Chief-Exec.com

Macron eyes major Rafale fighter jet deal, AI cooperation on India visit
French President Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day visit to India on Tuesday, with talks focused on artificial intelligence cooperation and a potential multibillion-dollar Dassault Rafale fighter jet deal. France is seeking to expand its military partnership with New Delhi, with discussions expected on a potential contract for 114 additional French fighter jets. Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived around midnight on Monday in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, for his fourth visit to India since taking office in 2017. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Tuesday. Macron will then travel to New Delhi for an artificial intelligence summit on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit follows New Delhi’s confirmation last week that it intends to place a major order for Rafale jets, as well as the signing of a landmark free trade agreement between India and the European Union in January. France 24, February 17

Foreign-born UK children could be denied entry under new passport rules
British children born overseas could be denied entry to the UK from next week because of a change in passport rules. From February 25 British dual citizens will have to present a British passport when travelling to the UK, or obtain a “certificate of entitlement” costing £589. The move has caused panic and confusion among expat families whose children do not have a British passport. Anyone born overseas to a British parent automatically qualifies for dual citizenship. They cannot renounce it until they turn 18, which means they must either obtain a British passport or pay a £589 fee for a “certificate of entitlement” to travel to the UK. The Times, February 17

UK shelves £110m frictionless post-Brexit trade border project
The UK government has shelved a project to simplify trade border processes post-Brexit, after spending £110m on a contract with Deloitte and IBM for it, according to reports. The last Conservative government promised in 2020 to create the “world’s most effective border” by 2025 as part of their plan for a new trade system after Britain left the EU. The government hoped a “single trade window” would simplify border processes after Brexit by creating a single digital platform in which importers and exporters could upload all documentation linked to goods before they are transported. However, the STW project was paused in 2024 amid concerns over the cost of implementing the scheme. The Guardian, February 17

UK wage growth cools further as unemployment hits highest level since pandemic
UK wage growth slowed at the end of 2025 as the jobless rate increased to 5.2 per cent, raising the prospects of a near-term reduction in the Bank of England’s key rate as officials respond to a cooling labour market. The unemployment rate hit 5.2 per cent in the three months to December, its highest level in five years, compared with 5.1 per cent over the previous three-month period, according to the Office for National Statistics. Annual growth in average weekly wages, excluding bonuses, slowed to 4.2 per cent in the last three months of the year, the ONS said on Tuesday, down from a revised 4.4 per cent in the three months to November. Private sector wage growth eased to 3.4 per cent, bringing it closer to the 3.25 per cent rate that the BoE thinks is consistent with its 2 per cent inflation target. Financial Times, February 17

Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities
A further 36 universities face legal action from more than 170,000 current and former students, who claim they did not receive the full education they paid for during the Covid pandemic. It follows a settlement between University College London and the Student Group Claim, which is now representing other students and graduates. Legal letters have been sent to each of the 36 other institutions, warning that they intend to seek damages for learning which students claim they paid for but did not actually receive. Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, said the pandemic was an "unprecedented challenge" and the sector had to "adapt to a fast-changing situation". "During some periods of lockdown, universities were not permitted to offer in-person teaching as usual, and instead they adjusted quickly and creatively to allow students to complete their degrees," a spokesperson said. The Conservative government at the time said universities were responsible for setting their own fees, and that it expected them to continue to deliver a high-quality education. BBC news, February 16

Israel approves West Bank land registration, Palestinians slam ‘de-facto annexation’
Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved further measures ​to tighten Israel's control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation". The West Bank is among the territories that ​Palestinians seek for ‌a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military ⁠control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is ‌facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a ⁠security threat. His ruling coalition, which has a large voter base in the settlements, includes many members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured ​in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and ‌historical ties. France 24, February 16

Russia’s Wagner Group pivots to European sabotage, say western officials
Recruiters and propagandists who previously worked for Russia’s Wagner Group have emerged as a main conduit for Kremlin-organised sabotage attacks in Europe, according to western intelligence officials. The fighter group’s status has been uncertain since a failed rebellion against the top brass of the Russian army in June 2023 prompted a clampdown and the death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. But Wagner recruiters who specialised in persuading young men from Russia’s hinterland to fight in Ukraine have been given a new task - recruiting economically vulnerable Europeans to carry out violence on Nato soil, the officials said. Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) “is using the talent it has got available to it”, said one western intelligence official, referring to the Wagner network. The GRU and Russia’s domestic intelligence agency (FSB) have both become highly active in seeking to recruit “disposable” agents in Europe to sow chaos. Financial Times, February 15

Ukrainian civilian casualties surged by 26% in 2025, say researchers
Civilian casualties in Ukraine caused by bombing soared by 26 per cent during 2025, reflecting increased Russian targeting of cities and infrastructure in the country, according to a global conflict monitoring group. Action on Armed Violence said 2,248 civilians were reported killed and 12,493 injured by explosive violence in Ukraine according to English-language reports - with the number of casualties and incidents rising significantly. An average of 4.8 civilians were reported killed or injured in each strike, 33 per cent more than in 2024, with the worst attack taking place in Dnipro on 24 June. Russian missiles hit a passenger train, apartments and schools, killing 21 and injuring 314, including 38 children. Iain Overton, executive director of AOAV, said the figures showed “Ukraine fits a wider collapse of restraint that is now visible across multiple wars”, and respect for the distinction of proportionality in war “has broken”. The Guardian, February 16

UK considering significant increase to defence spending
The prime minister is considering making a significant increase in defence spending, the BBC has learned. Downing Street is mulling over the idea of meeting an existing spending target earlier than planned at a potential cost of billions of pounds. Sir Keir Starmer signalled his attitude over the weekend at the Munich Security Conference, telling world leaders: "To meet the wider threat, it's clear that we are going to have to spend more, faster." The prime minister promised last year to spend 2.5 per cent of national wealth - measured as gross domestic product (GDP) - on core defence by April 2027. But he also set out an "ambition" to increase that spending to 3 per cent of GDP in the next parliament. The BBC has been told the prime minister's aides are now looking at proposals to meet that 3 per cent ambition by the end of the current parliament, which could last until 2029. No decision has been taken and the Treasury is said to be cautious. BBC news, February 16

Workers’ rights reforms push a third of employers to cut hiring
More than a third of employers are set to cut back on hiring because of the government’s workers’ rights reforms, a survey of employers has found. Businesses warned that new rules giving enhanced protections to workers will place a “further handbrake on job creation” after they were hit by an ­increase to national insurance last April. The survey, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, found that 37 per cent of 2,000 firms polled planned to reduce the recruitment of new permanent staff as a result of the changes. It also found that more than half of businesses expected an increase in workplace conflict. The new measures for workers introduced by ministers this year include a day one right to statutory sick pay, new rights to ease trade union recognition and a shorter qualification period for unfair dismissal. The Times, February 16