UN approves US-backed effort to lift sanctions on Syria’s president

By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted Thursday to lift a series of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and members of his government days before he is set to arrive in the U.S. for a historic visit to the White House. The U.S. resolution to drop U.N. sanctions tied to al-Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, stemming from their ties to the al-Qaida militant group, was adopted with 14 members in support.