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The Writing on the Wall
Syria's first major trial of deposed regime figures ended in nine death sentences, including for Bashar and Maher al-Assad and Atef Najib, who ran the Political Security branch in Daraa in 2011. Survivors of the Daraa schoolboy arrests testified. Rights groups called the proceedings historic but flawed.
Russia’s Atomic Wildfires
Massive wildfires are encroaching on Russia’s defunct nuclear sites, threatening to reignite radioactive compounds that have been dormant since the Cold War. But the country’s understaffed and underexperienced fire service is faltering in the wake of the Ukraine war, leaving populations across the vast interior vulnerable to a compound disaster.
Listen Again: How Defiance Began at Home in Assad’s Syria
Loubna Mrie joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss her experience of authoritarianism at home, obedience to the Assad regime, and joining the revolution, as detailed in her new memoir, “Defiance.”
Why Christian Evangelicals Are Taking On India’s Foreign Funding Law
India’s proposed changes to its foreign funding law are drawing unusual opposition from U.S. Christian evangelicals and Republican lawmakers, turning the domestic dispute into a new irritant in bilateral relations.
The Sacred Convictions That Preserve the Profane Red Lines of Partition
On the 79th anniversary of Partition, a veteran journalist argues that the tragedy is not just that India and Pakistan’s borders were drawn badly, but that they were defended well.
Saudi Arabia Bets Everything on Restraint
As Houthi attacks squeeze Saudi Arabia's access to global trade, Riyadh is struggling to avoid being drawn into a wider war. From the Red Sea’s oil terminals to its luxury resorts, a New Lines report offers a firsthand look at how the kingdom’s postoil ambitions have become a strategic vulnerability.
Ukraine’s Drones Hit a Juicy Target
Wildberries, the online megaretailer that is Russia’s answer to Amazon, has become a juicy target for Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, as Kyiv looks to push the war front to the doorsteps of everyday Russians. But the heavy toll on small businesses is unlikely to sway the public against Putin.