Syrian troops have continued shelling residential neighbourhoods in the central city of Homs for a fifth straight day, killing scores of people, activists said.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "tens of citizens were killed" in the shelling of the neighbourhoods of Bayadah, Baba Amr, Khaldiyeh and Karm el-Zeytoun.
Omar Shaker, an activist in Baba Amr, said his neighbourhood had come under "very intense shelling" by tanks, mortars, artillery and heavy machine guns.
Mr Shaker said he had counted five bodies today in his district.
The violence comes as President Bashar Assad's regime is increasingly isolated. Five European and six Gulf nations have pulled their ambassadors out of Damascus, and the US has closed its embassy in Syria.
But Assad was bolstered on Tuesday by a visit from Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and the country's intelligence chief, Mikhail Fradkov.
In talks in Damascus, the Russians pushed for a solution to the Syrian crisis that would include reforms by the regime and dialogue with the opposition - but not for Assad to step down.
During the meeting, Assad said Syria was determined to hold a national dialogue with the opposition and independent figures, saying his government was "ready to co-operate with any effort that boosts stability in Syria", according to the state news agency Sana.
The Syrian opposition rejects any talks with the regime and say they accept nothing less than Assad's departure. On Saturday, Russia and China blocked a Western and Arab-backed UN Security Council resolution supporting calls for Assad to hand over some powers as a way to defuse the 11-month-old crisis.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 50 people were killed in the latest shelling of the Homs neighbourhoods of Bayadah, Baba Amr, Khaldiyeh and Karm el-Zeytoun. The group also said that 23 homes were heavily damaged in Baba Amr alone.
