The United Nations Security Council passed on April 14 its first resolution on Syria since the beginning of the popular uprising in March 2011, authorising the dispatch of observers to monitor a tentative ceasefire in the country.

The budget of the Damascus Governorate, one of the wealthiest in the country, will stand at around SYP 25 billion this year.

The table below features the latest edition of the list issued by the Ministry of Economy for retail prices of various food products sold in the local market.

The following document is the full text of resolution 2042 (2012) authorising the dispatch of a team of observers to monitor the cease fire adopted under the Kofi Annan six-point plan. 

The Syrian Army will stop all military operations tomorrow morning "after having succesfully countered the criminal acts of the armed terrorist groups," an official from the Ministry of Defence told today SANA, the state news agency.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said on Saturday that it would send some USD 70 million in humanitarian aid to help Syrians affected by the ongoing conflict in the country.

The Syrian Government published on Monday 2 April the second edition of its weekly compulsory price list for food items sold in the local market with the addition of several new products.

The increase in the price of consumer products in the local market slowed down markedly in the last 10 days, and in some cases prices decreased, as the Government published a compulsory price list for selected items and the Syrian Pound regained some of its strength.

The number of individuals who will run in the next Parliamentary election totaled 7,195 after the door for applications closed at the end of last week, according to the Syrian government.

The following document is the full text of the Conclusions of the Second International Conference of the Group of Friends of the Syrian People held in Istanbul on 1 April.

The Syrian Government has cancelled the decision forcing all adult males aged less than 42 years to seek permission from the Conscription Department of the Ministry of Defence following a general outcry.

The Syrian Government has accepted the plan by Kofi Annan to resolve the crisis gripping Syria since last year, according to a spokesperson of the UN and Arab League special envoy.

A few days before a March 28 deadline, some 1,790 persons are reported to have submitted a bid to become candidates for the next parliamentary election that is expected to be widely boycotted by the opposition.

Local Syrian media outlets are reporting that the Government has decided to ban all Syrian males aged between 18 and 42 from travelling abroad without seeking the permission of the military recruitment department.

The United Nations on Friday issued an appeal to raise USD 84 million to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.