G-7 countries pledge to phase out Russian oil
Leaders of the Group of 7 nations pledged during a virtual meeting Sunday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ban or phase out Russian oil, aiming to still further erode Russia’s economic standing as it pursues its invasion of Ukraine.
The group did not provide details but said in a statement that the plans would be enforced in a “timely and orderly fashion, and in ways that provide time for the world to secure alternative supplies.”
Oil is a top export for Russia, and Moscow would almost certainly sustain a big economic blow should it be banned, but parts of Europe are heavily dependent on its oil and thus are also vulnerable.
The United States, which imported a relatively small amount of energy resources from Russia, has already banned the import of Russian oil and gas.
Office of anti-abortion organization vandalized
The office of a conservative political organization that lobbies against abortion rights was vandalized and damaged by fire on Sunday morning in Madison, Wis., in what police are investigating as arson.
The fire and vandalism happened at the office of Wisconsin Family Action, CNN affiliate WISC reported. WFA is a political action committee that lobbies against abortion rights and same-sex marriage, according to its website.
Emergency dispatchers received a call from a passerby who saw fire coming from an office building on Sunday morning, Madison Police communications supervisor Keith Johnson told CNN. No injuries were reported.
Fire investigators believe the fire was intentionally set and are investigating the incident as arson, the fire department said.
A Molotov cocktail, which did not ignite, was thrown inside the building, Madison police said. It appears a separate fire was started, police said, and graffiti was also found at the scene.
An image from WISC shows the graffiti written on the wall of the office: “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”
Assad, Khamenei meet in surprise summit
Syria’s President Bashar Assad met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior officials during an unannounced visit to Tehran on Sunday morning, Iranian state TV reported.
Mr. Assad also met with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, before flying back to Damascus, according to state TV. It was his second visit to Iran since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011. Tehran has heavily backed Mr. Assad throughout the conflict.
During the meeting, Mr. Khamenei said both Syria and the Islamic Republic would “continue powerfully” to resist Israel’s efforts to dominate the Middle East and dismissed recent alliances with a number of countries in the region as running counter to public opinion, state TV reported.