Syria: fighting continues in Aleppo, eslewhere

(Vatican Radio) Syrian activists have said that overnight fighting between rebels and government forces has killed at least three people in Aleppo. Earlier, a fire sparked by battles between the two sides has destroyed shops in Aleppo's historic, centuries-old marketplace. Rebels announced a new offensive against government troops in Aleppo on Thursday, but it appears that neither side has made significant gains. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says violence across Syria killed at least 45 people Saturday. Elsewhere, troops trying to dislodge rebels fired heavy artillery into areas of the southern province of Daraa, central region of Hama and Idlib in the country's northwest. Listen to this report from regional correspondent Nathan Morley:

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Council will extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria for another six months. US Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahue says the work of the independent probe is crucial. "The work of the COI is important because as they continue to document the names of individuals responsible for these crimes and violations, they help ensure that this will not be a case where impunity prevails, but rather that those responsible for these crimes against the Syrian people will face justice and accountability," she said. The draft resolution on the Human Rights Situation in Syria was approved by 41 states, with China, Cuba and Russia voting against it.