The Take

Many Iranians had no idea who Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was when he was assassinated at the end of November. But intelligence services in Israel and the United States had been tracking Iran's top nuclear scientist for years. So what happened that day, and what will it mean for Iran? We’re exploring Fakhrizadeh’s story, and the future of US-Iran relations as the US transitions from a Donald Trump administration to Joe Biden.

Scientists and doctors agree - pollution is killing Indians. In 2017, more than 1 million people in India died from pollution-related illnesses. But the Indian government denies any correlation. This year, exposure to pollution has also been linked to a higher number of COVID-19 cases and deaths related to the virus. Amid a public health emergency, we’re revisiting an episode we first aired in February to examine the stark differences in how the air pollution crisis is affecting Delhi's rich and poor.

Illegal fishing, disappearing squid, and ghost ships — a mystery has been unraveling in East Asia's seas. Researchers have discovered an eco-crisis in the waters off North and South Korea, and there’s a human cost. Local fisherman are struggling to make a living and dying while trying. Global Fishing Watch joins The Take to shed light on the environmental and human costs of squid fishing.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought much of the world’s economies into a recession, affecting every sector of the global population. But one generation may never recover — Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012. From a lack of socialization to not being able to start their careers, we’re examining how Gen Z'ers from ages 8 to 23 will have to manage these unprecedented challenges.

While the Taliban and the Afghan government discuss peace in Doha, the violence back in Afghanistan seems unending. Afghanistan has been hit with a wave of targeted killings aimed at activists, civilians, and journalists. Today we have the story of one such journalist — the reporter Mohammad Ilyas Dayee, who brought the rest of the world countless stories of his home country.

This year seemed destined to be the year Hong Kong would get democracy, or lose everything. But as 2020 progressed, we’ve watched the movement suffer, blow after blow. We’re revisiting an episode we aired in June, and checking in on how coronavirus and the National Security Law have thwarted the fight for democracy.

Beirut’s reconstruction in the wake of the August port explosion needs billions of dollars and months of work, and with little political or economic progress, the engine of the city’s reconstruction so far has been civil society. One recycling initiative is focusing on the glass that shattered all over Beirut by recycling the shards into new products.

Surfing has long been viewed as a white-dominated sport, but one woman is working to change the face of surf culture. From the shores of Dakar, Senegal, Rhonda Harper is training Black girls to become professional surfers through her organization Black Girls Surf. We’re diving into the swell to hear about the limitations, and triumphs of redefining the sport.

When Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s Prime Minister in 2018, the country was full of promise and excitement for a better future. But this year, hope has turned to horror as headlines of ethnic violence and war have superseded those of peace-making. The conflict in northern Ethiopia has already lasted two weeks, and it threatens to destabilize the entire Horn of Africa.

Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. So when a Polish court tried to restrict abortion even further, it led to mass protests — the largest the country has seen since the fall of communism. Members of Poland’s emboldened feminist movement walk us through the protests and tell us what to expect next.

There are millions of olive trees in the Occupied West Bank, and they're a main source of the territory's agricultural income. But the olive harvest is often a source of conflict between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, and this season, that conflict was worse than usual.

After the reprinting of caricatures of Prophet Muhammed and a series of isolated and brutal attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron has become embroiled in controversy. He proposed a new bill to defend France's secular values against what he called “Islamist radicalism" and said the religion was "in crisis" all over the world. The backlash he received after his declaration included anti-French demonstrations in Muslim countries and the boycott of French goods. But French Muslims are concerned Macron's words are aimed at sympathizing with the country's far right ahead of the 2022 presidential elections.

Activists in Thailand have been pushing for a change of government for months now, but a coup is not what they originally had in mind. It is, however, what many people in the capital Bangkok are preparing for. Rumors are circulating at a time when protesters are bolder and more organized than they've seen in years. Could democratic stability be on the horizon for a country that’s had 12 coups and 20 constitutions in the past century?

Today, we're looking at how these last few days of uncertainty panned out for some of the many people who’ve spoken to The Take during a long and turbulent year of election coverage.

With key swing states still counting votes, the US Presidential election is too close to call as of Wednesday evening — but there's a lot to unpack already.