The Take

A year ago this week, the coronavirus outbreak was officially declared a pandemic. Now, Pfizer, a leading vaccine manufacturer, is being accused of bullying governments with negotiation tactics so harsh that deals have been delayed or flat out refused. On the anniversary of the pandemic, we’re discussing the Pfizer controversy, and taking stock of the global inequities from COVID-19.

In this episode:

Madlen Davies (@madlendavies), global health correspondent at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

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International Women’s Day is inextricable from women’s labor, but the pandemic has pushed unprecedented numbers of women out of the workforce around the globe. For women still working, the pandemic has divided those who work at home from those who don’t. We hear from women in different parts of the world, from a psychiatrist for new mothers, a sex workers’ advocate, and one of Al Jazeera’s own journalists.

In this episode:

Dr. Zainab Imam, perinatal psychiatrist; Phelister Abdalla, the National Coordinator of the Kenya Sex Workers Alliance (KESWA); Xanthe Scharff (@XantheScharff), CEO & Cofounder @FullerProject; Rania Zabaneh (@RZabaneh), Al Jazeera producer in the occupied West Bank.

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The streets of Armenia are hot with protest, as several military generals and hundreds of protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his handling of last year’s deadly conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. After accusing the military of a coup attempt, Pashinyan is calling for early elections and proposing a referendum to adopt a new constitution. But will that be enough to calm the opposition and keep himself in office?

In this episode:

Richard Giragosian (@Richard_RSC), director of the Regional Studies Center, an independent think tank in Armenia's capital.

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Two and a half years after the killing of Saudi critic and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, the United States has released its official report. The report states that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman approved the operation that led to his killing. But in the days since the report, the Biden administration has resisted sanctioning the Saudi leader. We hear from the author of a 2019 United Nations investigation on Khashoggi’s killing on what she found in the US report, and what she thinks is missing in order to serve justice for Khashoggi.

In this episode:

Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard), UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial executions.

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Somalia is weeks overdue for a presidential election. The president’s term has expired without a successor in place. At the center of the crisis is President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known as Farmaajo, a former US dual citizen whose previous job was as a local bureaucrat. Four years ago, he was a new hope for the Somali people. This election was supposed to be a triumphant milestone for Somalia, a sign of stability. But instead, there’s a power vacuum that risks spiraling into conflict.

In this episode:

Hamza Mohamed (@Hamza_Africa), Al Jazeera journalist.

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