Children among the dead in Syria crackdown

BEIRUT (AP) — Syr­ian secu­rity forces fired on anti-government demon­stra­tions across the coun­try on Fri­day, killing at least 24 peo­ple — includ­ing sev­eral chil­dren — as the regime tries to choke off a 9-month-old upris­ing, activists said.