The Decibel

The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they imposed an extremist interpretation of Shariah law on its people, harboured Osama bin Laden as he planned 9/11, and were ultimately routed from power by the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2001. Now, they’re back, and giving interviews promising a kinder regime, with amnesty for all Afghans who worked for the government. Meanwhile on Wednesday, civilians were killed when Taliban militants violently dispersed a protest.Sher Jan Ahmadzai worked in the government of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and is now the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha.Today, Professor Ahmadzai tells us who this new Taliban is, how they swept back into power, and why he fears for a “bleak” future for the people of Afghanistan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After 17 months of lockdowns, masking, social distancing and vaccinations, it looked like we might finally be cresting the worst of the pandemic. But the official word has come from Canada’s top public health officer, Theresa Tam: we’re now in a fourth wave.Cynthia Carr, an epidemiologist based in Winnipeg, talks about how the combination of the Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy, and schools reopening means this wave will be different.Read more about the complications the Delta variant will create as kids return to school. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Taliban’s capture of Kabul has caught NATO governments flat-footed in their efforts to extricate their embassy staff and the Afghan nationals who have been helping them, as well as the troops. While many foreigners have been flown home, a lot of Afghans are stuck. Now, these residents are scared that the Taliban will find them and their families.Many are wondering if Canada will help them escape while they wait hidden in their homes or in safe houses set up by Canadian veterans. Ottawa reporter Menaka Raman-Wilms has been speaking with people in Kabul as well as the Canadians who are desperately trying to get them out of the country. She explains the context around their private efforts, as well as what the government is pledging it will do. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s been almost 1000 days since Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained by the Chinese government. The move was widely seen as retaliation for Canada arresting Chinese citizen Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the U.S. Now, Spavor has received an 11-year sentence for espionage, Kovrig’s sentence is expected any time now, and Meng’s extradition case could continue for years.The Globe’s new Asia correspondent, James Griffiths, breaks down the politics at play between China, the U.S., Canada and Iran to untangle the threads that link these cases.Send a message to Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig as they near 1,000 days in detention in China. The Globe and Mail is inviting readers to send letters that we will forward to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa. E-mail audience@globeandmail.com or send hard copies to The Globe and Mail Toronto office with “Attn: Two Michaels” on the envelope: 351 King Street East, Suite 1600. Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As a bonus, we're bringing you an episode of Stress Test, a podcast about personal finance from the Globe and Mail, hosted by Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw. The pandemic ruined many wedding plans. But even before that, a culmination of peer pressure and over-the-top consumerism had pushed the cost of weddings sky-high. It’s made some couples ask: What is a wedding worth? We hear from Jasmine, a glamorous but cost-conscious millennial who got married just as the world first shut down during COVID-19. Plus, Karen Cleveland, co-author of the book called The New Wedding Book: A Guide To Ditching All the Rules, talks with Roma about the need to rethink weddings from a personal finance perspective. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada’s last federal election was in the fall of 2019, and the Liberals won a minority government. Now, as some experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic is upon us as case counts rise thanks to the Delta variant, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is rumoured to be preparing to call an election as early as this Sunday, which would mean an election day in late September.Globe writer at large, John Ibbitson, has been the bureau chief in Ottawa and Washington, D.C for the Globe, and he joins us to explain why he’s expecting an election imminently, why the opposition parties would rather not be campaigning just yet, and how a federal pandemic election might look different— and could even backfire for the Liberals. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Monday’s IPCC report brought together the world’s latest science to tell us what we know about what causes climate change and what exactly it’s doing to our planet. It painted a picture of a world becoming, in some areas more than others, harder for people to live in. Millions of people are already displaced each year because of weather events like hurricanes, flooding, drought and extreme heat, that we now know will become more frequent as climate change progresses. Increasingly, experts have predicted mass, permanent migrations caused by climate change in the coming decades.Novelist, journalist and former Globe reporter Omar El Akkad joins the show to talk about this emerging group of climate refugees. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the latest scientific knowledge about climate change has been released, detailing how human behaviour and particularly greenhouse gas emissions are the main driver of climate change.Globe science reporter Ivan Semeniuk is back on the show to explain the report’s main findings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over the summer, more than 1,200 probable unmarked graves have been located on former residential school sites in Canada, which were mostly run by the Catholic Church of Canada. This has ignited calls for a formal apology from the Church.Globe reporters Tom Cardoso and Tavia Grant have been investigating the Church’s wealth, and Tom joins us to tell us what we know about the Church’s finances, its legal obligation to residential school survivors, and the broader calls for the church to give reparations, and how that money could be used to help heal survivors and their communities. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Beloved Toronto Raptors point guard, Kyle Lowry, announced he’s leaving the team to play for the Miami Heat. Lowry was a big part of the Raptors’ win of the NBA 2019 Championships and fans are sad to see him go.Vivek Jacob, a freelance sports writer, tells us what Lowry’s departure means for the future of the Raptors, his influence on the team’s rise in the NBA, and why fans want to see his statue in front of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.