The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, a UN-affiliated body, expects Syria’s Gross Domestic product to contract by 5.5 percent this year.

The American Administration has added 35 new names of Syrian individuals and institutions to its sanctions list, while the EU announced new measures against the Syrian government.

The Syrian Investment Agency said that it licensed 31 projects by investors in the first half of this year.

The Syrian President has appointed seven new governors and a new head for the State Planning and International Cooperation Commission.

The Ministry of Economy has raised the price of gas oil, or mazout, for the second time in two months.

The following document is a translation of an interview given by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to Cumhuriyet, a Turkish daily.

Foreign direct investment in Syria fell 42 percent last year on the back of the uprising gripping the country, according to the World Investment Report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Investment.

Food prices in Syria have confirmed their recent downward trend with the price of several items on the government's fortnightly list declining.

Syria’s consumer price index rose 32.51 percent in May on an annual basis, although on a monthly basis prices actually declined, the Central Bureau of Statistics said.

The European Union has added six new Syrian entities to its sanctions list including Syria International Islamic Bank, and SCOT, a state-owned oil trading company.

The following text is the final communiqué issued by the “Action Group for Syria,” following its meeting in Geneva on June 30.

The Syrian President has issued three new decrees to enable his government fight “terrorism,” including a law that will enable the dismissal of civil servants.

Unemployment in the governorate of Hassakeh, in the northeast of the country, is at 40 percent of the labour force, while more than 42 percent of households have a member of the family outside the country, according to a recent government survey.

The World Bank forecasts Syria’s Gross Domestic Product to fall by 6.4 percent this year after having declined by 3.1 percent in 2011.

A new government was formed in Syria on June 23 with the appointment of twenty new ministers and the establishment of five new ministries, including one for national reconciliation.