After Thailand’s constitutional court suspended the country’s prime minister, our correspondent explains the need for fresh elections to avoid economic stagnation – and the possibility of the army stepping in. More celebrities are setting up businesses. And what the sea slug can teach us about evolution.

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On December 8th, 2024, rebels swept into Damascus and ousted Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. One of the first things they did was open up the prisons. Syrians who disappeared years earlier began to emerge from their grim detention cells. Would missing American journalist Austin Tice be among them?

In a new three-part series on The Weekend Intelligence, Middle East correspondent, Gareth Browne investigates what happened to Austin and explores what his story reveals about Assad's Republic of Fear.

In episode one, Gareth tells the story of Austin’s time in Syria leading up to his capture.

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Music by Blue dot Sessions and Epidemic.

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Growth is abysmal; wages are low. But seen from the outside, Britain is a great place to contract services and buy bargain-basement bonds. We explore the opportunities amid the challenges. After months of reporting, our correspondent shares what he learned about Austin Tice, a missing American journalist. And our obituaries editor remembers Jimmy Swaggart, a famed and fallible televangelist.

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