General news

• Johnson tells Trump: Lower your trade barriers to seal UK deal

  24-08-2019 23:42
  Prime Minister Boris Johnson used a pre-G7 summit phone call to U.S. President Donald Trump to demand he lower trade barriers and open up parts of the U.S. economy to British firms, citing a wide range of markets from cars to cauliflowers.The two spoke on Friday ahead of the meeting of world leaders in the French resort of Biarritz, where they are expected to talk up the prospect of a bilateral trade deal once Britain leaves the European Union.Johnson listed what he said were restrictions or tar
  
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• PM plays down expectations of speedy US trade deal ahead of Trump talks

  24-08-2019 23:30
  Boris Johnson and Donald Trump will meet at the G7 summit in Biarritz
  
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• Johnson warns against using trade deals to highlight Amazon concerns

  24-08-2019 23:30
  Irish premier Leo Varadkar has also said he would not back the EU-Mercosur agreement if Brazil did not honour its environmental commitments.
  
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• From pork pies to shower trays – US trade rules Boris Johnson wants changed

  24-08-2019 23:30
  The Prime Minister has set out a series of areas where he wants UK firms to be able to trade in the US in any future deal.
  
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• Murder victim begged for wife after London knife attack, witness says

  24-08-2019 23:28
  The man, in his 60s, was stabbed after leaving a pub in Southall, north west London.
  
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• Marcus Rashford racially abused: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says perpetrators 'hiding behind' profiles

  24-08-2019 23:27 via bbc.co.uk
  People who post racist abuse on social media "hide behind fake identities", says Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
  
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• PM Johnson seeks legal advice on five-week parliament closure - The Observer

  24-08-2019 22:59
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked his attorney general whether parliament can be shut down for five weeks from Sept. 9 in what appears to be an attempt to stop lawmakers forcing a further extension to Brexit, The Observer reported.An email from senior government advisers to an adviser in Johnson's office written in the last ten days says the prime minister recently requested guidance on the legality of such a move, the newspaper said.The legal guidance given in the email is that shu
  
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• BA sorry for sending flight cancellation email to wrong passengers

  24-08-2019 22:58
  ‘Error’ meant some customers were incorrectly told their flights were cancelled after strike announcementBritish Airways has apologised after an “email error” meant some passengers were wrongly told their flights were cancelled following the announcement that pilots would strike for three days next month.Weddings, honeymoons and holidays of a lifetime have been thrown into doubt by the walkouts, which will see a number of flights cancelled on 9, 10 and 27 September. Conti
  
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• ‘Easier’ exams offered by private schools smooth pupils’ entry to top universities

  24-08-2019 22:35
  Russell Group members admit they treat less-rigorous IGCSEs the same as new, harder GCSEsTop universities are giving privately educated children an unfair advantage by not differentiating between the rigorous GCSEs compulsory in the state system and less demanding exams taken in many fee-paying schools, MPs and educationists have said.Just days after GCSE results day last Thursday, Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by Labour MP Lucy Powell show that almost all Russell Group universities trea
  
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• David Luiz shirt-pull was ‘not enough’ for a penalty, says Unai Emery

  24-08-2019 22:30
  • Liverpool’s spot-kick was ‘very soft,’ says Arsenal coach
  • Jürgen Klopp lauds ‘incredible’ display from Mohamed SalahUnai Emery put his credibility on the line by defending David Luiz’s mistake in giving away a penalty during Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat at Anfield, admitting the defender’s shirt-pull on Mohamed Salah was the pivotal incident but arguing the referee had been harsh in pointing to the spot.This seemed a bizarre stance to ad
  
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• No-deal Brexit: quarter of UK voters now stockpiling or delaying big purchases

  24-08-2019 22:28
  A third of people who have started stockpiling have stocked up on toilet paper. Photograph: Tim Ridley/Getty Images/Dorling KindersleyA quarter of UK voters have started taking precautions against the adverse consequences of a no-deal Brexit, including stockpiling food, toiletries and medicines, according to a new Opinium/Observer poll.While 75% of those questioned said they had taken no special action, the remaining 25% said they had taken one or more of a series of measures listed by Opinium,
  
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• Anthony Yarde brave but beaten in WBO title fight against Sergey Kovalev

  24-08-2019 22:23
  • Londoner knocked out in 11th round of light-heavyweight bout
  • Step up in class proves too much for previously unbeaten fighterBritain’s Anthony Yarde produced a brave fight against Sergey Kovalev before being knocked out in the 11th round of their WBO light-heavyweight title fight in Chelyabinsk.The previously unbeaten Yarde had come into the contest as a big underdog against the veteran Russian, who had scored 28 stoppage wins in his 37 fights. Continue reading...
  
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• Boris Johnson seeks legal advice on five-week parliament closure ahead of Brexit

  24-08-2019 22:02
  Secret plan to block any delay in leaving EU is likely to anger European leaders at G7 summitBoris Johnson has asked the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, whether parliament can be shut down for five weeks from 9 September in what appears to be a concerted plan to stop MPs forcing a further extension to Brexit, according to leaked government correspondence.An email from senior government advisers to an adviser in No 10 – written within the last 10 days and seen by the Observer – makes
  
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• Infiltrator exposes Generation Identity UK’s march towards extreme far right

  24-08-2019 21:59
  Encrypted messages show the racist group was expelled from wider European alt-right for its embrace of dangerous ideologiesFar-right activist posted to serve on Trident submarineIn a beer garden in central London last Tuesday the atmosphere was relaxed. But not for Mike. Every few minutes he would turn to scrutinise the people around him. When you have infiltrated a group like the far-right Generation Identity UK, paranoia comes easily.Anti-racist groups have been trying to infiltrate the Identi
  
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• Far-right activist posted to serve on Trident submarine

  24-08-2019 21:59
  Member of Identitarian Movement ‘due to start work on Navy’s nuclear Trident sub’Infiltrator exposes Generation Identity UK’s march towards extreme rightTwo members of the Royal Navy, including one who is due to start work on a Trident nuclear submarine, are members of a far-right group with links to a banned terrorist organisation, the Observer can reveal.An undercover informant, who infiltrated the UK branch of the pan-European Identitarian Movement and had access to th
  
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• British Airways sorry for email error announcing wrong flight cancellations

  24-08-2019 21:17
  Pilots are on strike on September 9, 10 and 27.
  
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• Trump’s bid to buy Greenland shows that the ‘scramble for the Arctic’ is truly upon us

  24-08-2019 21:00
  World powers are racing to exploit the vast untapped resources of the Arctic as global heating opens up a new frontierDonald Trump’s cack-handed attempt to buy Greenland, and the shirty response of Denmark’s prime minister, provoked amusement last week. But it was mostly nervous laughter. The US intervention shone a cold light on a rapidly developing yet neglected crisis at the top of the world – the pillage of the Arctic.Like the late 19th-century “scramble for Africa&rd
  
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• Bolsonaro enjoys comedy club outing as Amazon fires rage on

  24-08-2019 20:26
  President watches rightwing comic as pre-recorded speech to nation on fighting fires airs While the Amazon burned and Brazilians demonstrated their outrage, Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro went to a comedy club.As the president’s pre-recorded speech to the nation explaining how he planned to use the army to fight the fires – while simultaneously insisting that the rate of burning of the forest was nothing out of the ordinary – was broadcast on television on Fr
  
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• Britain sends another warship to boost presence in the Gulf

  24-08-2019 20:20
  Britain is sending another warship to the Gulf to defend freedom of navigation, the defence minister said on Saturday, after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the region.Tensions have risen between Iran and Britain after Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker last month.
  
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• Manu Tuilagi makes up for lost time to take centre stage against Ireland | Gerard Meagher

  24-08-2019 20:00
  The Leicester man turns on the power at Twickenham with an outstanding display in the No 13 shirtIt may seem strange to single out one player after such an imperious England performance across the board but Manu Tuilagi is someone worth making an exception for. There have been countless days over the past five years when a performance such as this seemed beyond the realms of possibility. Just this week he laid bare the extent of his injury struggles and how hiding one of them cost him more than
  
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• Boris Johnson prepares for Biarritz balancing act with Donald Trump

  24-08-2019 20:00
  Boris Johnson arrives in Biarritz for the G7 summit on Saturday. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/ReutersBoris Johnson will sit down for breakfast on Sunday morning with a man he once famously described as “betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of president of the United States”.Not too long after Johnson made that remark, Donald Trump went on to win that office. And this weekend Johnson – having defied similar assessments of his own f
  
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• New Zealand teen with measles may have exposed Disneyland visitors

  24-08-2019 19:42
  Alert comes amid worst measles outbreak in the US in a quarter of a century, with more than 1,200 cases reported since October 2018A teenage girl from New Zealand sick with measles visited Disneyland and other popular tourist stops across southern California earlier this month, possibly infecting others, local government health officials warned.The alert comes amid the worst outbreak of measles in the US in a quarter of a century, with more than 1,200 cases reported across 30 states since Octobe
  
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• Police chiefs to hold emergency summit on protecting officers

  24-08-2019 19:36
  Flowers left for PC Andrew Harper, who was killed while investigating a reported burglary. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex/ShutterstockPolice chiefs are to hold an emergency summit on protecting officers after a spate of violent attacks on officers. The summit will explore what can be done to protect officers following the death of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in the line of duty on 15 August.The chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Martin Hewitt, called for a meeting i
  
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• Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams put 15-year feud on line at US Open

  24-08-2019 19:15
  The nervous energy and sense of expectation around first-round showdown will light a flame under the championshipsIf Serena Williams really did say of Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon locker room in tearful defeat 15 years ago, “I will never lose to that little bitch again”, she was wrong but she set in train the most impassioned and complex rivalry in tennis.When it reaches its latest and probably final peak – in the first round of the US Open on Monday night – the 22nd
  
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• Duke of Sussex joins rugby league fans for Wembley cup final

  24-08-2019 19:04
  There was no sign of the Duchess of Sussex or their baby, Archie, at the game.
  
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• British father dies after fight over noise in Thai hotel

  24-08-2019 18:51
  Amitpal Singh Bajaj with his wife Bandhna Kaur Bajaj.Photograph: Sikh Press Association/PATributes have been paid to a British father who is said to have died protecting his family at a hotel in Thailand after a fellow guest reacted angrily to a noise complaint, barged into their room and attacked him.Amitpal Singh Bajaj, from Southall in west London, was reportedly beaten up by a man staying in the room next door at the five-star Centara Grand hotel on Karon Beach in Phuket, according to his wi
  
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• Hong Kong riot police beat protesters at anti-surveillance rally

  24-08-2019 18:41
  Teargas thrown at masked demonstrators angry over lamp posts equipped with CCTV Hong Kong riot police have fired rounds of teargas, rubber bullets, pepper balls and sponge rounds, and beaten people, as protesters led them on a game of cat-and-mouse across the city. The actions took place after a peaceful afternoon march into a confrontation and split into several impromptu marches in different locations.Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in an anti-government rally in the Kwun Tong dis
  
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• Not the Messiah: Trump insists 'chosen one' China trade war remark was a joke

  24-08-2019 18:23
  President made initial claim about policies towards BeijingMany observers questioned president’s mental stateDonald Trump has twice insisted he was just joking when he claimed to be “the chosen one” to take on China over trade. Related: 'I hereby order': Trump mocked for highly formal, meaningless decreeContinue reading...
  
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• ‘Dummy wasn’t a chillout album. Portishead had more in common with Nirvana’

  24-08-2019 18:00
  On the 25th anniversary of their classic debut, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley reflect on how the album came togetherTwenty-five years ago, during the summer of Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, a darker, stranger record was released that would soon become huge. Its title and mood was inspired by a 1970s TV drama of the same name, about a young deaf woman in Yorkshire who becomes a prostitute. The lyrics spoke of emotional extremes, sung in an extraordinary, rural-tinged,
  
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• Behind the scenes of Karl Lagerfeld’s last show for Chanel – in pictures

  24-08-2019 18:00
  After meeting Karl Lagerfeld several times, artist Jean-Philippe Delhomme was invited behind the scenes of the spring/summer 2019 show for Chanel: The Making of a Collection (3 September, Abrams). With illustrations that chart the process from concept to runway, Delhomme set out to ‘paint the unknown worker of a button factory with as much attention as the models and public figures’.Continue reading...
  
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• UK weather: Wales basks in highest ever bank holiday temperature

  24-08-2019 17:57
  The sun shines on Pride Cymru 2019 in Cardiff, Wales. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesThe UK basked in late summer sunshine as temperatures rose above 30C (86F) and reached a record-breaking bank holiday high in Wales. Temperatures soared to 27.4C in Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth, surpassing the bank holiday record set in 2013 in Velindre, Powys.The Met Office expects the UK bank holiday temperature record to be broken this weekend. On Monday, it is predicted to reach 33C, beating the prev
  
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• Johnson’s first summit as PM sees clash with Tusk over Brexit blame

  24-08-2019 17:51
  Mr Johnson said he expected talks on his alternative to the backstop 'in the coming weeks'
  
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• Trump plans to open US consulate in Greenland despite row over offer to buy

  24-08-2019 17:30
  State details plan to Senate foreign relations committee President cancelled Denmark visit over notion of purchaseThe Trump administration is planning to open a US consulate in Greenland for the first time in decades, amid increased strategic and economic interest in the Danish territory.Related: Sorry, Mr Trump – Greenland’s no go. But can I interest you in our little island? | Jack BernhardtContinue reading...
  
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• Girl, 17, dies of suspected drug overdose at Leeds festival

  24-08-2019 17:23
  Teenage boy arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugsA 17-year-old girl from Oldham has died of a suspected drugs overdose at Leeds festival, after police said potentially lethal-strength ecstasy pills were being sold on site. West Yorkshire police said a 17-year-old boy, also from Oldham, had been detained on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs. Officers were called to the Bramham Park site after a report that the girl had died shortly after 3.40am on Saturday. Continue reading...
  
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• UK sizzles with even hotter temperatures to come over bank holiday weekend

  24-08-2019 17:20
  Many people made the most of the hot weather and time off.
  
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• In Pictures: World leaders and protesters gather in France as G7 summit begins

  24-08-2019 17:12
  French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the summit beginning later on Saturday.
  
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• My concrete jungle home in London | Eva Wiseman

  24-08-2019 16:59
  A rundown old school has become a grand home to plants, birds, two dogs – and one artistWhen photographer Steph Wilson first stepped into the south London school that was to become her home, it was a sometime squat, dark and rundown, the walls black with mould. She shudders at the memory. Three years later she has turned it into a grand church to plantlife, an urban conservatory that appears illuminated by stage lights.Last year, sales of succulents rose by 34% as young people leaned into
  
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• Prince Andrew denies seeing any suspicious Epstein behaviour

  24-08-2019 16:32
  Duke of York statement distances himself from sex offender
  Opinion: Andrew is ‘appalled’ by Epstein. Let that be an end to itPrince Andrew has commented on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, saying he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to [the] arrest and conviction” of the deceased financier. Related: 'Boorish and self-centred': little love for Prince Andrew over Epstein linksContinue reading...
  
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• Athletes have poor teeth despite brushing twice a day, study finds

  24-08-2019 16:30
  Researchers found athletes regularly drink energy drinks, and use gels, all of which can damage teethBritish Olympic and professional athletes could be damaging their teeth by regular using sports drinks, energy bars and gels, according to a study.Researchers from University College London surveyed 352 female and male athletes across 11 sports, including cycling, swimming, rugby, football, rowing, hockey, sailing and athletics. The study concluded that elite athletes had poor oral health despite
  
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• Ex-call centre worker wins top Edinburgh comedy award

  24-08-2019 16:21
  Jordan Brookes wins prize for best show while Catherine Cohen crowned best newcomer
  A former NHS call centre worker has won the best show prize at the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Awards.Jordan Brookes’ experimental, convention-busting show I’ve Got Nothing claimed the £10,000 prize on Saturday in what was the most ethnically diverse and gender-balanced line-up since the awards began 38 years ago. Continue reading...
  
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• Duke of York insists he never suspected paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

  24-08-2019 16:11
  Andrew also expressed 'tremendous sympathy for victims of the banker.
  
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• Scarecrows take over Northumberland village

  24-08-2019 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  A whisky-drinking businessman is also among about 50 created for the 20th annual scarecrow festival.
  
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• In Pictures: Hordes of Vikings descend on Yorkshire town

  24-08-2019 16:05
  About 200 Viking re-enactors have 'conquered' the seaside town of Whitby.
  
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• Nasa astronaut 'accessed ex-partner's bank account from space station'

  24-08-2019 16:04
  Case appears to be first allegation of a crime committed in low Earth orbitNasa is investigating a claim that an astronaut accessed the bank account of her estranged partner while she was living on the International Space Station (ISS).The case appears to be the first allegation of a crime committed in low Earth orbit, according to the New York Times. Continue reading...
  
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• Three million caught in crossfire as Assad vows to capture every inch of Syria

  24-08-2019 16:00
  Offensive in Idlib threatens entire region as Turkey fears a new influx of refugees
  One family’s endless horror in SyriaSyrian government forces have made fresh military advances towards President Bashar al-Assad’s goal of reclaiming “every inch” of the country in an offensive that has intensified fears of a humanitarian disaster in the northern Idlib province.Opposition fighters withdrew last week from the key town of Khan Sheikhoun, another strategic concession to Assad
  
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• The science of addiction: a personal struggle to kick cocaine gives a neuroscientist unique insights

  24-08-2019 16:00
  Having survived a decade of drink and drugs as a young woman, Professor Judith Grisel focused all her determination on writing a book about addictionWhen Professor Judith Grisel sat down to write her book Never Enough (a guide to the neuroscience of addiction that has been her life’s work), she didn’t expect to share so much of her own story. Nevertheless the resulting chapters are a collision of the personal and professional, detailing the deep links between her work life and the de
  
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• Prince Andrew denies seeing any sex crimes during time with Epstein

  24-08-2019 15:55
  Britain’s Prince Andrew said on Saturday he never saw or suspected any sex crimes during the time he spent with U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein.Andrew has faced weeks of scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein, who committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell earlier this month while being held on sex-trafficking charges.Andrew, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth, issued a lengthy statement saying he wanted to "clarify the facts" around his relationship with Epstein.
  
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• Boris Johnson calls for removal of US-China trade tariffs

  24-08-2019 15:54
  Boris Johnson arrives in Biarritz, France, for the G7 summit. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PABoris Johnson has waded into the escalating trade row between the US and China, saying he wants to see tariffs removed.Speaking to reporters en route to the G7 summit in Biarritz, the British prime minister said he was “very, very concerned,” about the tit-for-tat conflict between the US and China. The two countries have imposed tariffs on a swath of each other’s imports, as the White Ho
  
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• Boris Johnson Returns Fire At Donald Tusk Over 'Mr No-Deal Brexit' Comment

  24-08-2019 15:42
  Speaking to reporters on the plane to Biarritz, the PM said: "I have made itabsolutely clear I don't want a no-deal Brexit
  
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• Tusk and Johnson clash over who will be to blame in case of no-deal Brexit

  24-08-2019 15:23
  The pair are due to hold face-to-face talks at the G7 summit in Biarritz on Sunday.
  
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