WASHINGTON (AFP) – Fresh data on Thursday showed the US economy limping toward the end of 2010, its fitness much improved over last year, but with the recovery still hobbled by high unemployment and weak demand. When President Barack Obama gave an end-of-year press conference on Wednesday, his assessment was that the world's largest economy "had passed the crisis point." A slew of unemployment, inflation, consumer spending, factory and housing data on Thursday seemed to back up that assessment. But it also showed the distance left to travel. The Labor Department reported new claims for unemployment benefits -- an important...