BREAKING NEWS

US urges citizens to avoid most travel to Syria

WASHINGTON - The United States advised its citizens on Thursday to put off nonessential travel to Syria and urged those in the country to consider leaving because of protests in which 61 people have died.
The department warned US citizens of "the potential for ongoing political and civil unrest" in Syria and specifically cautioned them against travel to the flashpoint city of Deraa and to the port city of Latakia.
"Demonstrations in those areas have been violently suppressed by Syrian security forces and there are reports of curtailed telecommunications, ongoing disturbances and live gunfire in various neighborhoods," it said.