What do new protests in Syria mean this time around?

Ready or not, a new year is underway, and Al Jazeera's correspondents around the world are prepping for the news to come. In this episode:  Tony Cheng (@TLCBkk), Al Jazeera Correspondent Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House Correspondent Nicolas Haque (@nicolashaque), Al Jazeera West Africa Correspondent Sara Khairat (@sarakhairat), Al Jazeera Correspondent Lucia Newman (@lucianewman), Al Jazeera Latin America Editor Anealla Safdar (@anealla), Al Jazeera Online Europe Editor Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Miranda Lin and our host Malika Bilal.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

1 Jan 202421min

We are bringing you updates on Saturday and Sunday as the war on Gaza continues. This week: Israel's Prime Minister has called again for his military to take control of a corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. The ongoing bombardment of Gaza has destroyed more than 70 percent of homes there. And in 2023, Israel killed more children in the occupied West Bank of any year on record. In this episode: Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher) Al Jazeera Correspondent in Occupied East Jerusalem Hind Al Khoudary (@Hind_Gaza), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Gaza Nida Ibrahim (@nida_journo), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Occupied West Bank Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

31 Dec 20236min

We are bringing you updates on Saturday and Sunday as the war on Gaza continues. This week: Palestinians in Gaza were refusing further displacement despite Israeli military orders. The US approved further weapons sales to Israel. A report on what it's like to give birth in Gaza, and a record number of Palestinian homes in the West Bank have been demolished. In this episode: Akram Al Satarri, Freelance Journalist in Khan Younis, Gaza Patty Culhane (@PattyCulhane), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Washington, DC Hind Al Khoudary (@Hind_Gaza), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Gaza Bernard Smith (@JazeeraBernard), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Occupied West Bank Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

30 Dec 20236min

As the year wraps up, we're looking back at ten of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on November 8. We’ve been receiving voice notes from our journalists in Gaza for just over a month, since Israel’s war on Gaza began following Hamas’s attack on October 7. They’ve endured a shortage of water, fuel, electricity, and food during constant Israeli bombardment. Today, what it means to report from Gaza one month into the war.  In this episode:  Youmna ElSayed (@YoumnaElSayed17), Al Jazeera Correspondent Safwat al Kahlout (@safwatkahlout), Al Jazeera Journalist Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters and our host Malika Bilal. Fahrinisa Campana fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

29 Dec 202326min

As the year wraps up, we're looking back at ten of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on September 5. Protests in Niger are bigger than they’ve ever been. Only a month after overthrowing the president, protesters are now focusing their anger on their former colonial power, France. And it’s not just the protesters – Niger’s top court also approved the expulsion of France’s ambassador. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, insists the ambassador will stay. So what’s next for Niger and for France’s slippery hold on Francophone Africa? In this episode:  Ahmed Idris, Al Jazeera correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by David Enders, Amy Walters and our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

28 Dec 202316min

As the year wraps up, we're looking back at ten of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on July 28. Israel’s ruling coalition has pushed through the first part of their controversial judicial overhaul plan, despite months of protests. It was a major victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while critics are calling the move a judicial coup. Members of the opposition walked out of the vote, and protestors took to the streets again this week. The question now is, how far will the judicial overhaul go? In this episode:  Amjad Iraqi (@aj_iraqi), Senior Editor at +972 magazine Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

27 Dec 202322min

As the year wraps up, we're looking back at ten of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on June 28. Off the Portuguese coast in the Strait of Gibraltar, a pod of orca whales has been ramming commuter boats and ripping off boat rudders. At least three sailboats have sunk in the past year. Now, it’s happened again off the Shetland Islands, the first ever in that area. There’ve been more than 200 reports of these types of encounters since 2020. And if you’ve been scrolling through your social media feed you might be on “team orca” or “team yacht.” The possible explanations for why, though, aren’t as clear cut as orcas wanting to take down billionaire boats.  In this episode:  Philip Hoare (@philipwhale), author and filmmaker Jeroen Hoekendijk (jeroen_hoekendijk), marine biologist, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research  Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director, Orca Behavior Institute Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with Sonia Bhagat and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik.  Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

26 Dec 202319min

As the year wraps up, we're looking back at ten of the episodes that defined our year at The Take. This originally aired on June 27. After the events of the last few days, there seems to be no place for Wagner anymore in President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. This weekend, the mercenaries began a shocking new march, not towards Ukraine, but to Moscow. While an apparent compromise has been reached, questions remain about how this happened as quickly as it did, what it means for Russia's leadership, and how it could reshape the war in Ukraine. In this episode:   Niko Vorobyov (@Narco_Polo420), Freelance Journalist Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin, David Enders and our host Kevin Hirten. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

25 Dec 202322min