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UK annual inflation jumps more than expected
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Islanders keen to return to Santorini even as quakes continue
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Pope, suffering from pneumonia, had 'peaceful night'
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Trump bashes Zelensky, 'confident' on Ukraine deal
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Battered Myanmar scam centre workers wait for deportation to China
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Niger turns to satellites to bridge digital divide
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Refugees revive village in 'empty Spain'
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Eddie Jones hails Japan 'tour of a lifetime' with Wales, Ireland games
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Blinded Ukrainian soldiers face new challenges at home
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Philips losses worse than expected in 2024
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EU eyes stricter food import rules in agriculture policy review
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Pragmatic Italy in good place before hosting France: Azzurri great Dominguez
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New arena, new attitudes? Cash spat in spotlight at UN nature talks
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Peru's 12-Angle Stone vandalized, causing 'irreversible damage'
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WTA to ban man after Raducanu 'security incident' in Dubai
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UN watchdog chief visits Fukushima as Japan returns to nuclear power
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HSBC targets $1.5 bn in annual cost savings after revamp
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UK military vets rebuild lives carving Viking longboat
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After US election, Kremlin propagandist sets sights on German vote
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US aid freeze stops crucial Pacific projects
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Bolsonaro: Brazil's polarising ex-president mired in legal woes
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Vietnam parliament approves $8 billion rail link to China
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Asian markets swing as traders assess latest tariffs volley
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Top South Korean judge faces disinformation deluge as Yoon impeachment looms
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Rapper A$AP Rocky found not guilty in assault trial
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Brazil prosecutor charges Bolsonaro over failed coup plot
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US tariffs threat a 'shock' to Canadian businesses
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US judge declines to block Musk from accessing data, firing workers
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Mourinho eyes Europa League run with Fenerbahce
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Pod of 157 dolphins stranded on remote Australian beach
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US lawmakers confirm Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary
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BioNxt Solutions Unveils Accelerated 90-Day Plan: Global Patent Advancements, MS Clinical Trial, and Anti-Aging Expansion
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Bayern's Kane says injury could keep him out against Frankfurt
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Bayern edge out Celtic to reach Champions League last 16 as Milan are dumped out
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Colombian president alleges plot to down his plane with missiles
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Trump moves to widen IVF access, risking conservative fury
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Doncic energizes LeBron as NBA homestretch begins
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Bayern score late to see off Celtic in Champions League
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China condemns US 'tariff shocks' at WTO
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Club Brugge dump Atalanta out of Champions League
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Formula One great Hamilton 'invigorated' by Ferrari move ahead of new season
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France probes 2012 reporters' deaths in Syria as crime against humanity
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Benfica hold off Monaco to reach Champions League last 16
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England coach Borthwick has faith in 'world-class goal-kicker' Marcus Smith
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Feyenoord reach Champions League last 16 as Hernandez lets down AC Milan
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More fireworks expected in emotional USA-Canada hockey rematch
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F1 champion Verstappen expects Hamilton to be 'reborn' at Ferrari
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Argentine appeals court throws out rape case against French rugby players
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Shakira medical record leak sparks Peru investigation
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Argentine appeals court throws out rape case against French rugbiers

Stock markets diverge tracking Trump plans
European stock markets rallied and Chinese indices slid Wednesday in reaction to US President Donald Trump's policy plans that are starting to impact the global economy.
Wall Street jumped Tuesday in its first reaction following Trump's inauguration.
Hong Kong and Shanghai indices retreated Wednesday after the president warned China could be included in a list of countries to be hit with tariffs on February 1.
The dollar "struggled to find a clear direction and traded in a narrow range as market participants sought clarity on Trump's trade policies", noted Joseph Dahrieh, analyst at traders Tickmill.
In Europe, the London and Frankfurt stock markets continued to hit record highs, helped by currency movements.
London's FTSE 100 index was winning support from "a weak pound that allows investors to buy UK companies with international businesses at cheaper prices", noted Swissquote Bank senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya.
Plans by the European Central Bank to keep cutting interest rates in the eurozone has weighed on the euro -- although both the single currency and pound won back some support Wednesday.
Oil prices recovered slightly having tumbled Tuesday in reaction to Trump's announcement of a "national energy emergency" to ramp up drilling in the United States.
Investors are poring over also the latest earnings season.
Netflix added almost 19 million subscribers during the holiday season to finish out last year with more than 300 million subscribers, the US streaming giant announced after the Wall Street close Tuesday.
Traders have been bracing for Trump 2.0 since his re-election in November, with an initial rally -- fuelled by hopes for market-boosting measures -- giving way to worries he would resume his trade war with Beijing and also target others.
There had been optimism that Beijing would avoid being targeted in an early flurry of duties by the White House after Trump said Monday he would hit Canada and Mexico.
But he broadened his targets Tuesday to include China and the European Union.
There is also a concern that Trump's plans to slash taxes, immigration and regulations will reignite inflation and crimp the Federal Reserve's ability to cut interest rates.
Shares in software investment giant SoftBank soared more than 10 percent Wednesday -- leading Tokyo-listed chipmakers higher -- after Trump said it was included in a new $500-billion venture to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence in the United States.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 piled on more than one percent thanks to SoftBank's advance fuelled by news that it will be part of the Stargate venture along with cloud giant Oracle and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
Japanese chipmakers also rose, with Advantest up four percent, while Tokyo Electron and Lasertec gained more than one percent.
- Key figures around 1050 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,575.89 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,825.47
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 21,276.64
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.6 percent at 39,646.25 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 19,778.77 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.9 percent at 3,213.62 (close)
New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 44,025.81 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0450 from $1.0426 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2367 from $1.2342
Dollar/yen: UP at 155.78 yen from 155.50 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 84.53 pence from 84.45 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.6 percent at $79.78 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.8 percent at $76.39 per barrel
C.Meier--BTB