October 7, 2023

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, and Facebook

5 Sep 202315min

"I'd rather hit than be hit" – the age-old mentality of a bully, and South Korea is tackling it head on. The country is undergoing a national reckoning on school bullying. Studies show that nearly one in three students suffered bullying from peers at school. And there has been an alarming rise in suicides by school-aged children. Some of the country’s best-known celebrities were also accused of bullying when they were teenagers. The ongoing series of scandals is shedding new light on what seems to be a rampant problem in the Asian nation. In this episode:  Yé-Rinne Park, journalist and independent filmmaker  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Amy Walters and Sonia Bhagat 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, and Facebook

4 Sep 202318min

A coup in Gabon: what does it mean for the Central African country, the region, and its former colonizer, France? In this episode:  Leonard Mbulle-Nziege (@LennyMbulle), Cameroon-born, US-raised and South Africa-based academic, writer, political economist and Afro-optimist Nabila Ramdani (@NabilaRamdani), French-Algerian journalist and author of Fixing France: How to Repair a Broken Republic Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters, David Enders and our host Malika Bilal.  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, and Facebook

1 Sep 202316min

In Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin is a polarizing figure. On Tuesday, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group was quietly buried in a private cemetery on the outskirts of St Petersburg. The plane crash north of Moscow last week means Prigozhin and much of the leadership of the Wagner Group are gone, though theories about what might have happened abound. So what do Russians think about Prigozhin now, and what does it mean for Putin's hold on power? In this episode:  Niko Vorobyov (@Narco_Polo420), freelance journalist and author Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Amy Walters, with Kevin Hirten, in for 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 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, and Facebook

31 Aug 202320min

It’s a busy week for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan as his legal fortunes hang in the balance again. On Tuesday, one conviction was suspended – but he wasn’t released from prison, because on Wednesday, he’s due in another court – a special court, in a case with national security implications. So, with everything up in the air, does the suspension signal a change in Khan’s political fate – or how long he’ll be in jail? In this episode:  Abid Hussain (@abidhussayn), Al Jazeera English digital correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat with Chloe K. Li and our host Malika Bilal. 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, and Facebook

30 Aug 202317min

Protesters around the Pacific have been out in force against the release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. On August 24, Japan began the disposal of water used for cooling in the years since the meltdown of three power plant reactors. It has been 12 years since an earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that killed thousands and set off the meltdown. Now, critics say this latest plan is making it even harder to heal old wounds. So how will this wastewater release impact the people who rely on the Pacific? In this episode:  Hanako Montgomery (@HanakoMontgome1), freelance reporter Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat with Chloe K. Li 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. 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, and Facebook

29 Aug 202320min

On March 4th, Donald Trump will be heading to Washington, DC, and soon he and his supporters will also be returning to a court in Georgia. Heather Shaner has represented more than 30 Trump supporters charged with crimes related to the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. She tells The Take a bit about her clients, their motivations, and what she expects to see in the coming trials of the former president of the United States. In this episode:  Heather Shaner, Court Appointed Defense Attorney, Washington DC Federal District Court Episode credits: This episode was produced by David Enders, Ashish Malhotra and our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St Clair mixed this episode. 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, and Facebook

28 Aug 202319min

It’s a story that brings together two powerful families in the Middle East. Musa al-Sadr, a revered figure in Lebanon’s Shia community, met with then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on August 31, 1978. He was never seen again. His mysterious disappearance has sparked decades of theories and accusations. In the hopes of finally forcing an answer, Lebanon has held Gaddafi’s youngest son, Hannibal, in prison since 2015 – though he’s never been tried. He’s now gone on a hunger strike, but Sadr’s family and devoted followers say there should be no concessions until they find out what happened to the ‘vanished Imam’. In this episode:  Ali Hashem (@alihashem_tv), Al Jazeera correspondent  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, David Enders and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Tim St. Clair. 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, and Facebook

25 Aug 202318min