Syria forces assault Baba Amr quarter in besieged Homs

Homs has been subjected to heavy shelling for nearly a month

The fate of the besieged Baba Amr quarter in the Syrian city of Homs remains unclear after government troops launched a ground offensive on rebels.

Sources on both sides say government troops tried to advance on several fronts after weeks of heavy shelling.
Syrian officials said their forces were "mopping up" while activists said the attack had been repelled.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos says she has been denied entry into Syria.

In a Statement  Ms Amos said the refusal came "despite my repeated requests to meet Syrian officials at the highest level to discuss the humanitarian situation and the need for unhindered access to the people affected by the violence".

She had been waiting in neighbouring Lebanon for the Syrian government's response to her application, UN diplomats said.

Trapped

One of the two Western journalists still trapped in Homs is refusing to leave without injured Syrian civilians, say the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of activists.

Edith Bouvier, who was seriously wounded last week in the bombardment of a makeshift media centre, is asking the French ambassador to come personally and to do whatever he can, the LCC say.
Earlier, the French government said it stood ready to evacuate Ms Bouvier and photojournalist William Daniels, who were on assignment for Le Figaro.
"We expect the government in Damascus to provide all the conditions for a safe and rapid evacuation, in particular an immediate ceasefire in Baba Amr," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
A Spanish journalist trapped with them, Javier Espinosa, has now escaped to Lebanon.
All three of them, and wounded British photojournalist Paul Conroy, were in a convoy to smuggle them out of Syria when it came under fire from Syrian forces.
The convoy split up, and the two French journalists were escorted back to Baba Amr. Mr Conroy reached Lebanon on Tuesday and is now safe.
Campaign group Avaaz, which organised the escape mission, said 13 Syrians died trying to smuggle the Westerners out of the country.
"Javier Espinosa risked his own rescue when he was separated as he stopped to attend to wounded activists as they were shelled," said Avaaz founder Ricken Patel.
Two journalists were killed in the shelling last week.