Syrian forces killed at least 41 civilians on Saturday’s eve of a referendum on a new constitution called by the regime in the face of an 11-month uprising, as the Red Cross failed to agree a deal to evacuate wounded Western journalists. Embattled President Bashar al-Assad’s forces resumed shelling the Baba Amr district of Homs after an apparent pause to allow in relief teams, more than three weeks into a deadly assault on rebels in Syria’s third largest city.
They also attacked elsewhere, killing at least 41 civilians nationwide, including 19 in Homs, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.