Oil
A Crude Awakening
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed Iraq into fuel shortages and a fiscal squeeze, while decades of war, corruption and stalled reform have left the country unable to turn its oil wealth into energy security.
The Njeem Affair
Libya’s Gen. Osama Njeem was wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity he committed at Mitiga Prison, where detainees — many of them migrants — were tortured, raped and extorted. Yet when he was arrested in Turin in 2025, Italy swiftly flew him home. Why?

Living on the Edge of South Sudan’s Toxic Floodplains
In 2021, catastrophic flooding in South Sudan’s Unity State drove millions from their homes and submerged dozens of oil wells in the petroleum-rich area. With 70% of the state still underwater, residents are living in and around toxic marshes — and seeing the effects in hospitals and maternity wards.

Syrians Queue for Fuel as Iraqi Oil Flows Past Them
As gas stations across Syria ran dry, thousands of Iraqi tankers were crossing the country daily on Iraq's new western export route, avoiding the Strait of Hormuz. A journey along the road from the eastern border to the coast reveals how the abundance and shortage are connected.

The Noxious Smoke Enveloping Tehran
Tehran residents who spoke to New Lines reported heavy pollution immediately following Israeli strikes on oil depots. An exclusive investigation and analysis show how the fires and smoke plumes spread across the Iranian capital.

Big Oil Is Fueling a Rise in Cancer in Iraq’s Basra
In Iraq’s Basra, age is a luxury. Residents live under a constant cloud of pollution from oil flares, leading to a surge in cancer cases, while the government colludes with oil companies to dismiss the crisis

Should Antarctica’s Ice Have Legal Rights?
Antarctica has neither a government nor a fixed population. But a group of environmental lawyers is arguing that the flora, fauna, ice and mountains of the southern continent should have legal standing on the world stage.