Air France cancels Syria service 'until further notice'

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 Assad's regime. "Because of the situation in Syria, Air France has decided to suspend its flights to Damascus until further notice," a spokesman said, after the airline had already cancelled two flights to Damascus earlier in the week. Air France had maintained its flights schedule to Damascus since protests began in March last year. Over 7,500 people have been killed around the country since then, according to a United Nations estimate. France said last week it was closing its embassy in Syria.