Syria regime steps up fierce Aleppo assault

Air strikes and ferocious artillery fire pounded rebel-held east Aleppo on Friday as an escalating military offensive underscored the Syrian regime's determination to take full control of the divided city. Streets were deserted and residents took refuge indoors on the fourth straight day of government bombardment of opposition-controlled parts of Syria's second city. The artillery fire was the most intense in east Aleppo in around two years, AFP's correspondent there said, and rescue workers sai