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Trump stuns with tariff backtrack but punishes China
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King Charles jokes, cites Monty Python at Italian state banquet
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Strength in numbers: Latin America urges unity in face of Trump tariffs
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France could recognise Palestinian state 'in June': Macron
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Tariff war could cut US-China goods trade by 80 percent: WTO chief
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Europa League success 'massive' for Man Utd, says Amorim
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Scheffler tunes out talk of history in Masters title defense
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Turkey opposition to fight Erdogan 'until the end': leader tells AFP
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Argentina braces for 24-hour strike as it awaits news on IMF loan
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Volkswagen says first-quarter profits impacted by Trump tariffs
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Hope fades as deaths mount in Dominican Republic nightclub disaster
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Herd of animal puppets treks from Africa to Europe in climate action
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'Versatile' Sudharsan helps Gujarat to top of IPL table
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Israel says seizing 'large areas' of Gaza as strike kills 23
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Trump stuns with tariffs reversal but hits China harder
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Amazon to launch first batch of satellites rivaling Musk
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Sudharsan, Krishna lead Gujarat to top of IPL table
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Settlement champion Huckabee confirmed as US Israel envoy
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Trump pauses tariffs for 90 days but hits China harder
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US federal judges halt deportations of Venezuelans under wartime law
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No direct LIV path to Masters but Ridley wants one elite tour
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UK cinemas fight viral 'chicken jockey' trend
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Russia denounces brief detention of government employee in France
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Nepal fights wildfires and pollution amidst drier winter
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Jamaican speed merchant Thompson seeks fast progress in 2025
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'Horrible' Djokovic falls in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
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Masters chief defends Cabrera invite after domestic violence convictions
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Pentagon chief in Panama vows to counter China 'threat'
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Trump's NASA chief pick says will 'prioritize' Mars mission
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Europe's first Universal theme park to bring 'joy to Britain': PM
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Trump tells US to 'be cool' as China, EU strike back
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Djokovic crashes out in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
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Over 120 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub disaster
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Delta to trim capacity in light of weakening travel demand
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Pressure builds on Afghans fearing arrest in Pakistan
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From Freddy Kruegers to Peaky Blinders: a look at Ecuador's drug gangs
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Postecoglou says 'general sentiment' points to Spurs exit
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French group gets death threats over renaming of 'Negresse' district
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Beijing rejects Ukraine claim 'many' Chinese fighting for Russia
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Germany 'back on track' says Merz, unveiling new coalition
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France struggles to find new home for two orcas after park closes
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Alcaraz recovers from sluggish start to move into Monte Carlo last 16
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Trump trade war escalates as China, EU counterattack
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Stocks volatile, oil plunges as trade war cranks higher
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US Treasury chief defends tariffs, warns against aligning with China
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Beijing consumers mull spending habits as 'worrying' tariffs kick in
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Stocks, oil plunge as US, China crank up trade war
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Onana 'one of worst goalkeepers in Man Utd's history': Matic
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Tata Steel to cut jobs at Dutch plant by 15%
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Tata Steel to cut jobs at Dutch plant by 15 pct

Stocks end higher as attention turns to interest rates
Global stock markets glided to a generally positive finish on Wednesday as investors turned their attention to central bank monetary policy in the eurozone and Britain later this week.
Most of the major European indices still managed to end the session in positive territory, while Wall Street posted decent gains for the fourth straight session after rough weeks of trading in January.
In Europe, London's FTSE closed 0.6 percent higher and the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.2 percent, but Frankfurt's DAX ended flat.
The Dow finished trading with a 0.6 percent gain, while the Nasdaq saw a similar increase and the S&P 500 performed more strongly, rising 0.9 percent.
Karl Haeling of LBBW attributed the gains to a feeling that the January market sell-off had gone overboard.
"The market was due for a rally," he said in an interview.
Also helping sentiment were recent indications from the Federal Reserve that while it is likely to hike interest rates in March to curb inflation, it won't deploy aggressive tactics, such as hiking twice as much as it usually does in a given meeting.
"I do think that less hawkish commentary from the Fed officials this week have certainly helped calm some concerns," Haeling said.
Oil prices rose after the OPEC+ oil producers group stuck to its guns and increased output only modestly despite the price of crude soaring to multi-year highs recently. But prices retreated by the close of New York trading.
"The news was hardly surprising, as the group has rigidly followed this approach since it was first agreed upon, even in December when oil prices plunged following the emergence of Omicron," said Edward Gardner, commodities expert at Capital Economics.
Attention now turns to the European Central Bank and the Bank of England as they hold their regular policy meetings on Thursday, events that will be closely watched by investors.
While the guardian of the euro is widely expected to hold borrowing costs unchanged, analysts are predicting the UK central bank will tighten policy for the second meeting in a row in a bid to rein in soaring inflation.
- Off the boil -
In Asia, investors appeared to be less worried about the Fed's plans to tighten monetary policy, while strong corporate results lifted optimism about the outlook.
And while there remains plenty of volatility and uncertainty on trading floors owing to geopolitical tensions and the Omicron spread, analysts remain upbeat for the year.
Some Asian markets were closed due to the Lunar New Year break, but those that opened -- Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Jakarta and Manila -- all gained more than one percent.
After a difficult January, world stock markets have enjoyed a strong start to February as investors hunt for bargains, according to analysts.
As well as the ECB and BoE meetings, traders are waiting for the publication of US jobs data Friday for the latest snapshot of the health of the world's biggest economy.
The dollar has come off the boil against its main rivals after recent strong gains on expectations of aggressive Fed interest rate hikes to combat soaring inflation.
- Key figures around 2120 GMT -
New York - Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 35,629.33 (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.9 percent at 4,589.38 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.5 percent at 14,417.55 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 7,583.00 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.04 percent at 15,613.77 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 7,115.27 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 4,222.05 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.7 percent at 27,533.60 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: Closed for a holiday
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1304 from $1.1269 late Tuesday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3573 from $1.3519
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.28 pence from 83.33 pence
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 114.42 yen from 114.67 yen
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $89.47 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $88.26 per barrel
burs-spm/imm/cs/hs
M.Robinson--AT