Scores killed in shelling of Syrian city of Homs

Syrian troops bombed residential neighborhoodsin the central city of Homs Wednesday for the fifth straight day, killing scores of people in what activists say is the regime’s final push to retake areas controlled by the rebels.The violence comes as President Bashar Assad’s regime is becoming increasingly isolated over its bloody crackdown on dissent. Five European countries and six Arab Gulf nations have pulled their ambassadors out of Damascus, and the U.S. has closed its embassy in Syria. Germany, whose whose envoy Syria this month, also said he would not be replaced.But Assad was bolstered Tuesday by a visit from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Sergey Lavrov and the country’s intelligence chief, Mikhail Fradkov. In the talks in Damascus, the Russians pushed for a solution to the Syrian crisis that would include reforms by the regime and a dialogue with the opposition — but not for Assad to step down.During the meeting, Assad said Syria is determined to hold a national dialogue with the opposition and independent figures, saying his government was “ready to cooperate with any effort that boosts stability in Syria,” according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.