Between freedom and restrictions, Syrians navigate new reality

Syrian singer Ishtar halted concerts when Islamist-led forces seized power nearly six months ago. She’s now back on stage, but lingering fears have reshaped Damascus’s nightlife scene.

Performing an international repertoire to a packed venue in the capital’s Old City, she told AFP that “some bars and restaurants were closed and others had problems with licences… but thank God, today we have started to work again.”

Since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on December 8, Syria’s new…