Residents in Syria's battleground city of Aleppo cowered indoors Saturday as fierce air strikes toppled buildings and killed at least 52 civilians, after diplomatic efforts to revive a ceasefire failed.

Nearly two million civilians were without water in Syria's second city of Aleppo on Saturday after regime bombardment damaged one pumping station and rebels shut down another in retaliation, the UN said.

Residents in rebel-held areas of Syria's Aleppo cowered in their homes on Saturday as relentless missile strikes and barrel bomb attacks pounded the besieged eastern half of the divided city.

Twelve people were killed on Saturday when militants attacked a police checkpoint north of Tikrit and then detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the city, Iraqi police and military sources said.

Rescuers recovered at least 162 bodies from a migrant shipwreck off Egypt’s coast by yesterday evening, as the search for victims entered its third day.

The “Quartet” of Middle East peace mediators said yesterday it was strongly opposed to Israel’s ongoing settlement activity, warning that it risked ending the chance of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Missiles rained down on rebel-held areas of Syria’s Aleppo yesterday, causing widespread destruction that overwhelmed rescue teams, as the regime army prepared a ground offensive.

The death toll from a migrant boat disaster off Egypt's coast climbed to 133 on Friday as rescuers recovered more bodies from the Mediterranean.

Warplanes launched some of the heaviest air strikes yet on rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Friday after the Russian-backed Syrian army declared an offensive to fully capture Syria's biggest city.

Iraqi forces backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition gained complete control yesterday of the northern district of Shirqat, bringing the military a step closer to a main push on Mosul later this year.

Rescuers yesterday brought more bodies ashore and searched for dozens still missing a day after a boat crowded with migrants capsized off the Egyptian coast, drowning at least 51 people.

Conflict-hit Libya could run out of money next year without a swift resumption of oil exports, the head of the country's National Oil Corporation (NOC) warned on Thursday.