Russia pledges to veto UN sanctions resolution on Syria

UNITED NATIONS: Russia is pledging to veto a Western-backed UN resolution that would impose sanctions on 21 Syrian individuals, organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks in the war-ravaged country.
The Security Council has scheduled a vote Tuesday on the resolution initially sponsored by Britain and France and recently joined by the new United States administration of President Donald Trump.
The draft resolution would also ban all countries from supplying Syria’s government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks.
The resolution follows a joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog that determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State extremist group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.