White House press dinner returns after two years

US President Joe Biden has resumed the tradition of speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner after a six-year presidential hiatus.

He is the first leader to speak at the event, where the president faces friendly mocking in front of an audience of journalists, since 2016.

It was cancelled for two years due to the pandemic and was boycotted by Donald Trump when he was in office.

Comedian and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah headlined the event.

Celebrities joined renowned journalists and high-ranking US officials for the gala - an American press tradition dating back to 1921.

Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson, Drew Barrymore and Chris Tucker were among the celebrity guests.

Mr Biden addressed the fact that he is the first president to attend the event since 2016 with a barb aimed at Donald Trump.

"This is the first time a president has attended this dinner in six years. It's understandable, we had a horrible plague followed by two years of Covid," he said.

Covid cases in Washington have risen in recent weeks, according data from Johns Hopkins University. Organizers have required that guests be tested for the virus, and some top officials, including infectious disease expert Dr Antony Fauci, 81, dropped out.