On Thursday the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank noted that factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region continued to slow in June with its index posting minus 17.1 compared to 15.6 in May.

FORBES: Economy Still Underachieves

They had been sent by the company Mande Construction Immobiliere to take soil samples in the Hombori region where it planned to build a cement factory.

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Sainsbury's wants to build what would be one of the region's largest stores on an old factory site in Westfield, between Midsomer Norton and Radstock.

BBC: Westfield supermarket plans raise concern in Somerset