On Assignment

Syria’s new rulers are trying to win over the Alawites after months of violence. But the reconciliation effort is controversial. On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters' Timour Azhari travels to Syria’s coastal provinces, the heartland of the Alawite religious minority which counts former President Bashar al-Assad among its number. He reports on the sectarian tensions and threat of violence that still stalk Syria more than a year since Assad's fall. Read our text story on this here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Reporter Giulia Paravicini travels to Congo and Burundi to document how sexual violence has become a deliberate weapon of war—destroying not just individual victims, but entire communities. She speaks with dozens of survivors, from girls as young as 10 to women over 70, many eager to share stories the world has ignored. This episode reveals the brutal reality behind one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, and why ending it remains so difficult. Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the ⁠⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising.

In this special year-end edition of On Assignment, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni sits down with host Jonah Green to reflect on the tumultuous 2025 news cycle. Galloni discusses the challenges of covering Trump’s second term, keeping journalists safe in war zones and how AI-generated misinformation complicates the pursuit of truth. Plus we look ahead on what to expect and how to prepare for the coming news cycle. Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the ⁠⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising.

Disruptions to U.S. humanitarian aid under president Donald Trump have been devastating to developing nations around the globe - even economically and politically stable nations, like Kenya. On this episode of On Assignment, Reuters East Africa Bureau Chief Ammu Kannampilly travels to Kenya's Turkana County, where malnutrition is spreading, and health workers faced empty shelves for months while aid was paused. She explains the challenges of filling the aid gap and the long-term impacts that could remain even as some aid resumes. Listen to Morning Bid podcast ⁠here⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠here⁠. Visit the ⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising.

On this week's On Assignment, Reuters reporters Ned Parker and Peter Eisler join host Jonah Green to detail how Donald Trump's campaign of retribution has targeted about 470 people and organizations — from civil servants and universities to law firms and media — reshaping U.S. governance through firings, threats, frozen funds and coercive deals. Listen to Morning Bid podcast here. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Britain’s Labour government is tightening the rules for handling asylum seekers. The overhaul comes at it tries to stem the rise of the populist Reform UK party. In this episode of On Assignment, we look at the rapidly changing politics of immigration in Europe on the left and the right - and how Britain's own plans are modelled on those of Denmark's Social Democratic government.  Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to Reuters World News ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

President Trump is threatening the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit over a documentary that allegedly misrepresented his January 6th speech. The controversy has already forced out the broadcaster's top two leaders and sparked its biggest crisis in decades. This week's On Assignment examines Trump's legal strategy against media outlets, the BBC's unique role in British society and what this means for press freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to Reuters World News ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Reuters journalists witness daily life under drone fire in Kramatorsk, a key Ukrainian city just 20 kilometers from the front line. As Russia pushes deeper into the Donbas region, we explore how drone warfare has transformed the conflict and what Ukraine's grip on this strategic territory means for any future peace talks. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to Reuters World News ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Donald Trump's pressure on Venezuela is giving hope to the country's opposition party, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado. While some hope Trump's policies will pressure Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro to step down, others worry about the human cost of Trump's pressure campaign. Our investigative reporter Sarah Kinosian and Pentagon correspondent Phil Stewart explore what Trump's policies mean for Venezuela and the wider Caribbean. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to Reuters World News ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

A Syrian mechanic's curiosity led to the discovery of a massive cover-up operation. In this episode, our journalists investigate how the Assad regime moved tens of thousands of bodies from an exposed mass grave to a secret desert location, and what this means for families still searching for their missing loved ones. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to Reuters World News ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.