Syrians struggling with rapidly rising prices see little hope of improvement after authorities announced an immediate 100 per cent increase in state salaries.
The increase followed the Syrian pound's plunge to a record low of 15,500 to the US dollar last week, hitting families who are hard pressed to pay for food, housing and other essentials.
With much of Syria's economy pegged to the dollar, and 90 per cent of the population living below the global poverty line – according to the UN – any drop in the currency has a wide impact.
The Syrian economy is stretched thin, with the prewar rate of 50 pounds to the US dollar now a distant memory. Factors such as the economic collapse in neighbouring Lebanon, western sanctions, domestic mismanagement and the devastation of industry after a 12-year-long conflict have combined to wreak havoc on the currency.
Zuhair Tinawi, a senior MP who sits on the budgeting committee, said the decision to double state salaries was taken to offset the financial burden by reducing the state subsidy on fuel.
“There was an agreement between the executive and legislative bodies to raise salaries by 100 per cent, with revenue taken coming from reducing subsidies on oil derivatives,” he said.
Laith Arnaout, 56, a taxi driver in Damascus, said the price of petrol had led many drivers to keep their cars parked.
“I work for three days a week and much of my time is spent arguing with customers about fares, which vary from day to day according to the price and availability of petrol,” he told The National.
“It’s cheaper to sometimes not work if you buy unsubsidised petrol – the extortionate value of fuel means you must make it back. I have to pick and choose my moments to work, I have a family to feed.
“I don’t blame the passengers, it now costs an arm and leg to take taxis in the country. How can we pay 270,000 pounds for 25 litres of petrol? It's too much, we’re not living in Switzerland.”
Rents, clothing out of reach
Despite the Syrian pound stabilising at 14,350 to the dollar on Friday, a monthly salary of 200,000 ($14) is barely enough to to meet the cost of living.
“Shoes for 250,000 pounds and trousers for 150,000 before the increase [in salary] and even after the increase, it’s even worse,” Facebook user Qusay Abedo wrote on the social media site after trying buy clothes for his family from the Al Hamra high street in Damascus.
With rents going up with the dollar, “most tenants have become unable to pay”, a Syrian real estate agency said on social media.
According to UN estimates, people need to earn at least 1.35 million pounds ($94) a month to subsist.
Anger about the situation sparked protests in the southern province of Sweida on Friday, where residents in the town of Al Thala blocked the road to Damascus, allowing access to only ambulances and university students sitting exams.
The majority Druze province is officially under government control but has its own administration.
Syrian officials have been quick to explain the causes of the country's current plight.
“Many countries of the world suffer from major changes in the exchange rate,” Minister of Economy Muhammad Al Khalil said.
He said that “rumours of war” in the region had “played a major role in speculation and recent inflation that targeted the Syrian pound”.
And in an admission of the country's lack of resources, Minister of Oil Hassan Kaddour said Syria was almost entirely dependent on foreign oil.
“Today, we import 95 per cent of the country's oil needs,” he said, highlighting the vulnerability of the country to high oil prices, which remain inflated in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ordinary Syrians are hoping that the recent efforts to normalise relations with Arab countries will bring some relief.
However, Kamal Alam, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told The National: “As [President Bashar Al Assad] said in a recent interview, the Arab reintegration will take a while to show economic dividends.
“While Gulf countries will slowly but surely move in, third-party sanctions mean that practical steps can be hard, concerning bank transfers, payment terms and general use of western-dominated monetary terms even for the Gulf to fully participate in rejuvenation.”
“The Syrian business community is more than able to pull Syria through the economic quagmire, but the relentless lobbying in [Washington] DC against even the basic commercial sanctions being lifted makes it hard for the Syrian economy to stabilise.”
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
THE%20SPECS
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UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
SPECS
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Cheeseburger%20ingredients
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Company%20Profile
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IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
