Syrian envoy to the UN: Stop Israeli aggression!

Syria has sent a letter "on behalf" of the current government to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with an appeal to stop Israeli aggression, Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN Qusay al-Dahhak told journalists.

"We call upon the UN and the Security Council to shoulder the responsibility in maintaining international peace and security and to stop, put an end to the Israeli attacks on Syria, to not allow Israel to benefit from the transition that the Syrians are doing now in their country for their occupation agenda," the Syrian diplomat said.

Qusay al-Dahhak also stressed that Syria's mission to the UN is working with the current prime minister and foreign minister of the country, and is expecting a new government.

"Me and my team here, we are continuing our work as a part of the Syrian state institutions, and we are part of the Syrian people," the diplomat said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔟📌 Lavrov congratulates Sputnik on 10th anniversary

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov congratulated the team of Sputnik International News and Radio Agency on the occasion of its tenth anniversary, noting the high quality of publishing journalistic materials.

"I warmly congratulate you on the 10th anniversary of your establishment. Over the past decade, Sputnik has traveled a glorious path and established itself as a serious domestic media outlet broadcasting to foreign audiences," he wrote in his congratulatory telegram.

Lavrov's telegram was read by Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a reception dedicated to the occasion.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russian ambassador to the UN: Which part of Golan is integral for Israel?

Russia is recording conflicting messages from Israel regarding the status of the Golan Heights, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said.

"Israeli ambassador sent a letter saying that these are temporary decisions, given the vacuum, which occurred there. And then Netanyahu said about the Golan Heights as an integral part of Israel. But now we don't know what part of Golan Heights he considers to be an integral part of Israel, with them violating the buffer zone," Nebenzia told reporters.

He also said the UN Security Council was "more or less" united on the need to preserve Syria's territorial integrity.

"We were talking about the need to work out a document by the Council, not today. I mean, nobody was ready for that today, but I think in the coming days, very hopefully sooner rather than later, we will see one," Nebenzia told reporters.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🤖 Musk shows his robot taking a walk outside

Tesla Optimus uses neural networks to traverse different terrains and control its limbs, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, wrote on his X. What's more, this robot doesn't even use visual sensors!

"Optimus was doing this while 'blindfolded'. We haven’t yet made vision part of the control loop for uneven terrain," he added.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Notre Dame's roof could poison Parisians... AGAIN

The cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris has reopened after renovation, but its roof is once again made of more than 400 tons of carcinogenic lead, Benoit Martin, secretary general of the Paris branch of the General Confederation of Labor, told Sputnik.

"It's an irresponsible decision, lead is very dangerous. The Supreme Council of Health opposed the use of lead to cover the roof of Notre Dame, but despite this, the cathedral was rebuilt in the same way, while alternative materials such as zinc were available," he explained.

After the 2019 fire, when the entire coating of 400 tons of lead burned out, parents' associations initiated medical tests that showed elevated blood lead levels in children living near the cathedral.

"Even in non-fire conditions, lead crumbles. After it rains, it gets into the soil and into the water - into the Seine and into the gutters. It accumulates in the soil. There are playgrounds near Notre Dame, children play there, they get this soil on their hands, on their shoes, they put their hands in their mouths and lead gets into their bodies," the union warned.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Netanyahu will appear before an Israeli court

Hearings in criminal cases involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin Tuesday at the Tel Aviv District Court.

Netanyahu is being investigated in several criminal cases of corruption, fraud and betrayal of public trust. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

"Eight years I've been waiting to expose the method, a cruel witch hunt. There was no crime, so they looked for a crime. They didn't find a crime, so they concocted a crime," he said during a press conference.

The three cases were indicted back in 2019, and a number of Israeli politicians tried to delay the hearings due to Israel's fighting on several fronts, but the court rejected the requests.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🏃 FBI Director wants to resign before Trump gets to him - reports

Christopher Wray plans to resign on or before Inauguration Day because he doesn't want to be fired by President-elect Donald Trump, the Washington Times reported, citing sources inside the bureau.

📹 Previously, Donald Trump said he was "very unhappy with the things [Christopher Wray] has done."

"I have a lot of respect for the FBI, but the FBI's respect has gone way down over the last number of years," Trump added.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russia controls all Dnepr islands, any violation will be suppressed - governor

Ukrainian troops continue unsuccessful attempts to force the Dnepr River by boats, trying to gain a foothold, but these attempts are doomed to failure, the governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, has said.

The goal of the enemy, according to Saldo, is to show its activity in the media and "report" to the West.

"The goal is quite clear - just to put up a flag, make some video footage there and then get on the same speedboats and go back," Saldo explained.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The bodies of the POWs who died in the crash of an Il-76 that was shot down by Ukraine have been handed over, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told Sputnik.

On January 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft over the Belgorod region, with 65 Ukrainians POWs meant for exchange onboard. All of them, as well as three accompanying Russian officers and six crew members, were killed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Trudeau warns of retaliation as Trump threatens new tariffs on Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would respond if Donald Trump decides to impose new tariffs on Canadian imports.

Canada would "respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways, and we're still looking at the right ways to respond, but our responses to the unfair steel and aluminum tariffs were what ended up lifting those tariffs last time," he said at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

He added that imposing "25% tariffs on everything going to the United States would be devastating for the Canadian economy."

In late November, Trump said he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico and Canada after taking office, citing the unresolved issue of illegal immigration and the influx of drug trafficking into the United States.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Israel advances deeper into Syria now just 20 km away from Damascus - reports

Israel has expanded its occupation of Syrian territory, gaining control over the majority of the Golan region, including nine towns in the southern countryside of Damascus, Al Mayadeen reported.

Israeli forces are now positioned just 20 kilometers away from the Syrian capital, according to the outlet.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

People missing in Kursk region found, Russia cooperating with Red Cross – Russian human rights commissioner

"We are worried about the residents of Kursk who are left without electricity and heating. We are doing everything we can to bring them back," Tatyana Moskalkova, Russian Human Rights Commissioner, told Sputnik.

"We managed to find a number of people. We know their names, we know the addresses of their relatives. We are now working together with the Red Cross Committee, both International and Russian, with our military, and with the Ukrainian side," she explained.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇸🇾 ❗️Turmoil rocks Syria: Stay updated as developments unfold

▪️ Israel has seized all of the Golan region and nine towns just 20 km away from Damascus, said Al Mayadeen.

▪️The armed opposition in Syria has tasked politician Mohammed al-Bashir with the responsibility of forming a transitional government, Arab media cited sources as saying.

▪️The UN Security Council is united in the need to “preserve the territorial integrity of Syria," Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said. He noted the conflicting messages from Israel on the status of the Golan Heights.

▪️PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the Golan will remain part of his country “for eternity.”

▪️Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called the incursion “limited and temporary measures.”

▪️The IDF stated that it had struck "dozens" of targets to "neutralize" advanced weapons, including anti-aircraft systems, in Syria.

▪️Syrian Permanent Representative to the UN Koussay Aldahhak said that his mission has called on the UN secretary-general and the Security Council “to put an end to the Israeli attacks on Syria.”

On US involvement:

◾️US Central Command and its regional allies will “continue to carry out operations to degrade ISIS* capabilities,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, with over 75 targets struck over the weekend.

◾️The US was working to prevent the use of Syria’s alleged chemical weapons “against civilians or against US forces or partners in the region.”

*ISIS is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other countries

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Syrian crisis: keeping you updated

What's behind Israel's land grab in Golan?

Hungary’s Orban visits Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump & Musk

US is ready to equip and train 18-year-old Ukrainian recruits

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect arrested in Altoona, PA

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt