New round of Geneva talks on Syria expected in early November

Eighth round of talks in Geneva to start no later than early November, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura says.
A seventh round in July and a sixth in May ended without any breakthroughs in the almost six-and-a-half-year conflict.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and in excess of 10 million displaced, according to the UN.