Flagship

India implements citizenship law

India on Monday implemented a controversial citizenship law ahead of this year’s national elections. The rule fast-tracks citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Parsees, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians — but not Muslims — who fled persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Pakistan to seek refuge in India. The passage of the law in 2019 sparked mass protests, killing dozens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda that critics say discriminates against the country’s Muslim minority. His party is expected to hold onto power in the elections this spring, and the implementation of the law is aimed at emboldening Modi’s supporters and showing that “Hindu-first policies are being implemented,” said an India-based analyst who has written a book on Modi.

EU sets rules for gig economy

European Union countries agreed to bloc-wide rules governing the gig economy, a watered-down set of regulations that were nevertheless hailed by EU officials as marking a “momentous day.” The rules leave it to individual member states to determine when an Uber driver, for example, is a full-fledged employee, but put the responsibility on companies to prove workers are not employees, a designation that would offer them wider social security and health benefits. One Paris-based expert described the compromise deal as “a significant step forward for labor rights within the gig economy,” while another at Oxford University pointed to what may be the new deal’s most significant impact: regulations for the use of algorithms by companies when dealing with workers.

Lawmakers shrug off Trump TikTok stance

U.S. Republicans pressed ahead with legislation forcing TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest themselves of the popular video-sharing platform despite a surprise U-turn from Donald Trump. The former president — once a proponent of an outright TikTok ban — voiced opposition to a potential divestiture, warning it would hand more power to social media giant Meta. TikTok has also criticized the congressional push, urging users to press their representatives to oppose the bill, a campaign that has largely failed. What the platform’s owners do now has major geopolitical consequences, the tech analyst Ben Thompson noted: Given TikTok’s ties to Beijing, “acquiescing to this bill’s demands would be a very strong signal that Chinese pragmatism is still something that can be counted on.”

Airbnb bans indoor cameras

Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to — officially — use indoor security cameras to surveil their guests. Some vacationers have begun checking their Airbnb rentals for hidden cameras after a slate of viral stories raised privacy concerns. A recent Saturday Night Live skit about the rental platform even joked about “a camera in the toilet.” Under the new policy, effective at the end of April, hosts will only be able to use outdoor security cameras and must disclose their locations. But the policy “may struggle to address the camera problem at large,” Wired wrote: Airbnb currently only allows security cameras in “common areas” like living rooms, but renters have reported finding them in private locations like bedrooms.

The Ukraine-Russia ‘production war’

Russia is set to produce almost three times more munitions annually than the U.S. and Europe can supply to Ukraine, raising concerns about Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against an expected Russian offensive this year. Russia fires about 10,000 shells a day, while Ukraine is firing just 2,000, CNN reported. “What we are in now is a production war,” a NATO official said, as Ukraine aid talks languish in Washington. Arms imports to Europe have surged in recent years as Ukraine’s allies supplied it with weapons, new data showed Monday, but other European countries also bolstered their defenses. Poland’s president said Monday that NATO members — obliged to spend 2% of their GDP on defense — should in fact spend 3%.

US is biggest-ever oil producer

The United States produced more crude oil each year for the last six years than any other country in history, according to official data. In 2023, U.S. wells produced an average of 12.9 million barrels of crude every day. The previous record was also set by the U.S., in 2019. The highest production by another country was 10.8 million, set by Russia in 2019, while Saudi Arabia has the capacity to pump up to 12 million. U.S. oil production has increased in the past decade as Washington has sought to reduce its reliance on foreign imports — which it is also doing by boosting renewable energy capacity.

Uranium mines are reopening

U.S. uranium mines are reopening as the industry seeks to capitalize on soaring prices. U.S. mines produced over 20,000 tons of uranium oxide in 1980, the most in the world, but by 2019 that figure was just 10 tons as the U.S. turned to imports and overall demand for nuclear power fell after the 2011 Fukushima incident. Now, five companies are reopening mines and others are searching for new deposits. The price of uranium ore has tripled since 2021 as governments seek both low-carbon energy and reduced reliance on Russia: 170 nuclear plants are planned or under construction globally. In the U.S., there is “broad bipartisan support” for nuclear energy, an industry association leader told the Financial Times.

Sen. Michael Bennet; Sen. Ron Wyden; John Waldron, President & COO, Goldman Sachs; Tom Lue, General Counsel, Google DeepMind; Nicolas Kazado, Finance Minister, DR Congo; and Jeetu Patel, EVP and General Manager, Security & Collaboration, Cisco have joined the world class line-up of global economic leaders for the 2024 World Economy Summit, taking place in Washington, D.C. on April 17-18. See all speakers and sessions, and RSVP here.

Lagerfeld studio, apartment on sale

Karl Lagerfeld’s central Paris studio and apartment is going on sale. The late fashion designer lived in the 17th-century apartment on Quai Voltaire, next to the Seine and the Louvre, from 2006 until his death in 2019. He rebuilt its interior with concrete floors and futuristic lighting, giving an effect Lagerfeld described as “like floating in your own spaceship over a very civilized past.” The 2,800-square-foot apartment has a starting price of $5.7 million. Separately, 400 artworks from Playboy owner Hugh Hefner’s collection are going on sale, including pieces by Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol, so any fans of unusual dead millionaires should consider checking those out if they miss out on the Lagerfeld apartment.

The world faces a wine glut

Winemakers are tearing up and burning their vineyards over a global oversupply of wine. Even as worldwide wine production hit a 60-year low last year, demand is falling faster, leading to a glut, Bloomberg reported. The low demand means that it’s sometimes more cost-effective for vineyards to destroy grapes than make wine with them and try to sell it. France allocated over $200 million to pay farmers to have their wine converted into ethanol, while especially low demand for red wine is hurting Spain’s La Rioja province. Chinese tariffs imposed on Australia’s wine exports in 2019 hurt the industry and pushed up domestic supply, but Beijing is reviewing whether to continue with the trade barriers.

Cricket food startup hopes for boom

A Vietnamese startup that farms crickets for human consumption wants to make them the next global food trend. Cricket One, which uses the insect to make snacks as well as powder that can be used in pasta and drinks, is aiming to be the first company to sell coated crickets and cricket chips in Singapore, which plans to finalize permit regulations by this summer, Nikkei reported. Cricket One hopes to eventually expand to other East and Southeast Asian countries, and is already permitted to sell insect powder in the European Union. Insects are high in protein and farming them is relatively low-cost and environmentally friendly, according to the Animal Frontiers journal.

Join Flagship on WhatsApp — our new channel delivers regular (but not too regular) updates from around the world, bringing you charts, statistics, and conversations. Join by clicking this link on your phone.

March 12:

• Germany rules on whether the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party can be investigated as a suspected right-wing extremist party.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency hosts its annual symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• The U.N.’s nuclear chief inspects the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, six months after it released treated water into the ocean.

A quarter of the books on this year’s International Booker longlist are by South American authors, signaling a second “boom” in Latin American fiction, judges said. Argentinian, Venezuelan, Brazilian, and Peruvian writers all made the list, which honors novels or short-story collections that have been translated into English, The Guardian reported. The first Latin American literature boom in the 1960s and 70s was marked by writers like Gabriel García Márquez gaining global recognition. This year’s longlist features works that speak to “the effects of standing up to tyranny,” the prize’s administrator said.

• A former CNN chief has found himself in an escalating personal battle with a bombastic Tory grandee over control of a British newspaper.
• Will the son of Uganda’s dictator run for president? Our Global Election Hub has the latest.
• Ramadan in Gaza is characterized by mounting starvation.