US President Joe Biden has shared a picture of himself and Emmanuel Macron eating ice cream for dessert during the French President's state visit.
Mr Macron landed in Washington on Tuesday for a four-day trip designed to emphasise the strength of US-France relations.
A picture posted on Mr Biden’s Twitter account late on Wednesday showed Mr Biden sitting next to Mr Macron while the pair tucked into bowls of ice cream at Italian seafood restaurant Fiola Mare in Washington.
The leaders’ wives, Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron, sat across from them, without any ice cream.
The image was accompanied by the message: “Welcoming some friends to town.”
Mr Macron is the first foreign leader to be hosted by Mr Biden.
He will be welcomed on Thursday at the White House with a 21-gun salute and military honours.
Mr Macron and his wife were scheduled to have a private dinner with Mr Biden and his wife, as well as a state dinner at the White House.
Hundreds of guests are to be welcomed in a pavilion set up on the South Lawn for the centrepiece event of the first state visit hosted by Mr Biden since he took office in early 2021.
The menu, released to the media ahead of the dinner, will include butter-poached Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade and an American cheese trio.
Dessert will be orange chiffon cake, roasted pears and creme fraiche ice cream.
A state dinner is a high diplomatic honour that the US reserves for its closest allies.
“The design of this dinner was inspired by the shared colours of our flags, red white and blue, and our common values, liberty and democracy, equality and fellowship,” Mr Biden said. “These form the bedrock upon which our enduring friendship was built.”
At the White House, Mr Macron is expected to confront Mr Biden over new US subsidies riling European leaders, Reuters reported. The two leaders could disagree over the war in Ukraine and China policy.
Mr Macron was also the first foreign leader invited for a formal state visit by former president Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden and President Emmanuel Macron - in pictures
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Anghami
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Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
