"A power outage interrupted the speech by Syria’s transitional leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, at the unveiling of the nation's new currency in Damascus on Monday. Footage shows the feed cutting as al-Sharaa was speaking about his government’s efforts to provide essentials throughout the country. Syria is facing ongoing power issues, with a decision to hike tariffs in October triggering a public backlash - with some demonstrations seen across the country. According to media reports, costs have surged by as much as 60 per cent for a household - which is still 60 per cent subsidised - rising from around 10 Syrian pounds per Kwh to 600. The Syrian Ministry of Energy raised prices across four brackets which it said would "take into account social categories and different consumption levels". The department claimed the sector was losing 'nearly a billion dollars' a year and the sweeping changes were essential. "