The Take

Rare anti-government protests are taking over Syria’s southern city of Sweida, home to the country’s Druze minority. Four weeks ago, the failing economy and falling wages brought protesters onto the streets. Now, they’re calling for regime change more than a decade after Syria’s uprising in 2011. Could this new movement against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spread? Or will it be violently extinguished, like the protests more than a decade ago?

In this episode: 

• Shadi Abou Karam (@shadi_abo_karam), political activist and researcher

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders with Fahrinisa Campana 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 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, and Facebook

Spain won a historic victory at the Women’s World Cup, marking the country’s first ever win. But in the weeks since, there’s been nothing but controversy. On Sunday, that culminated in a highly-publicized resignation from head of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales. Calls for him to resign first started after he gave an unwanted kiss to player Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup. Now, with all eyes on Spanish football, how much further can Spain’s women football players get to scoring proper treatment? 

In this episode: 

• Gemma Soler (@gemma_soler), sports journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, with Ashish Malhotra 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 and Adam Abou-Gad are 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, and Facebook

When a deadly earthquake struck Morocco, Mosa'ab Elshamy, a photographer for the Associated Press, was shaken out of bed. Moments later, he was taking pictures. A few hours after that, he was in the High Atlas Mountains, near the epicenter of the quake. He described survivors lifting toppled buildings by hand, trying to rescue who they could. So what else happened in those first 24 crucial hours after the quake, and what will happen next?

In this episode: 

• Mosa'ab Elshamy (@mosaabelshamy/ @mosaaberizing), photographer for the Associated Press

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Zeina Badr and our host Malika Bilal. Zeina Badr 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, and Facebook

With two major no-shows, the G20 summit theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future" is on the rocks. Leaders and representatives from the world's largest economies are getting together this weekend in New Delhi, India. But Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are not attending. With division among members and the unifying message seeming to fray, what can we expect from this year's G20?

In this episode: 

• James Bays (@baysontheroad), Al Jazeera English Diplomatic Editor 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin 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 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

French students returned to class facing yet another battle over what some Muslim girls are choosing to wear. This time it’s the abaya, a long loose-fitting dress. Dozens of students were sent home after nearly 300 showed up to the first day of classes in abayas. French women have been here for a while now: head coverings, including the hijab, were first banned in public schools back in 2004. So how will this latest ban impact Muslim students and communities today? 

In this episode: 

• Loubna Reguig (@loubnasays), national president of the Muslim Students of France

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat, Chloe K. Li 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

Libya and Israel have no formal diplomatic relations – in fact, under Libyan law it’s illegal to hold any unauthorized discussions with Israeli officials. Yet in August, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome, in what she thought was a secret meeting. Then the news got out. Protests erupted in several cities across Libya, Mangoush was fired, and she fled the country, stating security reasons. So what does what happened in Libya say about the next wave of normalization with Israel?

In this episode: 

• Malik Traina (@libyanmind), Al Jazeera English reporter

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Kevin Hirten, in for 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

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

"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

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

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