Five more people were reported shot dead in Syria today, including a 12-year-old boy, as security forces continued cracking down on critics of President Bashar Assad. Meanwhile, Syria rejected a statement from the Arab League calling for an end to the violence as well as elections, an army withdrawal, the release of political prisoners and jailed protesters, and the inclusion of opposition members in a new government. Russia also plans to send an envoy to Damascus tomorrow, while Turkey’s president says his country has “lost confidence” in Syria’s leadership, Al Jazeera reports. (More Syria stories.)