The Take

There are now fewer giraffes in Africa than elephants or gorillas. The world’s tallest mammal has been listed as a vulnerable species since 2016. It’s already extinct in seven countries. Yet few people realize that this beloved staple of the savannah is in peril. Wildlife conservation has been gaining momentum, with celebrity advocates and global campaigns. But the giraffe’s struggles have failed to stand out and attract the world’s attention. 

In this episode: 

• Steph Fennessy (@sfennessy), executive director, Giraffe Conservation Foundation (@Save_Giraffe)
• Arthur Muneza, East Africa coordinator, Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin with our host Kevin Hirten, in for 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, and Facebook

Find out more about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation here.

In the Paris suburb of Nanterre, thousands of people have taken to the streets to remember a 17-year-old boy killed by police during a traffic stop. Nahel M. was shot at close range in the chest and the incident was caught on video, sparking unrest across France and a police crackdown. Thousands of people have been arrested, and cars and buildings across the country are burning. As protests rage, will the police be held accountable, and will there be justice for Nahel?

In this episode: 

• Yasser Louati (@yasserlouati), Head, The Justice & Liberties For All Committee
• Natacha Butler (@natachabut), Paris Correspondent, Al Jazeera English 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat with David Enders and our host Natasha Del Toro. 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, and Facebook

What would you do if you picked up the phone and heard the voice of a relative begging you for help while kidnappers held them ransom? As AI technology becomes more sophisticated, more people around the world are falling prey to such scams. In the United States alone, $2.6 billion was lost in imposter scams last year. As AI technology continues to develop, experts warn such scams are getting easier to produce. So what can be done to stop them?

In this episode: 

• Wasim Khaled, (@wasimkhal) CEO and co-founder, Blackbird.AI

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Fahrinisa Campana with our host Natasha Del Toro, 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 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

Syria’s war continues, but if you watched the video blog of travel influencers, you wouldn’t know it. In recent years, a wave of travel vloggers have gone on trips to Syria, organized and facilitated by the Syrian government. Many of the influencers say they are apolitical, but critics say they help the Syrian government whitewash war crimes and present a picture that Syria is fully moved on from the war. So are travel influencers in Syria breaching an ethical line?

In this episode: 

• Mohammad Al Abdallah, (@mohammad_syria) Executive Director, Syria Justice and Accountability Centre 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with 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 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

A freight train derailed in the US state of Ohio on February 3, spilling toxic chemicals into the small town of East Palestine. Fire on the train sent a large, dark plume of smoke and chemicals into the air for days. Residents reported various health issues, and scientists have warned that one of the chemicals on the train, a known carcinogen, could have long-term impacts due to air, water, and soil contamination. Both federal regulators and railroad employees have said that derailments like this could have been avoided – so have railroad industries weakened safety regulations to prioritize profits? 

In this episode: 

• Josh Rushing (@joshrushing), Senior Correspondent for Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines (@AJFaultLines)

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

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, and Facebook

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, and Facebook

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, and Facebook

Listen here to our guest host Kevin on the Al Jazeera Investigates podcast.

Whether the motive is politics or profit, Cairo is in the midst of a construction boom that threatens what was already a commodity in short supply in Egypt — public and green spaces. Megaprojects such as a new capital city set to open this year have also severely strained the country’s budget and created the possibility Egypt will default on its foreign debt. When Omar Etman went to stay with his grandmother in Cairo in 2021, he was surprised by the changes he found — some small, some massive. 

In this episode: 

• Omar Etman (@thedigradio), producer of The Dig Presents: A Garden in Cairo
• Timothy Kaldas (@tekaldas), Deputy Director, Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders, Negin Owliaei and Malika Bilal. Alexandra Locke and Negin Owliaei 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, and Facebook

Violence in the occupied West Bank has reached a level not seen in a generation, during an Israeli military raid in the Jenin refugee camp that became an hours-long armed confrontation inside the city. Seven Palestinians were killed, more than 100 others wounded, and the violence has only continued to escalate. It’s all in a year in which more than 160 Palestinians have been killed already this year, including 26 children. 

In this episode: 

• Nida Ibrahim (@nida_journo), Al Jazeera correspondent in the Occupied West Bank

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders and Khaled Soltan, and our host Kevin Hirten. 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, and Facebook

Listen here to our guest host Kevin on the Al Jazeera Investigates podcast.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is joining the ranks of Benjamin Netanyahu, Nelson Mandela, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Winston Churchill, and Yitzhak Rabin – the only other world leaders to have addressed the US Congress twice. It’s part of his state visit to the US, which is being hailed as a major moment for the India-US relationship, with key defense and technology deals expected. Though the relationship is often framed as one between two major democracies, rights groups and activists point out that India under Modi has seen a shrinking space for minorities, civil society, press freedom and dissent. So, what exactly is driving the relationship between the US and India?

In this episode: 

• Milan Vaishnav (@MilanV), Director of Carnegie Endowment for National Peace South Asia 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, with Chloe K. Li and 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 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