Video: World News

video transcript

The Syrian city of Homs - devastated by months of fighting and an increasingly bloody civil war. Parts of the city resemble a ghost town, as frightened residents have left or taken refuge in public shelters, mosques and schools. There's been some relief for those in the besieged city with the news that the UN's World Food Programme has managed to reach thousands of displaced citizens there. Cooperating with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and a local NGO, UN chiefs say they've delivered food to more than 220,000 Homs residents. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR WFP SYRIA, MUHANNAD HADI, SAYING: "This is one of the areas in Homs that sustained a lot of damage. WFP provides food assistance to the people who live there and will provide more assistance to the people who decide to return." The fighting has led to food prices doubling in some areas and a shortage of gas, with the cost on the back market 400 percent higher than normal. , The UN is now hoping to scale up the operation to reach the estimated 1.5 million Syrians still in need of help.