The Syrian Government allowed on Thursday local banks and money changers to price freely the foreign currencies they trade and announced that a managed float of the Pound would begin this week, in effect partly deregulating the foreign exchange market and, in the short-term, helping to ease pressure off the Syrian currency.

The Syrian Government has announced an increase of 60 percent in the price of cooking gas as shortages of energy products recently reduced across the country.

Croatia’s INA Naftaplin has denied press reports that its mother company, MOL, was considering the sale of the company’s assets in Syria.