The Take

For more than a decade, football fans have been wondering what the first Middle Eastern World Cup would look like. Now that the tournament has passed its halfway mark, we can finally see it in practice. Morocco’s now the last Arab and African team standing. After their win against Spain, players posed with the Palestinian flag, highlighting an issue that’s become central to fans at the tournament. In this episode, we see how the 2022 Qatar World Cup has panned out so far, from upsets to football culture to geopolitics. 

In this episode: 

• Tony Karon (@TonyKaron), editorial lead at AJ+
• Abubakr Al-Shamahi (@ShamahiAbubakr), Al Jazeera digital editor for the Middle East and North Africa 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Moheiddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode.

Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

After Russian forces occupied most of Mariupol, members of the Azov Battalion and other Ukrainian fighting forces were holed up in the Azovstal steel plant – their last stand in the besieged city. For their own safety, Ukraine’s government encouraged them to surrender to Russian forces. They were imprisoned for months but recently many were part of a prisoner exchange and now have stories to tell. We hear one of those stories.

In this episode: 

• Krzysztof Dzieciolowski, award-winning freelance journalist for Al Jazeera
• Alina Panina, Ukrainian border guard and former prisoner of war

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode.

Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As wealthy nations try to find new ways to cut their carbon emissions, electric vehicles have been getting a lot of attention. From incentives for electric cars in the US to all-out bans on future gas and petrol cars in the UK and European Union, leaders are pushing their populations away from the gas guzzlers. But electric cars aren’t an environmental silver bullet. Their batteries require specific types of metals, like cobalt and nickel. One potential – and controversial – source for those metals is the deep sea. In this episode, we look at the minerals on the bottom of the ocean floor and the environmental costs of mining them.

In this episode: 

• Diva Amon (@DivaAmon), marine biologist 
• Daniel Ackerman (@DAckermanNews), independent climate journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Al Jazeera’s head of audio is Ney Alvarez.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In 2023, Canadians will be able to apply for a medically assisted death, also known in the country as medical assistance in dying (MAID), if they are suffering from mental health problems as their sole condition. Years after assisted dying legislation was first approved, it has been expanded to include those who do not have a “reasonably foreseeable” death. The recent changes have caused concerns for rights groups and mental health advocates in Canada, one of just a few countries where euthanasia is legal. The Take asks what is at stake and looks at the taboos that still remain around conversations about death.

In this episode: 

• Bill Kaufmann (@BillKaufmannjrn), Reporter, Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun
• Lori Weber, Children's book author, “The Ribbon Leaf”
• Cheryl Romaire (@CherylRomaire), healthcare and MAID advocate
• Mark Henick (@markhenick), Author, “So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience”

Episode credits: 

This episode was produced by Ruby Zaman with our host, Halla Mohieddeen It was fact-checked by Chloe K. Li.

Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The last time Iran faced the United States at the World Cup, back in 1998, the streets of Tehran erupted in celebration after Iran won. This time around, feelings are much more complicated. Iranians are entering a third month of protests after 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini died in police custody in September. Since then, foreign-based rights groups say hundreds have been killed by security forces and thousands arrested. In this episode, we look at the role athletes are playing in Iran’s protests.

In this episode: 

• Reza H. Akbari (@rezahakbari), PhD candidate and program manager at Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Shein is one of the most successful start-ups in the world, and the fast fashion company’s rise parallels the global spread of the shopping holiday Black Friday. It has reportedly been valued at $100bn and it has been ranked the top shopping app in dozens of countries. But Shein is still full of unknowns, including big questions about its working conditions and its materials. So what we know about its success – and what we don’t – tell us about the future of fast fashion.

In this episode: 

• Terry Nguyen (@terrygtnguyen), journalist at Dirt Newsletter
• Sheng Lu (@shenglu27), professor at the University of Delaware

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei, Ashish Malhotra, and Halla Mohieddeen. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The Russia-Ukraine war risked being escalated further on November 15, when a missile killed two people in Poland. As world leaders scrambled to figure out where it came from, many were concerned that the conflict had moved to the brink of World War III. NATO leaders said they did not believe the missile was a Russian attack, but rather a Ukrainian missile accidentally shot into Polish territory. But should more countries be worried about the war spilling over onto their soil?

In this episode: 

• James Bays (@baysontheroad), Al Jazeera diplomatic editor
• Bartosz Weglarczyk (@bweglarczyk), Editor-in-chief of Onet.pl

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Chloe K. Li, Negin Owliaei, Ashish Malhotra, and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Qatar 2022 marks the first time in World Cup history that African coaches will lead all five African nations in the competition. Many are hailing it as a watershed moment after years of African countries relying heavily on foreign, white and Western coaches while many qualified African candidates were denied opportunities. So how significant is this for the African teams, fans and players at the World Cup? And will this lead to more opportunities for African coaches, both on the continent and overseas?

In this episode: 

• Sean Jacobs (_@seanjacobs), founder, Africa Is a Country
• Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, assistant coach, Ghana national team (@GhanaBlackStars)
• Radhi Jaidi (@RadhijaidiOff), former Tunisian national team player, former head coach, Esperance Sportive de Tunis

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and Negin Owliaei. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Chloe K. Li, Negin Owliaei, and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The Wagner Group is shadowy and illegal, but it has been tracked to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Mali, and elsewhere. It is known as a deadly fighting force of mercenaries with a goal of furthering Russia’s military interests around the world. One Wagner fighter is now speaking out about what life is like as a soldier for hire.

In this episode: 

• Niko Vorobyov, British and Russian journalist for Al Jazeera
• Marat Gabidullin, Former member of The Wagner Group in Ukraine and Syria

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Alexandra Locke and our host Halla Mohieddeen.

It was fact-checked by Ruby Zaman. The production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

If you’re not already familiar with VAR, or video assistant referee, during the 2022 World Cup you’re about to become very familiar with it. Refereeing with video replay can mean overturning goals, ejecting players, and plenty of moans and cheers. This time, VAR is back with semi-automation to determine if players are offside, with cameras and sensors tracking every limb on the pitch. When it was introduced for the first time at a World Cup in 2018, it changed the tournament – with passionate disagreement about whether that was for better or for worse. So what does VAR have in store for this World Cup?

In this episode: 

• Tony Karon (@TonyKaron), editorial lead at AJ+
• Abdulla al-Marri (@Referee_Qtr), World Cup video assistant referee 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Negin Owliaei and our host Halla Mohieddeen. It was fact-checked by Ruby Zaman. The production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook