U.S. urged Americans to avoid all travel to Lebanon

The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns. U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon have been advised to carefully consider the risks of remaining in that country. (more…)

New terrorist plot to attack plane foiled

U.S. and other intelligence agencies recently broke up a plot to bomb an airliner and have seized an explosive device that is similar to ones previously used by al Qaeda, officials said Monday.

The plot was discovered before it threatened any Americans, and no airliners were at risk, one U.S. counterrrorism said. A nonmetallic explosive device like the one used in the failed attempt to bomb a Detroit-bound jet in 2009 was recovered (more…)

Air France cancels all flights to Syria

Air France on Wednesday said it had cancelled its Paris-Damascus service “until further notice” because of unrest linked to ongoing protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“Because of the situation in Syria, Air France has decided to suspend its flights to Damascus until further notice,” a spokesperson said, after the airline had already cancelled two flights to Damascus earlier in the week. (more…)

U.S. revises travel warning for Syria

The U.S. State Department said anti-foreigner sentiment in Syria is on the rise and warned of a possible reduction in consular services in the country. (more…)

Saudi Arabia urges its Citizens to Leave Syria immediately

The Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry today urged its Saudi nationals to leave Syria as soon as possible and requested those wishing to travel there to cancel their plans because of the deteriorating security situation in that country. (more…)

Embassies tighten travel warnings for Lebanon

Several embassies have tightened travel warnings for Lebanon, advising their nationals to avoid parts of the country due to unrest in neighbouring Syria and the kidnapping of a group of Estonians. (more…)

Travel: Washington Monument closed indefinitely

Washington, DC- The National Park Service said Monday that the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely and that the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August had done more damage to it than had been previously disclosed. (more…)

Google Flight Search takes off

Google’s purchase of Cambridge-based ITA Software started paying off yesterday as the search giant rolled out Google Flight Search, which could help it take a bite of the multibillion-dollar online travel market. (more…)

Earthquake-damaged Washington Monument closes indefinitely

Visitors to one of the capital’s most iconic monuments — the Washington Monument — are out of luck: The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that was centered in Virginia on Tuesday and rocked the East Coast from the Carolinas on up to Boston and beyond also caused lasting damage to the world’s tallest obelisk. (more…)

Leave Syria now, 17,000 Filipinos urged

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday urged some 17,000 Filipinos, mostly women working as domestic helpers, to leave Syria due to rising cases of violence, saying it would cover the costs of their evacuation. (more…)