STORY: On site in Damascus: fuel prices soar, quotas lifted
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 17, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:06
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): HUMMAM SHEIKH ALI, Xinhua reporter
2. various of street views of Damascus
3. various of gas stations in Damascus

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): HUMMAM SHEIKH ALI, Xinhua reporter
"It's been over a week since the old leadership's era ended in Syria, and while fuel is finally available without the strict quotas of the past, the cost has soared. 
Before, one liter of gasoline cost just 11,000 Syrian pounds, less than one (U.S.) dollar, and you were allowed 25 liters every 13 days. Now, a liter runs about 1.29 U.S. dollars and you can buy as much as you like. 
The same goes for diesel. It used to be 5,000 pounds (0.4 U.S. dollars) a liter, limited to 50 liters per year for each family, but today it's 16,000 pounds (1.28 U.S. dollars) a liter with no cap. 
Public transportation fares have quadrupled, as drivers often resort to the black market due to disrupted official supplies. As for the home cooking gas, the price of one cylinder jumped tenfold. 
The new interim government is pledging to improve the situation, hoping to stabilize prices and restore an affordable, reliable fuel system. For most Syrians, it's a waiting game, hoping that these promises will soon translate into tangible relief."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)