UN launches £3bn Syria relief appeal

The figure presented at an international conference in Geneva yesterday is a sharp increase from the $3bn (£1.93bn) the global body had previously estimated it would need this year.

Officials say the calculation is based on the worsening security situation there, the sharp increase in people fleeing to neighbouring countries and the assumption that the conflict will not end soon.

Aid agencies are asking for $2.98bn to help refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. They are also requesting $1.4bn (£900m ) to pay for aid operations inside Syria. The Jordanian and Lebanese governments are seeking $830m (£533m).

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande has called for the release of two French journalists missing in Syria, saying their lives are at risk. Mr Hollande, who is visiting Tokyo, told reporters he could not give details about the two.