Wall Street Journal Money Spent On Video Games

Russia: Death toll from Siberian coal mine fire raised to 52

Russian news reports say that 52 miners and rescuers have died in a a devastating fire that rushed through a Siberian coal mine about 250 meters (820 feet) underground

November 25

In this Russian Emergency Situations Ministry Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021 photo, rescuers prepare to work at a fire scene at a coal mine near the Siberian city of Kemerovo, about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) east of Moscow, Russia,. Russian authorities say a fire at a coal mine in Siberia has killed nine people and injured 44 others. Dozens of others are still trapped. A Russian news agency says the blaze took place in the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia. (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations photo via AP)

Europe's Christmas markets warily open as COVID cases rise

An uneasy feeling has been left hanging over Frankfurt's Christmas market.

November 25

FILE - Lights illuminate the Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 22, 2021. Despite the pandemic inconveniences, stall owners selling ornaments, roasted chestnuts and other holiday-themed items in Frankfurt and other European cities are relieved to be open at all for their first Christmas market in two years, especially with new restrictions taking effect in Germany, Austria and other countries as COVID-19 infections hit record highs. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Holiday season moves into high gear but challenges remain

Shoppers buoyed by solid hiring, healthy pay gains and substantial savings are returning to stores and splurging on all types of items

November 25

Global stocks mixed after Fed says ready to act on inflation

Global stock markets are higher after Federal Reserve officials indicated they were ready to hike interest rates sooner than expected if needed to cool U.S. inflation

November 25

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. Asian stock markets fell Thursday after Federal Reserve officials indicated they were ready to raise interest rates sooner than expected if needed to cool inflation.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

'Get up!' Pope prays that Lebanon can get back on its feet

Pope Francis says he's praying that God will help Lebanon "get up" and get back on its feet following an unprecedented economic crisis that has thrown three quarters of the country's 6 million people including a million Syrian refugees into poverty

November 25

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after their meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, on Sept. 24, 2021. Pope Francis told Lebanon's prime minister on Wednesday that he was praying that God would help Lebanon

Germany latest country to pass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of "a very sad day" as her country became the latest to surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began

November 25

FILE - A hotel has switched on the lights in some rooms to form a heart near the buildings of the banking district in in Frankfurt, Germany, Dec. 10, 2020, as the German government discusses further restrictions to avoid the outspread of the coronavirus. Germany is set to mark 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 this week, passing a somber milestone that several of its neighbors crossed months ago but which some in Western Europe's most populous nation had hoped to avoid. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Putin says Russia will offer good gas deal to Serbia

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow will continue providing natural gas to Serbia on terms favorable to its ally

November 25

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shake hands during their meeting in Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Who's a hero? Some states, cities still debating hazard pay

While many workers deemed essential in their respective states have already received pandemic hazard pay or hero pay, there are thousands more still waiting for the same financial pat-on-the-back

November 25

FILE - Clarissa Johnson of Hartford marches with long-term care members of the New England Health Care Employees Union, during a rally to demand new laws to protect long-term caregivers and consumers, July 23, 2020, at the State Capitol in Hartford, Conn. Connecticut essential state employees, who worked long hours during the COVID-19 pandemic, are still waiting for "hero pay" from $22.5 million in federal pandemic funds set aside in the state budget. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

This worker got jobless benefits; Virginia wants them back

A Virginia man is fighting to hang on to $9,000 in unemployment benefits that the state gave him when his compressor plant closed in 2018

November 25

Ernest Ray, right, sits with his niece, Kendra Potter at the Virginia Higher Education Center in Abington Va., Tuesday Aug. 17, 2021. Ray has been fighting the state of Virginia in court as it tries to recoup unemployment benefits he received after being laid off from his job of more than two decades. (AP Photo/Sarah Rankin)

Facade is rosy again: Can Bally's casino's future be, too?

A year after new owners took over Bally's casino in Atlantic City, a $100 million facelift is underway involving hotel rooms, the casino floor and more

November 25

This June 23, 2021 photo shows a dealer conducting a game of roulette at Bally's casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Rhode Island-based Bally's Corp. is spending $100 million on renovations to the property, which ranks last among Atlantic City's nine casinos in terms of gambling revenue. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Who's a hero? Some states, cities still debating hazard pay

While many workers deemed essential in their respective states have already pandemic hazard pay or hero pay, there are thousands more are still waiting for the same financial pat-on-the-back

November 25

EU regulator authorizes Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids 5-11

The European Union drug regulator has authorized Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for use on children from 5 to 11 years old

November 25

An employee draws up a syringe with the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease at vaccination bus in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Germany battles rising numbers of coronavirus infections. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Global shares mixed amid inflation, oil price worries

Asian stock markets are lower after Federal Reserve officials indicated they were ready to raise interest rates sooner than expected if needed to cool inflation

November 24

People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. Asian shares fell Wednesday, as worries about inflation set off expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve might raise interest rates.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Consumer spending rebounds despite rising October inflation

U.S. consumer spending rebound in October, rising by a solid 1.3%, but inflation was up as well, rising over the past year at the fastest pace in more than three decades

November 24

People shop for frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner at a grocery store in Mount Prospect, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. First, the good news: There is no shortage of whole turkeys in the U.S. this Thanksgiving. But those turkeys — along with other holiday staples like cranberry sauce and pie filling — could cost more. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Regulator approves plan to bury coal ash in Memphis

Regulators have given approval to a plan by the Tennessee Valley Authority to bury toxin-laden coal ash in southeast Memphis

November 24

How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday

Stocks ended with scant gains after another wobbly day of trading on Wall Street Wednesday as the market remained unsettled ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday

November 24

Gap, Nordstrom fall; Deere, Pure Storage rise

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Gap, Nordstrom fall; Deere, Pure Storage rise

November 24

Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels

November 24

Fed officials express resolve to address inflation risks

Federal Reserve officials in discussions earlier this month said the central bank "would not hesitate" to take appropriate actions to address inflation pressures that posed risks to the economy

November 24

FILE - Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Federal Reserve officials in discussions earlier this month said the central bank

Croatia OKs purchase of French jets before Macron visit

Croatia's government has approved the purchase of 12 used Rafale fighter jets from France worth about 1 billion euros to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era aircraft and strengthen its air force amid lingering tensions in the Balkans

November 24

FILE - A Rafale fighter jet lands on deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, off the coast of the city of Hyeyres, southern France, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Croatia's government on Wednesday Nov. 24, 2021, approved the purchase of 12 Rafale fighter jets from France worth about 1 billion euros ($ 1.2 billion) to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era aircraft and strengthen its air force amid lingering tensions in the Balkans. (Philippe Lopez/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Housing market trends fuel single-family home rental growth

Homebuilders and other real estate companies are increasingly betting that would-be homebuyers frustrated with a shortage of homes for sale and runaway prices will settle for renting their slice of the American Dream

November 24

This is a home for sale in Mount Lebanon, Pa., on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. Homebuilders and other real estate companies are increasingly betting that would-be homebuyers frustrated with a shortage of homes for sale and runaway prices will settle for renting their slice of the American Dream. While individual homeowners and mom-and-pop investors still account for the vast majority of single-family rental homes, homebuilders have stepped up construction this year of new houses being built for rent.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Israel, Belgium clash over settlement products labeling

Israel's deputy foreign minister has canceled meetings with Belgian officials after a decision by Brussels to begin labeling products made in Jewish West Bank settlements

November 24

A general view of Psagot Winery in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Psagot, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Israel's deputy foreign minister canceled meetings with Belgian officials on Wednesday, Nov. 24, after a decision by Brussels earlier this week to begin labeling products made in Jewish West Bank settlements. Idan Roll said on Twitter he was scrapping meetings with the Belgian Foreign Ministry and parliament during a visit this week to the European country. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Subway sandwich chain co-founder Peter Buck dies at 90

Subway sandwich chain co-founder Peter Buck has died

November 24

This undated photo provided by Subway, shows Peter Buck, co-founder of the Subway Sandwich chain. Buck, whose $1,000 investment in a family friend's Connecticut sandwich shop in 1965 provided the genesis for what is now the world's largest restaurant chain — Subway — died on Nov. 18, 2021, at a hospital in Danbury, Conn, the company said in a statement. He was 90. (Subway via AP)

EU says economic recovery threatened by COVID-19 resurgence

The European Union says the massive spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is threatening the bloc's recovery from the deep economic slump caused by last year's onset of the pandemic

November 24

People line up at a COVID-19 testing center in the courtyard of the Residenz, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

White House: 92% of fed workers under mandate are vaccinated

The Biden administration's vaccine mandate for millions of federal workers seems to be working, with no apparent disruption to law enforcement, intelligence-gathering or holiday travel

November 24

Slovakia approves 2-week nationwide lockdown infection surge

The Slovak government has approved a two-week national lockdown amid a record surge of coronavirus infections

November 24

Medical staff attend to a patient at the COVID-19 ICU unit of the hospital in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Slovakia's leaders have been proposing a national lockdown as hospitals across the European Union country are hitting their limits amid a record surge of coronavirus infections. Inspired by neighboring Austria, the government is set to discuss a lockdown plan for all, the vaccinated and unvaccinated, on its session on Wednesday. (Martin Baumann/TASR via AP)

T-Mobile to pay nearly $20M after 911 calls failed during outage

Some 23,000 emergency calls failed during the 12-hour outage last June.

November 24

Portugal sees jump in COVID-19 cases, eyes restrictions

Portugal is reporting its highest number of new daily COVID-19 infections since July amid a surge in cases across Europe

November 24

File - A woman wearing a face mask uses her cellphone in a subway train in Lisbon, on Oct. 22, 2021. Portugal has inoculated 86% of the country against COVID-19, but its prime minister is warning that a recent surge in infections across Europe compels it to consider taking precautionary measures. The government has convened a meeting of health experts on Friday to assess what measures may be required. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)

Deere Q4 profit jumps 69% despite strike and supply problems

Deere & Co. said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 69% on strong sales of its agricultural and construction equipment despite a monthlong strike that began near the end of the period

November 24

FILE- John Deere equipment is on display at the Farm Progress Show on Aug. 31, 2015 in Decatur, Ill. Deere & Co. said on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 69% on strong sales of its agricultural and construction equipment despite a monthlong strike that began near the end of the period. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

On the road again: Travelers emerge in time for Thanksgiving

Millions of Americans are loading up their cars or piling onto planes, determined to reclaim Thanksgiving traditions that were put on pause last year by the pandemic

November 24

Travelers queue up at the south security checkpoint as traffic increases with the approach of the Thanksgiving Day holiday Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, at Denver International Airport in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Germany faces grim COVID milestone with leadership in flux

Germany is inching toward the mark of 100,000 deaths from COVID-19

November 24

FILE - A woman lights candles forming a giant cross in memory of coronavirus victims in Germany in Zella-Mehlis, Germany, April 17, 2020. Germany is set to mark 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 this week, passing a somber milestone that several of its neighbors crossed months ago but which some in Western Europe's most populous nation had hoped to avoid. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, File)

JPMorgan's Dimon regrets joke about Chinese Communist Party

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Friday that "he truly regrets" a quip he made this week about JPMorgan outlasting the Chinese Communist Party

November 24

FILE - JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon looks on during the inauguration the new French headquarters of JP Morgan bank Tuesday, June 29, 2021 in Paris. Dimon said Friday, Nov. 24, that

Putin tests experimental nasal vaccine against COVID-19

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has taken an experimental nasal vaccine against the coronavirus, three days after he received his booster shot, as Russia faces its worst surge of infections and deaths since the pandemic began

November 24

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a cabinet meeting via video conference in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Denmark seeks support to reintroduce face mask use

Denmark's government says it will seek support in parliament to reintroduce mandates for wearing face masks in public places amid a rise in coronavirus cases

November 24

US new homes sales rise 0.4% in October as prices climb

U.S. sales of new homes edged up 0.4% last month, coming in below expectations as housing prices continued to climb

November 24

People walk by a sold sign in front of a house along the Erie Canal in Pittsford, New York, on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Sales of new homes jumped 14% in September to the fastest pace in six months as strong demand helped off rising prices. The Commerce Department reported Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 that sales of new single-family homes rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 800,000 units last month after sales had fallen 1.4% in August. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)

Biden names women of color to lead White House budget office

President Joe Biden is nominating Shalanda Young to head the Office of Management and Budget

November 24

FILE - Shalanda Young testifies during a Senate Budget Committee hearing to examine her nomination to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2021. President Joe Biden is set to nominate Shalanda Young to head the Office of Management and Budget. That's according to a person familiar with his plans. Young has served as acting director of the department for much of the year. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

US jobless claims hit 52-year low after seasonal adjustments

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plummeted last week to the lowest level in more than half a century, another sign that the U.S. job market is rebounding rapidly from last year's coronavirus recession

November 24

Hiring sign is displayed outside of a retail store in Vernon Hills, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plummeted last week to the lowest level in more than half a century, another sign that the U.S. job market is rebounding rapidly from last year's coronavirus recession. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Public nuisance laws in opioid cases give hope to both sides

Pharmacies have lost in a groundbreaking trial in Ohio over the toll of opioids, but there's no assurance the results will hold up on appeal

November 24

In this undated combination of photos shown are CVS, Walmart and Walgreens locations. The retail pharmacy chains recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021 in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis. (AP Photo)

1966 death of Doris Duke employee an accident, review finds

The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department's review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke

November 24

FILE - Heiress Doris Duke, right, and her attorney Aram Arabian, leave Superior Court on June 17, 1971, in Providence, R.I. When Duke, the fabulously wealthy tobacco and power company heir, ran over and killed longtime employee and confidant Eduardo Tirella at her Newport, R.I., mansion in 1966, many people never bought the official police report that the death was an "unfortunate accident." But the city manager in Newport, R.I., is standing by the city police department's review of the 1966 death of the employee of Duke, and found, like the original investigation, it was all an accident. (AP Photo/File)

US GDP slowed sharply in Q3 but big rebound expected in Q4

The U.S. economy slowed to a modest annual rate of 2.1% in the October-December quarter, slightly better than first reported

November 24

The MSC Naomi container ship sails out from from the port of Charleston, S.C.,Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Hampered by rising COVID-19 cases and persistent supply shortages, the U.S. economy slowed sharply to a 2% annual growth rate in the July-September period, the weakest quarterly expansion since the recovery from the pandemic recession began last year. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Sweden offers COVID-19 booster shot to those ages 18 to 65

Sweden is recommending that everyone between the ages of 18 and 65 should get a booster shot against COVID-19 six months after having gotten the second jab

November 24

Sweden's parliament approves first female prime minister

Sweden's parliament has approved Magdalena Andersson as the country's first female prime minister

November 24

Sweden's Finance Minister and Scocial Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson looks on, during a vote in the Swedish parliament Riksdagen, in Stockhom, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. Sweden's parliament has approved Magdalena Andersson as the country's first female prime minister. Lawmakers on Wednesday tapped the finance minister who recently became the new leader of the Social Democratic party. Andersson was tapped to replace Stefan Lofven as party leader and prime minister, roles he relinquished earlier this year. T (Erik Simander/TT News Agency via AP)

Beyond Manchin: Dems' $2T bill faces Senate gauntlet

Democrats have finally driven President Joe Biden's $2 trillion package of family services, health care and climate initiatives through the House

November 24

FILE - Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., talks to reporters as he leaves the chamber after a vote, at the Capitol in Washington, on Nov. 3, 2021. Democrats have finally driven President Joe Biden's $2 trillion package of family services, health care and climate initiatives through the House. Now the focus turns to the Senate, where painful Republican amendments, restrictive rules and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin lurk (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Samsung says it will build $17B chip factory in Texas

Samsung said it plans to build a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Texas amid a global shortage of chips used in phones, laptops, cars and other electronic devices

November 24

Asia stock markets decline amid inflation, oil price worries

Asian shares are falling as worries about inflation set off expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve might accelerate its plans to raise interest rates

November 24

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a bank's electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Asian shares were mixed Tuesday after a late drop left major Wall Street indexes mostly lower. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LA luxury mall latest to be hit by smash-and-grab thieves

Los Angeles police say a group of thieves smashed windows at a department store at a luxury mall

November 23

A security guard stands outside the Nordstrom store at The Grove retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Los Angeles police say a group of thieves smashed windows at the department store at the luxury mall late Monday, the latest incident in a trend of smash-and-grab crimes is part of a national trend. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

Fighting gas prices, US to release 50 million barrels of oil

President Joe Biden is ordering a record 50 million barrels of oil released from America's strategic reserve to help bring down energy costs

November 23

FILE - Storage tanks are shown at a refinery in Detroit, Tuesday, April 21, 2020. The White House on Tuesday said it had ordered 50 million barrels of oil released from strategic reserve to bring down energy costs. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

T-Mobile to pay $20M after outage led to failed 911 calls

Wireless carrier T-Mobile is paying $19.5 million in a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission over a 12-hour nationwide outage in June 2020 that resulted in thousands of failed 911 calls

November 23

A man uses a mobile phone outside a T-Mobile store, Monday, April 19, 2021, in New York. The wireless carrier agreed to pay $19.5 million in a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission over a 12-hour nationwide outage in June 2020 that resulted in thousands of failed 911 calls. The FCC said Tuesday, Nov. 23 that as part of the settlement, T-Mobile will also commit to improving communications of outages to emergency call centers, among other measures. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Canadian Pacific's $31B rail deal moves on down the line

Federal regulators have cleared a path to consider Canadian Pacific's $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad

November 23

Dollar Tree makes it official: Items will now cost $1.25

The change comes amid rising cost of goods and freight.

November 23