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Asian markets mixed as key US inflation data looms
Asian markets mixed as key US inflation data looms
by  AFP

Asian markets were mixed on Monday as investors set their sights on the release of key US inflation data due at the end of the week. Eyes are now on the release of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation, with traders hoping for a reading that shows price gains slowing further.

London still awaits Olympic's promised 'affordable' housing
London still awaits Olympic's promised 'affordable' housing
by  AFP

More than a decade after London hosted the Olympic Games, cranes are still everywhere in and around the Olympic Park in Stratford, where an array of buildings are under construction. The 2012 Summer Games -- widely seen as a roaring success -- were held primarily at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Newham, one of the city's poorest boroughs.

Dig deep: US bets on geothermal to become renewable powerhouse
Dig deep: US bets on geothermal to become renewable powerhouse
by  AFP

Though geothermal represents only a tiny fraction of current US energy production, several businesses and President Joe Biden's administration are betting on technological advances to make it a backbone of the green transition. The use of existing drilling technology makes geothermal both quicker and cheaper to develop.

US Moon lander 'permanently' asleep after historic landing: company
US Moon lander 'permanently' asleep after historic landing: company
by  AFP

An uncrewed American lander that became the first private spaceship on the Moon has met its ultimate end after failing to "wake up," the company that built it said. It was also the first lunar touchdown by an American spaceship since the manned Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Paris crowns champion waiters in one-of-a-kind 'cafe race'
Paris crowns champion waiters in one-of-a-kind 'cafe race'
by  AFP

Visitors to central Paris were treated Sunday to the sight of hundreds of aproned waiters surging through the mediaeval streets, in a one-of-a-kind race designed to show off the profession months ahead of the Olympic Games. "We want the Olympic Games to give a positive boost to the profession" of restaurants and waitering, he added. tgb/rox

Hit by worker shortage, German city gets students to drive trams
Hit by worker shortage, German city gets students to drive trams
by  AFP

Seated before the tram's control panel, Benedikt Hanne, 24, deftly steered the red and white wagons, hours before heading to Nuremberg university to study for a social work degree. Hanne, whose previous part-time jobs included working at a gas station, said he is unfazed about juggling university courses and work.

Sprinklers and drip irrigation help Iraqis beat drought
Sprinklers and drip irrigation help Iraqis beat drought
by  AFP

After four years of drought, Iraqi farmer Mohammed Sami was about to abandon his father's parched land, but then a water-saving irrigation system revived his crops and his hopes. Crushed by the drought that was turning his 10 donums, or about one hectare, of land into desert, Sami started working in a nearby city as a day labourer several years ago.

Fitch upgrades UK credit rating outlook to 'stable'
Fitch upgrades UK credit rating outlook to 'stable'
by  AFP

Fitch upgraded its credit rating for UK government debt from "negative" to "stable" Friday, citing easing economic policy risks, while reaffirming the country's AA- rating. Fitch said in a statement that economic policy risks had eased in the United Kingdom since it issued its "negative" outlook in October 2022, during the brief premiership of former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss.

Nike's long international struggle with Adidas
Nike's long international struggle with Adidas
by  AFP

Nike scored one of the most surprising victories in their long battle to dominate international football business when they outbid Adidas to become Germany's kit supplier. Germany: the final battle Nike scored their biggest upset this week when they persuaded the DFB to drop German manufacturer Adidas after four World Cup wins and 70 years.