U.S. downgrades Oaxaca warning

The U.S. government Wednesday downgraded its travel warning for Mexico's troubled southern state of Oaxaca, saying Americans should use caution in the region instead of avoiding it altogether.

Oaxaca City, the state's popular capital, was beset by six months of unrest that killed at least nine people last year during protests seeking the ouster of state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

The city has largely returned to normal since federal and state police took control in November but Ruiz has refused to resign and opposition groups still launch occasional protests.

The new U.S. advisory also urged Mexico to resolve the fatal shooting of independent journalist Bradley Roland Will, 36, of New York, who was killed in October while filming a clash between protesters and a group of armed men in Oaxaca City.