The Take

South Korea’s First Lady has been surrounded by scandal since before her husband, Yoon Suk-yeol, was elected president in 2022. Most recently, she’s come under fire after a secretly-recorded video showed her accepting a lavish gift from a controversial pastor. Will the Dior bag scandal affect the ruling party in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections?   In this episode:  Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty), Freelance Journalist  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Chloe K. Li with our host Natasha Del Toro. Zaina Badr and Sonia Bhagat fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Jair Bolsonaro, facing legal troubles at home, is looking for help abroad. Since his passport was seized earlier this year, the former Brazilian president has spent the night in the Hungarian Embassy in Brazil and requested his passport to visit Israel. What's behind his transnational relationships?  In this episode:  Guilherme Casarões (@GCasaroes), Political Scientist, Getulio Vargas Foundation Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin, Zaina Badr, and Manahil Naveed fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

As Israel’s war on Gaza continues, we're coming to you on Sundays with a weekly roundup. This week: US President Joe Biden said an immediate ceasefire was necessary in Gaza, where people were preparing for the end of Ramadan. Israel's further use of AI in choosing military targets was revealed. It is day 184 of the war. At least 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. In this episode: Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera Correspondent Akram Al Satarri, Freelance journalist Hind Al Khoudary (@Hind_Gaza), Journalist for Al Jazeera Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut), Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube      

Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on September 11th, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.  Spain won a historic victory at the Women’s World Cup, marking the country’s first-ever win. But in the weeks since, there’s been nothing but controversy. On Sunday, that culminated in a highly-publicized resignation from head of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales. Calls for him to resign first started after he gave an unwanted kiss to player Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup. Now, with all eyes on Spanish football, how much further can Spain’s women's football players get to scoring proper treatment?  In this episode:  Gemma Soler (@gemma_soler), Sports Journalist Episode credits: This episode was updated by Amy Walters. The original production team was Chloe K. Li, with Ashish Malhotra and our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification agency found that Israeli drones intentionally hit three vehicles carrying members of the charity group World Central Kitchen. The killing of these foreign volunteers adds to a death toll of hundreds of Palestinian aid workers killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. In this episode:  Alex Gatopoulos (@alexgatopoulos), Al Jazeera Defense Editor Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and Miranda Lin with our host Kevin Hirten. Fahrinisa Campana and Chloe K. Li fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Journalists are calling it a bloodbath. The US media industry has been decimated by some of the worst layoffs in decades. At the center of these changes are the private equity companies whose investments can make or break an outlet. What do these layoffs mean for the future of journalism? In this episode:  Andy Hirschfeld (@andyreports), Business Journalist Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Chloe K. Li with our host Malika Bilal. Zaina Badr and Sarí el-Khalili fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.  Read Andy's article here. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Massive anti-government protests in Israel are putting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the release of captives and early elections. Netanyahu has staked his political future on the war on Gaza. Will his career survive it? In this episode:  Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut), Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili and Khaled Soltan with our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Many of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy activists have been arrested, intimidated, or forced into exile in recent years as mainland China tightens its control. The latest security law to be passed, known as Article 23, has been called the “last nail in the coffin” for Hong Kong’s civil society.  But those who still hold hope for change in the region are searching for new ways to keep the protest movement alive.  In this episode:  Patrick Fok (@PaddyFok), Journalist Samuel Chu (@SamuelMChu), Exiled Activist Anna Kwok (@AnnaKwokFY), Exiled Activist Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin with our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

One bowl of shark fin soup can cost hundreds of dollars, but the illegal practice of poaching those fins comes at an even steeper price. More than a hundred million sharks are killed annually. We dive in to find out how this is happening and what’s being done to save the sharks.  In this episode:  Josh Rushing (@joshrushing), Senior Correspondent for Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines (@AJFaultLines) Watch the Fault Lines documentary The Shark Fin Hunters here. Episode credits: This episode was produced by Zaina Badr with guest host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Ashish Malhotra and Chloe K. Li fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

As Israel’s war on Gaza continues, we're coming to you on Sundays with a weekly roundup. This week: Palestinians in Gaza again died seeking aid. The U.S. approved further arms for Israel. Israel intensified strikes in Syria and Lebanon. It is day 177 of the war. More than 32,700 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.  In this episode: Akram Al Satarri, Freelance journalist Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera Correspondent Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz), Al Jazeera Correspondent Imran Khan (@ajimran), Journalist for Al Jazeera Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube