SYRIA STEPS UP FUEL RATIONING AS SHORTAGES HIT MOBILE NETWORK

Syria announced cuts on Tuesday to the amount of fuel it provides to government workers to help cope with shortages that have led a number of mobile phone towers to go offline.

Prime Minister Hussein Arnous (pictured) ordered a 40-per cent reduction in the amount of fuel provided to government workers and restrictions on official travel for non-urgent purposes, according to a statement. Public transport was exempted, said the statement, which blamed shortages on delays in shipments and US sanctions.

Subsidised fuel is already hard to come by in Syria, with people often waiting weeks for notifications to receive less than a full tank of gas.