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French President Emmanuel Macron had harsh words for Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the opening day of the 70th anniversary Nato summit in London. Photo: Frederic Legrand-COMEO/Shutterstock 

Macron clashes at Nato summit

French president Emmanuel Macron was the centre of attention on the opening day of the Nato summit on Tuesday as he clashed with Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Guardian says Nato disunity was on full display in London as Trump described Macron’s criticisms of Nato’s “brain death” as “very, very nasty” and later asked the French president if he would like “some nice Isis fighters”. But Macron refused to back down, says CNN, and criticised Trump over US troop withdrawal from Northern Syria. He also asked how Nato member Turkey was able to buy a Russian S-400 air defence system. “Technically it is not possible,” he said.

Turkey threatens Nato agreement

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, meanwhile, is setting up a fight with the rest of Nato over the recognition of groups that Turkey deems terrorists. Reuters reports that Erdoğan will oppose plans for the defence of Baltic countries, a key goal of this summit, if he doesn’t get his way. But the FT reports that Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg later said that “despite these differences we have always been able to unite around the core tasks to protect and defend each other.” The BBC takes a look at the challenges faced by the alliance right now, and Time has a basic pointer to the 70th anniversary summit. And CNBC has a guide to what each members is paying into the alliance.

Impeachment reports slams Trump

Democrats leading the House of Representatives intelligence committee on Tuesday unveiled a 300-page report on their investigation into president Donald Trump. The conclusion, Reuters says, is that Trump “solicited foreign interference to boost his re-election chances, undermined national security and ordered an “unprecedented” campaign to obstruct Congress.” The Guardian looks at what happens next, while CNN explains why the impeachment enquiry has had little impact on public opinion.

Pressure grows on Malta’s Muscat

Calls for Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat to step down immediately grew on Tuesday as a group of MEPs visited the smallest EU member state. Malta Today cites Dutch MEP Sophie In’t Veld saying that trust between Malta and the European Union “does not seem to be there anymore.” Maltese president George Vella called for the country to go back to the road of normality, Malta Independent reports. And in an op-ed in The Guardian, Alexander Clapp writes that the corruption unveiled since the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, shows that “Malta’s corruption is not just in the heart of government, it’s the entire body.”

Harris drops out of 2020 race

In what CNN called an “abrupt departure” California senator Kamala Harris has dropped out of the race to become the Democrat candidate in the 2020 presidential election. NBC’s Danielle Campoamor called the decision bad news for the Democratic Party and says the current presidential primary “is set up to…empower the rich, deter the marginalized.” Over on Fox News, Colin Reed, who early on picked Harris to win the primary, says that she “struggled to navigate between the choppy lanes of her party’s primary electorate.”

Russia-China open pipeline

A new 3,000 km long natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and China went online on Tuesday, CNBC reports. The $400 billion pipeline is part of China’s “Polar Silk Road” project, which seeks to expand its influence in the Arctic.

Musk takes stand in “pedo” trial

Elon Musk has told a court that he insulted British cave diver Vernon Unsworth, calling him a "pedo guy", because Unsworth had insulted him first, the BBC reports. The Tesla founder was testifying in a lawsuit case brought by Unsworth, who helped rescue 12 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand in 2018.

Four share Turner Prize

The 2019 Turner Prize, and its £40,000 prize money, will be shared among the four nominees for the prestigious award, the BBC reports. The judges agreed to the unprecedented move after Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Tai Shani and Oscar Murillo said they wanted to make a “collective statement” at a time when there was “already so much that divides and isolates people and communities”.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts