US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated their country's enduring friendship with France during a luncheon with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Blinken pointed to Benjamin Franklin's journey to France during the Revolutionary War to drum up support for the American military — a visit that left a lasting impression on the founding father.
“For more than two centuries, the United States and France have built upon the foundation of those early ties — and today, we are unwavering security allies, close economic partners and most of all, cherished friends,” Mr Blinken said.
Now, in the post-Cold War era, Mr Blinken said the world faces a new set of challenges, including the war in Ukraine, ensuring the advancement of an open Indo-Pacific region and staving off future pandemics.
“This is a challenge that we can best meet as friends, and, for the United States, alongside our very first friend,” he said.
“The bottom line is this: it’s hard to find a challenge that we can’t solve if the United States and France work together.”
Mr Macron added: “We are very much engaged together to help the Ukrainians in this war and to resist to the Russian aggression.
“And I want to thank your country for the unique commitment and investment alongside the Ukrainian people and in great solidarity with the Europeans.”
Ms Harris said the US and France will be “guided by our shared history and our shared vision for the future”.
In a separate meeting earlier this week, Ms Harris and Mr Macron discussed space exploration efforts, as the French President lobbied to place one of his compatriots on the spacecraft that will send a new batch of astronauts to the Moon in 2025.
“I have a candidate for flying … to the Moon,” he told Ms Harris at Nasa headquarters on Wednesday. “He wants to go to Artemis 3.”
The President was referring to French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who has gone to the International Space Station twice.
Mr Macron's visit to the US is the first state visit during President Joe Biden's administration.
At an elaborate dinner hosted at the White House on Thursday night, both leaders expressed their nations' continued commitment to Ukraine's defence.
The French leader is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days. Mr Biden said he would meet Mr Putin only if Russia leaves Ukraine, an offer that was rejected by the Kremlin.
Who is White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford?
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
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
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
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Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
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3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Specs
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
