Essential Middle East

No description provided.

The World Health Organization is warning that obesity is on the rise, not just in the Middle East but around the world. The WHO says obesity in children and adults is a public health concern in almost all regions of the world. An estimated 38.9 million children under five years old are moderately or severely overweight. In this episode: Joyce Moawad, teaching assistant of human nutrition at Qatar University Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and by our interns Nada Shakir and Reyan Al Jaafri. Sound design was by George Al Wer. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As deadly tremors continue to shake Turkey and Syria, international aid has been slow to reach Syria, where decades of civil war have hindered efforts to reach survivors. According to the United Nations, close to nine million people have been affected by the earthquake, and humanitarian needs are at their highest levels. The head of the UN emergency relief operations, Martin Griffiths, said the international community has failed the people of northwest Syria. In this episode: Dr. Ubeyd Sakin (@ubeydsakin), Country Director of Human Appeal in Turkey Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Khaled Soltan and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Michel Bou Dagher. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our Executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As India undertakes a vast digitisation push across the country, the government is now planning to roll out new digital IDs in Indian-administered Kashmir. While authorities say the new database would improve access to social welfare benefits, many Muslim Kashmiris see it as an attempt to exert further control over their lives. In this episode: Farhan Mujahid Chak (@fchak), Chairperson of Kashmir Civitas, a Canadian NGO and associate professor of political science and international relations at Qatar University Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Salem Alyafei and our intern Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Adam Abou-Gad. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and the head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Iran has recently executed a British-Iranian national, Alireza Akbari, a former deputy defence minister, on charges of spying for Britain. Akbari’s execution comes as Iranian authorities have crushed anti-government protests and carried out four other executions. Western countries, including the US and the EU, have denounced Iran’s death sentences and trials as flawed. Nationwide anti-government demonstrations erupted in Iran in September after the death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who morality police had detained for violating the country’s dress code. In this episode: Tara Sepehri Far (@sepehrifar), Iran and Kuwait Senior Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch Episode credit: This episode was produced by our intern, Nada Shakir. The sound design was by George Al Wer and our recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. Our engagement producer is Aya Elmileik, and assistant engagement producer, Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and head of audio is Ney Al Varez. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

As Israel's new government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn into office, his cabinet has gathered the most right-wing ministers in Israel's history. With ultranationalists and ultra-orthodox Jewish parties placed in notable positions, the new cabinet has pledged to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Israeli minister, has even kicked off international condemnation by entering the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, a move many Palestinians described as 'unprecedented provocation.' In this episode: Daniel Levy, President of the US Middle East Project Episode credit: This episode was produced by our interns Reyam Al Jaafari and Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. The lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh. Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

A recent Arab American Action Network report in Illinois analyzed more than 200 police documents. It found that suspicious activity reports have criminalised Arabs and Muslims under the guise of "public safety". Further investigation by the community group has revealed a crisis in racial profiling and surveillance of Arabs and Muslims in the United States. In this episode: Muhammad Sankari, lead organiser at the Arab American Action Network (@aaanmarkaz) Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our sound designer is George Alwer. The lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh. Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Tunisia’s parliamentary elections are to take place on Saturday as the country is in the middle of its worst economic crisis. President Kais Saied has been accused of staging a coup in 2021 when he suspended parliament and sacked the prime minister. The main opposition parties are boycotting the vote. So where is Tunisia headed now? In this episode: Elizia Volkmann (@EliziaVolkmann), freelance journalist Episode credits: This episode was produced by Salem Alyafie and Khaled Soltan. Research was done by our intern Reyam Al Jaafari. Our sound designer is George Alwer. The recording engineer is Hamdi Aoun. The lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh. Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Turkey has launched a wave of air raids in northern Syria and Iraq, after a deadly bombing on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue. The country blames the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and groups it claims are PKK-affiliates in Syria and Iraq, for the bombing. The US and Russia have warned against a ground operation. In this episode: Taha Ozhan (@TahaOzhan), Research director at Ankara Institute Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, Salem Alyafei and our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. The lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera Al Dosari. Our executive producer is Omar Al Saleh. Ney Alvarez is the head of audio. The show is hosted by Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The clock is ticking for the world’s biggest football tournament all set to begin in Qatar this week. One of the smallest countries to host a World Cup, Qatar is expected to welcome approximately 1.2 million fans for one of the world's most-watched sporting events. From security threats to cyberattacks, to crowd management and potential hooliganism - the challenges are enormous for the host nation. So how is Qatar planning to ensure the security of millions of fans expected to attend the World Cup? In this episode: Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid), Al Jazeera English Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was co-produced by Salem Alyafei and our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. Our lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and our assistant engagement producer is Adam Abou-Gad. The executive producer is Omar Al Saleh and the head of audio is Ney Alvarez. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

According to the Clooney Foundation For Justice, the destruction and plunder of the Middle East's cultural heritage are being committed on a scale not seen since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of artifacts are stolen from countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, smuggled through neighbouring states, and eventually sold to the highest bidder in the EU, the US, and worldwide. A portion of these profits is known to be used to finance conflicts and global terrorism. In this episode: Vasiliki Kynourgiopoulou, the dean of Academic Affairs at Georgetown and UNESCO’s chief adviser for Heritage Management and Sustainable Development Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio. Connect with us at:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Iran’s brutal crackdown on protests has failed to stop people from protesting for a fifth week. The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last month for violating the strict dress code angered many Iranians. She became an icon and her death led to the biggest anti-government protests in years. In this episode: Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam (@iranhr), director of Iran Human Rights and professor of neuroscience at the University of Oslo in Norway Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and hosted by Sami Zeidan. Research by our intern Nada Shakir. Our sound designer is George Alwer. Our lead engagement producer is Aya Elmileik and the assistant engagement producer is Munera AlDosari. Omar Al-Saleh is our executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera English’s head of audio. Connect with us at:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Palestinian activists and common users claim their content is deliberately suppressed, and accuse social media companies of double standards. In this episode: Eliza Campbell (@elizaecampbell), journalist and former director of the cyber programme at the Middle East Institute. Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan. Our host is Sami Zeidan. Our research was done by intern Nada Shakir. George Alwer is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik is the lead engagement producer and Munera AlDosari is the assistant engagement producer. Omar al-Saleh is the executive producer. Connect with us at:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook