In this paper, we compute the $BP$-cohomology of complex projective Stiefel manifolds. The method involves the homotopy fixed point spectral sequence, and works for complex oriented cohomology theories. We also use these calculations and $BP$-operations to prove new results about equivariant maps between Stiefel manifolds.

For a smooth manifold N denote by Em(N) the set of smooth isotopy classes of smooth embeddings N → ℝm. A description of the set Em(Sp × Sq) was known only for p = q = 0 or for p = 0, m ≠ q + 2 or for 2m ⩾ 2(p + q) + max{p, q} + 4. (The description was given in terms of homotopy groups of spheres and of Stiefel manifolds.) For m ⩾ 2p + q + 3 we introduce an abelian group structure on Em(Sp × Sq) and describe this group ‘up to an extension problem’. This result has corollaries which, under stronger dimension restrictions, more explicitly describe Em(Sp × Sq). The proof is based on relations between sets Em(N) for different N and m, in particular, on a recent exact sequence of M. Skopenkov.

A Riemannian manifold $\left( M,\,\rho \right)$ is called Einstein if the metric $\rho $ satisfies the condition $\text{Ric}\left( \rho \right)\,=\,c\,\cdot \,\rho $ for some constant $c$. This paper is devoted to the investigation of $G$-invariant Einstein metrics, with additional symmetries, on some homogeneous spaces $G/H$ of classical groups. As a consequence, we obtain new invariant Einstein metrics on some Stiefel manifolds $SO\left( n \right)/SO\left( l \right)$. Furthermore, we show that for any positive integer $p$ there exists a Stiefel manifold $SO\left( n \right)/SO\left( l \right)$ that admits at least $p$$SO\left( n \right)$-invariant Einstein metrics.