The US and French presidents have spoken for the first time since a fierce row erupted over the sale of submarines to Australia, with both leaders agreeing to ease tensions and to meet in Europe next month.
French President Emmanuel Macron was blindsided last week when Australia announced it would scrap a $90 billion conventional submarine contract with France in favour of an agreement for nuclear-powered vessels from Britain and the US.
France was particularly outraged that Australia negotiated with Washington and London in secret, something French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced as treachery and a “stab in the back”.
The US frequently touts France as its oldest ally but failed to warn Paris of the new partnership with Canberra and London.
In a nod to France's anger, a joint statement from the White House and the Elysee Palace on Wednesday said “the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners”.
Mr Biden and Mr Macron will meet in person in Europe next month “in order to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process,” the statement read.
The statement also said the US recognised the need for stronger European defence to complement the Nato military alliance, a key idea repeatedly floated by the French leader.
In a first concrete sign of a slackening of tension, Mr Macron agreed to send back France's ambassador to Washington after he was recalled to Paris last week in a diplomatic protest.
Relations soured when Mr Biden made a joint announcement with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to form a US-UK-Australia partnership, nicknamed Aukus.
Mr Morrison visited the Pentagon on Wednesday to meet with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. In brief remarks to the press, neither man mentioned France, though the Australian premier said he was "particularly looking forward to discussing how we now take Aukus forward and the many projects that I know we will have".
The row has sent Franco-US ties into perhaps the worst crisis since France opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, leading to a wave of anti-French sentiment in America, with many restaurants famously calling chips "Freedom fries" on menus instead of French fries.
As well as a huge commercial setback, the loss of the deal was also a major blow to France's security strategy in the Pacific region.
Using mangled French, Mr Johnson on Wednesday told Paris it should “prenez un grip” — or “get a grip".
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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