Syria death toll hits 19, Damascus suburb on strike

Security forces shot dead at least 19 people in Syria on Thursday, many of them in cities that an Arab League delegation will tour to check compliance with a plan to end a fierce crackdown on an anti-government uprising.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of those were killed when Assad's forces opened fire on countrywide protests. Six died in the central city of Hama, where monitors recently arrived. (Reuters)