
ATR, Pratt & Whitney Canada to collaborate on turboprop propulsion technology
The companies will also look to study the feasibility of hybrid electric propulsion for ATR's next-generation concept of aircraft dubbed "EVO".
Franco-Italian ATR, jointly owned by Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab and Leonardo (LDOF.MI), opens new tab, is the dominant producer of regional turboprop planes, with a family of aircraft seating 42 to 78 people.
Pratt & Whitney is U.S.-based RTX's (RTX.N), opens new tab engine-making subsidiary.
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The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ukraine believes Putin has just ‘one card left to play' in ceasefire talks – and it gives Kyiv an upper hand
Vladimir Putin has 'only one card' left to play - to prolong the killing in Ukraine, according to a senior source in Volodymyr Zelensky's presidential office as Europe conducts top level talks ahead of the Alaska summit this week. Zelensky has not been invited to Friday's meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. And there are deep concerns that the US president will emerge from the encounter taking an even harder line on Ukraine. Europe's leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, have been corralling US officials and White House insiders, and are meeting virtually with the Oval Office to persuade Trump to use the leverage he has over Putin to get him to agree a ceasefire. 'The main thing for Putin is to try to trade land for ceasefires,' the source close to Zelensky told The Independent. 'The ability to kill and to prolong war is the only card Putin has. So, he's trying to play this card.' In February, Trump lost his temper with Zelensky, yelling at him that he didn't 'have the cards' in the conflict with Russia during an infamous press conference in the Oval Office. Now, Ukraine insists, it's Putin who has the weaker hand. Europe's leaders are trying to reinforce that message to Trump so that he feels confident threatening further economic sanctions against countries that import Russian oil - and even to renew arms shipments to Ukraine - to get Putin to suspend military operations. 'Trump does want to finish the killings, it's true, and he has the power to do it. So the question is for him how to do the right thing,' the Ukrainian presidential advisor said. So far Putin has said any ceasefire would have to come on the condition that Ukraine agrees to cede four provinces - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - to Russia along with the Crimea. He also wants Ukraine not to use any pause in the fighting to rearm. Ukraine has long agreed to a minimum 30-day unconditional ceasefire and insists that it is willing to discuss grounds for peace. As speculation mounts over what Friday's summit will achieve, Trump has already indicated that he agrees with Russia and that Ukraine should be prepared to agree 'land swaps' of Ukrainian territory. Europe, the UK and Ukraine have ruled out such concessions – especially as part of any deal struck between Russia and America without Ukraine present. Despite the fanfare over the meeting in Anchorage, the US actually has less power, and therefore influence over the outcome of talks, as a result of forcing Kyiv and Europe into taking on more of the burden of the defence of Ukraine. Trump cut all military aid to Ukraine earlier this year. The total US military spend there is €114 billion, which is dwarfed by the EU and UK's current pledged contribution standing at €250 billion. Ukraine's Nato allies now have to buy US weapons to supply Kyiv, but there are now signs that the US could ban that revenue stream. Russia has seen its second largest oil client, India, hit with a total of 50 per cent US tariffs. Twenty five per cent of that was imposed to get Putin to respond to Trump's ceasefire proposals. And if the US decided to open the taps of free military aid again it could tip the tactical balance rapidly in Ukraine's favour. The UK and Europe want Trump to spell this out to Putin. 'Zelensky supports the ceasefire,' the Ukrainian source said. 'The problem is that Putin rejects it and the majority of Ukrainians want to see peace, it's true, but at the same time the majority of Ukrainians reject Russian claims on the territory.'


The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Learners drivers get ‘glimmer of hope' as test backlog eases
Britain's driving test backlog eased last month but remains nearly three times larger than before the coronavirus pandemic. Some 621,230 future practical driving tests were booked as of the end of July, according to new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures. That is down from 656,649 a month earlier, but is compared with 219,786 at the end of February 2020 before the Covid-19 crisis. The number of tests taken rose from 158,413 in June to 170,822 in July, while the pass rate remained at least 50% for the fourth consecutive month for the first time since June 2021. Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'The latest figures for practical driving tests suggest the faintest glimmer of hope for learner drivers stuck in the lengthy queue for their own test slot. 'With over 170,000 tests conducted in July, 6,000 more candidates achieved the required standard than in the previous month, and the pass rate was a shade over 50%. 'Maybe more learners are putting the waiting time to good use by getting in some extra practice. 'For the first time in months the test backlog has declined but is still almost three times what it was pre- Covid. 'For all the work DVSA is doing to recruit more examiners, it's clear there are no quick fixes to the unacceptable waiting times that persist in many parts of the country.' The DVSA attributes the backlog to an increase in demand and some people booking their test much earlier than before. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in April the Labour Government 'inherited an enormous backlog' but was 'acting fast' to tackle the issue, with at least 10,000 extra tests to be available each month. She told the Commons' Transport Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time for driving tests in Britain to seven weeks by summer 2026. The figure was 22.3 weeks as of the end of June. The Government recently consulted on amending the driving test booking system, in an attempt to stop bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. Other measures in response to the backlog include instructing the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments as an incentive to encourage instructors to conduct more tests. Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are also being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled. The DVSA was approached for a comment. A recent report commissioned by the agency suggested test candidates should be asked if they would like their examiner to be 'chatty' or 'formal' to boost female pass rates. Transport research group TRL, which proposed the measure, said it would avoid examiners creating 'potential anxiety'.


Reuters
14 minutes ago
- Reuters
E.ON calls for higher grid returns in Germany as core profit jumps
FRANKFURT, Aug 13 (Reuters) - ( opens new tab on Wednesday called on Germany's energy regulator to raise future returns on grid investments, warning Europe's top economy risked falling behind in its efforts to build out power infrastructure. Europe's largest grid operator posted a 13% rise in first-half adjusted core profit to 5.5 billion euros ($6.43 billion), and reiterated its outlook for 2025 adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 9.6 billion to 9.8 billion euros. shares were 1.6% higher at 1125 GMT, further helped by CFO Nadia Jakobi indicating that the group will likely hit the upper end of the guidance. The shares are up 40% year-to-date, benefitting from a structure that essentially shields it from the impact of U.S. tariffs. "We continue to believe that is excellently positioned in the distribution infrastructure sector, which is highly relevant for the energy transition," Metzler Bank analysts said in a note. CEO Leonhard Birnbaum confirmed expects to invest 43 billion euros over the 2024-2028 period, but warned other European nations were creating better grid incentives. Energy grid operators depend on fixed rates of return and have warned that caps must be raised in Germany's new five-year regulatory period for electricity network earnings from 2029. Birnbaum also urged German regulators, who want to firm up plans for the next period by year-end, to consider higher caps to ensure enough money flows into the country's grid expansion. The German regulator currently allows pre-tax write-off rates of return on equity employed of 7% on new infrastructure and 5% for existing infrastructure pre-tax, compared to 7%-9% elsewhere in Europe. ($1 = 0.8559 euros)