Russia tries to broker Syrian deal

Syrian forces renewed their assault on the rebel city of Homs today as Russia’s foreign minister talked of the need for reform with President Bashar Assad over the country’s escalating violence.

Sergey Lavrov’s visit came days after Syrian allies Russia and China vetoed a resolution at the United Nations that would have condemned the Assad regime’s crackdown on dissent and called on him to transfer some of his powers to his deputy.