UN 'horrified' by attacks in syria

The UN's humanitarian chief has said he is "horrified" by the attacks on civilians taking place in Syria.
Stephen O'Brien told reporters during a visit to Damascus that the targeting of non-combatants in the country's war was "unlawful, unacceptable and must stop".

Syrian Civil Defence rescue workers carry a wounded man after what activists said was a government air strike in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma (16 August 2015)

He was "particularly appalled" by government air strikes on a rebel-held suburb of the capital on Sunday.

Activists said on Monday that the death toll from the attack on a market in Douma had risen to at least 96.

That would make it one of the bloodiest single incidents of the four-year-long conflict, which has so far left more than 250,000 people dead.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has backed a new peace talks proposal from the organisation's Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, in a rare show of unity on a topic that has divided members.

Mr de Mistura's plan involves inviting the various Syrian parties to hold talks at working groups in September, as a step towards implementing the roadmap to peace adopted by world powers in 2012 that calls for the formation of a transitional government