France Inks Deal with Singapore as Macron Courts Southeast Asia
France and Singapore signed a wide-ranging deal to enhance nuclear power and clean energy cooperation during President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the city-state.
The agreement also covers cyberspace and defense collaboration, Macron said during a joint news conference Friday with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. France and Singapore are 'not only partners, but trusted friends.'
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Business Wire
20 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Greek-Indian "Eutopia" Marks a New Chapter in Greek-Indian Manpower Mobility
ATHENS, Greece--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a landmark step toward strengthening ethical and structured manpower mobility between Greece and India, the event titled "Eutopia - Greek-Indian Cooperation in Labour: A Comprehensive Program" was successfully held on Friday, May 30, 2025, at the Caravel Hotel, Athens. Organised under the aegis of the Hellenic Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the high-level gathering brought together Greek government officials, institutional stakeholders, legal experts, licensed recruitment professionals, and representatives from India to discuss the operationalisation of bilateral recruitment partnership and the promotion of safe, regulated migration. Key Highlights – Opening Remarks were delivered by the President of the Hellenic Indian Chamber, who underscored the importance of Indo-Greek collaboration in addressing labour market demands through ethical, transparent frameworks. – Addresses by Greek Officials included senior representatives from various ministries. The speakers focused on accelerating visa and recruitment procedures, streamlining documentation, and providing housing and integration support for incoming workers. They emphasised the importance of engaging only Government of India-licensed recruitment agencies to ensure fair and lawful recruitment practices. – Technical Presentations detailed documentation protocols, estimated processing timelines, and employer responsibilities. These were delivered by ministry officials, labour law experts, and licensed overseas recruitment agencies. – Hellenic Chamber and FIMCA shared actionable insights and experiences related to cross-border hiring, highlighting grievance redressal mechanisms and the importance of monitoring worker welfare throughout the employment cycle. FIMCA's Participation A key moment during the evening was the address by Mr. Alijan Rajan, spokesperson for the Federation of Indian Emigration Management Councils and Associations (FIMCA)–India's apex federation of licensed overseas recruitment agencies. "At the heart of our mission lies the dignity of labour," said Mr. Rajan. "We are proud to partner with Greece in ensuring that Indian workers are recruited transparently, deployed responsibly, and supported meaningfully." He further announced a strategic partnership between FIMCA and the Hellenic Indian Chamber, aimed at building robust institutional frameworks, ensuring legal compliance, and enhancing trust between recruiters and employers. FIMCA reaffirmed its full readiness to collaborate with Greek authorities and employers to implement structured manpower pathways in sectors such as hospitality, construction, agriculture, and manufacturing. Closing and Future Outlook The event concluded with closing remarks by the President of the Hellenic Indian Chamber of Commerce, who reiterated the chamber's commitment to advancing ethical manpower mobility and strengthening Indo-Greek ties through sustained dialogue, cooperation, and bilateral engagement. "Eutopia" stands as a pivotal milestone in the emerging model of Indo-Greek manpower mobility–founded on legality, ethics, and mutual economic growth.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Council ‘staffing crisis' threatens Rayner's housing target, builders warn
Council staff shortages are causing 'serious' delays and putting Angela Rayner's housebuilding target in jeopardy, builders have warned. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said a 'staffing crisis' at local authorities had led to mounting delays that are holding up projects across the country. As part of the housebuilding process, developers and local authorities must negotiate agreements on funding for public infrastructure such as schools, roads or affordable homes. However, the time it takes to strike these deals has surged and agreements are now taking well over a year on average to finalise, according to the HBF. Builders have been waiting for an average of 515 days – nearly a year and a half – for these so-called Section 106 agreements to be finalised. That waiting time has increased by a fifth over the past two years. Researchers found 35pc of all Section 106 agreements took longer than a year to complete. In one case, a developer was left waiting for seven years. The Housing Secretary has pledged to build 1.5m homes by the end of the current parliament, although she has conceded in recent weeks that this was a 'stretching' target. The Government has proposed recruiting 300 extra planning officers to tackle the issue. However, the HBF said that this would be nowhere near enough extra staff to address backlogs and delays. The organisation has identified a national shortage of 2,200 planning officers across England and Wales. Neil Jefferson, the chief executive of the HBF, said ministers had taken 'welcomed steps' to address planning delays, but needed to take 'meaningful action' by increasing funding for councils. He said: 'Meeting the Government's ambitious housing targets will require ministers to remove the barriers that are currently causing housing supply to flatline. 'The Government needs to ensure that local authorities have the capacity to process planning applications within a reasonable timeframe such that construction can get under way. 'If ministers can speed up the planning process, alongside providing mortgage support for first-time home buyers, and funding for housing associations to purchase affordable homes, house builders can start to actually increase supply.' The HBF warned that delays were particularly costly for smaller developers that lack the financial reserves to absorb rising costs. It came as affordable housebuilder MJ Gleeson issued a profit warning citing planning delays, rising costs and a weak housing market. Its stocks plummeted by more than 20pc on Tuesday. Delays stem from its business in the North, where developments have been largely held up by biodiversity rules rather than infrastructure agreements. However, the situation underlines the planning hurdles that housebuilders face. Council planning offices are under-staffed as local authorities come under intense financial pressure. Research by the Local Government Association (LGA) in March found that councils face a funding shortfall of more than £8bn by 2028-29 without enough additional income. A quarter of councils in England have warned that they will need emergency bailouts from the Government. An LGA spokesman said: 'There is a significant ongoing and historic challenge with resourcing planning teams and retaining staff with necessary specific skills across the country, with nearly two thirds of councils relying on agency staff to address capacity and skills gaps. 'Planning is a vital part of ensuring safe, well designed and appropriate house building takes place, and despite the challenges faced by local planning departments, nine in 10 planning applications are approved. 'Councils want to work with the Government to better help recruit and retain the planners and built environment professionals required to support an efficient locally-led planning system in order to build the homes we need.' The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Travel Weekly
33 minutes ago
- Travel Weekly
Aircraft delivery delays are stunting growth, but there's a silver lining
NEW DELHI, India -- The backlog for commercial airline orders is currently more than 17,000 planes, according to IATA, as aircraft makers continue to fall short of production targets. It's a backlog of 14 years at current production rates. The backlog is constraining industry growth and increasing the age of fleets, officials said during IATA's Annual General Meeting here. The industry's average aircraft age has increased from 13 years in 2015 to 15 years currently. This year, Boeing and Airbus had forecast 1,430 deliveries, according to airline industry data company Cirium, but through the first four months of the year they had delivered just 359 planes. "It's very unpredictable. You order an aircraft today, your guess is as good as mine when you're going to receive it," said Nick Careen, IATA's senior vice president of operations, safety and security. The industry's annual fleet replacement rate is just half of the 5% to 6% that it was in 2020, IATA director general Willie Walsh said. Walsh criticized manufacturers for not making faster progress on supply chain problems that he said could last until the end of the decade. A variety of issues have contributed to supply challenges, including a shortage of skilled labor and titanium sourcing problems, Careen added. A shortage of spare parts and aircraft grounded for inspections of Pratt & Whitney GTF engines have exacerbated the shortfall. IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers, whose airline currently has a narrowbody order book of nearly 1,000 Airbus planes plus 60 widebody orders, said delivery delays and shortfalls are hurting the airline industry. "I would say it's a missed opportunity in terms of addressing the market demand," he said. But not everybody agrees. Steve Saxon, a partner and aviation industry analyst for the consulting firm McKinsey, said delivery delays have been a blessing for airlines, driving up yields and profitability by preventing them from growing too fast. Last year, the airline industry recorded a net profit of $32.4 billion, according to IATA. Walsh, too, acknowledged that the slow delivery pipeline has a silver lining. Last year, airlines filled 84% of their seats, a record. "I didn't think I'd ever see load factors at that level," he said.
