The Syrian National Symphony Orchestra returned Thursday to the stages of Damascus after a month and a half of silence following the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime with a tribute to the “martyrs” and with an appeal to the new Ministry of Culture to renew its support for music in the country.

Economic shock therapy: plans include privatizations and slashing public sector jobs Reforms designed to avoid chaos of post-Soviet free market reforms in Eastern Europe, minister says But protests arise over fears of sectarian job purge Critics question fast pace and legitimacy of interim government's strategy DAMASCUS,

Now, foreign countries are trying to steer Syria’s new de facto leaders toward an inclusive government free of sectarian reprisals and away from extreme forms of Islamism. The head of HTS and the president of Syria’s transitional government,

Arab leaders have warmly welcomed Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria's interim president, with close allies of his deposed predecessor remaining noncommittal.

Syria's new Islamist leaders are undertaking a radical overhaul of the country's broken economy, including plans to fire a third of all public sector workers and privatising state-run companies dominant during half a century of Assad family rule.

Since Islamist rebels overthrew the Assad dictatorship in Syria, Egypt, with parallels in its own recent history, has watched warily.

Ahmed al Sharaa was declared the new president of Syria in the transitional government that came into power after the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8. This declaration led to congratulations from several Arab states in the region,

Syria has demanded reparations from Russia in order to "rebuild trust" after a meeting between Damascus' new administration and a Moscow delegation, according to local news sources. Russia and Syria's meeting to discuss future relations comes as Moscow looks to retain its two military bases in the Middle Eastern country.

Syria’s Civil Defense has uncovered over two dozen charred bodies in two basements in rural Damascus, adding to the growing tally of mass graves discovered since the ousting of Bashar Assad.

Amman: Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) today stated that it will resume direct commercial flights between Amman and Damascus, after a 13 year hiatus,