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The Labor Department says the U.S. economy lost more than a half-million jobs in November. It was the steepest drop in nearly a quarter-century. Figures show that 533,000 jobs were lost last month, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent. That's a 15-year high. It's proof that the recession, already a year old, is getting deeper.

Japan's main index fell more than 6 percent. South Korea was down more than 3 percent. Hong Kong's main stock average fell nearly 5 percent, partly on grim economic news out of China. The drop in world markets follows a nearly 8 percent plunge in the Dow, after the National Bureau of Economic Research issued a report declaring that the U.S. officially is in recession.

After the author came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, he says, he became obsessed with his home country. Diaz eventually adjusted and learned about the new culture by reading.

Lawmakers are demanding that GM, Ford and Chrysler submit a plan for improvements before Congress will consider a $25 billion aid package for the auto industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say if there's a viable plan, Congress might return to work early next month for a vote. Some lawmakers wanted Congress to stay in session.

Economists say falling prices are a sign that the economy isn't doing well. Slowing consumer demand is behind the fall in oil prices, which are heading toward $50 a barrel. The government reported Wednesday that prices for consumer goods are eroding at a record pace. A short while ago, inflation seemed to be the danger. Economic policymakers now are fretting about deflation.

President-elect Obama got down to business in Chicago this week. He chose Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff, got his first classified intelligence briefings and faced reporters for the first time since the election.

The Labor Department reports that the nation's unemployment rate rose 6.5 percent last month. The number of jobs lost were a lot higher than expected. The report indicates that the downturn in the economy this year has been even deeper and more dramatic than most economists had expected. The jobless rate is at a 14-year high.

The tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan has crowned its fifth king in an elaborate Buddhist ceremony. It was the new king's father who pioneered the concept of "gross national happiness" — meaning there's more to a country than economic growth, and spiritual and mental well-being matter just as much.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art bids farewell today to its longtime director, Philippe de Montebello, by opening an exhibition of carefully culled objects acquired during his 31-year tenure.

Movie buffs don't have to travel to the south of France to get a film festival fix. Small towns across the country have launched down-to-earth offerings and film festivals for the rest of us.