Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/7/2011

Syrian army troops and tanks have moved into the city of Baniyas to help put down protests. Reports indicate that more than 800 people have been killed so far, and some observers say that the Assad regime has been arresting 500 people a day.

In other news, commodity prices have taken a sudden plunge, with gold, silver, and copper dropping again on the Asian market. The euro lost value relative to other currencies, amid rumors that Greece may default on its debt and be cut free from the European currency regime.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to AC, Andy Bostom, C. Cantoni, Derius, DS, Egghead, Gaia, Insubria, JD, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.