At least 31 killed in Syria clashes

At least 31 people were killed across Syria in the latest wave of violence, notably clashes between gunmen believed to be army deserters and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad, a Syrian activist group said on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday's death toll included 17 members of the army and security forces as well as 14 civilians, many of them in the opposition hotbed of Homs, where heavy gunfire was heard again early on Monday. (Reuters)