Another day, another non-apology from a man.

Victoria’s Secret issued a message on behalf of its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Ed Razek, clarifying statements that Razek made in Vogue about why the lingerie brand hasn’t cast trans models in its tentpole fashion shows. 

Razek originally stated that Victoria’s Secret has not and should not cast trans models because they’re not consistent with the “fantasy,” as he called it, presented by the show. Now, Razek says that the company has never cast trans models because they simply didn’t make the cut, not because of their gender. And that Victoria’s Secret would “absolutely cast a transgender model.”

If you’re scratching your head at this circular logic, and wondering whether this statement really contradicts in any way the idea that trans models aren’t part of the “fantasy” that Victoria’s Secret tries to present — well folks, you’re not alone! 

Let’s break it down.

70-year-old white male Ed Razek is one of the people who casts the extravagant objectification-palooza that is the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Featuring models like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner in angel wings and Scottish tartan-adorned underwear, Victoria’s Secret broadcasts the show of tall, thin, near-naked women on ABC in December. A holiday spectacular!

Razek recently gave an interview to Vogue about the show, the brand, and its place in a lingerie market that now includes more inclusive and diverse brands, like Rihanna’s Fenty. In the interview, Razek was clear: Victoria’s Secret is not a brand for everybody, nor should it be. It will continue to promote and cater to a very specific Hadid-esque body type.

“We market to who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world,” Razek said.

To that end, Victoria’s Secret has considered putting plus-size and transgender models in its shows, but ultimately decided against it. That’s because the company needs to stay true to its brand, to the “fantasy” it’s selling – which, to be clear, is “physically fit” women, as Razek described them. And that fantasy does not include plus-size or transgender (transsexual, as Razek calls them) women:

Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.

It’s rare these days to see such a bald-faced embrace of an obvious-if-unpopular truth. Why doesn’t Victoria’s Secret cast trans or plus-size models? Because it’s not the thin-cis-tits-out-fantasy that they’re selling. Duh!

So, naturally, Razek and Victoria’s Secret had to walk back the comments. And to do so, the company issued a… very confusing statement!

My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologize. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We’ve had transgender models come to castings… and like many others, they didn’t make it… But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.

Razek essentially says that he and his crew has not cast trans models because they “didn’t make it” — that is, they weren’t who the people charged with casting were looking for. 

Oh, why is that you ask? Because Razek, who is, as he said, trying to promote the “fantasy” of the brand, says they didn’t make it! The models did not fit Razek’s idea of a Victoria’s Secret model. Ergo, they are not Victoria’s Secret models. Decoupling that truth from their gender is disingenuous and honestly, nonsensical.

Razek’s statement was clear and honest. Victoria’s Secret “absolutely would” cast a trans model if she made the cut. But, the unspoken implication based on the company’s brand and past actions dictates that she would never make the cut, because it’s people like Razek deciding what is sexy, what is part of the fantasy. And as Razek stated previously, that doesn’t include trans women.

Here’s the thing: let’s not allow the opinions of men like Razek nor the business objectives of corporations decide what is sexy. 

It would be a “statement” — perhaps even a victory — if Victoria’s Secret cast a transgender model in its iconic runway show. It would say, yes, you are part of the “fantasy” of what we think is sexy, too. And that could mean a lot to a lot of people.

But perhaps that attitude sustains the power of Victoria’s Secret, when what we really should be doing is continuing to deflate that authority — shrinking its power alongside its fast-falling sales. Courting Victoria Secret’s acceptance of trans models implies that the company can, does, and should have the power to decide what is sexy. Why do we still allow them to have this power?

We know what Victoria’s Secret stands for; people like Razek, and the dozens of near-identical bodies they put on their runways, make that very clear. That runway no longer gets to be an arbiter of what is sexy. 

Who the hell needs Victoria’s Secret’s approval when we’ve got Rihanna?

Oleksandr Usyk v Tony Bellew: Listen to undisputed world cruiserweight title fight – BBC Sport

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Image: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/REX/Shutterstock

French president Emmanuel Macron added another chapter to his ongoing handshake journey with Donald Trump on Saturday.

It all started in May 2017, the first time the two leaders met. In the months leading up to their meeting, Trump had built up a reputation for being kind of a dick about his handshakes. So when he met Macron, the French president came prepared to do battle.

Macron later admitted that the handshake “wasn’t innocent.” As he told a French newspaper a couple days later: “One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either.”

Then, a few months later, things got real awkward when Trump paid a visit to France for the country’s Bastille Day celebrations. When he and First Lady Melania Trump met with President Macron and his wife Brigitte, their handshake went on so long — and weirdly, featured an interlude where Brigitte joined the fray as well — that CNN devoted a short segment to dissecting it.

(Plenty of non-newsworthy stuff draws attention during the Trump era, but this was different. It was a bizarre moment.)

Tensions between the two men simmered down until April 2018, when they met again at the White House and held a joint press conference. This one left handshakes behind entirely, entering into a whole new realm of greetings. There was a bro clutch. An air kiss. A hug.

Then they did it again at the end of the press conference. It’s a rare moment where, instead of just being a narcissistic monster, Trump just came off as amusingly weird. (He’s still a malignant cancer eating away at the democratic heart of the USA, to be clear.)

We’re still not done, folks. Just over a month later, at the 2018 G7 summit, Macron escalated. He gripped Trump’s hand so tightly with his expert-tier handshake that he went and left marks on the U.S. president’s hand. 

Like I said, there’s a history. Now, here we are in November 2018… and Macron is at it again. One might say he crushed it.

He met with Trump on Saturday in an effort to ease tensions around Trump’s criticism of European security. But let’s be real: We’re here for the handshake. And what a moment it was. Macron knows how to play for the camera. He let Trump try to pull away first, pausing for a moment before he let go himself.

The result? This perfect photograph:

Image: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/REX/Shutterstock

A tweet that has since gone viral praises the photo work of Reuters shooter Carlos Barria, who got a more front-and-center look at the scene, as you can see in this Reuters story.

Of course, this is just a frozen moment that looks especially bad out of context. It’s just a tiny snippet of the actual handshake. Macron just timed his release of Trump’s hand well. 

See for yourself (the handshake happens near the end):

Was it intentional? I wouldn’t dare speculate. But it sure is a treat to see Donald Trump experiencing even a moment of discomfort, and in close-up no less. Beyond that: whether or not he did it on purpose, Macron is the clear winner of his latest handshake showdown with Trump.

Sri Lanka‘s President Maithripala Sirisena has been accused of violating the country’s constitution.

In late October, he sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, triggering an intense power struggle.

Now, Sirisena has dissolved parliament and called for snap elections to be held in January.

During all this time, Wickremesinghe has refused to leave the prime minister’s residence.

The president’s opponents are set to challenge his actions at the Supreme Court on Monday.

What effect will this have on Sri Lanka’s stability?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Xiudong Jia – researcher on Asia Pacific affairs and senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies

Rajiva Wijesinha – former Sri Lankan government official

Charu Hogg – associate fellow at the Asia Programme at Chatham House

Source: Al Jazeera News

Wales beat Australia for the first time since 2008 as Dan Biggar’s late penalty settled a low-scoring but nerve-shredding encounter in Cardiff.

Defences reigned supreme in a rugged first half which ended 3-3, with Leigh Halfpenny uncharacteristically missing a simple kick for the hosts.

A gritty second period followed suit, Halfpenny edging Wales in front 6-3.

Matt To’omua drew Australia level with five minutes left but, two minutes later, Biggar struck the decisive blow.

It was a cathartic moment for an emotional Principality Stadium crowd, who had seen Wales beaten in similarly late and dramatic circumstances against the Wallabies on so many occasions in the past.

And there will have been a sense of regret for Australia, who had chances to take the lead early in the second half but, presented with kickable penalties, twice opted for the corner and emerged from both attacks empty-handed.

Wales made them pay. With their replacements coming on to up the ante in the closing stages, they forced their opponents back towards their own line and, with Halfpenny off the field injured, substitute Biggar was a picture of composure as he converted the vital penalty.

Wales finally end losing run

Like the golden-brown hues of falling leaves and the dropping temperatures, Wales losing to Australia had become an autumn tradition over the past decade.

A run of 13 straight defeats stretched back to 2008, many of them due to dramatic late scores and most by painfully narrow margins – of the 13 losses, only two were by 10 points or more.

Wales, however, were quietly confident of stopping the rot.

They had won their six previous matches, whereas the Wallabies had won only three of their 10 Tests in 2018 and slipped to an historic low of seventh in the world rankings, albeit returning to sixth courtesy of Scotland’s loss in Cardiff last week.

But such is Australia’s competitive spirit and their strong record against Wales, one writes them off at their peril.

As ever, the visitors were devilishly competitive at the breakdown, with back-rowers David Pocock and Michael Hooper often slowing Wales’ ball.

And despite the occasional flash of Wallaby flair in the opening exchanges, the home side managed to do the same to their opponents in an attritional first half.

Neither side could puncture the opposing defensive line, with each having to be content with a penalty apiece through Halfpenny and Bernard Foley.

Surprisingly, the usually accurate Halfpenny pushed one penalty wide of the post shortly before the interval, and the full-back put his head in his hands when he then squandered a second kick at goal.

Normal service was resumed after the break, however, with the Scarlets full-back restoring Wales’ lead with 13 minutes left.

Halfpenny was then involved in a moment of controversy, as he was tackled late by Samu Kerevi, who escaped punishment despite appearing to catch the Wales player’s head with his shoulder.

Rather than a Wales penalty, referee Ben O’Keeffe awarded one to Australia for a different infringement and To’omua struck it perfectly from the touchline to bring his side level.

At that moment, the Welsh fans felt a dreaded sense of déjà vu: the old recurring nightmare of late heartache against the Wallabies.

But Wales were determined to exorcise those demons and their reward for a wholehearted and disciplined display was Biggar’s penalty – on the field for a dazed-looking Halfpenny – which prompted deafening roars of celebration and banished a decade of hurt.

Wales’ World Cup audition

This autumn series is something of an audition for Wales’ players, who are looking to secure their squad places with next year’s World Cup in mind.

With a view to improving their strength in depth and rewarding those who impressed on the summer tour of the United States and Argentina, head coach Warren Gatland handed starts to fringe players such as wing Josh Adams and lock Adam Beard at the expense of more seasoned players.

British and Irish Lions backs Liam Williams and Biggar were instead named on the bench, along with lock Cory Hill who had co-captained Wales on that summer tour.

There were few opportunities for Adams to showcase his attacking skills in a tight encounter, while Beard occasionally used his enormous 6ft 8in frame to good use by disrupting Australian line-outs.

But Gatland will have learned that his less experienced charges can stand the heat of Test rugby against a southern hemisphere powerhouse.

The New Zealander will also have been pleased with the impact of his replacements – Williams, Hill, Biggar, Tomos Williams, Rob Evans, Ellis Jenkins and Dillon Lewis – whose impact he had highlighted before the match as a potentially decisive factor considering Wales’ previous late defeats against the Wallabies.

And given that Australia are in the same World Cup pool as Wales, this was a timely moment to end their decade-long hoodoo and land a significant psychological blow against their old foes before they meet again in Japan next year.

Wales: 15-Halfpenny, 14-North, 13-Davies, 12-Parkes, 11-Adams, 10-Anscombe, 9-Davies; 1-Smith, 2-Owens, 3-Francis, 4-Beard, 5-Wyn Jones (captain), 6-Lydiate, 7-Tipuric, 8-Moriarty

Replacements: 16-Dee, 17-Evans, 18-Lewis, 19-Hill, 20-Jenkins, 21-Williams, 22-Biggar, 23-Williams.

Australia: 15-Haylett-Petty, 14-Folau, 13-Kerevi, 12-Beale, 11-Naivalu, 10-Foley, 9-Genia; 1-Sio, 2-Latu, 3-Alaalatoa, 4-Rodda, 5-Coleman, 6-Dempsey, 7-Hooper (captain), 8-Pocock.

Replacements: 16-Polota-Nau, 17-Kepu, 18-Tupou, 19-Simmons, 20-Hanigan, 21-Phipps, 22-To’omua, 23-Maddocks

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) & Brendan Pickerill (New Zealand)

TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Rome, Italy – At least 20,000 people have marched in Rome to express their opposition to Italy’s populist government which, they argued, has been fuelling a “growing climate of hatred” since coming to power five months ago.

The demonstration on Saturday was organised by left-wing, anti-racism and anti-fascist groups, largely orphans of any mainstream political representation.

Roma families recently evicted from camps rallied alongside students, migrants and refugees, as well as human-rights and social-centre activists from across the country.

The march set off to chants of, “We are all illegals!” with a slight delay, as some buses were held up outside the capital for long police checks.

Among the demonstrators was Domenico Lucano, the mayor of Riace, who was recently put under house arrest and later banished from the southern town on charges of facilitating undocumented migration.

Organisers said the demonstration is the result of an attempt by civil society groups to create a united opposition front at a time when racist incidents are reported with increasing frequency alongside episodes of institutional discrimination – such as the denial of school meals to children born of foreign parents.

“I’m here against the climate of intolerance and complete social and cultural poverty that this country is going through, but also this city,” said Massimo Guidotti, who runs an “intercultural” nursery school in Rome currently at risk of closure.

“We continue working based on equality as a universal right, but we risk becoming [increasingly isolated] if people don’t wake up,” Guidotti added. 

‘Salvini decree’ opposed

Three months after an inconclusive election on March 4, an agreement between the traditionally anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League party resulted in the formation of Italy’s new government. Since then, polls have shown the first losing in popularity, while the latter has nearly doubled its consensus to become the country’s top party.

Much of the League party’s popularity can be attributed to its leader and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s anti-migrant stance, which included preventing NGO-run refugee rescue boats from docking at Italian ports.

While the number of arrivals had already dropped as a consequence of the previous government’s deal with Libya, such actions had an effect on public opinion. They also led to a higher mortality rate and instances of missing people in the central Mediterranean, according to the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI).

This week, the Italian Senate gave the go-ahead to a “security and migration” decree drafted by Salvini, who is also one of the country’s two deputy prime ministers.

The move brought the bill a step closer to being turned into law within 60 days of its entry into force on October 5. It will now be examined by the second branch of the Italian parliament, the chamber of deputies.

Salvini said the new rules will cut the financial costs of migration, while Italy will continue to grant refuge to those who have the right to asylum.

Among the most contested measures is the abolition of humanitarian protection, which Italy used to grant applicants who did not qualify for asylum or subsidiary protection. This type of permit will be replaced by special permissions to remain in Italy based on stricter categories and issued for a shorter time.

“We want the security of a roof over our heads,” said a speaker from a truck at the head of the march, referring to the bill dubbed the “Salvini decree”, as protesters called for its withdrawal. 

‘Climate of hatred terrifies me’

Boubakar Bahaba, 25, came to the march with a group from Caserta, a city near Naples that was the theatre of at least one of a series of “copycat” air gun shootings against migrants over the summer, often dismissed as “pranks” by the authorities and large parts of the public. 

Bahaba, originally from Senegal, has a humanitarian protection permit, which allows him to catch up with his higher education while working as a cultural mediator. He learned Italian through one of the programmes run as part of the migrant reception system.

Under the new rules, none of this would have been available to him.

“We need to go forward, not backwards,” Bahaba said. “How can I renew this permit? This worries me,” he says.

Worries also remain that the new measure will lead to more people finding themselves undocumented and without rights on Italian streets, creating “new forms of irregularity.”

According to ISPI, the number could rise to 60,000 more in the next two years than under the current system

The think tank says that during the government’s first five months in office, more people have seen their application rejected, while fewer have been repatriated compared to the previous government’s average.

“Those who decide to cross the sea, or even walk for kilometres to get to the United States’ border looking for a better life – I can only support that personally,” said 22-year-old student Saba Abbate, who was born in Italy to an Ethiopian father.

“The growing climate of hatred terrifies me; on the bus or at the market, we live it every day.”

World champion Lewis Hamilton beat Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hamilton was 0.093 seconds clear of his former title rival after a tight, tense battle, with their team-mates Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen next.

Vettel, though, faces an investigation after failing to follow stewards’ instructions at the weighbridge.

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bulls were fifth and sixth, but the Australian has a five-place penalty.

Red mist descends again for Vettel

Vettel said his weighbridge incident had happened because he was eager to get back to the pits.

He had done an exploratory lap on used super-soft tyres and wanted to have the soft tyres he wanted to use for qualifying fitted before any rain fell.

Rain was threatening and he wanted to go out again – and being weighed costs time that might have prevented that.

In addition to his other misdemeanours, he also drove at a steward who was standing in his way preventing him going on the scales until they were ready.

Vettel said: “They shouldn’t call us. When the conditions are changing like that, it is unfair. I wanted them to hurry up.”

He refused to discuss it further when asked to elaborate in a news conference, saying: “I don’t want to talk it through. It’s clear what happened. We did qualifying. I think we talk about qualifying.”

Ferrari started the session looking to have an edge over Mercedes, but Hamilton prevailed in a difficult session that was affected by light rain at various points during the hour, even if the track was dry at the key moments.

Vettel had been second quickest to Bottas by just 0.049secs in second qualifying despite using the harder ‘soft’ tyre in search of a strategic advantage in the race.

But when it mattered Hamilton just edged him out for his 10th pole of the season.

Hamilton v Sirotkin

Hamilton had his own incident in qualifying, when he narrowly avoided a crash with Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin at the start of second qualifying.

The drivers were all preparing for their first flying laps and Hamilton suddenly saw the Russian coming up behind him at much higher speed approaching Turn 12.

Hamilton moved left to try to get out of the way but Sirotkin was already going that way and had to take avoiding action.

But there has been no sign yet of a stewards’ investigation and Sirotkin said he had no problem with the incident.

Hamilton said: “Everyone was on an out-lap – me, Sergey and everyone in front of me. And when you are on an out-lap… Valtteri was ahead of me and he was backing off to get his gap so I had to back off.

“I was making sure I had the gap but then all of a sudden I saw a car coming at high speed and I was like: ‘Oh my God. Is that someone coming on a lap?’ So I went left, but he was going left.

“But he wasn’t on a lap, so I don’t know what his thinking was. We all know to keep a gap.”

A parting gift for long-suffering Ericsson

Behind the big three, Swede Marcus Ericsson took a career-best seventh place – which will become sixth on the grid with Ricciardo’s penalty for using too many engine parts – two races before what is likely the end of his F1 career.

Ericsson has been dropped by Sauber for next season and is to race in Indycars in the US, although he will remain the team’s reserve driver.

He beat team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is moving to Ferrari to partner Vettel next season in a swap with Raikkonen, by 0.196secs.

Haas driver Romain Grosjean was ninth, with Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly 10th, benefiting from the latest upgraded Honda engine.

Fernando Alonso’s F1 career continues to fade out with a fizzle, McLaren having the slowest car in Brazil and the Spaniard able to put it only 18th.

With team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne last of all, the only car Alonso could beat was the Williams of Lance Stroll.

“The races have been the same from July so there are no surprises,” said Alonso. “And in Abu Dhabi it will be my last race, we will put in a lot of emotions and a lot of effort and we will be out in Q1 because there are no miracles from one race to another.”

What they said

“That was a tough qualifying session,” Hamilton said. “Ferrari have been incredibly quick this weekend.

“We have done a lot of work to make sure the car is in the best way we could. The last lap wasn’t that great so I didn’t know that I had pole and I was so grateful when I heard I did.

“I lost it in Turn Eight,” said Vettel. “I tried. The first sector was so good.”

As California’s deadly wildfires rage on, none other than billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk has come forth to offer help once again.

Just after midnight (ET) on Saturday morning, Musk took to Twitter (where else?) to offer help from his electric vehicle company Tesla, which is based in the state.

“If Tesla can help people in California wildfire, please let us know,” he tweeted. “Model S & X have hospital grade HEPA filters. Maybe helpful for transporting people.”

He also reportedly sent out an email to Tesla employees giving them permission to assist in any way they could, and for them to “not worry about payment” according to the memo obtained by Electrek. 

“If there’s any way for Tesla to be helpful, please provide assistance and don’t worry about payment,” Musks email reportedly said.

This wouldn’t be the first time Musk has volunteered his or his companies’ services to help a disaster. 

In 2017, on Musk’s orders, Tesla shipped its Powerpack and Powerwall batteries to hospitals ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Then in the summer of 2018, Musk attempted to help with efforts to rescue the Thai soccer team that was trapped in a cave for 17 days.

He controversially insisted on building a kid-sized “submarine” and sending it to Thailand to transport them through the treacherous tunnels. While Musk likely had good intentions, his offer ended up being more interference that would land him in hot water with British cave diver Vern Unsworth, who did help rescue the trapped team, and whom he repeatedly accused of being a pedophile. 

Bizarrely, after initially apologizing to Unsworth, Musk backpedaled and doubled down on the unsubstantiated claim after immaturely goading the cave diver into suing him, which is happening.

The question facing Musk is has he really changed his tune? Can he and Tesla really provide actual aid without interfering with the authorities? Or is this yet another marketing ploy to shout out Tesla veiled as an offer of help? 

After the episode in Thailand over the summer, some think that Musk’s seemingly always-buzzing noggin is just savvily taking advantage of another unfortunate situation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to defuse a dispute with his US counterpart, hailing the “great solidarity” between the two countries after Donald Trump blasted his proposals for a European army.

An official in the French presidency said on Saturday the two leaders held a “very constructive” bilateral meeting in the French capital, which came hours after a scathing tweet by Trump on Macron’s suggestion.

Trump is currently in Paris to participate in events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

The Elysee Palace official told the AFP news agency there had been a “misunderstanding” and that Trump – who called Macron’s comments “very insulting” – told the French leader: “I think we are much closer than it seems.”

Meanwhile, in yet another sign of a growing European Union-US tension, EU chief Donald Tusk accused Trump of being averse to a “strong and united” Europe.

“For the first time in history, we have an American administration that is, to put it mildly, not enthusiastic about a united and strong Europe,” Tusk said in a speech on Saturday in his native, Poland.

Tusk had previously voiced fears that Trump was seeking to tear down the post-World War II order, with the US president once calling the EU a foe in trade.

In an interview published on Saturday by Polish newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, Tusk also said he believed Trump wanted a world with “the United States on one side and on the other, a disparate collection of other countries”.

Trump-Macron defence spat

The tensions between Macron and Trump were triggered earlier this week when the French president referred to Trump’s plans to pull Washington out of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty and said a joint EU force was needed to end Europe’s reliance on US military might.

“We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States,” he told a French radio station, after listing various threats including cyberattacks.

In response, Trump sent out a tweet just as the Air Force One landed in Paris on Friday night.

“President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidises greatly!”

In their meeting on Saturday, Macron attempted to smooth over the divisions, referring to Trump as “my good friend” and tapping him on the thigh.

Defending his call for a European army, the French leader said: “It is unfair to have European security being assured by the US.”

“We want a strong Europe. It’s very important to us to have a strong Europe,” Trump said.

‘Never again’

Macron has repeatedly invoked World War I to hammer home his message that rising nationalism is again destabilising the world.

Later on Saturday, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held hands and rested their heads against one another in a poignant ceremony to mark 100 years of the signing of the Armistice peace agreement in the northern French town of Compiegne.

The visit was intended to symbolise the close existing ties between two European powerhouses that fought three wars between 1870 and 1945.

“Europe has been at peace for 73 years. It is at peace because we want it to be, because Germany and France want peace,” Macron told several youngsters, with Merkel at his side, referring to the peace since the end of World War II in 1945.

“And so the message, if we want to live up to the sacrifice of those soldiers who said ‘Never again!’, is to never yield to our weakest instincts, nor to efforts to divide us.”

Trump has ducked out of a peace conference in Paris on Sunday, which Macron and Merkel intend to use as a platform for promoting multilateralism.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies

New Zealand hung on to win a thriller by a single point after Sam Underhill’s late try was controversially ruled out.

A try from the returning Chris Ashton after two minutes and another for skipper Dylan Hartley off a thundering rolling maul had established a well-deserved 15-0 early lead.

Damian McKenzie’s try and Beauden Barrett’s boot brought it back to 15-10 at half-time, before Barrett’s drop-goal and penalty edged the world champions in front.

England hung in the contest in dreadful conditions, and with five minutes to go celebrated as Underhill profited from a Courtney Lawes charge-down to dive into the corner.

But television replays showed that Lawes had been fractionally offside, and the chance of only a second win over the world champions in 15 years had gone.

It was a wonderful, relentless game, with errors everywhere but the pace unrelenting, and while Eddie Jones’ men were devastated at the end, it was a performance from an injury-hit side to give heart with the World Cup less than a year away.

Ashton splashes as England accelerate away

The two teams had waited four years to meet each other, and as torrential rain fell from the dark skies, England came out at a clattering pace.

Before the All Blacks could touch the ball in anger, England had carried hard into the opposition 22. As the backs massed left off a ruck, Ben Youngs threw a long blindside pass out to Ashton on the right wing for the maverick to sprint and slide into the corner – a dream return on his first start since 2012.

The old stadium was alive and although Farrell’s attempted conversion from the touchline came back off the post, he dropped back into the pocket off another bulldozing foray from his forwards to slot the drop-goal for 8-0.

The dominant nation in world rugby were beset with uncharacteristic errors, over-throwing line-outs, putting kicks long, spilling high balls, and England hit them again as they sat on the ropes.

Elliot Daly stuck a penalty into touch by the corner, and off the line-out the forwards mauled like a runaway tractor, with Jonny May, Henry Slade and Farrell all piling in as the white wedge splintered the black-shirted defence and careered over the line.

Farrell’s conversion made it 15-0, just as it had been in England’s famous victory in 2012. But even with the talismanic Sonny Bill Williams off injured once again, New Zealand came tearing back.

The forwards punched to within a metre of the try-line before centre Jack Goodhue put Damian McKenzie away with a cute inside ball, and Barrett’s conversion was a formality.

It quietened the crowd, and when Farrell put the re-start straight into touch, it left the door ajar again.

Another series of carries forced England to infringe in front of the posts, Barrett knocked over the penalty and it was suddenly a five-point game at the break.

Balance shifts in All Blacks’ favour

The comeback should have been complete within moments of the second half. McKenzie stepped Farrell and found Aaron Smith on his inside, but with the try-line open, the scum-half put the killer pass just behind Ardie Savea and the ball went loose.

Yet England were reeling, and when Barrett slapped over a drop-goal from a penalty advantage there was relief that it was three points rather than seven and the lead had narrowed yet held.

Back they came. Two penalties were kicked to the corner but this time the visiting defence held the rolling maul at bay, and then Kyle Sinckler knocked on as his team threatened a third try.

It was flawed but breathless. With McKenzie sticking a clearing kick straight into touch to gift England an attacking line-out on the Kiwi 22, replacement hooker Jamie George wasted it with a dummy throw.

On the hour, Barrett’s second penalty after the English defence went offside finally put the All Blacks ahead 16-15. The home crowd were now quiet, the fear of what might follow from the world champions latent in the late afternoon air.

Jones sensed the balance of power had shifted and threw on fresh props plus scrum-half Danny Care and Lawes into the back row.

Still the rain came down and still neither could land the killer blow. Farrell’s cross-kick won another attacking line-out, Brodie Retallick nicked the throw and New Zealand went 50m downfield at pace before knocking on.

With Ben Te’o going off, Farrell switched to centre and George Ford to 10, but England were pinned in their own half.

Then, with five minutes to go, they thought they had it won it. Underhill seized the loose ball off Lawes’ charge-down and bolted for the corner, wrong-footing Barrett before diving over the line.

But television match official Marius Jonker correctly ruled that Lawes had been an inch offside, and when May sliced through down the left, that final opening was lost to a knock-on.

‘A brilliant step-up for England’ – analysis

Matt Dawson, former England scrum-half on BBC Radio 5 live:

I think everyone expected New Zealand to be far too drilled, far too fit, far too motivated and to demolish England.

It was nothing of the sort. Yes, New Zealand were poor today and weren’t at their best, and we all know if you’re going to beat them you need that luck on your side.

This is still a brilliant step-up for England, especially seeing how poor they’d been in previous games this year. They went toe-to-toe with the best and I said it at the time – three points is everything. When you’re under the posts, you take the points and it’s those fine margins that we need to get right.

Brian Moore, former England hooker on BBC TV:

“England’s downfall lay in the second half and particularly the line-out.

“You have to give them credit for limiting the All Blacks to a single point, though. They deserve a lot of credit for their efforts in the second half, but their line-out let them down.”

Man of the match – Sam Underhill (England)

Line-ups

England: Daly; Ashton, Slade, Te’o, May; Farrell, Youngs; Moon, Hartley, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Shields, Underhill, Wilson.

Replacements: George, Hepburn, Williams, Ewels, Lawes, Care, Ford, Nowell.

New Zealand: McKenzie; Smith, Goodhue, Williams, Ioane; B Barrett, A Smith; K Tu’inukuafe, Taylor, Franks, Whitelock, Retallick, Squire, Savea, Read.

Replacements: Coles, Tu’ungafasi, Laulala, S Barrett, Todd, Perenara, Mo’unga, Crotty.