SpicyTricks

A human rights activist told CNN that at least seven people died when security forces fired at crowds in the industrial city of Homs in western Syria.
For the past two months, Syria has been torn by street protests against political repression and a fierce security crackdown against demonstrators. The government's tough and violent actions toward marchers and its thousands of mass arrests have drawn widespread criticism.
Demonstrations have erupted after Friday prayers in Syrian cities for weeks.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials, and on Thursday, President Barack Obama singled out Syria for criticism during his speech on the Middle East.
The witness in Homs described thick black smoke hanging over the city as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets demanding al-Assad's ouster.
According to the rights activist, the demonstrators gathered from several neighborhoods around Homs.
The demonstrators chanted slogans calling for the release of political detainees and demanded freedom, equality, and fundamental reforms, the activist said. As the crowd grew, security forces fired shots in the air and tried to disperse the gathering.
When demonstrators refused to leave, security forces fired at the throngs, killing at least seven people and wounding others, the rights activist said.
Despite the eruption of violence, demonstrators remained in the streets and chanted for the downfall of the regime.
At least one person was killed in Sanamen, a town outside the turbulent southern city of Daraa, another activist said, but there was no detail on the events in that town.
Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday that people have been crossing into Lebanon from a turbulent Syrian region where violence has erupted recently.
About 1,400 people have entered the Wadi Khaled and Tall Biri regions of Lebanon over the past week from the Syrian town of Tal Kalakh, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.
The number is "in addition to those that have crossed since late April. Local authorities estimate that around 4,000 Syrians have crossed to Lebanon," the agency said in a written statement.
"Many of those who have crossed the border recently have come without any belongings; having fled what they say was heavy military bombardment of Tal Kalakh and surrounding areas," it said.
"Most have found shelter with relatives or host families, and some are residing temporarily in a school in Tall Biri."
Clashes between citizens and security forces have been reported for days in embattled Tal Kalakh, and witnesses there are reporting a strong security presence despite claims from the government of a troop pullout.
In his broadcast address on Thursday, Obama said Syrians have displayed "courage in demanding a transition to democracy" but the regime "has chosen the path of murder and the mass arrests of its citizens."
"President Assad now has a choice: He can lead that transition, or get out of the way," he said. "The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests; release political prisoners and stop unjust arrests; allow human rights monitors to have access to cities like Daraa; and start a serious dialogue to advance a democratic transition. Otherwise, President Assad and his regime will continue to be challenged from within and isolated abroad."
The demonstrations began in and around the southern city of Daraa in the middle of March and have spread to other cities such as Homs, Banias, Douma, and Latakia.
Most recently, there has been unrest in Tal Kalakh near the Lebanese border. A few dozen people have been killed there recently, human rights activists said.
The Syrian state-run news agency on Thursday quoted a military source as saying that army units started withdrawing from the town "after accomplishing their mission of ending the state of security disorder caused by outlawed armed groups."
"Life in the city is gradually going back to normal," the source is cited as saying.
But CNN spoke to one activist who said that "army tanks pulled out of Tal Kalakh but continue to maintain their siege of the city." Another witness said the military remains in the city center and in the suburbs and security forces are making arrests.
As for the Syrian refugees filtering into Lebanon, that country's prime minister, Saad Hariri, asked the government's High Relief Committee last week to supervise and coordinate the work with the refugees. The U.N. refugee agency has helped distribute mattresses, blankets and food.
"The proactive role taken by the Lebanese authorities to ensure that new arrivals are assisted is encouraging," the U.N. agency said.
"Most of the people who have crossed the border in recent weeks are women and children," it said. "In addition to their immediate need for food, shelter and medical help, they also need psycho-social support. The latter is being addressed by the Ministry of Social Affairs."