The Take

It may be the worst-ever shipwreck for refugees crossing the Mediterranean. Around 750 people seeking refuge in Europe were packed onto a boat that left from eastern Libya. The trouble started 120 kilometers from the Greek shore. Questions remain over the role of the Greek coastguard in the incident and why those onboard were not rescued sooner. In the past, there have been accusations of Greek authorities pushing back boats at sea. Now, this tragedy follows a year when more refugees died on Middle East and North African migration routes than at any other time in the past five years. But is the world prepared to do anything about it?

In this episode: 

• John Psaropoulos (@JTPsaropoulos), independent journalist based in Athens

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters and David Enders with 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 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

The upcoming Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be the largest-ever showcase for women’s football. Record audiences are expected to watch as 32 teams compete for glory. But incidents over the past year have shown how far the women’s game still has to go. From player strikes, coaching controversies, and a rash of injuries, female footballers at even the highest levels continue to struggle for equality on and off the pitch. 

In this episode: 

• Steph Yang (@thrace), Women’s Football Staff Writer for The Athletic

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and 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. 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

How did four indigenous children survive the Amazon jungle for 40 days after a deadly plane crash? On May 1st, a propeller plane carrying the children and three adults fell off the radar after engine failure. Two weeks later, the adults were found dead at the crash site, but the children were missing. A five-week-long search and rescue mission by the Colombian army alongside the Indigenous Guard ensued before rescuers finally found the children alive. Colombian government officials hailed their survival as nothing short of a miracle. The eldest of the children, who are of the Huitoto people, has been credited for their survival, using her indigenous knowledge of the rainforest to survive on fruits, seeds, and rainwater. And according to the indigenous people of the Amazon, the rainforest herself had a hand in helping the children survive.

In this episode: 

• Alessandro Rampietti (@rampietti), Al Jazeera reporter in Colombia

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat 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

As the number of indictments against former US President Donald Trump grows, so do the questions from the United States and around the world about how Trump is managing these cases along with his 2024 election campaign. If he is elected president, he could claim immunity or pardon himself. But if he loses the campaign and the case, he could face prison for life. And in the meantime, what does this unprecedented legal battle mean for the United States and how it’s seen by the world?

In this episode: 

• Mike Hanna (@mjahanna), Al Jazeera Washington DC Correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters and David Enders with Sonia Bhagat, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and 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

Some young North Korean defectors have taken to social media to challenge misguided prejudices in South Korea, their new home. They are producing ‘vlogs’ for YouTube aimed at educating locals about the realities of life in North Korea. They’ve proven popular. Over the last two decades, around 30 thousand North Koreans have defected to South Korea for a better life. In this episode, The Take asks if the defectors’ YouTube videos are enough to change mindsets.

In this episode: 

• Johanna Hoes, (@JohannaHoes), producer/reporter, The Listening Post at Al Jazeera English

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ruby Zaman with Amy Walters and Alexandra Locke. The team also includes Chloe K. Li, Miranda Lin, Sonia Bhagat, David Enders, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Ney Alvarez, and Khaled Soltan.

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

For the first time, the James Beard Awards has made space for immigrants at the culinary table. This year over half of the finalists were either born in another country or are the children of immigrants to the United States. But despite their overdue formal recognition, the chefs and restaurateurs who power the industry remain unrecognized and stigmatized outside this awards ceremony and many say there is still much more work to do to make America a more inclusive place to eat. 

In this episode: 

• Yara Elmjouie (@yaraelmjouie) Host of Eat This with Yara on AJ+ 
• Marissa Tapia Gencarelli (@marissagencarelli) Owner of Yoli Tortilleria 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Miranda Lin, 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

It’s been over a year since El Salvador declared a state of emergency as part of President Nayib Bukele’s vow to crack down on gangs. Since March 2022, the country’s murder rate has dropped by over half. But, in the process, the government arrested almost 70,000 people while suspending every citizen’s constitutional right to legal defense and allowing indefinite pre-trial detention. Despite El Salvador’s repressive new reality, Bukele and his policy remain extremely popular. Raising the question, is El Salvador becoming a police state?

In this episode: 

• Monica Villamizar (@monica_vv), freelance correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and Miranda Lin and 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

As water from the decimated Kakhovka Dam floods the areas surrounding the Dnipro river, both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the destruction. For months now, we’ve been hearing news about Ukraine’s pending counteroffensive to push back against Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been trying to fortify the response by asking for weapons training and financing from NATO members in preparation. Now, Zelenskyy has announced the counteroffensive has begun. The dam has broken, but will this get either side closer to the end of the war?

In this episode: 

• Charles Stratford (@stratfordch) Al Jazeera English senior correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters and Sonia Bhagat, with David Enders, Chloe K. Li, Negin Owliaei, Ashish Malhotra and Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and 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

Korean “sea women,” or the Haenyeo, have made a living freediving off Jeju Island for centuries. Many of them supported entire families with their harvest and became part of an ancient tradition of female breadwinners in Korea since the 17th century. They played a vital role in the island’s recovery through colonialism and the Cold War. But now, with rising sea temperatures and decreasing harvests, will we see this tradition disappear? 

In this episode: 

• Anna Kook, (@annakook), AJ+ field reporter 

Episode credits:

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

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari 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

What does Jose Ruben Zamora’s arrest signify for Guatemala’s crackdown on dissent? Journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, the president of Guatemalan newspaper El Periódico, was arrested almost a year ago. He’s reported on 144 investigative pieces about corruption in the Guatemalan government, led by President Alejandro Giammatei. Now he’s potentially facing 40 years in prison for what Guatemala’s government says is money laundering. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called Zamora’s detention “unwarranted.” And many government critics are saying this is part of a broader crackdown on anyone working to uncover corruption.

In this episode: 

• Jose Carlos Zamora (@jczamora), son of Jose Ruben Zamora and Guatemalan journalist 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan 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