Assad's forces kill 3 protesters in eastern Syria

Syrian forces killed three young men in the city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday when they opened fire at a funeral for two people killed in a crackdown on expanding pro-democracy demonstrations in the desert tribal region, opposition activists said.

"The funeral was in al-Ommal neighbourhood for Amira al-Salem and Omar a-Juneidi, who were killed on Friday. The mourners began chanting against Assad when the 'amin' (security police) started shooting from a hilltop," Abdallah Mahmoud, one of the activists, told Reuters from the city. (Reuters)