Contemporary writers across South Asia and its diaspora show that the Partition of 1947 is not just history but continues to shape lives and identities, writes @surbhigupta.bsky.social 

At the latest Washington Convention meeting in Uzbekistan, countries, conservationists, NGOs and traders negotiated over the fate of the world’s endangered animals.

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: The arrest of “king of cocaine” Dritan Rexhepi in Istanbul raises questions about the country’s growing role in the international drugs trade and why kingpins appear drawn to reside there.

Three new books — @juliaioffe.bsky.social “Motherland,” @leaypi.bsky.social“Indignity” and @oliahercules.bsky.social“Strong Roots” — use family memoir to illuminate the lives of women in 20th-century Eastern Europe, writes @howardamos 

"Love, famously, isn’t easy to quantify. But its paperwork is — sort of. In 2018, the last year before Lebanon’s crash began, there were 4,280 marriages recorded in Beirut. By the end of 2024, there were just over 3,000." 

Iran is not on the brink of revolution. Those who view the recent protests through the lens of 1979 fail to understand the circumstances that lead to popular uprisings, argues Menahem Merhavy.

“The communal experience — which was slowly fading away with the advent of fast coffee, espresso machines and large chains — is beginning to matter as much as the coffee itself, harking back to an era when coffee shops were key spaces for connection.”

📽️ Following a recent clash between footballers Vinícius Júnior and Gianluca Prestianni — in which the latter allegedly used a racist slur — we revisit @palabarces.bsky.social's essay on the racism problem that keeps resurfacing in Argentine football culture. youtube.com/shorts/WlDVg...

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social archives: Iranians in both Iran and the diaspora are reckoning with the failures of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement & the regime’s persistence. A lack of organized political opposition is to blame, argues @arashtehran.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

NEW: Lebanon’s multiple crises have pushed many young people to leave and reshaped how those who remain find love, from dating apps that sort accounts by sect to a resurgence in blind date events, reports Madeline Edwards newlinesmag.com/spotlight/wa...

'In aging authoritarian systems, blows from outside often consolidate the security apparatus, sharpen nationalist rhetoric and justify further centralization. Hardship can intensify anger, but it can also reinforce risk aversion in a population already wary of chaos.' @newlinesmag.bsky.social #Iran

From Jakarta to Hong Kong and Santiago, anime heroes like Luffy and Pikachu are taking to the streets. Tim Brinkhof reports on how Japanese pop culture and anime became a global language of protest.

‘The Islamic Republic’s Broken Promises of Economic Justice’, by @yjtorbati.bsky.social, for @newlinesmag.bsky.social.

“Once again, the communal experience — which was slowly fading away with the advent of fast coffee, espresso machines and large chains — is beginning to matter as much as the coffee itself, harking back to an era when coffee shops were key spaces for conversation and connection.”

"While Israel’s government has not explicitly called for Palestinians in the West Bank to be expelled en masse, their comments and actions imply this is indeed the goal." | @jewessbux.bsky.socialon the government-backed Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: Ahead of the 2023 FIFA World Cup, as humongous cutouts of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar appeared in the south Indian state of Kerala, its fan wars and soccer frenzy made headlines.

Amid a surge in specialty cafes and global chains, Saudis are reinterpreting their long-standing traditions of coffee-drinking and turning these venues into cultural, intellectual and social hubs.   @soumyagayatri.bsky.socialreports https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/saudi-arabias-coffee-renaissance/

“Iran is experiencing a form of authoritarian aging: a condition in which a regime survives the loss of legitimacy not by renewing itself, but by narrowing its ambitions and governing through routine, containment and force.”

Amid wartime stress and a nationwide mental health crunch, some Ukrainians are turning to an unlikely coping mechanism: the amanita mushroom.

"Even though Islam generally allows polygamy, it is frowned upon by many in Mauritania. As a result, 'sirriyas,' or secret marriages, have become a workaround for the stigma that comes with taking — or being — a second wife." ✍️ @josefskrdlik.bsky.social  📸 Oliver Dunn https://shorturl.at/6qTDh

In one part of the West Bank, radical settlers are terrorizing Palestinian residents; in another, Palestinian citizens of Israel are finding peace and safety from violence. @lisang.bsky.socialreports from the ground.

Editor's Pick: Aleppo’s historic markets are reopening after years of destruction, yet residents remain cautious, rebuilding their livelihoods while waiting to learn what kind of country they now live in, reports Jahan de Bellaigue.

This is not the usual sort of article about declining birth rates. If your impulse is to ignore the article because you think you've seen too many like it: no, really, it's not like that at all, quite the opposite, you will probably enjoy it!

🎧 Such a great episode of the @newlinesmag.bsky.social podcast THE LEDE: my colleague Kwangu Liwewe Agyei interviews Africa scholars Ebenezer Obadare and Zachariah Mampilly about recent developments on the continent. Give it a listen on your podcast app of choice, or here ⬇️ youtu.be/tlQEozxE6fw?...

NEW: Coffee in Saudi Arabia has never been just a drink, and now a specialty cafe boom is renewing the tradition of coffeehouses as spaces for culture, conversation and community, reports @soumyagayatri.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/sa...

NEW: Iran is not on the brink of revolution. Those who view the recent protests through the lens of 1979 fail to understand the circumstances that lead to popular uprisings, argues Menahem Merhavy for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/argument/ira...

South Korea’s birth rate crisis isn’t just about economics. A growing number of women are choosing to remain single — and reshaping the country’s future in the process.

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: In 1962, the Tunisian president, Habib Bourguiba, drank a glass of orange juice live on TV during Ramadan, sparking decades of debate over fasting that helped to remake Tunisian politics, writes Ahmed Nadhif.

“Over time, you learn to live with anxiety: to remain calm, and not let fear control your life. But at the same time you understand that this reality should not be the norm for anyone.”  On Russia's use of drones in Ukraine and their psychological impact on civilians.

In Mauritania, one of the world’s few Islamic republics, serial divorce and secret marriages reveal how faith and intimacy are being renegotiated under the pressures of modernity and social constraint.

"While reconstruction of the souk has brought economic benefits and enticed former shopkeepers to return, Aleppo is a long way from reclaiming its place as Syria’s economic capital." | Jahan de Bellaigue

The global system for protecting endangered wildlife is shaped by politics, lobbying and economic interests, even as it remains one of the few tools the world has to slow biodiversity loss, argues Sam Meadows.

🎧 "Aid and democracy promotion were never necessarily central to U.S. foreign policy in Africa, but were always part of how the U.S. government framed its actions. Now it’s much more naked, relationship-oriented, primarily around security and trade." https://shorturl.at/TFZQW

Top Read: A racist, homophobic soccer chant sung by Argentine players exposed deep‑rooted denial about race and prejudice in Argentina, challenging the myth that the country is ethnically unified and doesn’t have a racism problems. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/ar...

Really good article from @newlinesmag.bsky.social about what was once one of my favourite places in the world to guide tourists through, Aleppo's old city. newlinesmag.com/spotlight/li...

NEW: Secret marriages and serial divorce reveal how faith and intimacy are being renegotiated in Mauritania’s rapidly growing cities, write Josef Skrdlik and Oliver Dunn newlinesmag.com/reportage/se...

MAGA should be properly understood as the product of a bored and restless middle class, writes @michaeldweiss.bsky.social . They did not come from the factory floor or coal mine but the real estate brokerage and suburban split-level.

"[Daniel] Jadue is a staunch defender of Venezuelan sovereignty and Palestinian liberation. He sees himself just as much as a foot soldier against imperialism as he does an innovator of grassroots, local policy." 

From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: An exclusive investigation reveals a network of charities funneling millions into left-wing platforms that defend China against Uyghur genocide allegations — and they’re all connected to an American tech magnate.

“In theory, the conference is the stage for measured scientific discussions and clear-eyed, conservation-focused decisions. In reality, it is a battleground of political intrigue, vested interests and economic pressures.”

“There is a sense that the city is in limbo, stuck between the horrors of the past and a fear of being too hopeful for the future.” Jahan de Bellaigue reports from Aleppo. https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/life-returns-to-aleppos-old-town/

"The truth was that Lakanwal was one of America’s own." | How an Afghan commando turned shooter brought America’s shadow war to Washington, laying bare the parallel state the U.S. built in Afghanistan and then abandoned.

Editor's Pick: After decades of shifting alliances that failed to deliver stability, Saudi Arabia now has a “zero-conflict” regional policy. It is this that is paradoxically creating tension with the UAE and Israel

🎧 NEW: Airstrikes in northern Nigeria and mineral deals signed across the continent — what to make of the Trump administration’s policies in Africa? @cfr.org's Ebenezer Obadare and Zachariah Mampilly join @kayliwewe.bsky.social on the podcast to discuss.

If you didn't see it last week, my #longread on Daniel Jadue and the rise and fall of the left in #Chile is out in @newlinesmag.bsky.social! Para los que ya no han leído mi artículo sobre Daniel Jadue, escribí sobre su caso y la situación de la izquierda chilena a la hora actual. Gracias por leer!

NEW: Aleppo’s historic markets are reopening after years of destruction, yet residents remain cautious, rebuilding their livelihoods while waiting to learn what kind of country they now live in, reports Jahan de Bellaigue for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/li...

NEW: In November, countries gathered in Uzbekistan to regulate the global trade of wildlife under a convention that is deeply shaped by international politics and lobbying, but which remains a vital tool of conservation, writes Sam Meadows. newlinesmag.com/argument/the...

The British-Lebanese author Michael Karam recalls his family's experiences of war, famine, coups and migration — and the mountain home that witnessed it all.

"You reach a point where you accept this, you actually learn to put up with uncertainty."

A deadly attack near the White House by an American‑trained Afghan commando points back to the parallel power structures the U.S. built in Afghanistan, writes Tam Hussein.