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| Rebel-held parts of Aleppo have been pounded by Syrian and Russian jets |
The Syrian military has announced a
new offensive in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, where a quarter of a million
people are living under siege.
Talks between the US and Russia on reviving the collapsed ceasefire have broken up without progress in New York. Russia supports the Syrian government, while the US backs the opposition.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington could not be the only one trying to hold open the door to peace. The US wants Russia to press the Syrian government to ground its warplanes.
Mr Kerry added that he would hold further consultations with the Russian team on Friday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that would amount to a "unilateral pause". Some had attempted to present the ceasefire as if only the Syrian government should be taking steps, he said, but the opposition also needed to stop fighting.
The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, described the meeting as "long, painful and disappointing". This feels like a very serious breakdown, with little obvious room left for dialogue until the major powers find new space for compromise, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins, reports from New York.
The week in New York is heading towards disastrous diplomatic failure, he adds.