Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has appointed Adel Safar as prime minister, after the previous government of Naji al-Otari resigned on 29 March following protests in a number of cities, a number of world media report.
All in all, about 200 people died in protests that broke out in mid-March against the rule of President Assad. 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.
