Updated

A day after the US removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda-linked militant now leading Syria's transitional government, made his first Visa card payment, symbolizing the country's reintegration into the global financial system. His government has also begun trying former regime officials as part of efforts to establish transitional justice. In a further sign of political consolidation, al-Sharaa appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former commander of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a presidential adviser. The appointment comes three days after the SDF was formally dissolved under a deal with Damascus, a move Washington has welcomed as part of Syria's broader political integration process.