Fourteen die in huge Syria protests

Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded cities around Syria today – in what activists described as the largest outpouring against the regime of President Bashar Assad – and at least 14 people were killed in clashes, activists said.

The wildfire rage – flaring in dozens of places at the same time – further strained the resources of Assad’s security forces and military as they also try to choke off a refugee wave into Turkey.