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Paris FC had a long-term plan … until they panicked about relegation

The club’s vision for a young team of players from the region has been put on hold due to concerns about going down

By Get French Football News

If anyone can empathise with Stéphane Gilli, it is probably Antoine Kombouaré, the man who now replaces him as Paris FC manager. Gilli had felt like a lame duck since the Arnault family took over the club midway through last season, but earning promotion to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking bought him a stay of execution. It didn’t last long. With fears of relegation growing, Kombouaré – a former lame duck turned firefighter – has taken his place.

Just like Gilli, Kombouaré too failed to fulfil the lofty ambitions of new owners; his face didn’t fit. QSI were merciless when they dispatched Kombouaré within just months of their purchase of Paris Saint-Germain in 2011; they were top of the league when he was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. The self-proclaimed “bling bling” era had begun at PSG and, despite its flaws, there was at least a direction – which is more than can be said for Paris FC now.

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© Photograph: Nathan Barange/DPPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Nathan Barange/DPPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Nathan Barange/DPPI/Shutterstock

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Benfica’s Prestianni provisionally suspended by Uefa after Vinícius incident

  • Prestianni to miss second leg against Real Madrid

  • Vinícius alleged he was racially abused by Argentinian

Uefa has provisionally suspended Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Real Madrid after the incident with Vinícius Júnior in last week’s first leg.

Vinícius alleged that Prestianni racially abused him during Madrid’s Champions League playoff win in Lisbon, prompting Uefa to appoint an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. Prestianni will miss this week’s return and Uefa said further punishment could be handed out once its investigation is completed.

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© Photograph: Soccrates Images/Getty Images

© Photograph: Soccrates Images/Getty Images

© Photograph: Soccrates Images/Getty Images

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New details emerge about armed man shot and killed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was killed by Secret Service after entering Trump’s Florida resort with a shotgun on Sunday

The 21-year-old man who was shot and killed after having entered Donald Trump’s Florida resort on Sunday – while carrying a shotgun – came from a North Carolina family of the president’s supporters and had reportedly become increasingly fixated on the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files.

The focus of the FBI’s investigation into the intrusion attributed to Austin Tucker Martin is tightening on the his movements and motives. Martin was confronted by Secret Service agents and a local sheriff’s deputy inside the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago and killed after he had raised a shotgun into the shooting position at about 1.30am on Sunday, law enforcement said.

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© Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

© Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

© Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Neither saint nor sinner, Artemisia Gentileschi’s Mary Magdalene is electrifyingly alive

Soon to go on display at the National Gallery of Art in DC, it took a female artist to portray the biblical figure not as shamed and repentant but in the throes of ecstatic rapture

A woman knocks her head back. Her eyes and mouth are closed but she is awake. With flushed cheeks, red lips and long, golden hair, she glows from a sharply lit flame in a room otherwise cloaked in darkness. Wearing textures ranging from a lace-trimmed chemise blouse – slipping down her right shoulder and exposing her porcelain skin – to a heavy yellow and purple material, she appears to be alone. Unaware of our presence, she exists in a state of sublimity, but also freedom.

The woman we are looking at is Mary Magdalene “in ecstasy”, painted in the early 1620s by Artemisia Gentileschi, the Italian baroque artist famed for her heroic and powerful depictions of mythological and biblical women. Recently acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, it will go on view – free of charge – from 24 February. While it is, monumentally, the institution’s first acquisition by Gentileschi, it is also a picture that shows the saint “neither repentant nor suffering”, as curator Letizia Treves has written. An important distinction because, for centuries, Magdalene’s image has been shaped not just by scripture, but fabulated and conflated by powerful men.

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© Photograph: SJArt/Alamy

© Photograph: SJArt/Alamy

© Photograph: SJArt/Alamy

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My rookie era: I wasn’t immediately good at oil painting, but it taught me to find pleasure in struggle

One week I spent three miserable hours trying to paint a satin ribbon, and went home in a filthy mood

As a five-year-old, I loved fairies, Spice Girls and Vincent van Gogh. It wasn’t the famous ear incident or the existential despair that I found fascinating, but a picture book. For the Love of Vincent, by Brenda V Northeast, told the story of Van Gogh’s life but with one minor change: Vincent was a teddy bear, not a depressed Dutchman. It was this book that lead me to the real Van Gogh and to his art, which was vibrant and alive and made complete sense to a small child who mainly painted with her fingers. I loved Vincent, man and bear; I even went as Vincent Van Bear to Book Week, and confused the hell out of everyone.

I was a happy painter for years, until I reached high school and I started getting marked for it. When art went from something I simply did to something I could be judged for, that made it terrifying. And as I learned more about artists like Vincent (man, not bear), I began to suspect that an artist’s life was for other people, who seemed to experience life a lot more vibrantly than I did, good and bad. Taking solace in the fact that I would never have been exceptional made it easier to just stop.

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© Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

© Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

© Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

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In a world where eating has become solitary and rushed, Ramadan restores something radical: shared time | Muhammad Abdulsater

Fasting while working long hours is physically demanding. But gratitude is less abstract when hunger has been felt

  • Making sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday life

Iftar isn’t just eating, it’s synchronisation. Everyone waits. Everyone eats together. It is a rare moment of collective rhythm.

In a world where eating has become solitary and rushed, Ramadan restores something quietly radical: shared time. Iftar is not simply the moment hunger ends but the moment waiting becomes collective. People pause together, watch the same light fade over the horizon, hear the same call to prayer and reach for food at the same time. There is no personalised schedule, no eating on the run. This age-old ritual insists that nourishment is not only physical but spiritual and social, that being fed is being seen.

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© Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

© Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

© Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

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‘Most of us spoke’: crunch talks fired up Arsenal for derby win, reveals Gyökeres

  • Team meeting led to ‘honest’ exchange, says striker

  • Arsenal now five points clear of City with game in hand

Viktor Gyökeres has revealed that Arsenal’s brutally honest team discussions after the draw at Wolves last Wednesday brought renewed purpose and helped them to Sunday’s restorative win at Tottenham.

Gyökeres produced arguably his best performance for Arsenal in the 4-1 derby victory, threatening from start to finish and scoring two goals. It was the perfect way for Arsenal to respond to the Wolves game, when they surrendered a 2-0 lead for a 2-2 stalemate.

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© Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

© Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

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No evidence behind RFK Jr’s claim keto diet can cure schizophrenia, experts say

Health secretary probably referred to Harvard psychiatrist who says he’s ‘never used the word “cure” in my work’

Psychiatric researchers are pushing back against the claims by the health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, that a doctor at Harvard “cured schizophrenia using keto diets”, while also acknowledging that a carefully supervised ketogenic diet shows promise for a variety of mental health conditions.

Kennedy Jr’s statement probably referred to the Harvard psychiatrist Dr Christopher Palmer, who said he has “never once used the word ‘cure’ in my work. I have never claimed to have cured any mental illness, including schizophrenia,” but added: “I have talked about ketogenic diet being a very powerful treatment, even to the point of inducing remission of symptoms of schizophrenia.”

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© Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

© Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

© Photograph: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

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Tell us about your experience living with PCOS

Many experts and women living with the disease say the name polycystic ovary syndrome is reductive and misleading

More than one in 10 women of reproductive age have a hormonal disorder which can have wide-ranging health effects, including on metabolism, skin, mental health and the reproductive and cardiovascular systems.

Despite these diverse symptoms, the condition is known as polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. It is a name many experts and those living with the disease says is reductive and misleading, prompting a global initiative working to formally rename PCOS to something that more accurately reflects the disease.

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© Photograph: fizkes/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: fizkes/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: fizkes/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Move over stoics! Why we should all embrace nihilism – and discover what really matters in life | Gemma Parker

Nietzsche condemned anyone offering ‘answers’ or ‘solace’ – but engaging with nihilism can teach us to face the discomfort of a potentially meaningless existence

A trick I developed in the late stages of my first pregnancy to forestall inquiries, concern, recommendations and advice about having a baby was to refer to her impending birth as “the apocalypse”.

“I don’t know,” I’d shrug. “We’ll see what things look like after the apocalypse.”

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© Photograph: The Print Collector/Alamy

© Photograph: The Print Collector/Alamy

© Photograph: The Print Collector/Alamy

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Crampons, crashes and creativity: Tom Jenkins’ best photos from the Winter Olympics

Our photographer shares his favourite images from the Games in Italy

I’ve been lucky enough to attend six summer Olympic Games, but I’d never before photographed a Winter Olympics. They’ve always been too far away and the UK has never been a major snowsport country, which has limited their news appeal. This time it was different. With Team GB anticipating a record medal haul and the Games staged in northern Italy, I headed off with nervous excitement, lured by the promise of fast action sports occurring amid beautiful snowy vistas. I covered ski jumping, big air, ice hockey, biathlon, curling and much more. A lot of it was alien to me but it was very enjoyable. There were new rules to learn, new challenges to face – I’ve certainly never had to wear sharp crampons at a football match.

The Games were full of contrasts. From a sporting perspective, the gentle gracefulness that I observed at the figure skating was offset by the full-on brutality of ice hockey brawls, while the delicate precision of curling was juxtaposed by the frantic chaos of short-track speed skating. From a geographical and cultural perspective, Livigno, which is perched high up in the Alps close to Switzerland, seemed like a giant playground for modern snow sports – geared towards those who like to twist and twirl high in the sky – while Cortina, in the Dolomites, was far more old-fashioned and populated by the traditional skiing establishment. Milan, meanwhile, featured a cluster of modernist, edge-of-town arenas, with international fans happily catching the metro to and from the events. But, in my experience, transportation wasn’t always so convenient. The huge amount of travelling between venues – I went to all but one – was exhausting and getting a late night bus over the mountains between Livigno and Bormio in a blizzard felt a bit hairy.

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Robert Mugabe’s son charged with attempted murder over Johannesburg shooting

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, known for lavish lifestyle, also accused of theft and being illegal immigrant after man allegedly shot in back

A son of the late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has been charged with attempted murder after a 23-year-old man was allegedly shot in the back on 19 February in an upmarket area of Johannesburg.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, appeared in court on Monday for a brief hearing alongside co-accused Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze. Mugabe’s lawyer Sinenhlanhla Mnguni declined to comment when asked by reporters whether the two men were related. Mnguni said he would request bail for his clients at the next hearing on 3 March.

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© Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Reuters

© Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Reuters

© Photograph: Oupa Nkosi/Reuters

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Milan lose more ground on Inter as Loftus-Cheek suffers World Cup blow

Defeat to Carlos Cuesta’s Parma leaves Rossoneri 10 points off top spot as England midfielder suffers broken jaw

These were supposed to be the weeks when Milan held the upper hand over their Serie A rivals, granted six days to prepare for a home game against bottom-half opposition while the likes of Inter, Juventus and Atalanta dragged themselves back exhausted from European away trips. Demoralised, too, after losing to Bodø/Glimt, Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund by a combined 10 goals to three.

It was a grim week for Italian football, the sort that provokes another round of sad think-pieces about whether the nation’s teams will ever again be competitive in the continent’s biggest tournament. A discourse which often seems to skim over the fact one of them has gone to the final twice in the past three seasons.

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© Photograph: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

© Photograph: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

© Photograph: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

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‘Tinderbox’ UK may be one shock away from food riots, experts say

Weakened food security could tip into unrest after a cyber-attack, extreme weather or conflict, analysis finds

One shock could spark social unrest and even food riots in the UK, according to dozens of the country’s top food experts, because chronic issues have left the food system a “tinderbox”.

The group first identified a series of issues that are making access to food vulnerable in the UK, including the climate crisis, low incomes, poor farming policy and fragile just-in-time supply chains. These have left the UK dangerously exposed, the researchers said.

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© Photograph: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

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BBC apologises again for Baftas N-word incident as show removed from iPlayer for re-edit

Corporation says it is sorry that racial slur spoken involuntarily during ceremony by John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, was not edited out before broadcast

The BBC has issued a new apology for its handling of the incident at the Bafta film awards which saw the N-word broadcast during BBC One coverage of the ceremony and remain overnight on BBC iPlayer. The BBC has now taken down the show from the iPlayer platform and says it will re-edit it amid a growing backlash.

In a statement the BBC said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta film awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

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© Photograph: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

© Photograph: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

© Photograph: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

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Millions face road travel bans as snow blankets New York and north-east US

Blizzard warnings issued as some areas receive over a foot of snow, creating whiteout conditions

Millions of people in New York City and a large swath of the north-eastern US were stuck at home under road travel bans and blizzard warnings on Monday as heavy snow and strong winds intensified, creating whiteout conditions in the densely populated region.

Snow fell at a rate of 2-3in (5-7.6cm) an hour early on Monday from New York through Massachusetts. Some areas have received well over a foot (30cm) of snow since Sunday, along with wind gusts of over 30mph (48km/h) and low visibility.

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© Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

© Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

© Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

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Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for roast butternut squash, halloumi and avocado tacos | Quick and easy

Switch it up, swap it around and dig in: this rainbow veg weeknight supper is ready in about half an hour

Taco night has become a weekly occasion in our house – something all ages and palates can get on board with. We like to switch up the protein depending on the season and our cravings, but this is our current vegetarian favourite. It’s not traditional by any means, but a wonderful way to get a rainbow of veg into our diets. The cubes of halloumi are joyful when roasted, as are the pops of toasted spiced pumpkin seeds. You could even drizzle them with a little honey for the last couple of minutes of cooking, leaning into a salty-spicy-sweet finish.

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© Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles

© Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles

© Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Kitty Coles

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Killing of Mexican drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ triggers wave of violence

Schools close and flights suspended after military raid kills Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes

Who was El Mencho, the former police officer who co-founded an ultraviolent cartel in Mexico?

Whole areas of western Mexico have been all but shut down after a surge in cartel violence sparked by a military raid that killed one of the world’s most wanted drug traffickers, known as “El Mencho”.

Schools were closed in several Mexican states, and foreign governments warned their citizens to stay inside after the drug lord, whose real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, was declared dead on Sunday.

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© Photograph: Gerardo Santillan/EPA

© Photograph: Gerardo Santillan/EPA

© Photograph: Gerardo Santillan/EPA

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Trump invites US Olympic hockey heroes to State of the Union in locker-room call

  • Trump invites Olympic champions to State of the Union

  • FBI director Kash Patel joins locker-room revelry in Milan

Donald Trump made a congratulatory phone call to the United States men’s hockey team after their dramatic win over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday afternoon, praising what he called an “unbelievable” performance and inviting the players to Washington DC this week.

The US president addressed the team by speakerphone shortly after their 2-1 overtime victory, telling them they had delivered a moment the country would remember for decades.

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© Photograph: David McIntyre/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: David McIntyre/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: David McIntyre/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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Tell us about a favourite break on a European island

From the sun-kissed isles of the Med to the wild beauty of the Outer Hebrides, we’d love to hear about your memorable island escapes – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break

For a true sense of freedom and escape, nothing quite compares with an island getaway. Whether it’s island hopping in Greece, exploring a Scandinavian archipelago by kayak or simply getting on a ferry to the Isle of Wight, we’d love to hear about your favourite European islands.

The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.

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© Photograph: Paul Biris/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Biris/Getty Images

© Photograph: Paul Biris/Getty Images

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Mexico erupts and World Cup security fears rise after a cartel boss’s killing

The fallout from the operation that took out ‘El Mencho’ has already led to the cancellation of football matches. Could the World Cup be affected too?

There is just one road that leads to the Estadio Akron, the stadium home to Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara, which is scheduled to host four group matches at this year’s World Cup. As the tournament approaches, traffic has been the main concern about the stadium.

On Sunday, there was a different issue. A little more than a mile away, near the go-kart track named for Mexican Formula One driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez, a burning bus blocked the road.

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© Photograph: Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

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Activists hang photo of Andrew leaving police custody in the Louvre

Everyone Hates Elon campaigners fix photo of ex-prince slouched in backseat of car after arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office

Activists have hung a photo in the Louvre museum in Paris of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being driven from a police station after his arrest.

The British political campaign group Everyone Hates Elon fixed the photo, which shows the former prince slouched in the backseat of a Range Rover, on a wall of the Paris gallery on Sunday.

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© Photograph: Nicolas Coupe/Reuters

© Photograph: Nicolas Coupe/Reuters

© Photograph: Nicolas Coupe/Reuters

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‘Our classrooms are empty because the graveyards are full’: Iran’s students on why they are protesting again

As details of the death toll for January’s protests continue to emerge, three students explain why they are resisting a return to normality

More than 45 days after a brutal January crackdown that left thousands of Iranian protesters dead, students across several universities are protesting again. As Iran’s new academic term began on Saturday, students in Tehran gathered on campus, chanting anti-government slogans, despite a heavy security presence and plainclothes officers stationed outside university gates.

The Guardian spoke to protesting students about why they were rallying despite the fact that thousands had been killed and tens of thousands arrested in the January demonstrations.

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© Photograph: UGC/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: UGC/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: UGC/AFP/Getty Images

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