Syria is seeing a twin supply crisis of both bread and oil, which is generating rising tensions among the population and highlighting the dysfunction of the government.

The sharp rise in the cost of raw materials is leading to a shortage of paper products, including schoolbooks, despite a recent increase in local production capacity.

The government has nearly doubled the price it pays to cotton growers to compensate for rising expenses and to encourage them to sell their production to the state-owned ginning organisation.

Syrianair has issued a tender to sell one of its aircrafts. Western sanctions mean the list of potential buyers is small.

Romania has seized a shipment of Captagon pills originating from Syria, confirming the country’s position as the world’s main producer of the drug as well as the drug’s importance for the local economy.