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31st over: Pakistan 69-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 22, Younis 19) Two spinners are on, the OBOers' Kryptonite. That and Saturday mornings. I can't really keep up, but rest assured that little is happening. The odd single here and there but, ominously for England, no oohs, aaahs or false strokes. "There must be a picture somewhere of Bearded Boycott," says John Starbuck. "In the late 70s-early 80s, especially under Brearley, you stood out as a freak if you didn't grow a set. The Aussies, even more so." A set of beards? Brearley's Ayatollah phase was wonderful. You can even get a T-shirt of it. "I'd actually quite like that..." mutters Bull.

30th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18) Panesar. Maiden. You know the drill. "If Pakistan declared now, England would still lose, right?" says Sara Torvalds, proving that being Finnish is no barrier to a deep awareness of the essential nature of English cricket.

29th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18) England are in trouble here. Nothing is happening. You'd have got long odds on Pakistan 3-0 England before this series. "Morning Rob, morning everybody," says Guy Hornsby. "I have just finished the magnificent A Confederacy Of Dunces, which surely should be an apt title for the batsmen in this series, with Pakistan's recklessness and England's cluelessness. Any other literary titles that the OBO faithful would advocate for these two fine teams? To be honest, I'd be happy with anything to keep out the cold today." It sure wouldn't be 766 And All That, unless you're talking about the number of stiff brandies that were necked in disgust around England in the 15 minutes after last Saturday's collapse.

28th over: Pakistan 65-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 18, Younis 17) "Matter of time here Pan, matter of time," says Matt Prior during another Panesar maiden, but the issue here is not the tick of the clock so much as the tick of the scoreboard. Pakistan are 23 ahead; it feels quite absurd to say that if they get another 150 they will probably be favourites. "The Beard Liberation Front reviewing the third day of the third Test note an intriguing battle between ball, bald and beard," says Keith Flett. "Strauss lacked the follicles to detect the flight of a ball in the first session and was stumped. However Panesar's beard is not fully aligned in the second session. BLF Organiser Keith Flett said 'despite discussion about whethe Geoffrey Boycott may stand for Parliament on TMS we can confirm that he is not eligible to be a BLF candidate'."

27th over: Pakistan 65-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 18, Younis 17) The Sky chaps point out that Swann is bowling a DRS line – much straighter – rather than his usual line. Mind you, the moment I typed that he tossed two up outside off stump, the second of which was driven for a single by Azhar Ali. "Re His Selveness' point, I understand it depends if you are struck in line or not," says Andy Moore. "Nonetheless I haven't seen this aspect of the review laws taken into consideration since the World Cup, and I think Broad could have been 3m forward in any case." In happier news, have a look at this.

26th over: Pakistan 62-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 17, Younis 17) A couple of runs in that Panesar over. There have been no centuries in this series. If it ends that way, it'll be the first instance in a series of three Tests or more since the rain-affected India v NZ series in 1995-96, when Lee Germon did a Tony Lewis and made his Test debut as captain. "The UDRS is writing cheques that Test cricket can't cash," writes Tom Marlow. "Maybe to balance the odds of getting out the next thing will be to make the wickets smaller."

25th over: Pakistan 60-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 16) Pakistan were 39 for six in this game as well. They look ominously comfortable just now, relative to the rest of the match/series at least. Younis touches Swann to fine leg for a single. "It has got to be worth a quid of anyone's money to have a bit of locker fun in the gym changing room," says Mike Selvey. You can have your beefcake and eat it. Honk.

24th over: Pakistan 59-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 15) "When Lara broke Sobers' record, Sir Garfield said he was the only batsman who played with his bat," says Gary Naylor. "Though an overstatement, his point was substantiated a few years later in that SL series when Lara was a one-man batting unit. If DRS makes more batsmen play like Lara, that'll be fantastic." True. But imagine having to change your entire game mid-career.

23rd over: Pakistan 58-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 16, Younis 14) Cook is still struggling a little with his knee. England are struggling a little with their bowling; Azhar Ali takes a half step forward and then rocks back to cut Swann for four. The mood of the match has changed in the last 10 minutes.

22nd over: Pakistan 53-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 12, Younis 13) Azhar Ali, having scored six from his first 51 balls, scores six from his 52nd ball with a lovely on-the-run drive over long-off off the bowling of Panesar. I was half-joking at this point yesterday when I said that England were going to lose. I'm not joking now. England are up a notorious creek, and they don't got no paddle. "I have recently admitted defeat and joined the gym," apologises Duncan Haskell. "Is it generally accepted that people are allowed to fill up the lockers with their stuff but not put their (refundable) pound in? It drives me Larry David insane, I am tempted to start locking the offending units myself and charging a hefty ransom/getting beat up." You're asking me about gym etiquette. You'd be better off asking Kojak about shampoo.

21st over: Pakistan 47-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 6, Younis 13) Here's Swann, to bowl only his second over of the match. Younus tickles him very fine for four. Pakistan are in the lead now, and Misbah-ul-Haq declares safe in the knowledge that England's batsmen have the yips and the only thing they can chase is their own tail. "Just so as we are clear," says Mike Selvey. "ICC have increased the 2.5 m limit in UDRS to 3m. So rather than address the more fundamental issue of ridiculously anomalous reviewed decisions according to whether or not the batsman was given out, they have actually increased the way a batsman can be out." It's a problem, for sure. Yesterday you had one batsman (KP) given out after a review when 0.00001 per cent of the ball was hitting stumps, and another (Umar Gul) given not out after a review when 30th over: Pakistan 67-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 21, Younis 18)99999 per cent of the ball was hitting the stumps.

20th over: Pakistan 41-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 5, Younis 8) "So," says Ken Danbury, "is Monty our number one spinner now? Swanny doesn't seem to be getting much of a look in on a spin friendly wicket. Pakistan seemed to have done alright with their spin twins. Or is that spin triplets?" Monty is bowling better at the moment, but Swann is definitely still No1. Swann's form is a slight worry, though. He has lost a little of his joie de vivre in the last 12 months.

19th over: Pakistan 41-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 5, Younis 8) Younis Khan eases Broad through mid-on for four, a gorgeous stroke. He has been struggling like an Englishman all series but he could take the game away from England with 70 or 80 here. Azhar Ali completes a good over for Pakistan – 10 from it – with a flowing cover drive for three. Cook saved four with a brilliant dive on the boundary, although he is now feeling his knee as a result. "I am not sure what all the commotion is about regarding the number of LBW decisions in this series," says Brian Rafferty. "Padding a ball away is now risky business, no matter where it pitches or how big the batsman's stride. Perhaps, just perhaps, it might be an idea to learn how to consistently get bat on ball." I know what you mean, but that feels like a glib thing to say: it is bloody hard if you have been a brilliant batsman for years and suddenly you find that everything you know is wrong. Pietersen's ongoing radge on the balcony yesterday felt much more significant than a batsman whinging about a dismissal.

18th over: Pakistan 31-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 2, Younis 1) Panesar has a lovely rhythm here, and is working on Azhar Ali. Another maiden. "I am a bit confused about some of these reviews," says Andy Moore. "I thought that if a batsmen is struck more than 2.5m from the stumps then a not out decision should not be overturned, yet in all the reviews in this series I haven't seen this looked at once. Stuart Broad's dismissal this morning was clearly a case in point. I'm all for DRS but the anomalies in the system are undermining it, and this seems to be another. Surprised it's been forgotten about really." You won't be surprised to hear me say that I don't know. I thought the 2.5m rule was simply another thing for the on-field umpires to consider and reject if they wish. But I'm not sure. Certainly Broad's dismissal left a feeling of unease, and for the first time yesterday there was a sense that maybe DRS has created a monster. I don't know.

17th over: Pakistan 31-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 2, Younis 1) Stuart Broad's second ball brings a huge shout for LBW against Azhar Ali. I said 'out' instinctively, but Simon Taufel said not out and he is a marginally better umpire than I am. Replays show the thinnest of inside edges, and that's an exceptional piece of umpiring. "Though there are few unplayable deliveries, the bowlers have found the way to get wickets and have stuck to their plans with great discipline," says Gary Naylor. "I don't know if it's great cricket, but it is great bowling, and an example of how shorter Tests offer so much more than Tests that go the distance on shirtfronts." Can't argue with that, although scarcity is a significant factor in the joy of these Tests. We'd not want them to become the norm.

16th over: Pakistan 30-2 (trailed by 42 on first innings; Azhar 1, Younis 1) It would be interesting to know the mindset of the Pakistan batsmen just now Logically in this situation you'd think, bat carefully and get to around 300. But lurking deep in their subconscious, just alongside the bit about wanting to sexually possess their mothers, must be the thought, we can set any target against this lot and win; we could declare now FFS. Maybe not the FFS bit. Anyway, it's Monty Panesar to bowl the first over after lunch. "Fun in the sun here lads!" says Matt Prior. It's a maiden to Younis Khan. "So, Rob," says John Starbuck, "if you had a hatful of money would you have bought anyone for an IPL side from The Best Test Team In The World?" I could barely care less, although it seems a bit surprising. Isn't it simply because they are only available for a small window?

Morning. The Decision Review Series hurtles towards its conclusion. There were six more wickets in the morning session, with Pakistan tucking into their innocent smoothies on 30 for two, 12 runs behind England. This match will probably be over before grandma's put the roast in the crock pot. The ghost of India v England 1981-82 is weeping at this crazy series. I've given up trying to explain it, so will settle purely for description in this session. This will, if the rest of this match is anything to go by, largely entail use of a six-letter word beginning with W.

LUNCH

So, at lunch Pakistan still trail by 12 runs. Rob Smyth will be here from 8.30am or so for the afternoon session. Send your emails to him now, please, on rob.smythl@guardian.co.uk.

15th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) The last over of the morning is, perhaps unsurprisingly, another quiet one. Azhar Ali has played a dogged little innings here, blocking out another maiden.

14th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Another maiden, the third in the last four overs as these two try to draw the sting from England's bowling.

13th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Stuart Broad replaces Anderson, for a final little spell before the break. Ali continues to bat with admirable circumspection, and it is another maiden. He now has one run off 23 balls.

12th over: Pakistan 30-2 (Ali 1 Younus 1) Two singles off Monty's latest over, but I'm lagging behind the over-rate, so if you'll excuse me we'll move swiftly on.

11th over: Pakistan 28-2 (Ali 0 Younus 0) Azhar Ali plays out a maiden against Anderson. "They just used Ian Forth's stat on the telly and gave no credit! Shameful plagiarism! "They just used Ian Forth's stat on the telly and gave no credit!" points out Andrew Hulbert. "Shameful plagiarism!" They did indeed. But then, to be fair, we crib an awful lot off them in return here on the OBO. Including, you know, the footage of the cricket.

WICKET! Hafeez 21 LBW (Pakistan 28-2) But Monty wins in the end, landing the killer blow with a faster, flatter delivery that broke off the pitch just enough to slide past Hafeez's attempted sweep shot and hit him on the pad in front of off-stump. Touché. That was an enthralling little spell of cricket.

10th over: Pakistan 24-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 21, Azhar Ali 0) "That stroke excited you, didn't it?" says Aamer Sohail to his viewers, in a way that makes it sound very much like an order rather than a question. And he's right, it did. What a duel this is between Hafeez and Monty. Monty lunges out and lands a glancing blow, as Hafeez survives an LBW appeal. He then counters, stepping out and slashing a six down the ground over Monty's head. Having won the advantage, Hafeez makes another thrust, steering four through third man.

9th over: Pakistan 18-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 10, Azhar Ali 0) "What's wrong Andy? Dreaming of bed at 6:30 on a lovely sunny Saturday evening," asks Peter Kunzli, who is seemingly oblivious to the fact that it is 7.30am on Saturday morning, but still... "I thought you OBO'ers went to bed at 8pm ready for the off next day." Indeed we do, Peter, that's exactly right. And then when we get there we lie awake all night torturing ourselves with thoughts of the little typos and miscalculations in the scores we made during that day's play. After all these years Smyth and myself are still searching of the perfect OBO, a little like Patrick Swayze with his wave in Point Break. Of course we'll never find it, but the pursuit of the ideal is what keeps us sharp, on the edge, where we need to be, if you'll excuse me mixing my movie references.

8th over: Pakistan 17-1 (Mohammad Hafeez 10, Azhar Ali 0) Strauss brings Monty into the attack, and he hurries through six balls for the cost of just a single.

WICKET! Taufeeq 6 c Strauss b Anderson (Pakistan 16-1) That's not a no ball though, it's a brilliant piece of bowling by Anderson, who has been using the width of the crease to cause the batsmen different, difficult problems. This ball, as Bumble points out, was delivered from a little closer in, and Taufeeq edged the ball through to first slip.

7th over: Pakistan 11-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 9, Taufeeq Umar 6) trail England by 42 on the first innings Another terrific shot, as Taufeeq latches on to a similarly loose delivery to the one that Broad gifted to Hafeez in the last over. Anderson's bad ball was a little shorter and a little wider, and Tauffeq cut it away for four off the back foot. England appeal for off the next ball, but Anderson has drifted so wide on the crease that it is a no ball.

6th over: Pakistan 11-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 9, Taufeeq Umar 2) trail England by 42 on the first innings An lbw appeal from England, lead by Broad. Of course he thinks it is out, but Strauss decides not to refer it, rightly pointing out that the ball hit Hafeez so high up on the pads that it would have gone over the top. Broad's line drifts out well wide of off-stump, and Hafeez pounces on the rare opportunity to score some easy run. He creams a drive away square for four so thunderous that the sound should reach me here in the office any second now.

5th over: Pakistan 7-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 5, Taufeeq Umar 2) trail England by 42 on the first innings "No wickets so far," harrumphs Bumble. "Why not?"

4th over: Pakistan 5-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 4, Taufeeq Umar 1) trail England by 42 on the first innings At last, a run. Five of them, in fact. Taufeeq pushes a single to the on side, and Hafeez flicks four to fine leg. Compared to the slapdash approach of the opening overs of the first innings, the openers are looking altogether more resolute here. As Rameez Raja has just said, only half in jest, "even a partnership of six looks pretty substantial." If Pakistan can muster 200 between them, they will be well on their way to a whitewash.

3rd over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) trail England by 42 on the first innings A little swing for Anderson, whos is bowling quite beautifully. "Tough old game this cricket," sasy Ken Danbury. "Strauss is top scorer in the match so far. If you listen to Boycott you would think he had cost England the game." Did you mean to say "Tough old game this cricket," Ken? Or would "miserable old bugger this Boycott," have been more accurate?

2nd over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) trail England by 42 Taufeeq takes strike, knowing he's one good ball or bad shot away from bagging a pair. There's plenty of carry off the pitch for England's opening pair, and Baroad rips a short ball past Taufeeq's dangling bat, but you still wonder whether Bumble has a point when he says "there's nothing at all in this surface". A batsman who can master this pitch and score the first hundred of the series would win his team the match.

1st over: Pakistan 0-0 (Mohammad Hafeez 0, Taufeeq Umar 0) Goodness me this is all starting to feel a little familiar. Hafeez is taking strike, and Anderson has the ball. "So once again, England's bowlers have to drag the team out of a batsmen-induced mire," writes Chris Langmead. "I wonder, despite all the bland clichés about team spirit in press conferences, whether Messrs Broad, Anderson, Swann and Panesar aren't getting just a bit ticked off that the batting line up isn't pulling its weight, especially as it's the bowlers who seem to get ultimately dropped as a result? I'm sure Matthew Hoggard would agree." I suspect you are right. There were some rather pointed comments about the apparent innocuousness of the pitch made by both Broad and Anderson yesterday. (Note: Somebody needs to silence the folk singing Jerusalem. Silence them permanently.)

The game, as they say, is afoot. I'll be back in five minutes for the start of the penultimate chapter.

WICKET! Swann 16 c Rehman b Ajmal (England 141 all out) Well, it only costs them four runs. Swann sweeps one more four, and then lofts a catch out to the deep. England are all out with a lead of 42.

REFERRAL! Swann 11 LBW Ajmal Steve Davis shakes his head, and though Hawkeye shows the ball would have knocked over off-stump, it's not so very sure of itself that the third umpire thinks he can overturn the on-field decision. So it is not out and Swann bats on.

55th over: England 137-9 (Swann 11, Panesar 0) Swann sweeps four more away to fine leg, and then...

WICKET! Strauss 56 st Akmal b Rehman (England 133-9) Strauss goes! He was trying to slog away towards the leg side, but missed the ball and was stumped by Akmal. It was good 'keeping from him, and a rather embarrassing end to a fantastic innings by England's skipper. And Rehman has his fifth wicket. He'd never had a five-wicket haul in Test cricket before this series, now he has two in two matches. Well, scratch what I said about Swann trying to play sensibly, he has to hit out now.

54th over: England 129-8 (Strauss 55, Swann 7) Swann flicks four runs away to fine leg. It's going to be interesting to see how he plays this - and as I type this he has just executed a dapper forward defensive. It has irritated me for years that he squanders his batting talent by giving himself licence to play shots and then brushing his dismissals off as "just the way I play."

53rd over: England 125-8 (Strauss 55, Swann 3) I have to say I find it a little hard to reason my way through all the permutations and complications of the DRS when I've had so little sleep, and the decisions come so thick and fast. It irritates me though that in this Test it has become such a regular feature of the play. Every other over seems to include a review of one sort or another, and, at the risk of sounding very fogeyish, it rather disruptes the rhythm of the play. "Watching proceedings this morning it's looking good - England looking likely to build a healthy first innings lead of at least 35," says Luke Ballard. "With that sort of monster to overhaul, what sort of target could pakistan conceivably set that would be out of England's reach? Do you think they would need to reach triple figures in their second innings?" After their performances in the last two innings, who could say? Anything more than 150 would be intimidating.

52nd over: England 122-8 (Strauss 53, Swann 0) Swann has come out to bat in a baseball cap. His choice of headgear is, I'd guess, a portent of how he intends to play. Mike Selvey is gobsmacked by that decision against Broad. "How can that be out? It's hit him outside the line. And I would hazard beyond the 2.5 m mark too." Hawkeye says otherwise, but other than that I'm not sure you'll find many people who'll disagree with you about how wicket that looked.

WICKET! Broad 4 LBW Ajmal (England 121-8) Oh dear, England. Broad has to go, though he's not all that happy about it. The delivery that did for him was a doosra, and despite what most people who saw it seemed to think when they saw the size of the stride he took down the pitch, Hawkeye shows it hit him in line, and would have gone on to hit the middle of middle stump.

REFERRAL! Broad 4 LBW Ajmal Pakistan have one review left, and they have decided to spend it on this LBW appeal. The on-field decision was not out.

50th over: England 121-7 (Strauss 53, Broad 4) Four! And, more important still, fifty! Well played Andrew Strauss. It has taken all of 141 balls, ands has been quite the ugliest half-ton he has scored in Test cricket, if also one of the most useful. It is only his second fifty in his last 15 Test innings, a run stretching back over 12 months.

49th over: England 116-7 (Strauss 46, Broad 4) England's lead grows a little more, up to 17, as Strauss cuts two runs to deep point. Here's Ian Forth, who I can't help but notice seems to be emailing from his wife's account, with a Smyth-esque piece of statgazzary: "Had a quick fossick through statsguru today. A side batting first and scoring less than 100 has only gone on to win in 4 test matches. The last time it happened was 1907. So there really is almost nothing whatsoever to worry about." A quick fossick? What a delightful turn of phrase. As for your conclusions, well, I'm sure Disraeli would have something to say about lies, damned lies, and emails from optimistic OBO readers.

48th over: England 114-7 (Strauss 46, Broad 4) "I've got a Mexican, cricket-hating wife," says James Gordon. "You're safe with her Andy. Not a cat in hell's chance." Somehow this riff seems to be stumbling blindly into territory I have no desire to go near. I'm not sure the world is ready for an OBO Readers' Spouses special just yet, hard as times are at the grauniad. Here's Gary Naylor, steering us in an altogether more wholesome direction: Waqar seems as classy with mic in hand as he was with ball in hand. "I"m still ill though, so I could be hallucinating all this."

47th over: England 112-7 (Strauss 44, Broad 3) The score is on Nelson, and the old curse almost strikes as Broad is forced to dive full-length into the crease, bat stretched out in front of him, to beat a throw from the outfield and complete a quick single.

46th over: England 110-7 (Strauss 44, Broad 2) "My american cricket-loving girlfriend who will be keeping YOU company while I go to bed in a few overs, has just asked me: "is this how it feels to be an England fan, cherishing every run without a wi... oh - damn, Jimmy'." You're leaving me alone with your cricket-loving girlfriend, Simon Bereton? Oh, mercy. It's a good thing you've got the married OBO writer doing the first shift, rather than the single (and devastatingly seductive) Mr Robert Smyth. Hack-hack-hack, ahem. Excuse me, I've something tickling the back of my throat. Just a single from Rehman's second over.

45th over: England 109-7 (Strauss 43, Broad 2) This is the key partnership of the morning. Ajmal is on now, bowling around the wicket to Broadm and Strauss immediately gives him the strike by taking a single off the first ball. Broad paddle-sweeps two runs away fine, surviving an optimistic LBW appeal as he does so.

WICKET! Anderson 4 b Rehman (England 106-7) Well, I guess you good say he did his job in that he got through the night, but so far as night watches go, Anderson's effort here was no Rembrandt. He rashly decided to drive against the spin, but the ball landed in the footmarks and span back through the gate into the stumps.

44th over: England 106-6 (Strauss 41, Anderson 3) Rehman will bowl the first delivery of the day, to Jimmy Anderson. He promised earlier this week that today's IPL auction "would not be a distraction for the team". Little did he know how right he was - Jimmy attracted no bids, and has not been bought. He has though been bowled...

And that, it seems is all the preamble we are going to have time for, because here come the players.

Good morning, good morning. Seconds out, round 25, and this fight is as fascinating now as it was way back on January 17 when the series started. England, we can assume, are going to come out swinging. They have five wickets in hand, but only three batsmen among them. As Jimmy Anderson has just said "hopefully Straussy and I will set a platform and then Broady and Swanny will come out and be at their destructive best." This, ladies and gents, is going to entertaining to watch.

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Activists say Syrian forces have shelled the city of Homs and killed more than 200 people - a claim denied by the government - ahead of a key UN vote.

Thousands of people march in Moscow in protest at Prime Minister Valdimir Putin, while his supporters hold a rally elsewhere in Russia's capital.

Forecasters say snow is likely to fall in parts of Wales over the weekend, but a change in temperatures should see it turn to rain later.

Many parts of the UK are expected to see heavy snow on Saturday, bringing disruption to roads and rail.

Papers cover Chris Huhne's exit

The number of civilians killed and injured in the Afghan conflict has risen for the fifth year in a row, a UN report reveals.

Embassies attacked over killing of more than 200 people ahead of vote calling for President Bashar al-Assad to resign

More than 200 people have been killed in shelling by Syrian forces in the city of Homs, according to activists, as the UN security council prepares to vote on a draft resolution backing an Arab call for President Bashar al-Assad to resign.

As news of the violence spread, a crowd of Syrians stormed their country's embassy in Cairo and protests broke out outside Syrian missions in Britain, Germany and the United States.

Death tolls cited by activists and opposition groups ranged from 217 to 260, making the Homs attack the deadliest so far in Assad's crackdown on protests that erupted 11 months ago inspired by uprisings that overthrew three Arab leaders.

Residents said Syrian forces began shelling the Khalidiya neighbourhood at around 8pm on Friday using artillery and mortars. They said at least 36 houses were destroyed with families inside.

"We were sitting inside our house when we started hearing the shelling. We felt shells were falling on our heads," said Waleed, a resident of Khalidiya.

It was not immediately clear what had prompted Syrian forces to launch such an intense bombardment, just as diplomats at the security council were discussing the draft resolution supporting the Arab League demand for Assad to step aside.

Some activists said the violence was triggered by a wave of army defections in Homs, a stronghold of protests and armed insurgents whom Assad has vowed to crush.

"The death toll is now at least 217 people killed in Homs, 138 of them killed in the Khalidiya district," Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Reuters, citing witnesses.

"Syrian forces are shelling the district with mortars from several locations, some buildings are on fire. There are also buildings which got destroyed."

A Syrian activist said Assad forces bombarded Khalidiya, a key anti-Assad district, to scare other rebel neighbourhoods. "It does not seem that they get it. Even if they kill 10 million of us, the people will not stop until we topple him."

The opposition Syrian National Council said 260 civilians were killed, describing it as "one of the most horrific massacres since the beginning of the uprising in Syria". It added that it believed Assad's forces were preparing for similar attacks around Damascus and in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour.
Another group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, gave a death toll of more than 200. It is not possible to verify activist or state media reports as Syria restricts independent media access.

Video footage on the Internet showed at least eight bodies assembled in a room, one of them with the top half of its head blown off. A voice on the video said the bombardment was continuing as the footage was filmed.

One activist said residents were using primitive tools to rescue people. They feared many were buried under rubble.

"We are not getting any help, there are no ambulances or anything. We are removing the people with our own hands," he said, adding there were only two field hospitals treating the wounded. Each one had a capacity to deal with 30 people, but he estimated the total number of wounded at 500.

"We have dug out at least 100 bodies so far, they are placed in the two mosques."

At the UN, the Security Council is due to vote on Saturday on a draft resolution endorsing an Arab League plan calling for Assad to resign.

It is unclear if Russia will abstain or use its veto. Moscow has opposed significant security council action on Syria.

Western diplomats in New York said the latest violence might make it more difficult for Russia to block it. "Would they dare, with what is happening in Homs?" one told Reuters.

Russia has balked at any language that would open to door to "regime change" in Syria, its crucial Middle East ally where Moscow operates a naval base.

In Cairo a crowd stormed the Syrian embassy, smashing furniture and setting fire to parts of the building in protest over the Homs bloodshed, an embassy official and a witness said.

The gate of the embassy was broken and furniture was smashed on the second floor of the building, a Reuters witness said. It was the second attack on the mission in a week.

In London more than 100 Syrians hurled stones at the Syrian embassy overnight, smashing windows and shouting slogans, and five people were arrested after trying to break in, according to reports.

At a rally in Washington people shouted "Syria soon will be free" outside the mission, according to TV footage.

In the Syrian cities of Hama and Idlib activists said hundreds of people took to the streets in solidarity. "Homs is bombarded and you are still sleeping?" they chanted in Idlib.

In Hama armed forces shot dead one person on Friday as they moved to break up a protest marking the anniversary of a 1982 massacre by troops loyal to Assad's father, activists said.

The Observatory said forces dispersed protests in the Janoub al-Malaab district of Hama where people had planned to release 1,000 red balloons to mark the killing of more than 10,000 people when Hafez al-Assad's forces crushed an Islamist uprising.

Violence also returned to the commercial hub Aleppo, which had largely remained on the sidelines of the uprising.

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• Bashar al-Assad
• Protest
• Middle East and North Africa
• United Nations

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The government is looking for 12 run down High Streets in England to share £1m as a part of plans proposed by TV retail guru Mary Portas.

Heavy snow is forecast for most of England and Wales later, with warnings of likely disruption to rail services and on the roads.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett demands an apology to the people of Sheffield for an "unwarranted slur" on the city by Scotland Yard officers.

Five people were arrested after gaining entry to the Syrian embassy in London during a protest against the Syrian regime, Scotland Yard says.

Alleged Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning is to face a court martial, the US Army has confirmed.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit China next week to discuss the future of Canada's oil products.

Travel disruption is continuing following the derailment of a freight train engine on the West Coast mainline in Bletchley.

George Esper, who reported on the fall of Saigon for the Associated Press during the last days of the Vietnam war, dies at the age of 79.

The cold weather has led to a shortage of Russian fuel supplies in eight countries.

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to take up a much-negotiated resolution on Syria, a Western diplomat said.

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Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning, charged with leaking thousands of classified documents, will face a court martial, says the US Army.

Freezing weather sweeping across Europe is causing a shortage of vital Russian gas supplies to several countries, officials say.