The United Nations is asking for A$7.3 Billion to deal with the crisis caused by more than twp years and nine months of the Syrian Civil War.  More than half of that amount would be used to deal with the millions of Syrians who were forced to flee over the country’s borders, into refugee camps scattered throughout the region.

The appeal coincides with a new study by the International Rescue Committee, which warns that starvation is now threatening the Syrian population.  Bread prices have risen by 500 percent in some areas, according to the report.

There is less than a month before internationally brokered peace talks by Syria's warring sides are to begin.  UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon says there must be a ceasefire if the talks have any chance of succeeding.

But the violence in Syria doesn’t seem to be dying down at all.  Opposition groups said at least 76 people were killed in a series of airstrikes targeting the northern city of Aleppo, when government forces dropped barrels filled with explosives on the city. 

More than 120,000 people have been killed in the war.  The UN estimates nearly three-quarters of Syria's 22.4 million population will need humanitarian aid in 2014.