Modi Pulls Out All the Populist Stops

ASIA

BJP puts in place a controversial immigration law — The Indian government has implemented rules to operationalize a controversial 2019 citizenship law that provides a path to citizenship for religious minorities from neighboring countries but excludes Muslims. The law has been criticized as discriminatory and sparked large protests four years ago. It is seen as advancing the Hindu nationalist agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party as India approaches a general election. (FT, NYT)

Taiwanese VP-elect secretly in DC — Bi-khim Hsiao is currently visiting Washington D.C. on a private trip. While officially packing up belongings from her previous role as Taiwan's representative to the U.S., she also plans to meet with Biden administration officials to discuss the new Taiwanese government's agenda. Both the U.S. and Taiwan are trying to keep the visit low-profile to avoid antagonizing China. (WSJ)

AMERICAS

Haiti's PM steps aside, in theory — Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, facing growing pressure from the United States and other nations, as well as runaway violence from gangs overrunning the country, announced he will resign once a transitional council is established. However, it is unclear when this will actually happen. The U.S. pledged an additional $133 million to Haiti, even as the World Food Programme warned that mass hunger could plague the country for years. (NYT, CNN)

MIDDLE EAST

Hezballah ups the ante — Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets into northern Israel, one of the heaviest barrages in recent months of cross-border attacks between the groups. Israel responded with air strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah said the rocket fire was in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon the previous day and in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are stalled. (NYT)

Did Israel kill Hamas' #2? — The IDF is still examining evidence after it ordered a strike on an underground compound said to be used by Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing. The strike was took place in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, overnight between Saturday and Sunday. (NYT)

EUROPE

Europe on high terror alert — Security services in Europe are monitoring new potential terror threats emerging from Iran and groups linked to conflicts in the Middle East like Hamas and the Gaza war. Several recent terror plots have been foiled involving suspects posing as refugees from Afghanistan and Syria. Investigators found targets related to Israel and Jews on suspects' devices. Separately, three Palestinians were arrested plotting attacks in Europe. (WSJ)

Russian retribution for Macron's NATO Ukraine remarks? — The French government announced that it is facing unusually intense cyberattacks targeting several of its ministries and services. The attacks started on Sunday night and impacted access to government websites. (AP)