The Take

While the rest of the world is trying to manage how to live with the coronavirus, China continues with its ‘zero COVID’ policy, forcing people into strict lockdowns. But why is the country keeping itself isolated from the world, and how are people there reacting to the measures?

In this episode: 

• Katrina YU, Al Jazeera’s China correspondent (@Katmyu)
• Christian Petersen-Clausen, documentary filmmaker in Shanghai (@chris__pc)

This episode was produced by Ney Alvarez, with Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei, Ruby Zaman, Alexandra Locke, and Halla Mohiedden. Alex Roldan is our sound designer, this episode was mixed by Seth Samuel. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Every Friday, we're bringing you one episode of the series ‘Degrees of Abuse’ produced by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit.

More incredible revelations about how a Ph.D. student at Glasgow University lied about his dead wife and falsely accused innocent people of killing her. The question is, why has it taken almost four years for Glasgow University to investigate multiple complaints about him?

*Please note some listeners may find these accounts upsetting.

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Enforced disappearances have been happening across Pakistan for the last twenty years. And in the southwest province of Balochistan, in particular, some human rights groups say thousands of people are missing. The province was annexed by Pakistan in 1948, soon after partition from India, and there has been a separatist movement ever since. Many Baloch people say they feel subjected to state repression. In this episode, The Take asks why disappearances are still happening, and talks to the family member of a victim about how her life has been affected.

In this episode: 

Mahrang Baloch, (@MahrangBaloch_), Political Activist and Doctor

Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid), Al Jazeera English Correspondent

Anwar Ul Haq Karkar (@anwaar_kakar), Senator of Balochistan

This episode was produced by Ruby Zaman, with Ney Alvarez, Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei, Alexandra Locke, and Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer, this episode was mixed by Seth Samuel. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

 Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid, we speak with one Muslim who many believe has even more reasons to celebrate. Zack Tahhan is a New Jerseyan, a Syrian-American and a New York hero, not necessarily in that order. He made a name for himself when he identified the suspect behind a recent subway train shooting in Brooklyn, proving that heroes don't always wear capes. And they may be fasting.

In this episode: 

Zack Tahhan (@zacktahhan2022), security camera expert

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, with Negin Owliaei, Ruby Zaman, Ney Alvarez, Alexandra Locke, and Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Every Friday, we're bringing you one episode of the series ‘Degrees of Abuse’ produced by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit.

The PhD student at Glasgow University was charismatic and charming and part of his appeal was his tragic past. But his relationships with several women became abusive and controlling.  As our investigation dug deeper into his history in his home country, we uncovered his lies and the real story of his murdered wife.

*Please note some listeners may find these accounts upsetting. 

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Elon Musk has more money than anyone else in the world. Sometimes it seems like the SpaceX and Tesla CEO has the most disruptive, influential companies, too. And this week, Musk reached a $44 billion deal to bring something even more iconic under his ownership: Twitter. What could a billionaire want with a social media platform – and what could that mean for the rest of us?

In this episode: 

Alex Shephard (@alex_shephard), staff writer at The New Republic

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Ney Alvarez, Alexandra Locke, and Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

Ramadan is a time of reflection, but in Jerusalem, the month is often accompanied by violence. This year, overlapping holidays for Christians, Jews and Muslims have shone a light on Israel and Palestine’s fault lines, particularly at holy sites in Jerusalem where Palestinian Christians and Muslims have fought Israeli restrictions on access. In this episode, we look at one month in the holy land through Palestinian eyes.

In this episode: 

• Diana Buttu (@dianabuttu), analyst and former legal adviser to Palestinian negotiators
• Dr. Samah Jabr (@drsamahjabr), Head of the Mental Health Unit, Palestine Ministry of Health 

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei, Ruby Zaman, Ney Alvarez, and Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Every Friday, we're bringing you one episode of the series ‘Degrees of Abuse’ produced by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit.

Four women delivered separate complaints to Glasgow University about the behaviour of the same lecturer.  Their experiences were strikingly similar but the University found the only person to have done anything wrong, wasn’t the accused, but the accuser.

*Please note some listeners may find these accounts upsetting. 

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)

Denials, investigations, apologies, and fines have all been part of the ‘Partygate’ scandal in the UK after allegations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of his staff had alcohol-fuelled parties at his offices and residence while COVID-19 lockdown rules were in force. This week, MPs will vote on whether Johnson should be investigated for knowingly misleading Parliament over breaching pandemic laws.

In this episode: 

Paul Brennan, Al Jazeera correspondent in London (@paulrbrennan)

Connect with us at @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Imran Khan is the kind of politician who inspires strong feelings; whether they're of love or hate depends on who you ask. He's had a pretty storied career: he led Pakistan’s cricket team to World Cup glory in 1992, and went on to become a philanthropist and political activist. And in 2018, his political party won the most seats in the country’s election, propelling him to the role of prime minister of Pakistan. But his tenure came to a dramatic end earlier this month. Despite dissolving the parliament and alleging a foreign plot, Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote. Will that vote be enough to end the career of Pakistan's celebrity prime minister?

In this episode:

Osama Bin Javaid, Al Jazeera correspondent (@osamabinjavaid)

Connect with The Take: 

Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod)