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BEIJING (AP) — Global stocks are mixed in thin trading today after the latest decline in oil prices pulled Wall Street lower. Markets in Germany, Japan and South Korea were closed for the New Year holiday. In early trading, markets in France, Britain and Germany are down. On Wall Street, the future for the Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.05 percent and the Standard & Poor's 500 was up 0.06 percent. On Wednesday, both lost 0.7 percent and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.8 percent.
NEW YORK (AP) — For 14 years the gigantic Toys R Us store in Manhattan's Times Square welcomed tourists. Now it's closed its doors. Wednesday marked the last day of business for the company's flagship location. The 110,000-square-foot space was home to a 60-foot Ferris wheel, a 20-foot animatronic T-Rex and a life-size Barbie dollhouse. Toys R Us is looking for a new flagship location in Manhattan.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The world's largest McDonald's is now closed , but it should be replaced with an even bigger restaurant next door in a couple of months. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the restaurant and entertainment complex on the International Drive tourism corridor in Orlando, Florida, closed for good last night. The McDonald's building, which looks like a giant box of french fries, first opened in 1976. Besides dining, the McDonald's offered activities like bowling, slides and video games.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The year's end means higher wages for thousands of workers across New York state. The state's base minimum wage went up today — from $8.75 an hour to $9. Employees of fast-food chain restaurants are seeing their minimum wage rise to $10.50 in New York City and $9.75 in the rest of the state. The base hourly rate for restaurant servers and other tipped workers increases to $7.50.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana coal mine has laid off dozens of workers and is cutting production amid an industrywide slowdown that's starting to impact the largest coal-producing region of the United States. Signal Peak Energy says 58 employees have been laid off and eight vacant positions eliminated at its Bull Mountain Mine. That's about 20 percent of the workforce at the underground mine in central Montana south of Roundup.
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