Fourteen members of the Syrian police were killed in an "ambush" by forces loyal to the ousted Assad regime in the Tartous countryside, the transitional administration said early on Thursday. Elsewhere, demonstrations and an overnight curfew marked the most widespread unrest since Bashar al-Assad's removal more than two weeks ago.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera to serve as ambassador to Panama.