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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.

Zara owner Inditex workers protest after record profits
Zara owner Inditex workers protest after record profits
by  AFP

Workers at Inditex's Zara and other big name stores protested outside the company shops across Spain on Friday to demand better benefits after the world's biggest fashion retailer reported record profits and raised shareholder payouts.

Rights court condemns Peru over one of world's most polluted towns
Rights court condemns Peru over one of world's most polluted towns
by  AFP

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights said Friday that Peru had violated residents' "right to live in a healthy environment" in an Andean mining town that is considered one of the most polluted places on earth. In 2006, La Oroya residents sued the Peruvian government at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for allowing the company to pollute at will.

French news editor suspended over Macron-related headline
French news editor suspended over Macron-related headline
by  AFP

The news editor of a regional French daily has been suspended after a front-page headline critical of President Emmanuel Macron, management said Friday, causing outrage across the newsroom. On the basis of the front page, La Provence's news editor Aurelien Viers was suspended for a week, for failing to follow its "values and editorial line", said the paper's managing editor Gabriel d'Harcourt.