Asia Syria Foreign branded consumer products, for decades available only on the black market due to heavy international sanctions and restrictions imposed by the regime, have again become available and accessible in supermarkets
Asia Syria An arrest warrant against ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad on suspicion of complicity in war crimes has been issued by two French examining magistrates; it's the second such move ever by French judicial authorities
Asia Syria Spain raised the flag of its embassy in Damascus, marking the return of its diplomatic presence more than a decade after the suspension of operations; many Western states are re-establishing contacts with the country after Assad's fall
Asia Syria Ahmed al Sharaa, the leader of the insurgents who overthrew the regime of Bashar al Assad, said it could take up to four years to carry out a full population census before new elections are held in the country
Asia Syria The United States removed the $10 million bounty it had placed on the capture of Ahmed al Sharaa, or Abu Mohammed al Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham
Asia Syria Following the fall of Bashar Assad, the Israeli government 'unanimously approved' the plan to double the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights - the 1981 annexation was only recognised by the US
Asia Syria An offensive by Syrian armed groups that started in Idlib province in the north of the country prompted other groups and individual civilians to rebel against Bashar al Assad's dictatorship, toppling it in just 11 days
Asia Syria The city of Palmyra was bombed by Israel, most likely to hit positions of pro-Iranian militias in the area, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent international organisation, among other sources
Asia Syria Over 500 testimonies collected by dozens of journalists, filmmakers and human rights activists in Syria and Iraq are now part of an online archive called the Daesh Prison Museum
Asia Syria Hezbollah is continuing to reduce its presence in Syria by bringing back to Lebanon its fighters who had supported the Syrian regime
Asia Syria At least 12 civilians were killed in Turkish attacks against the PKK in Syria, carried out following the attack on the Aerospace Industry headquarters in Ankara province that killed five people
Asia Syria The draft general budget for 2025 presented this week, 28% higher than 2024, allocates 70% of resources for current spending and 30% for investment, but raises concerns regarding the budget’s failure to adequately address poverty and food insecurity
Asia Syria The European Union announced immediate emergency funding of €500.000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR to assist refugees crossing the border from Lebanon into Syria