G7 leaders posed on the shore of the Atlantic this evening for a 'family portrait' at the summit in Biarritz but Boris Johnson found himself in a place at the far side of the front row of 19 leaders and spouses.

US President Donald Trump reached out to several world leaders, including those from Germany and Saudi Arabia, to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the global economy on Friday, the White House said. Trump and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia discussed the latest positive developments in defeating the coronavirus pandemic and re-energising global economies, the White House said in a readout of the call. The two leaders agreed on the importance of stability in global energy markets and reaffirmed the strong United States-Saudi defence partnership, it said. Trump and King Salman also discussed other critical regional and bilateral issues and their cooperation as leaders of the G7 and G20, respectively, the readout of the call said. In a separate phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the two leaders discussed positive developments in defeating the coronavirus pandemic, research efforts and reopening the American and German economies. "The President ...

As a consensus has emerged that masks, even homemade ones, do help -- though levels of protection vary -- political leaders have had to adjust their messaging.

When asked why the United States were not participating, a senior U.S. administration official refused to give an answer to it.