EU imposes more sanctions on Syria

The EU expanded its sanctions against Syria today, imposing asset freezes and travel bans against five more military and government officials.

Meanwhile France said the EU will "very soon" adopt further sanctions amid the continuing unrest and bloodshed.

The decision brings the number of individuals targeted by the EU to 35, including President Bashar Assad. Four government entities are also on the list.

The European Union also has an embargo on sales of arms and equipment that can be used to suppress demonstrations.

The announcement came after one of the bloodiest days since the uprising against Assad's authoritarian rule began in mid-March. Syrian rights groups said in a joint statement that 74 people were killed throughout the country, 55 of them from Hama and neighbouring villages.

More than 1,600 civilians have been killed in a crackdown on largely peaceful protests since a popular uprising began in Syria in mid-March.

In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry said that political, military and security officials in Syria "must know, now more than ever, that they will have to be held accountable for their acts."

The French government spokeswoman also called on the UN Security Council to "condemn this violence" over the weekend in Syria.

Russia, China and other Security Council members have so far opposed resolutions condemning Damascus for its crackdown on protesters, partly because they fear that it may be used as a pretext for armed intervention against Syria.

They say a resolution allowing the use of all means to protect the civilian population in Libya has been misused by Nato to justify five months of airstrikes.