While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 20

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he had underestimated the extent of Republican opposition to his programmes and acknowledged Americans' frustration at the slow pace of Covid-19 testing, but said the United States was on track to meet considerable challenges from the pandemic and inflation.

Marking the near one-year anniversary of his presidency, Biden, a Democrat, faced a flurry questions on the country's bumpy Covid-19 response, relations with Russia and the future of American democracy during a rare formal news conference.

Promising to confront what he called the unexpectedly "stalwart" opposition of Republicans, Biden promised to take his case for action directly to voters as Democrats seek to defend their congressional majorities in a Nov 8 election.

"Our work's not done," said Biden, whose approval ratings have sagged in recent months with Covid-19 hospitalisations at a record.

Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon began 5G service in the United States on Wednesday without major disruptions to flights after the launch of the new wireless technology was scaled back.

A handful of international carriers removed flights to the US from their schedules on Wednesday, but there were not mass cancellations and some of those companies said they planned to resume service on Thursday.

At 1915 GMT on Wednesday (3.15am on Thursday, Singapore time), there were 261 flights either planned to depart or land in US airports that were cancelled, according to the website FlightAware. That figure is less than the 538 reported last Wednesday, although the number could climb throughout the day.

The body of a child who apparently drowned trying to cross from Mexico to the United States has been pulled from the Rio Grande along the border, authorities said.

The girl, believed to be Venezuelan, was found on Tuesday in the river with no vital signs next to Acuna in the state of Coahuila, the Mexican National Institute of Migration (INM) said.

A search had been launched after US Border Patrol notified Mexico about a missing child wearing a red jacket, denim pants and white socks, INM officials said in a statement.

Alexander Zverev believes there are probably more players at the Australian Open who have Covid-19 but they are not being tested, the third seed said on Wednesday.

Frenchman Ugo Humbert said earlier on Wednesday that he had tested positive for coronavirus, a day after his first round defeat by compatriot Richard Gasquet, forcing him to isolate for a week in Australia.

Players must be fully vaccinated to compete at the Australian Open, a rule that forced the government to deport world number one Novak Djokovic due to his unvaccinated status.

French star Gaspard Ulliel, who played a young Hannibal Lecter and had a top role in a new Marvel TV series, died on Wednesday at 37 following a skiing accident, his family said.

Ulliel was already in the top rank of French actors, and gained international attention for his performance as the famous cannibal in Hannibal Rising in 2007.

He also had a leading role as Midnight Man in the new Marvel TV series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac, which launches on Disney+ in March.