The Take

Fossil fuels are a time bomb, and humans are entitled to stop them. That's the argument of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, a book by Andreas Malm calling for activist groups like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion to adopt radical tactics against the fossil fuel industry, including property damage. As COP27 enters its second week, greenwashing is rife, protest is limited, and fossil fuel emissions are still rising. After over a quarter-century of UN-sponsored talking, Malm argues it is time for people to take action into their own hands.

In this episode: 

• Andreas Malm, author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline and professor at Lund University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Negin Owliaei, Chloe K. Li, and our host Halla Mohieddeen. It was fact-checked by 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.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

With days before the opening of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, players and teams are still changing countries. Some are even being questioned if the country they are playing for is the country they are from. What is the history of nationality in football and can it keep up with the global world of today?

In this episode: 

• Maher Mezahi (@MezahiMaher), African football journalist
• Jay Harris (@jaydmharris), football journalist at TheAthletic.com
• Luis Vidal (​​@LucVidal), football journalist at The 18th.com
• Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, assistant coach for The Black Stars, Ghana’s national team
• Enock Muchinjo (@eno_muchinjo), Zimbabwean football journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li 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. 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

The world’s eyes are on Egypt this week, with the United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP27 – taking place in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. But while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi positions himself as an environmental leader, one of his country’s leading activists could be about to die.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been on hunger strike for more than 200 days, in a protest over his imprisonment. But on Sunday – the first day of COP27 – he stopped drinking water as well. Will the international community do anything to save him?

In this episode: 

• Mona Seif (@monasosh), human rights activist and sister of Alaa Abd el-Fattah

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Alexandra Locke, and Negin Owliaei. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, 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.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Conservative talk radio, a medium full of large personalities and strong opinions, is popular among much of the United States population. In 2016, it drove many Republican voters to pick one of the country’s most right-wing candidates running. Now, with an upcoming midterm election that will decide the political makeup of the US Congress, The Take looks at what the power of conservative talk radio looks like now.

In this episode: 

• Flo Phillips (@phillipsflo), senior producer and reporter for Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by 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.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The dust has settled on China’s Communist Party Congress. The party holds the gathering every five years and it is the political event to watch. This is also the case in the United States, where politicians from both major parties are bringing up China ahead of the country’s midterm elections. In this episode, we look at what the outcomes from the latest Congress could mean for China's people and the country’s relationship with the US.

In this episode: 

• Yangyang Cheng, (@yangyang_cheng), research scholar at Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center
• Isaac Stone Fish (@isaacstonefish) CEO, Strategy Risks

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei 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.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

After winning the Brazilian election, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will once again become the country’s President in January, more than 10 years after he last held the position. But his victory was narrow and current President Jair Bolsonaro still won more than 49 percent of the vote.

Lula, as he is known, will now attempt to roll back many of Bolsonaro’s right-wing policies - including the loosening of Brazil's gun-control measures, which led to the number of guns in private hands doubling since 2018. But how easy will that be?

In this episode:

• Azade Pesmen (@azadethunda), freelance journalist
• Melina Risso (@melinarisso), research director, The Igarape Institute

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 World Cup is around the corner. Hundreds of the best football players across the planet will have the honour of competing for their country. But to become one of those players requires a huge amount of dedication, hard work and luck. Today, we’re sharing the story of one man trying to reach the top tiers of his sport.

In this episode: 

• Benjamin Chevallier, co-director of Diaby: The Away Game

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with our host, Malika Bilal. It was fact-checked by Ruby Zaman.

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

When a war is forgotten, the problems do not go away. In Syria, a cholera outbreak could threaten the whole region, just as the World Health Organization is investigating complaints of corruption from within its ranks. Meanwhile, the ways in which the world has adapted to the Syrian government's survival are coming into the spotlight, as Syria's neighbours are starting to return leader Bashar al-Assad to the fold.

In this episode: 

• Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz), Al Jazeera English correspondent
• Maria Cheng (@mylcheng), Associated Press medical writer
• Bassam Barabandi (@BASSAMVA), co-founder of People Demand Change

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Chloe K. Li and Negin Owliaei 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.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

When former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte left office earlier this year, it marked a change in the government’s antagonistic relationship with the media. But new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is the son of a former dictator who led a crackdown on the media decades ago. So when radio commentator Percy Lapid was shot dead near Manila on October 3, it left journalists wondering what this government’s response might show about how safe they will be in this next chapter.

In this episode: 

• Roy Mabasa (@roymabasa), journalist and brother of Percy Lapid
• Jonathan de Santos (@desamting), chair of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
• Carlos Conde (@condeHRW), senior Philippines researcher, Human Rights Watch

Episode credits:

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

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 World Cup is about to head to the Middle East for the first time. Ever since it was announced back in 2010 that the tournament would be held in Qatar, the country has been getting ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event. In this episode, the first in The Take’s coverage of the World Cup, we look at some of the preparations for the tournament, their associated controversies, and a preview of what we might expect after kickoff. 

In this episode: 

• Tony Karon (@TonyKaron), editorial lead at AJ+
• Sohail Malik (@SohailAJE), sports reporter, Al Jazeera

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. 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. 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