UN's Ban Ki-moon Says Half of Syria's Population Needs Aid

The U.N. is seeking $6.5 billion for Syria

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 $6.5bn (£4bn) 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.