Gore exchanging kisses and hugs -- is one that probably won't be duplicated during the final weeks of the campaign.

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And everything changes: Ismaila's mother hugs and kisses him, she caresses his hands, as if to make sure he is real.

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The foreign minister, Anna Lindh, the Social Democrats' heir apparent, hugs and kisses the boss of Ericsson, the country's industrial flagship.

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When they have met, the two men's body language has been tense a far cry from the jovial hugs and kisses of the Yeltsin era.

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"The problem is when they come back home, they'll get the hugs and kisses, they'll drink their favorite beer they couldn't drink over there, " Shellito said.

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But, despite their group hugs and kisses, they could not match the excitement of the Sugababes, one of whom let out an ear-splitting shriek on reaching the podium to collect their prize for best British dance act.

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Next best thing to those missing hugs and kisses though is the integrated "gradiometer" which comes as part of the package and shows at a glance how near students are to the next grade boundary - and will give guidance on whether to challenge the grades awarded.

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