Two shot dead in Syrian march

Syrian security forces have opened fire on protesters killing at least two as thousands took to the streets, activists said.

The deaths occurred in a suburb of the capital, Damascus, and in the central city of Homs, said Omar Idilbi of the Local Co-ordination Committees, which track the Syrian protests.

Protests in several other provinces also came under fire but it was not immediately clear whether there were casualties.

The military crackdown by the government of president Bashar Assad has failed to silence a pro-democracy movement that has now lasted more than 100 days.