UN chief Ban Ki-moon's plea to 'end bloodshed' in Syria

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said it is ''more urgent than ever'' to put on end to ''bloodshed and violence'' in Syria.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi will be asking the UN Security Council to back the league's new plan calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign.

The UN has conceded it cannot keep track of the overall death toll in Syria, but estimates more than 5,400 people have been killed since the unrest began last March.