Exit polls had projected an absolute majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party, leading to expectations of a stronger Modi in his third term. Surbhi Gupta explores why the results presented him with a defeat within a win. Read by Emma Powell.

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

Why the Indian election results present Modi with a defeat within a win

Controversy over the song Israel submitted for 2024's Eurovision is the latest chapter in a long history of political tension behind the event, Ayelet Yagil reports. Read by Emma Powell.

As Eurovision 2024 nears, Israel is in the hot seat

The egg donation industry in the U.S. is a world of high financial stakes and little regulation, where women’s traits are commodified. Paige Bruton reports on the serious ethical questions these findings are raising. Read by Sharon Bott.

Because you’re worth it: how the US egg donation industry monetizes beauty

Palestinian-American artist DJ Khaled has remained silent as the war in Gaza has unfolded. Maysa Mustafa reflects on why his story is a cautionary tale of the limits of celebrity solidarity at a time when it may no longer be needed. Read by Marni Penning.

DJ Khaled’s disappearing act

What explains Trump’s enduring appeal? In the minds of his most ardent supporters, he is both more than a person and less than a person. Psychologist Dan McAdams reflects on this apparent paradox. Read by Mark Deakins.

The mass psychology of Trumpism

The destruction in Gaza has caused untold damage to archaeological sites. Recent images of Israeli soldiers posing with ancient artefacts have heightened fears for the history being lost in the violence, reports Olivia Snaije. 

Read by Emma Powell.

The past is being destroyed in Palestine — as well as the present

Few can claim to have had a better year when it comes to political image makeovers than the Italian prime minister. But has Giorgia Meloni gone mainstream, or has Europe’s rightward drift made the leader seem less extreme? Barbara Serra unpicks a process of normalization. Read by Sharon Bott.


The normalization of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni

Penis-snatching incidents are on the rise in Nigeria, with members vanishing at bus stops and markets. The root of the problem? A psycho-social condition called koro, a panic attack brought on by the stress of modern life. Kingsley Charles explores the phenomenon of Nigeria's missing genitals. Read by Gary Furlong.

The curious phenomenon of Nigeria’s disappearing penises

There is a symbiosis of extremists in the wider Israel-Palestine conflict, each side feeding on trauma and cleaving to violence that cannot provide solutions, argues Khaled Diab. Read by Mark Deakins.

How trauma drives the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Despite historical resistance, a new extreme policy is gaining traction in the Middle East. New Lines Magazine's Editorial Staff discuss the potential consequences of forcibly relocating Gaza's population to the Sinai desert and the shifting dynamics in the region. Read by Simon Mattacks.

As the Middle East reels, a new option takes shape: expulsion

France’s dissolution of an environmental group is unprecedented in the country’s history. Behind the decision lies President Macron’s vision of a new industrial age, reports Patrick Hagan. Read by Simon Mattacks.

The French government is trying to outlaw an environmental movement

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.

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.