Nearly 150000 Syrian refugees seek UN help

The UN refugee agency said nearly 150,000 people fleeing Syria's civil war have sought its help, a figure expected to rise significantly, according to AP. Spokesman Adrian Edwards said the agency's offices in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq have all reported big increases this week in the number of people who have registered as refugees or are in the process of being registered. He told reporters Friday in Geneva that in several countries, however, "we know there to be substantial refugee populations who have not yet registered." Edwards says Turkey's population of Syrian refugees has reached 50,227, including more than 6,000 new arrivals this week alone, many from the besieged city of Aleppo. He says Jordan has 45,869 refugees, Lebanon 36,841 and Iraq 13,587.