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 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