Kerry talks while Aleppo burns

THE black smoke rising over eastern Aleppo is a mark of the desperation of its 300,000 besieged inhabitants. By setting old tyres on fire, they hope to conceal targets from Syrian government and Russian aircraft that are pounding them relentlessly. Food, water and medical supplies are running out; the few remaining hospitals are routinely attacked. Meanwhile, the Assad regime has opened “humanitarian corridors”. The aim is not to allow the passage of essential supplies, as the UN demands. Rather, it is to prepare the ground for a final assault on Syria’s biggest city by encouraging an exodus of its people.