Along with anti-immigrant policies and COVID-19 scepticism, the Freedom Party has taken a page from the U.S. culture wars, cracking down on trans rights and gender-inclusive language. Liam Hoare reports that the far-right is gaining ground in Austria once again. Could its leader, Herbert Kickl, become the country's next chancellor? Read by Malk Williams.

New Lines is an American magazine for the best ideas and writing from around the world. Specialising in long-form essays and reportage, New Lines aims to make the past relevant and the present grounded in history.

New Lines Magazine

Austria’s far right is gaining ground ahead of elections

As wild rumours circled the globe of a humanitarian disaster at the Nevada event, Rasha Elass enjoyed the festivities under the stars. Here, she reflects on her experience at Burning Man 2023. Read by Emily Woo Zeller.

An eyewitness to the Burning Man catastrophe that wasn’t

The opposition to asylum seekers in the town where the infamous British migrant barge is docked is emblematic of broader currents in the West but with a particular set of local grievances. Anchal Vohra reports on this issue. Read by Jonathan Booth.

The roots of anger at Britain’s migrant barge

The manosphere’s ire at ‘Barbie’ and 'mid' Margot Robbie

With Margot Robbie becoming the manosphere's latest target, Rasha Al Aqeedi discusses the rise of toxic masculinity online through the Barbie movie's bubblegum pink haze. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

The manosphere’s latest subject of ire is ‘Barbie’ and 'mid’ Margot Robbie

France's constitution is colour blind. Does that make it racist?

The recent unrest in France resulting from the murder of a 17-year-old at the hands of the police is the latest reminder of institutional racism in the country. Lydia Wilson questions whether the taboo surrounding the subject of race could be making things worse. Read by Sharon Bott.

France’s constitution is blind to race. Does that make it racist?

Congo conflict causes untold suffering and threatens wider war

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Niko Vorbyov reports from inside the Kanyaruchinya refugee camp to discover how the conflict has affected the residents and the threat of a broader war to come. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Conflict in Congo Is causing untold suffering and threatening wider war

How Andrew Tate & the far right made common cause with Islamists

From protesting LGBTQ curriculums to sexual liberation, Muslims and the far-right have become cultural war allies. Rasha Al Aqeedi and Lydia Wilson discuss this unexpected alliance and what it could mean for society.

How Andrew Tate and the far right made common cause with Islamists

Youth unemployment in India is a ticking time bomb. With 40% of the country's youth not working, studying or training, what are they doing? Neha Mehrotra discusses the profound economic challenges India faces and the potential solutions.

'Jobless growth' fuels India's unemployment crisis

Algeria's Hirak movement was supposed to be one of those historical moments where the people stood up to change their destiny. However, Hamdi Baala reports that the campaign has yielded to media harassment and shutdowns.

After a brief moment of hope, Algeria’s free press falls silent

Organ-trafficking plot lands a Nigerian senator in a U.K. prison

Apart from Iran, the organ trade is outlawed worldwide. But poverty and desperation can make even people with good intentions do terrible things. Andrew Connelly discovers how Senator Ike Ekweremadu's plan to harvest a kidney unfolded.

An organ-trafficking plot lands a Nigerian senator in a U.K. prison

How conscientious objection created backdoor abortions in Europe

Across Europe, an increasing number of medical professionals are refusing to perform abortions on ethical grounds. But what are the consequences? Jessica Bateman discusses concerns and potential solutions for this human rights dilemma.

How conscientious objection laws create backdoor abortion bans in Europe

In the U.S. west, a clown motel and cemetery tell a curious tale

Nevada's Clown Motel is hard to miss, and its history is even harder to avoid. Andrew Chamings discovers America's scariest motel's brutal past and how the 'Death Harvest' victims rest in its shadow.

In the American west, a clown motel and a cemetery tell a story of kitsch and carnage

In the 1990s, Yemeni-British boxer Naseem "the Prince" Hamed shook up the boxing world and left a lasting impact on British culture. Tam Hussein reflects on the sporting icon's legacy for multiculturalism in the U.K.

How Prince Naseem Hamed shaped British identity

The disparity in U.S. asylum

Why is it easier to claim asylum in the U.S. from certain countries over others? Lauren Wolfe and Sami Vanderlip discuss the dark underlying differences between humanitarian parole programs.

Afghan allies pay for chance at U.S. asylum, but It’s easier for Ukrainians 

"We are all humans ... we're fighting people who look like us, who speak the same language, who were our friends or even family before." David Lepeska interviews the Ukrainian cinematographer-turned-soldier Artem Ryzhykov, who reflects on his time on the battlefield in Europe's biggest land war in decades.

The diary of a Ukrainian filmmaker-turned-soldier

Born in America to Syrian parents, raised in France, and now living in London, Hala Gorani is a citizen of everywhere and nowhere. Here, she returns to the suburban St. Louis neighbourhood she called home as a child, seeking answers to unclear questions.

A Syrian-American searches for identity in Missouri

Could programs that intend to foster diversity do the opposite? Subrena E. Smith and David Livingstone Smith explain why it's time for a radical shift in inclusion education.

The trouble with race and its many shades of deceit

Two decades after the U.S. invaded Iraq, Rasha Al Aqeedi reflects on her childhood during the tense years of occupation that followed.

Living — and reliving — the U.S. invasion of Iraq

After decades of increasingly religious rule, which led to crackdowns on red-light districts, Anmol Irfan reflects on undoing generations of gender oppression in Pakistan and the fight for sex workers' rights.

Finding the gaps in stories of sex workers in Pakistan

Russia's proud imperial roots run deep. Here, Amie Ferris-Rotman reflects on her experience as a mother-to-be and why motherhood and the motherland are inextricably entwined for many Russians.