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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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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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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 rugbiers
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Macron says Trump 'can restart useful dialogue' with Putin
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Feyenoord knock out 10-man AC Milan to reach Champions League last 16
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Verstappen says Red Bull resilience key to bid for fifth straight F1 title
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'City killer' asteroid now has 3.1% chance of hitting Earth: NASA
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LAFC star Giroud suffers home theft of $500,000 in jewelry: report
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Berrettini ends Djokovic comeback at Qatar Open
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Formula One chiefs plan changes to spice up Monaco Grand Prix
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Ex-Springbok Rhule calls time on rugby career
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Ireland and New Zealand return to Chicago in Autumn Series
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England bring in Chessum for Scotland Six Nations clash
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Argentine Olympic sailor's ex-trainer arrested for alleged abuse
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Russell has 'no concerns' over Verstappen after Abu Dhabi row
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Linklater, Hawke team up again for musical drama 'Blue Moon'
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Zelensky slams US-Russia talks, urges 'fair' negotiations
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Video shows Toronto plane's hard landing before flipping
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Teen sensation Antonelli adamant he's no 'replacement' for Hamilton
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Russia, US to name negotiators on ending Ukraine war
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US lawmakers due to confirm Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary
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Hamas to free 6 Israeli Gaza hostages, hand over 4 bodies this week
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Shenhua thrash Kobe to stay alive in Asian Champions League

Biden, Trevor Noah headline White House journalists' gala dinner
The president and jokes are back, the Covid masks are off and the White House Correspondents' Dinner -- Saturday's glitzy party mixing Washington politics, media and Hollywood -- is on.
The White House press corps association, the WHCA, has hosted presidents for an annual black tie dinner starting with Calvin Coolidge in 1924.
But the televised Washington social juggernaut -- beloved by some, maligned as cringe-worthy by others -- shuddered to a halt under the twin impacts of Donald Trump's media-bashing presidency, then Covid-19.
So to gather 2,600 invitees at the Washington Hilton, scene of the 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, offers a restorative return to the familiar, with President Joe Biden on hand to hear himself being roasted by Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
Some dub the WHCA get-together the "Nerd Prom," referring to the giddy excitement of often less-than-glamorous journalists as they mix it up for a night with the rich and powerful.
While peak glitz was under Barack Obama's Hollywood-connected presidency, Saturday's version will feature guests including Kim Kardashian, an opening video skit by British comedian James Corden and a raft of competing after-parties.
- Covid, Ukraine cast shadows -
Covid-19 vaccination is mandatory for the gala, but many question the wisdom of 79-year-old Biden joining. His vice president, Kamala Harris, tested positive for the virus last week and the country's senior infectious diseases specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci is not attending.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who will be there, said Biden was skipping the meal itself and will mask up when not speaking.
He wanted to "showcase his support for the free press" and to submit himself to Noah's roasting routine, "where he will be on the menu, as he likes to say," Psaki added.
Biden appears to want to draw a line under Trump, who not only never attended the dinner, but branded journalists "the enemy of the people."
The last WHCA gala before Covid-19 broke out was in 2019. It featured neither the president nor even a comedian -- fallout from the previous year's event when featured comedian Michelle Wolf's jokes upset Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
With Washington glued to news from Ukraine and the US pushback against Russia, the dinner will have a serious side, paying tribute to sacrifices made by journalists in war zones.
"I've always had respect for the press, but I can't tell you how much respect I have watching them" in Ukraine, Biden said.
WHCA President Steven Portnoy, from CBS radio, said it was time to return to tradition, with an evening honoring pioneering reporters of the past, prize winners from today and paying "respects to our colleagues who have died covering the war in Ukraine."
And "there might be a few other surprises, too," he added.
E.Paulino--PC