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  • Ireland’s construction slump eases as contraction enters sixth month

    (Alliance News) – Ireland’s construction activity continued to fall in October, though commercial construction returned to growth in contrast to the other sub sectors, S&P Global reported Tuesday.

    The AIB Ireland construction purchasing managers’ index rose to 48.1 in October from 43.7 in September.

    A reading above the 50.0 neutral mark indicates an overall increase in business activity from the previous month, while a reading below signals a contraction.

    Although the latest figure indicates that the downturn in Ireland’s construction sector has eased with the softest decline in activity recorded since June, contraction nonetheless has extended into the sixth successive month.

    “The sectoral breakdown showed a divergence in performance among the three sub sectors. Commercial construction activity ended its two-month period of contraction, returning to growth, albeit marginally last month. Civil engineering continued to post declining activity levels, but at a less severe rate compared to September. In contrast, residential activity saw an acceleration in the pace of contraction,” said John Fahey, AIB senior economist.

    Furthermore, staffing levels in the sector fell for the second month running, as input costs rose sharply with firms citing higher fuel and raw material costs.

    “There were signs of stabilisation in new orders in October. The latest decline was only marginal and the weakest in the current three-month sequence of contraction as some firms reported being busier,” S&P Global explained.

    Looking ahead, optimism regarding the possibility of increasing activity levels over the next twelve months improved to the highest level since June, with 29% of those questioned anticipating an increase in output.

    S&P Global compiles the PMI each month using survey responses from a panel of around 150 construction companies.

    By Elijah Dale, Alliance News senior reporter Asia-Pacific

    Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

    Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Prasugrel shows advantage over ticagrelor in diabetic patients after stent placement

    Prasugrel shows advantage over ticagrelor in diabetic patients after stent placement

    One year of dual antiplatelet therapy with one of two potent P2Y12 inhibitors-ticagrelor or prasugrel-in people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who had received a drug-eluting stent did not offer the same level of benefit at…

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  • Join the Beelink Discussion and Win One of 200 Beelink ME Pro NAS

    Join the Beelink Discussion and Win One of 200 Beelink ME Pro NAS

    SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Beelink has officially launched an online discussion giveaway titled “What Should Your Ideal NAS Look Like?” — inviting users worldwide to envision their dream NAS…

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  • Sony raises profit forecast after earnings beat, boosted by Music and Imaging divisions

    Sony raises profit forecast after earnings beat, boosted by Music and Imaging divisions

    The Sony Group Corp. logo displayed on a screen at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (Ceatec) in Chiba, Japan, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.

    Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    Sony Group on Tuesday reported an increase in its second-quarter operating profit that beat expectations, while announcing a share buyback of up to 100 billion Japanese yen ($648 million).

    Here are Sony’s second-quarter results compared with LSEG SmartEstimates, which are weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate: 

    • Revenue: 3.108 trillion Japanese yen vs. 2.985 trillion yen expected
    • Operating profit: 429 billion yen vs. 398.44 billion yen expected

    Sony’s operating profit jumped 10% compared to the same period last year, while revenues were up 5% 

    The Japanese technology giant said it now expects operating profit for its fiscal year to increase by 100 billion yen, or 8% above its previous forecast, driven by gains from its Imaging & Sensing Solutions and Music segments. The company also raised its annual revenue outlook by 300 billion yen, or 3%. 

    That came as Sony saw strength in its game and network services division, which houses its popular PlayStation home console brand. Representing Sony’s top revenue driver, the division posted sales of 1.113 trillion yen, up 3.9% year over year.

    Game and network services have performed well in recent quarters thanks to a shift to digital game purchases and the PlayStation Plus subscription service. Growth in hardware shipments has been comparably muted.

    The company also saw substantial growth in its music business — its second-largest segment — with sales up over 20% from the same period last year. Revenue from its Imaging & Sensing Solutions business also grew 14.75%.

    KPop Demon Hunters

    Despite the strong showing, its picture business sales shrank about 2.75% year over year. That was despite Sony Pictures Animation being behind this year’s smash hit production, KPop Demon Hunters, which premiered on June 20. 

    The film, which was produced by Sony, has reportedly become the most popular Netflix film ever, and continues to break streaming records, even for its original soundtrack. 

    Despite the success, Sony has missed much of this upside due to selling the film’s exclusive rights to Netflix.

    While the exact details of the deal are unknown, it was reported that Sony made an initial $25 million profit from producing the film for Netflix.

    Netflix saw KPop Demon Hunters drive significant viewership and even contribute to its 17% revenue jump in its September quarter.

    However, in a bright spot for Sony, a sequel to the movie has already been confirmed, with Netflix reportedly providing the Japanese company a $15 million cash bonus for the first film’s performance. 

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  • Disney Cruise Line Christens Disney Destiny in South Florida

    Disney Cruise Line Christens Disney Destiny in South Florida

    A hero’s welcome awaited the new Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Destiny, Monday evening during a sensational christening celebration at its homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

    The Disney Destiny…

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  • Healthy meal deliveries boost quality of life for people with heart failure

    Healthy meal deliveries boost quality of life for people with heart failure

    Providing healthy, medically tailored meals or boxes of fresh produce along with nutrition counseling with a dietitian led to improved quality of life for people with heart failure compared to people who received dietary…

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  • Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Nov. 11

    Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Nov. 11

    Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


    I admit, I was…

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