In international news, hundreds of residents of the Syrian city of Aleppo demonstrated and burned tires Sunday to protest the ongoing siege by Syrian government forces and their allies. The demonstration took place shortly before rebels fighting the Syrian government began a new offensive to break the siege. The U.N. says about a quarter-million civilians are trapped in the rebel-held portion of Aleppo and facing a worsening humanitarian situation. Rebel-held areas of the city have been surrounded by government forces since last month and subjected to heavy aerial bombardment, including the destruction of a number of hospitals.