Syria raises fuel and cooking gas prices

Syria has temporarily raised fuel and cooking gas prices, citing rising global energy and shipping costs as well as reduced domestic refining capacity. The country's Permanent Committee for Pricing Petroleum Products and Mineral Resources raised the price of 95-octane gasoline from 152 new Syrian pounds ($1.25) to 195 pounds ($1.60) per litre, an increase of 28.3 percent. The price of 90-octane gasoline rose from $1.21 to $1.52 per litre, up 25.9 percent, while diesel climbed from about $1.03 to $1.44 per litre, marking the steepest increase of 40 percent. The Energy Ministry said the increases were temporary and reflected an exceptional rise in the cost of procuring petroleum products from international markets, alongside the major overhaul of the Banias refinery, a key supplier of fuel to the domestic market.