traffic control outage latest: Major outage grounds flights across UK
Major delays have been reported for flights in the UK due to traffic control issues, grounding planes in the London area. In a statement, Gatwick Airport said the technical issue meant there are currently no departures while the situation is being resolved. Several flights bound for London Heathrow have already been cancelled or diverted to other airports, including British Airways flights from Budapest, Marseille and Nice. Air traffic control provider Nats said it is limiting the number of aircraft which can fly in the "London control area". A statement from the company said: "As a result of a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control centre, we are limiting the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety, which is always our first priority. "We apologise for any delays this may cause. "Our engineers are working hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and we are working closely with airlines to help minimise disruption.' 'Chaos and confusion - the communication is terrible' Earlier, we brought you news that Zara Metcalf, a passenger at Manchester Airport, had been told her flight to Croatia was delayed by six hours. Passengers have now been informed to board immediately, she tells The Independent. 'We were about to board the flight and were told all flights were grounded! We were then advised of a 6 hour delay,' Ms Metcalf said. 'There's chaos and confusion across the airport as now we apparently need to board immediately! 'Very frustrating and the communication is terrible,' she added. Alex Croft30 July 2025 17:17 Flights resume at Manchester Airport, delays expected Flights have resumed at Manchester Airport, but delays are expected to continue. Zara Metcalf, who is currently at the airport, told The Independent her flight to Split, Croatia, has been delayed by at least six hours. 'There may be some ongoing impact to flights schedules so passengers due to travel are advised to consult their airlines for updates,' Manchester Airport wrote on X. Alex Croft30 July 2025 17:14 Get in touch with your experiences Have you been affected by the air traffic control outage and flight delays across the country? Tell us all about your experience and what is going on in the airport right now. You can get in touch by email at Alex Croft30 July 2025 17:11 Continued disruption expected, says transport secretary We've heard from transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who said on X that she is aware of the technical issue which shut down air traffic control operations. 'I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice,' Ms Alexander added. Alex Croft30 July 2025 17:05 London City Airport: All flights to and from London suspended London City Airport has joined the large list of airports to confirm that flights have been suspended. Flights will be delayed and may be subject to cancellation, the airport said. Alex Croft30 July 2025 17:03 'It's going to be chaos': Briton's flight turns back to Oslo mid-air A Briton who was on a flight from Oslo to London - which has turned around mid-air towards the Norwegian capital - is expecting 'chaos' when the plane lands. Tanya Goldhaber said she was two-thirds of the way to London when the pilot informed passengers that the flight would be turning back to London due to a radar issue - and lack of fuel. 'My child went into meltdown for a little while which wasn't great but she's sleeping now,' Ms Goldhaber told The Independent. 'It's a plane full of Norwegian and British people so it's actually very calm and stoic, but basically we have zero information from anyone about what's going to happen when we're on the ground - but I'd imagine it's going to be chaos when we get to Oslo,' she added. 'They're suggesting the plane will land and go back at 7pm but I'm not sure anyone believes that. So we may or may not be back in the UK this week, we'll see - I would not recommend doing this with a four-month-old baby." Alex Croft30 July 2025 16:57 All departures from Edinburgh Airport being held All departures at Edinburgh Airport are being held due to the Nats technical issue, the airport wrote on X. "We are waiting for further information from NATS and will provide updates when possible," the airport wrote. "Please check with your airline for the latest information on your flight." Alex Croft30 July 2025 16:51 Recap: What happened last time air traffic control collapsed? Nearly two years ago, more than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports on August 28. It happened after ATC provider National Air Traffic Services (Nats) suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan. Travel correspondent Simon Calder takes a look at what happened that day: Here's what happened after a major air-traffic control failure The first UK airline to learn of the failure of Nats' main and back-up systems was Tui, after German operations officials called their British counterparts Alex Croft30 July 2025 16:47 Affected system has been restored, says air traffic control provider Travel correspondent Simon Calder reports: Air traffic control provider Nats has said that the system which was affected this afternoon has now been restored. Here is its latest comment: Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. Alex Croft30 July 2025 16:44 No flights taking off, says Gatwick Gatwick Airport earlier said no flights were taking off because of the outage. "A technical issue impacting Nats is affecting all outbound flights across the UK. There are currently no departures from London Gatwick while the situation is being resolved," it said. Although many Gatwick-bound jets were landing, at least one was diverted to other airports – an AirBaltic service from Riga, Latvia. Alex Croft30 July 2025 16:42
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
FTSE 100 ends flat ahead of likely US rate hold
The FTSE 100 struggled for direction on Wednesday, despite progress elsewhere, as investors digested another earnings deluge and looked ahead to the US rate call and earnings from technology titans Meta Platforms and Microsoft. The FTSE 100 index closed up just 0.62 of a point at 9,136.94. The FTSE 250 closed 16.49 points lower, 0.1%, at 21,776.58, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.03 points, 0.4%, at 762.72. In Europe on Wednesday, the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.2%, as did the DAX 40 in Frankfurt. In New York on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1%, the S&P 500 was 0.1% higher, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3%. The US Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision at 7pm BST. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, it is near-certain that the Fed maintains rates at the 4.25% – 4.50% range this week. The Fed held in each of the first four meetings this year. Its last cut was in December, a 25 basis points trim to the federal funds rate range. A fifth successive hold is in the offing during the final meeting before a summer break. The US rate call will be swiftly followed by earnings from two of the Magnificent 7 after the closing bell on Wall Street – Microsoft and Meta Platforms. 'Coming hot off the heels of strong TSMC and Alphabet earnings, traders will be watching closely for capex spending habits and chip demand figures to highlight the continuation of the AI story. Nonetheless, for Meta and Microsoft, their performance will once again come down to the hum drum areas of advertising and cloud revenues,' said Joshua Mahoney, analyst at Rostro. Ahead of this investors weighed data showed the US economy registered stronger than expected growth in the second quarter of the year. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the US economy expanded 3.0% quarter-on-quarter on an annualised basis in the three months to June. The reading topped an FXStreet cited forecast of a 2.4% rise and follows a first quarter which saw the US economy shrink 0.5%. 'The increase in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected a decrease in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and an increase in consumer spending. These movements were partly offset by decreases in investment and exports,' the BEA said. But TD Economics said the figures 'overstated' the degree of strength in the US economy. 'An unwinding of Q1's tariff front-running resulted in imports contracting by the largest amount (outside of the pandemic) since the height of the global financial crisis, resulting in a massive positive contribution to GDP. Once the effects of net trade, inventories and government were removed, sales to private domestic purchasers, expanded by just 1.2% or its slowest rate of growth in 2.5 years,' it noted. Nonetheless, US President Donald Trump stepped up pressure for an interest rate cut, citing the rosier economic growth figures. ''Too Late' MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE,' Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform, using his critical nickname for Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The pound eased to 1.3285 dollars late on Wednesday afternoon in London, compared to 1.3337 dollars at the equities close on Tuesday. The euro traded at 1.1479 dollars, lower against 1.1537 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading higher at 148.94 yen compared to 148.38 yen. The yield on the US 10-year treasury was at 4.37%, stretched from 4.35%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was at 4.91%, widened from 4.88%. In London, the results season continued in full swing with results from more FTSE heavyweights hitting the wires. GSK climbed 4.8% as it forecast annual sales growth at the top end of its outlook range, after 'another quarter of excellent performance' saw revenue and profit beat forecasts. The London-based pharmaceutical firm said its portfolio of Specialty Medicines led the way, and the group added that it is 'positioned to respond to the potential financial impact of tariffs'. Revenue in the second quarter of 2025 rose 1.3% to £7.99 billion from £7.88 billion, helping to push pretax profit up 26% to £1.89 billion from £1.50 billion. Core operating profit rose 12% at constant currency to £2.63 billion from £2.51 billion. Company-compiled consensus looked for revenue of £7.80 billion and operating profit of £2.47 billion. But HSBC slumped 5.0% as it said pretax profit fell 27% to 15.81 billion dollars in the six months ended June 30 from 21.56 billion dollars a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share fell to 0.65 dollars from 0.88 dollars. HSBC maintained its interim dividend at 0.10 dollars per share, but announced plans to initiate and complete a three billion dollar share buyback before its third quarter results are released. Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey shed 6.0% after revealing a £222 million increase in its cladding fire safety provision, a move RBC Capital Markets said caused several investors 'we spoke to this morning to choke on their cornflakes'. Elsewhere, International Personal Finance said it would be minded to accept a takeover bid from a suitor of around £500 million, should an offer come. The provider of credit products and insurance services confirmed it was in 'advanced' talks with asset-based financing provider BasePoint Capital. A price per share of 223.8 pence has been mooted, a sum IPF would recommend to shareholders should an official bid materialise, IPF said in a statement. Shares in IPF closed 19% to the good on the news. Brent oil was quoted higher at 72.99 dollars a barrel in London on Wednesday, up from 70.74 dollars late Tuesday. Gold fell to 3,292.75 dollars an ounce against 3,327.45 dollars. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were GSK, up 65.50 pence at 1,462.5p, Pershing Square Holding, up 130.0p at 4,194.0p, AstraZeneca, up 340.0p at 11,498.0p, Intercontinental Hotels Group, up 172.0p at 8,848.0p and Spirax Group, up 120.0p at 6,315.0p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Taylor Wimpey, down 6.7p at 100.45p, ConvaTec, down 13.40p at 231.0p, HSBC, down 44.0p at 926.0p, Sage Group, down 57.0p at 1,200.5p, and JD Sports Fashion, down 3.16p at 85.9p. Thursday's local corporate calendar has half-year results from miner Anglo American, tobacco manufacturer BAT, gold miner Endeavour Mining, consumer products firm Haleon, stock exchange operator and data provider London Stock Exchange, aerospace company Rolls-Royce and oil major Shell. Retailer Next is set to update on trading. The global economic calendar on Thursday sees an interest rate decision in Japan overnight, plus retail sales, industrial production and consumer confidence figures in Japan, and US weekly initial jobless claims and the Chicago PMI.
