Michael Safi, a former presenter and current host of Guardian Investigates, shares touching stories from post-Assad Syria, highlighting moments of fleeting freedom in Damascus. Oliver Lachland, the Southern bureau chief, gives a stark account of the Alligator Alcatraz detention center and the protests against it. John Reid describes the vast, isolated Jabari Valley and its indigenous communities. Hannah Ellis-Peterson reports on the Kumbh Mela's immense scale and a tragic stampede, while Angélique Chrysafis recounts the emotional public response during a court appeal for justice.