Airstrikes kill scores

A new wave of airstrikes and shelling on eastern suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus left at least 22 people dead and dozens wounded Saturday, raising the death toll of a week of bombing in the area to 500, as the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.

The weeklong bombardment has overwhelmed rescuers and doctors at makeshift hospitals, many of which have also been bombed. Activists say that terrified residents have been hiding in underground shelters where dozens of people can be crammed into small places.

The latest wave of bombings came after the UN Security Council delayed a vote on a resolution demanding a 30-day humanitarian cease-fire across Syria in hopes of closing a gap over the timing for a halt to fighting.

Council members met at noon EST on Saturday and resumed negotiations ahead of an expected vote.

As she headed into the meeting, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said: “Today we are going to see if Russia has a conscience.”

Ambassador Karel Van Oosterom of The Netherlands said there had been “extensive contacts” with Russia overnight.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had called an immediate cease-fire unrealistic, and in an apparent bid to get Russian support, sponsors Kuwait and Sweden amended the draft resolution to drop a demand that the cease-fire take effect 72 hours after the resolution’s adoption.