Xbox One sales hit 1M on 1st day

Xbox One sales hit 1M on 1st day

REDMOND, Wash.

Microsoft Corp. says that more than 1 million Xbox One consoles have been sold worldwide since their midnight launch.

The company says that surpasses first-day sales of the Xbox 360, the previous-generation model that went on sale eight years ago.

The new console was launched in 13 markets. The software giant said Friday that it had sold out at most retailers and that it is working to replenish stocks. It added that in the first day of game play, fans killed more than 60 million zombies in “Dead Rising 3” and drove more than 3.6 million miles on “Forza Motorsport 5.”

The sales figure matches that of Sony Corp., which said last week that more than 1 million PlayStation 4 consoles had been sold in the 24 hours since its release.

Oil pipeline blasts in China kill 44

BEIJING

The death toll from two huge blasts caused by leaked oil from a ruptured pipeline in an eastern Chinese port city has risen to 44 with 166 injured in one the country’s worst industrial accidents of the year, authorities said today.

The blasts in Qingdao on Friday ripped slabs of pavement, and online photos showed bodies, overturned vehicles and shattered windows in nearby buildings. Black smoke rose above gigantic fuel silos and darkened much of the sky.

The pipeline owned by China’s largest oil refiner, Sinopec, ruptured and leaked for about 15 minutes onto a street and into the sea before it was shut off. Hours later, as workers cleaned up the spill, the oil caught fire and exploded in two locations, the city government said.

Wall St. milestone

new york

The stock market brushed past another milestone Friday.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed above 1,800 for the first time, capping seven-straight weeks of gains.

The broader index is on track for its best performance in 15 years as a combination of solid corporate earnings, a strengthening economy and easy-money policies from the Federal Reserve draw investors to stocks. Stocks also have gained because they offer an attractive alternative to bonds, where interest rates remain close to all-time lows.

Pixar lays off up to 5% of employees

LOS ANGELES

Disney subsidiary Pixar is laying off up to 5 percent of its 1,200 employees after it pushed back the release of “The Good Dinosaur” to November 2015 from next May.

That’s according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involved personnel.

The Walt Disney Co. released a statement saying Pixar is always re-evaluating its creative and business needs.

The person said the layoffs occurred earlier in the week.

The delay of “The Good Dinosaur” means 2014 will be the first year since 2005 that Pixar hasn’t released an animated movie.

Associated Press