LUCCA (Italy) • Group of Seven (G-7) foreign ministers have agreed President Bashar al-Assad should not be part of Syria's future, as they rejected a call for new sanctions on Damascus and its key ally Moscow.

The ministers threw their support behind US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he headed for vital talks in Moscow. But Russian President Vladimir Putin remained steadfast in his support of Mr Assad yesterday, saying he had information of plans to fake chemicals weapons attacks to frame the Syrian leader and that the US was planning to launch new missile strikes.

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