At least 20 people have been killed in renewed fighting in Syria and the European Union imposed sanctions on the country's biggest state bank.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ten civilians were killed in the northern province of Idlib when soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stormed the town of Binish and fought battles with gunmen and army deserters.
In the southern province of Deraa - where the six-month wave of protests against Mr Assad first erupted - six soldiers and two army deserters were killed in a clash in the town of Haara, alongside one civilian, the group said. Another soldier was killed in Homs.
The United Nations says 2,900 people have been killed in Assad's crackdown on protesters.
Diplomats in Brussels said the EU agreed to add to its sanctions list the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria, which bankers say holds much of Syria's foreign reserves, estimated at €12bn at the start of the year.
Washington imposed sanctions on the bank in August.
The EU, which did not identify the bank, said the 27-nation bloc sought to ensure that legitimate trade was affected as little as possible.
"Our measures are not aimed at the Syrian people, but aim to deprive the regime of financial revenues and the support base necessary to maintain the repression," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.
Syria blames the violence on foreign-backed armed groups who it says have killed 1,100 people. Authorities have barred most foreign media.
