Ban Ki-moon says half of Syrians need aid urgently

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that half of Syria’s population now “urgently need humanitarian aid”.

He was speaking at a donor conference in Kuwait to raise funds for the worsening humanitarian crisis.

The UN is asking for USD 6.5 B over the coming year for Syria, its biggest ever request for a single crisis.

Meanwhile, Syria’s deputy foreign minister has said Western intelligence agencies have visited Damascus to discuss combating radical Islamists.