New government formed in SyriaApril 14, 2011 - 21:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has formed a new government under recently-appointed Prime Minister Adel Safar. The president appointed Safar prime minister when the previous government of Naji al-Otari resigned on March 29 after protests in a number of cities. About 200 people have died in protests, which broke out in mid-March against President Assad's rule. The unrest is seen as the biggest challenge to Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000. Human rights campaigners say hundreds of people across Syria have been arrested, including opposition figures, bloggers and activists, BBC reported. Safar was agriculture minister under former Prime Minister Otari. Intelligence official Ibrahim al-Shaar was named interior minister and Mohammad al-Jililati, head of the Damascus Stock Exchange, was appointed finance minister, Reuters news agency said, quoting the official government list. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |