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PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'
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Late birdie burst lifts Ryder to Texas Open lead
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Five potential Grand National fairytale endings
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Trump purges national security team after meeting conspiracist
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More work for McIlroy even with two wins before Masters
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Trump hopeful of 'great' PGA-LIV golf merger
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No.1 Scheffler goes for third Masters crown in four years
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Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
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Trump says 'very close to a deal' on TikTok
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Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
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Postecoglou denies taunting Spurs fans in Chelsea defeat
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Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
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With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
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Fernandez fires Chelsea into fourth as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
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South Korea court to decide impeached president's fate
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Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
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E.T., no home: Original model of movie alien doesn't sell at auction
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Italy's Brignone has surgery on broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
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Trump defiant as tariffs send world markets into panic
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City officials vote to repair roof on home of MLB Rays
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Rockets forward Brooks gets one-game NBA ban for technicals
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Pentagon watchdog to probe defense chief over Signal chat row
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US tariffs could push up inflation, slow growth: Fed official
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New Bruce Springsteen music set for June 27 release
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Tom Cruise pays tribute to Val Kilmer
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Mexico president welcomes being left off Trump's tariffs list
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Zuckerberg repeats Trump visits in bid to settle antitrust case
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US fencer disqualified for not facing transgender rival
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'Everyone worried' by Trump tariffs in France's champagne region
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Italy's Brignone suffers broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
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Iyer blitz powers Kolkata to big IPL win over Hyderabad
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Russian soprano Netrebko to return to London's Royal Opera House
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French creche worker gets 25 years for killing baby with drain cleaner
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UK avoids worst US tariffs post-Brexit, but no celebrations
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Canada imposing 25% tariff on some US auto imports
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Ruud wants 'fair share' of Grand Slam revenue for players
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Lesotho, Africa's 'kingdom in the sky' jolted by Trump
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Trump's trade math baffles economists
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Gaza heritage and destruction on display in Paris
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'Unprecedented crisis' in Africa healthcare: report
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Pogacar gunning for blood and thunder in Tour of Flanders
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Macron calls for suspension of investment in US until tariffs clarified
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Wall St leads rout as world reels from Trump tariffs
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Mullins gets perfect National boost with remarkable four-timer
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Trump tariffs hammer global stocks, dollar and oil
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Authors hold London protest against Meta for 'stealing' work to train AI
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Tate Modern gifted 'extraordinary' work by US artist Joan Mitchell
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Mexico president welcomes being left off Trump's new tariffs list
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Tonali eager to lead Newcastle back into Champions League
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Lesotho hardest hit as new US tariffs rattle Africa

Biden touts 'enormous progress' in pandemic-blighted first year
A defiant President Joe Biden acknowledged missteps over the still-raging pandemic Wednesday but hailed a year of "enormous progress" on the US economy as he took stock of his first year in office.
In a rare news conference marking his first 12 months, Biden touted a period of unprecedented job creation, infrastructure improvements and a growing economy that he said would help counter inflation and supply chain woes plaguing his presidency.
During a marathon two-hour session in the ornate East Room of the White House, Biden faced questions on everything from soaring inflation to the confrontation with Russia over Ukraine to what he calls a threat to democracy from his predecessor Donald Trump.
"It's been a year of challenges," Biden told reporters, saying he "didn't anticipate" the level of obstruction to his domestic agenda he has encountered from Republicans in Congress.
"But it has also been a year of enormous progress," the US leader said.
"We went from two million people being vaccinated at the moment I was sworn in to 210 million Americans being fully vaccinated today. We created six million new jobs -- more jobs in one year than any time before."
Biden's first news conference of the year was at the core of an intense new effort by the White House to spin a calamitous last few weeks into a new narrative focusing on what officials say are Biden's many, if overlooked, gains during his first year in the Oval Office.
The US leader has faced a string of recent setbacks, including the highest inflation in decades and the Supreme Court striking down the administration's vaccine mandate for large businesses.
And Biden's administration is facing mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans over the lack of Covid-19 tests as the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus sweeps the country.
"We have faced some of the biggest challenges that we've ever faced in this country these past few years, challenges to our public health, challenges to our economy. But we're getting through it," Biden said.
"Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes. But we're doing more now," he said, as he touted steady progress on the pandemic.
On the economic front, the White House points out that in the last year, unemployment fell to 3.9 percent from 6.4 percent at the height of the pandemic's fallout on the economy.
Lowering record price hikes would "be a haul," Biden said, but he insisted the increases would subside if supply chain snarls and component shortages were resolved.
But in the meantime, he conceded, "it's going to be painful for a lot of people" -- saying high prices were being felt "at the gas pump, the grocery stores and elsewhere."
The press conference came as a new Gallup poll showed Biden with just 40 percent approval, down from 57 percent when he started. Since World War II, only Trump's first year averages were lower, Gallup said.
"I'm going to do differently now that I've gotten the critical crises out of the way, in the sense of knowing exactly where we're going," Biden said.
"Number one -- I'm going to get out of this place more often. I'm going to go out and talk to the public."
- Republican comeback? -
Biden's press conference came on the eve of the anniversary of his January 20th inauguration, which took place in the extraordinary circumstances of a pandemic and the aftermath of a violent assault by Trump supporters on Congress to try and overturn Biden's victory.
Now, with a State of the Union speech to Congress set for March 1, Biden faces the rapidly approaching likelihood of a Republican comeback in midterm congressional elections this November.
Republicans are forecast to crush his party and take control of the legislature. That risks bringing two years of complete obstruction from Congress, likely including threats of impeachment and a slew of aggressive committee probes.
Trump, who continues to perpetuate the lie that he beat Biden in 2020 and seeks to undermine Americans' faith in their election system, is eyeing a possible attempt at another run at the White House in 2024.
And the inability of Democrats to use their razor-thin majority in Congress to pass another top Biden priority -- voting law reforms that he says are needed to protect US democracy -- was highlighted Wednesday as the Senate moved to almost certain defeat for two bills.
Biden's team hopes that good news will gradually outweigh the pandemic-related gloom, with the economy continuing to rebound, the Omicron coronavirus variant tailing off, and Americans taking notice of achievements, like massive spending on infrastructure.
As White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told Politico: "President Biden was elected to a four-year term, not a one-year term."
Y.Kobayashi--AMWN