The UK’s service sector grew at its fastest rate since March 2011 in January, according to to a closely watched survey.

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Service sector sees strong growth

Single-family home prices in the United States fell in November, a closely watched survey showed, putting the average price down to a level last seen in 2003.

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Home Prices Decline Again

If there’s a reason Fairfax County Supervisor John C. Cook won by a gnat’s eyelash in Tuesday’s election, it might have to do with a big hole in the ground. Democrats and Republicans both say that Cook, a Republican who eked out victory over Democratic challenger Janet S. Oleszek by 372 votes in the closely watched Braddock District , had a record of dealing with hyper-local problems. Read full article > >

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Fairfax County vote shows power of incumbency

Home prices rose in 17 U.S. cities in July, according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, a closely watched measure of the health of the nation’s housing market. Nationally, prices were up 0.9 percent from the previous month, exceeding analysts’ expectations. Still, prices are down 4.1 percent nationally compared with the same month last year, a sign that the housing market has a ways to go before a sustained recovery. Read full article > >

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Home prices up in July in 17 cities

JACKSON, Wyo. – As the world’s central bankers descend on the Grand Tetons for a closely watched annual conference, the mood in Jackson Hole is again one of profound unease. The symposium, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, occupies a unique place in the world of economic policy. It brings together most of the globe’s top central bankers and many of the planet’s smartest economists to talk through the issues of the day. It was here one year ago that Federal Reserve chief Ben S. Bernanke signaled openness to massive bond purchases, here in 2007 that the Fed leaders plotted a response to the budding financial crisis and here in 1990 where the central bankers of the West first met their counterparts from the former Soviet bloc. Read full article > >

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Central bankers face uneasy mood ahead of Jackson Hole economic summit

An Arkansas court has called a short-notice hearing Friday for three men convicted of killing three West Memphis boys in 1993, with authorities tight-lipped about the nature of the proceeding in a closely watched case.

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Snap hearing for ‘West Memphis Three’

AMES, Iowa — One of the most oft-repeated lines heading into Thursday’s Republican presidential debate and Saturday’s closely watched Ames straw poll is that, on the campaign trail in Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) has the most passion and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty has the best organization. But on Wednesday it was Bachmann whose campaign event looked a little staged, and Pawlenty who drew more excitement, with an early-evening rally here featuring live rock music, a rousing speech by his wife, Mary, and a cheering crowd of more than 100 supporters. Read full article > >

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Pawlenty gets Iowans fired up on eve of Republican debate

Jennifer Grey beats Bristol Palin in a closely watched “Dancing With the Stars.”

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ArtsBeat: Grey Wins ‘Dancing With the Stars’

We hope he enjoyed it: A male model was fired from the set of a photo shoot for sexy mall retailer Abercrombie & Fitch because he ate a croissant. Like the other models on the shoot, Florian Van Bael, a native of Belgium, was being closely watched by…

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Male Model Fired for Eating Croissant