German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called for a "pragmatic solution" to the thorny issue of post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland, following Britain's warning that it would "not hesitate" to suspend the agreed protocol if the EU refused to change tack. In a news conference posted online, Merkel said she "had advocated a pragmatic solution" to the issue during her bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 summit. smk/mat/yad/har