Construction output decline slows

14 December 2012 Last updated at 05:52 ETOutput in the UK construction industry fell in October, down 5.1% from the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Compared with the previous month, construction output rose 8.3%.Construction is a component of gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the value of everything produced in the economy.This figure is the first...

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Aides: Chavez in tough fight, may miss swearing-in

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Somber confidants of President Hugo Chavez say he is going through a difficult recovery after cancer surgery in Cuba, and one close ally is warning Venezuelans that their leader may not make it back for his swearing-in next month.Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Wednesday night that Chavez was in “stable condition” and was with close relatives in Havana. Reading...

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iPad mini deemed a ‘game changer,’ outgrew Kindle Fire by nearly 50%

Smaller tablets in the 7-inch range have been on the market for more than two years now, but it looks like it took Apple (AAPL) just one month to vault to the top of the category. Mobile advertising firm Millennial Media recently published the findings of a study pitting the iPad mini against Amazon’s (AMZN) popular Kindle Fire, which has been an extremely popular iPad alternative since it first launched...

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CVS Caremark sees Obamacare as expansion opportunity

(Reuters) – CVS Caremark Corp is looking at changes in U.S. healthcare as an opportunity to serve more customers, whether they are picking up prescriptions, getting them through the mail, or stopping by an in-house MinuteClinic for a checkup.The company, formed when drugstore chain CVS bought pharmacy benefits manager Caremark in 2007 in a $ 27 billion all-stock deal, is set to give details on its...

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Airlines: 2013 profits to rise thanks to cost cuts

GENEVA (AP) — Airlines‘ profits will improve to $ 8.4 billion in 2013, mainly reflecting cost cuts and restructuring measures taken to compensate for stalling economic growth, the global industry‘s trade group forecast Thursday.For 2012, the industry anticipates net profits of $ 6.7 billion based on strong second and third quarters — particularly for larger carriers with bigger economies of scale...

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Australian prank call radio to donate profits to nurse’s family

CANBERRA (Reuters) – The Australian radio station behind a prank call to a British hospital will donate its advertising revenue until the end of the year to a fund for the family of the nurse who apparently took her own life after the stunt, the company said on Tuesday.Southern Cross Austereo, parent company of Sydney radio station 2Day FM, said it would donate all advertising revenue, with a minimum...

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BlackBerry Messenger 7 adds free Wi-Fi voice calling, split-screen multitasking and more

Research in Motion (RIMM) updated its BlackBerry Messenger to version 7 on Monday, adding a new key feature called “BBM Voice” that “will allow customers to make free voice calls to their BBM contacts around the world over a Wi-Fi connection.” BBM 7 also introduces multitasking with split-screen, which allows users to BBM, check email, or use other apps while on a BBM Voice call; new compatibility...

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Luke Bryan cleans up at ACAs with 9 awards

Luke Bryan didn’t want the American Country Awards to end.He cleaned up during the fan-voted show, earning nine awards, including artist and album of the year. His smash hit “I Don’t Want This Night To End” was named single and music video of the year.Miranda Lambert took home the second most guitar trophies with three. Jason Aldean was named touring artist of the year. Carrie Underwood won female...

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Novo bets on high-price niche for obesity drug

LONDON (Reuters) – Denmark’s Novo Nordisk is sizing up a high-price niche market for its drug liraglutide as a weight-loss treatment, with the United States the prime opportunity.The premium-price approach could turn it into a multibillion-dollar-a-year product, the company believes.Novo is studying the injected drug – already on the market as a treatment for type-2 diabetes under the brand name Victoza...

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Northern Rock will repay £270m

11 December 2012 Last updated at 08:19 ETSome 152,000 Northern Rock Asset Management customers will receive hundreds of pounds each in compensation owing to mistakes made in paperwork.Customers who took out personal loans of less than £25,000 will receive an average of £1,770 each.Bank staff failed to include key details on annual statements about loans, including the original amount which had been...

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