Syria, Bahrain, Yemen (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Blaming the "Foreign"
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 12:22 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran A protest last night in Bayada, not far from the battle in Rastan in Homs Province in Syria
2025 GMT: One addition to James Miller's outstanding snap analysis below (see 1955 GMT) before we sign off for the day....
Reuters reports sharp rises in the prices of food and consumer goods after a widespread ban on imports imposed by the Syrian regime last week.
Amidst expanding sanctions by the US and the European Union, the regime banned all imports except grain, raw materials, and 51 essential items, in an effort to preserve dwindling foreign reserves.
Traders in Damascus and Aleppo said average prices had risen by up to 30%. Some said they have begun to hide stocks in the hope of selling at still higher prices as shortages take hold.
Damascus residents have complained that the prices of biscuits and potato chips, which have already risen during the six months of unrest, have jumped by more than 20% since last week, while 100-gramme bags of coffee and flour have risen 50%.
Six years ago, Assad lifted the import ban implemented by his father Hafez.
1955 GMT: At the end of the day, there have been very significant developments in Syria.
Today there were three main stories in Syria. The first, a renewed assault by Syrian military against al Rastan, Douma, and even certain areas of Damascus, just to name a few. Though it is early, and video evidence is still trickling in, the violence of these assaults matches some of the most heavy handed tactics the regime has used yet. Though we never saw security opening fire on a large crowd, we saw evidence of widespread use of artillery and tank bombardment, sometimes near schools and mosques.