Syrian forces kill 6 on first Friday after Ramadan

Security forces killed at least six protesters when they fired at demonstrations that swelled across Syria on the first Friday after the month-long Ramadan fasting period, encouraged by increasing international pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, activists and residents said.

The killings, they said, occurred in the Damascus suburbs of Irbin and Hamouriya, the eastern tribal province of Deir al-Zor, and rural Homs. (Reuters)