Image source, Reuters

Oxfam activists wearing papier mache heads depicting the G7 world leaders are taking part in a climate protest at Swanpool Beach near Falmouth.

The campaigners are calling for the world leaders, currently in Cornwall, to commit to cutting emissions and to provide more financial help to vulnerable countries trying to respond to the impacts of climate change.

The papier mache heads have also been spotted with a giant bottle, symbolising bottles washing up on to beaches.

Swanpool Beach is situated about 20 minutes' walk from the international media centre in Falmouth.

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for "compromise on all sides" over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

As mentioned earlier, the PM held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel this morning, on the second day of the G7 summit.

"He made clear his desire for pragmatism and compromise on all sides, but underlined that protecting the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement in all its dimensions was paramount," says a Downing Street spokesman.

The spokesman says the PM "made it clear that the UK is committed to finding practical solutions" that protect the agreement and "minimise the impact on the day-to-day lives of people in Northern Ireland".

The spokesman also said EU leaders have agreed to carry on talking to find a resolution.

"In all cases they agreed that they needed to continue discussions on this and to continuing talking to try to find a way through."

Image source, PA Media

Lord Peter Ricketts, former UK ambassador to France, believes the G7 summit is about "evolving a way of both competing with China, where we need to, but also co-operating where we have to, in the common good".

"That's a very difficult balance to find," he tells BBC News.

"You can't have a pandemic warning radar system to spot future pandemics without China involved; you can't expect to meet the carbon reduction targets without China involved."

He adds the summit in Cornwall provides a "relaxed" atmosphere for PM Boris Johnson to talk to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Brexit issues "very privately - to try to set a tone where decisions might become possible, to avoid a real row".

Lord Ricketts says the British government will not be able to build a strong, bilateral relationship with France and Germany "while having a combative and difficult relationship with the EU".

Here's a snapshot of another bilateral meeting that has taken place this morning during the G7 in Cornwall - between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Yosihide Suga.

Image source, Reuters

As the second day of the G7 summit gets under way, people are taking to the water to protest.

Environmental campaigners on paddleboards, surfboards and kayaks have paddled out to sea at Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth.

Surfers Against Sewage, which has organised the protest, is calling for world leaders to recognise they are facing an ocean and climate emergency and that drastic action needs to happen now.

Image source, Reuters

Organisers say all attendees have been asked to follow social distancing rules and must wear face coverings while on the beach.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

The G7 summit appears to be only heightening tensions between the EU and the UK over the post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland.

We heard earlier from the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who we understand said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should respect the deal signed with the EU.

Now we're hearing similar words from Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, which is the EU executive.

In a tweet, external, Von der Leyen says "both sides must implement what we agreed on" and that "there is complete EU unity on this".

"We want the best possible relations with the UK," she adds.

She also says the Good Friday Agreement, or the Northern Ireland peace deal, and the peace on the island of Ireland are paramount.

You can read more here.

Image source, EPA

As we mentioned earlier, the global distribution of Covid vaccines was high on the summit agenda yesterday - with the G7 nations set to agree to provide a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine in an effort to "vaccinate the world" by the end of 2022.

And the pandemic remains a key talking point on Saturday, as the seven leaders commit to pooling resources to ensure the devastation caused by Covid-19 is never repeated.

G7 countries have been criticised for "gobbling up" vaccines, having so far purchased more than a third of the world's vaccine supply - despite making up only 13% of the global population.

Unicef has urged leaders of the G7 to speed up the donation of vaccines.

But how will those vaccines be distributed around the world, what have countries received so far and who is being prioritised in the rollout?

Read our explainer on vaccines, national pledges and the crucial role of Covax.

Image source, Reuters

US President Joe Biden is to urge Western countries to counter China's growing influence at the second day of the G7 summit, an aide has told the BBC.

President Biden is expected to call for a new alliance to rival Beijing's spending on infrastructure in developing countries.

The US and its allies accuse China of forced labour and other human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

Earlier this year, the US, the European Union, the UK and Canada introduced co-ordinated sanctions on China.

The sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, targeted senior officials in Xinjiang who have been accused of serious human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims.

More than a million Uyghurs and other minorities are estimated to have been detained in camps in the north-western province.

The Chinese government has been accused of carrying out forced sterilisations on Uyghur women and separating children from their families.

One minute is not a lot of time to explain what the G7 is about.

Yet the BBC's Jon Kay has given it his best shot.

With the clock ticking, he talks us through what we can expect from this year's meeting at picturesque Carbis Bay in Cornwall.

President Biden has expressed concern that a dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol - the Brexit deal that prevents checks along the Irish border - could threaten the peace process.

It's believed he raised the subject during face-to-face talks with Boris Johnson, ahead of this weekend's G7 summit.

Let's take a step back.

• Why is it needed? When the Northern Ireland peace deal was signed in 1998, one of the key issues was the need for an open border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. That was easy to settle because both were part of the EU, but a new arrangement was needed after Brexit
• What is it? The EU requires many goods to be inspected when they arrive from non-EU countries, while some products aren't allowed to enter at all. The EU and the UK had to come up with a new way of ensuring there were no border controls - the Northern Ireland Protocol, which came into force on 1 January 2021
• How does it work? Northern Ireland continues to follow many EU rules, enabling lorries to continue driving across the land border without being inspected. England, Scotland and Wales are no longer following those rules, leading to a new "regulatory" border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• What problems have arisen? The EU said in February some goods were entering Northern Ireland without being properly declared. To make sure supplies were maintained, supermarkets were allowed to avoid having their products checked for three months. In March, the UK decided - by itself - to extend this grace period until October. It subsequently announced further unilateral moves, to make the trade in parcels and plants from GB to Northern Ireland easier.

Our colleagues Tom Edgington and Chris Morris explain more here.

Image source, PA Media

The Red Arrows are due to appear overhead at the G7 summit this weekend.

Devon and Cornwall Police has urged people to stay safe and "watch from home".

Image source, PA Media

The Duchess of Cambridge and First Lady Jill Biden, have written a joint article for CNN on the importance of childhood - following a joint visit to a primary school in Cornwall yesterday.

The two women met for the first time at Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, where they took part in a round-table discussion with experts on the "defining, strategic issue" of early years care.

"If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school," the pair write, in the opinion piece.

"The evidence from the UK and US and internationally is now overwhelming. Multiple studies show , externalthat it is these early years , externalthat really matter , externalfor lifelong outcomes, external. It is time to put this evidence at the heart of how we rebuild with boldness and purpose from the pandemic."

The article claims studying the science of early childhood "could transform the prospects of an entire generation".

Read the full article on CNN., external

Joshua Nevett
Journalist, BBC World Online

Image source, Reuters

Throughout his political career, US President Joe Biden has proudly evoked his Irish ancestry.

It’s an important part of his identity that has shaped his approach to relations with the UK, especially on the issue of the peace process in Northern Ireland.

But this week, the president’s visit to the UK has brought him closer to a lesser-known part of his family heritage.

In Westbourne - a village some 200 miles (320km) east from the G7 summit in Cornwall - an English ancestral link to President Biden has been discovered.

Last year, genealogical researchers confirmed that William Biden, a Westbourne resident who emigrated to the US in the 1800s, was the third great-grandfather of the president.

We spoke to those researchers about the significance of Biden’s English connection and how it was established.

You can read more here.

As part of Boris Johnson's "Global Britain" agenda, the leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and South Africa will also take part in summit events in Cornwall, expanding the G7 to take in other prominent democracies.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tells Radio 4's Today programme that embracing new partners offers "growth opportunities and jobs of the future".

"It's where the tectonic plates have shifted," he says.

"Europe matters - but actually the growth, the focus and therefore the tilt of our foreign policy for trade opportunities - but also dealing with the challenges of the world - is going to be in that region," he says, referring to the Indo-Pacific tilt.

"If we want to have more influence and positive effects in our relations with China, we need to broaden that conversation."

He said "clusters of like-minded countries" need to come together, adding "Global Britain is very well placed to marshal, galvanise and lead in that area."

In March the UK Government pledged to shift its focus towards countries such as India, Japan and Australia, after a year-long review of its foreign policy

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson is holding a number of meetings in the margins of the main G7 summit and already today has held talks with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

We're hearing from an official at the French government that Macron told the prime minister he was ready to initiate a "reset" of Franco-British relations.

France and the UK share common vision and interests on major global issues, the official says, but Macron told Johnson the re-engagement in ties required that the UK respects the Brexit deal signed with the European Union.

Talks between the UK and the EU to resolve a dispute over post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland have so far failed to make a breakthrough.

BBC Radio Cornwall

St Ives is looking stunning today.

More demonstrations are expected here later.

A parade by Extinction Rebellion near the G7 Summit on Friday passed without incident.

Campaigner Catherine said it had a friendlier, less confrontational feel than other protests.

"Because it's a much more open, relaxed, easier environment... when you are in a city there's much more pressure."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, Reuters

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says it will be "a big thing" if the G7 countries successfully agree a plan to vaccinate the whole world by the end of 2022 - Raab describes the summit in Cornwall's Carbis Bay as "a great opportunity".

"There's lots of ambition flying around... which we have to turn into deliverables."

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme there is lots of technical work being done behind the scenes, but says "political muscle is also important".

"It's never done until it's all done," he tells Nick Robinson.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

Image source, Mary Tincombe

The town of St Ives and neighbouring village of Carbis Bay are in full view of the world this week.

The G7 summit is being held in these often tranquil and beautiful coastal communities less than 20 miles (32km) from Land's End in Cornwall.

Preparations have been taking place since the shock announcement in January, and now the reality has arrived.

"It is exciting and impressive, but intimidating," Carbis Bay resident Mary Tincombe, 63, says.

She lives within the so-called ring of steel, a black metal fence which is about 10ft (3m) high and surrounds the village.

"It is very, very real. It feels like another lockdown,” she says.

You can read more here.

While the UK newspaper headlines are focused on predicted delays to lifting lockdown restrictions on 21 June, most carry pictures of leaders attending the G7 summit in Cornwall.

The Times, external reports that EU leaders attending the summit are to threaten Boris Johnson with a "trade war" in the ongoing row about post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

It says they're prepared to impose tariffs on UK exports to the EU, unless the prime minister sticks to the agreement signed in December. Downing Street is quoted saying he will dismiss the "diplomatic offensive".

No 10 has refused to rule out the possibility of the UK taking unilateral action to ensure British chilled meats continue to go to Northern Ireland, says the Daily Express. It says the PM "came out fighting" as the "sausage wars" with the EU escalated.(What is the row all about? Read here.)

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has won the backing of other world leaders at the summit for a "carry-on spending plan", the Financial Times reports, in a rejection of austerity in a post-Covid world.

Biden's call was backed by his G7 counterparts at the gathering, in a moment the paper says has been framed as the West fighting back against an "ascendant" China.

Read more.