A laboratory technician for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been placed under observation for possible exposure to the deadly Ebola virus due to an apparent mix-up in lab specimens, the Atlanta-based agency said on Wednesday.

The technician, who was working on Monday with Ebola specimens that were supposed to have been inactivated but which may instead 

have contained live virus, will be monitored for signs of infection for 21 days, the disease's incubation period, CDC officials said.

The error follows two high-profile cases of mishandled samples of anthrax and avian influenza at the CDC earlier this year that called into question safety practices at the highly respected research institute and drew criticism from Capitol Hill.

CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds told Reuters the technician's risk of exposure to Ebola, even if the virus were active, was believed to be low and that the worker was not being quarantined while under observation.

She said a small number of other CDC employees who entered the lab where the samples in question were handled also "were assessed and none require monitoring."

"There was no possible exposure outside the secure laboratory at CDC and no exposure or risk to the public," the agency said in a statement. Lab scientists discovered on Tuesday what had transpired, and reported it to superiors within an hour, it said.

The problem occurred when active Ebola virus samples were believed to have been mixed up with specimens that had been rendered inactive for further testing in a lower-security lab down the hall, Reynolds said.

When inactivated specimens turned up the next day in storage, lab personnel realized that they apparently had transferred the wrong samples, ones that had contained active virus material, out of the higher-security lab, Reynolds said.

CDC officials could not be certain because the material in question had by then been destroyed and the lower-security lab decontaminated under routine safety procedures, she said.

The technician who handled the samples had worn protective gloves and a gown but not a face mask, she said. Ebola virus is not airborne. In a lab environment, it could be transmitted from a contaminated surface through physical contact that spreads the virus to the eyes, nose or mouth of an individual.

ANTHRAX INCIDENT

The mishap resembled the anthrax incident, in which researchers mistakenly believed they had transferred an inactivated sample of bacteria to a lower-security lab where workers wear less-protective gear. No illnesses resulted from that breach.

Then as now, the CDC temporarily halted the transfer of samples at its high-security labs while it reviewed its protocols.

In July an agency scientist, Dr. Michael Bell, was appointed to a new role overseeing lab safety and a panel of independent experts was formed to advise the institute on such issues.

Bell has since returned to his previous post, Reynolds told Reuters, though she did not say whether anyone else had assumed the lead role for lab safety.

"I am troubled by this incident in our Ebola research laboratory in Atlanta," the CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden, said of the latest error. "Thousands of laboratory scientists in more than 150 labs throughout CDC have taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety."

The CDC also was criticized by some for not doing more to prepare the U.S. medical establishment to deal with Ebola when a Liberian man visiting Dallas in October was diagnosed with the disease after initially being turned away from a hospital emergency room there.

Two nurses who treated that patient before he died ended up contracting the virus but survived. They are the only two people known to have been infected on U.S. soil during the current Ebola epidemic, which has killed more than 7,500 people, most of them in West Africa.

Reuters

"The Interview," the Sony Pictures film about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, opened in more than 300 cinemas across the United States on Christmas Day, drawing sell-out audiences in many theaters where outspoken patrons said they were championing freedom of expression.

Seth Rogen, who co-stars in the low-budget comedy with James Franco, and co-director 

Evan Goldberg surprised moviegoers by appearing at the sold-out 12:30 a.m. PT (0830 GMT) screening of the movie at a theater in Los Angeles where they briefly thanked fans for their support.

Sony Pictures this week backtracked from its original decision to cancel the release of the $44 million film after it became the target last month of the most destructive cyberattack ever on a U.S. company. The United States blamed the attacks on North Korea. Major movie chains had refused to release the film after threats of attacks on theaters and audiences by hackers.

But movie theater managers and patrons alike said they believed there was nothing to fear.

Nick Doiron, a 25-year-old engineer from New York's borough of Queens, said he had been planning to stream the movie online, but decided to see it in the Cinema Village theater in New York's Greenwich Village. 

"The controversy itself was ridiculous," Doiron said. He said he was interested in North Korean news and had been following the story closely. "I want to be part of the message that this is how censorship ends."

The film is available online in the United States on Google Inc's<GOOGL.) Google Play and YouTube Movie and to customers of Microsoft's Xbox Video, as well as on Sony's own website for the film (www.seetheinterview.com). It can be seen also in Canada on the Sony site, according to Rogen's Twitter feed.

POLICE, FBI INVOLVED

Cinema Village manager Lee Peterson said the New York Police Department planned to have officers outside the theater. He said he had also heard from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, though he declined to provide details of security precautions. 

"A week ago we didn't think this was going to happen. Let freedom ring. Nobody's going to tell us what we can or can't see," Peterson said to raucous applause as he addressed the theater's first audience of the day.

There was no visible police presence outside or inside the Cinema Village for Thursday's first screening at 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT), which was not sold out

In Los Angeles, where the film drew a sell-out crowd for the 12:30 a.m. showing, people who held cups of warm cider as they waited for the theater to open said they came to show support for freedom of speech and freedom of choice.

The movie, which is playing in theaters in major metropolitan areas as well as in smaller cities ranging from Bangor, Maine, to Jasper, Indiana, features Rogen and Franco as journalists who get recruited by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader.

Sony decided to release the film after U.S. President Barack Obama, as well as such Hollywood luminaries as George Clooney and Republicans and Democrats in Washington, raised concerns that Hollywood was setting a precedent of self-censorship.

Many of Thursday's screenings sold out within hours on Wednesday as the controversy over the film made it front-page news around the world.

"You know, this is a film I probably would not have come to see but because of the controversy I thought I would come out tonight to stand up for freedom of speech," said Tamsin Hollow, in Los Angeles.

MOVIE FANS HAPPY

Fans who saw "The Interview" called it a great, funny movie.

"It's a farce of the highest level," said Matt Orstein as he left the theater in Los Angeles. "I would equate it to something like 'Airplane!' or 'Hot Shots!' you know. I mean it's funny but it's definitely nothing that could topple a monarchy."

Fans hailed the appearance by Rogen and Goldberg.

"It was a great movie, it was really funny, they did a fantastic job. It was really great that Seth came out, Seth Rogen himself came out and greeted everybody. Hey, go America," said Tom Sopit.

Reuters

Fuji Heavy Industries (7270.T), the maker of Subaru brand cars and SUVs, has scrapped a plan to shift production of the new XV Crosstrek to its U.S. plant and will instead make the SUV in Japan, a source familiar with the company's production plans said.

Fuji Heavy, which has a policy of making cars in markets where they are sold, decided to make the new vehicle in Japan because of 

capacity constraints in Indiana and the relatively high sales price of the crossover SUV, which makes domestic production more viable, the source said.

Pricing for the Crosstrek starts at just under $25,000 for the limited edition and just under $30,000 for the hybrid version.

The company had originally planned to make about 65,000 XV Crosstrek vehicles a year in Lafayette, Indiana, but will instead assemble them at its plant in Gunma prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, according to production plans reviewed by Reuters and a person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be named.

The automaker has achieved record-breaking sales in the United States, with a 21 percent surge in the year through November compared with a year earlier.

A Fuji Heavy spokesman said he could not comment on production plans for individual vehicles but said there was no change to the company's overall strategy of localizing production.

Fuji Heavy's decision to keep Crosstrek production in Japan follows moves by other Japanese automakers to shift some production back home as the yen weakens.

Since mid-October, the yen has lost about 11 percent against the U.S. dollar and now trades above 120 per dollar, its lowest since 2007.

Fuji Heavy is planning to begin manufacturing the Crosstrek in Japan around April 2017, the source said.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) announced in late 2013 that it would end its arrangement with Fuji Heavy for producing Camry sedans at the Indiana plant, freeing up capacity for Subaru models.

Toyota is considering moving production of some new Camrys from its Kentucky plant to Japan, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters this week.

Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters last week that the automaker would take advantage of the weakened yen to return production of its popular Rogue SUV to a Japanese plant for export to the United States.

Reuters

This rookie just may be called up from the American Hockey League after catching everyone's attention in an impressive debut.

Sorry, though, it's not the next Sidney Crosby, but a new overtime rule that should allow players like Crosby to showcase their skills even more with the game on the line.

The minor-league organization has long been the place to experiment with new directives, just to see how well they work — or don't work — before the NHL takes a look. Some (oversized blue lines) weren't popular. Others (not being able to change players after an icing call) have been promoted.

The new OT rule possibly could be coming soon to an NHL rink near you.

"It's certainly entertaining for fans and a lot of fun to watch," said David Andrews, the president and CEO of the AHL for the last 21 years.

Currently, the NHL uses a 4-on-4 OT model for five minutes. If no one scores, then it goes to a shootout.

But here's how the extra period works on the AHL level: It's seven minutes long — or until someone scores, of course — with the opening three minutes 4-on-4. Then, after the next whistle, it switches to 3-on-3 for the last four, leading to lots of room for creativity and scoring chances. If that doesn't decide things, it goes to a shootout, a concept that drives many a coach bonkers since it's almost like a skills competition.

That's the thing, though. This new overtime system has cut down significantly on shootouts.

Last year, the AHL had 65 percent of its OT games decided in a shootout, Andrews said. This season, it's shrunk to 25 percent.

Even more, of the 99 overtime games so far, 35 of them have been decided in 3-on-3 action.

Initially hesitant over the newfangled OT ordinance, Roy Sommer, the coach of the AHL Worcester Sharks, has warmed up to the idea. He thinks it would be a big hit with fans and players on the next level.

"If you put your three best NHL players against each other with all that ice and creativity, man, it would be something to watch," said Sommer, one of the all-time winningest AHL coaches. "I know I wouldn't leave."

As for when — or even if — this version of overtime arrives at the NHL level, that's hard to predict. In a statement, the NHL's hockey operations branch said the league follows "the American Hockey League and other leagues closely. ... We're always interested in ways to make an already great game better."

Colorado and Toronto had a 3-on-3 situation in overtime earlier this season after both teams drew penalties. It was riveting as players raced from end-to-end, unable to risk heading to the bench for fear of an odd-man rush going the other way.

"If we did this, there's no way games would go to a shootout," Colorado forward Matt Duchene said. "As much as shootouts are fun to watch, I'm not a big fan of them, because it stinks to finish a game on a non-hockey play.

"But I'd love to see overtime 4-on-4 and then 3-on-3, because it would be amazing."

Chris Wideman can attest to that. The defenseman for the Binghamton Senators has scored two of his 12 goals in overtime this season — one in 3-on-3 and the other on a 4-on-3 power play.

"Lots of odd-man rushes, breakaways," explained Wideman, who's in his third season with the minor-league affiliate of Ottawa. "From the pure entertainment side, you can't beat it. As far as for the players, it's a lot of fun for us. It gives you a chance to show off a little skill."

One possible downside? More ice time for players, which could take its toll over an already grueling regular season.

NBC hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk wouldn't mind seeing something similar to college football's overtime rules. His suggestion is this: One team receives a 4-on-3 power play for two minutes and if it scores, then the opponent gets its chance. The one that stops the other wins.

"If we're trying to get away from the shootout, there are ways of trying to do that," said Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach.

Hey, maybe another test idea for the AHL. But the minor-league outfit isn't just a petri dish for the NHL. A lot of times, it's the AHL that institutes a rule that causes the NHL to take notice and later implement, like the delay penalty for flipping a puck over the glass in the defensive end. Or the trapezoid area behind the goal.

Or, maybe soon, this new OT rule.

"The fans love the shootout," Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said. "But they'd LOVE 3-on-3 in overtime."

AP

The Iraqi prime minister says Iraq and Turkey have discussed cooperation in fighting the Islamic State group, including possible Turkish military and intelligence assistance.

Haider al-Adabi told reporters during a visit to the Turkish capital on Thursday that he had provided a list of things Iraq was requesting from Turkey to help fight the militant group, including training Iraqi forces and providing intelligence and arms.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to support Iraq but did not elaborate. He said the countries' defense ministries were holding discussions.

Turkey has declared it is willing to train and equip forces fighting IS, but has been reluctant to provide greater support to the U.S.-led coalition. Turkey insists that the coalition must also aim to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.

AP

Queen Elizabeth II used her traditional Christmas broadcast Thursday to call for reconciliation throughout the United Kingdom and to praise medical workers fighting Ebola in Africa.

She said it will take time to heal divisions in Scotland, where a referendum was held this year on whether to remain part of Britain, and praised progress resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland. Elizabeth cited

 the "Christmas truce" in 1914 as an example to be remembered.

"Something remarkable did happen that Christmas, exactly 100 years ago today," she said. "Without any instruction or command, the shooting stopped and German and British soldiers met in No Man's Land. Photographs were taken and gifts exchanged. It was a Christmas truce."

She said German forces sang "Silent Night" so that it could be heard on the British side of the front line.

"That carol is still much-loved today, a legacy of the Christmas truce, and a reminder to us all that even in the unlikeliest of places hope can still be found," the queen said before wishing everyone a happy Christmas.

The queen writes her own Christmas speech, which is pre-recorded and televised in many parts of the world. She made her first Christmas broadcast on radio in 1952.

The queen and her close family celebrated Christmas at the sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The royals attended a church service Christmas morning before a gala lunch. Prince William and his pregnant wife Kate were present, but their toddler son, Prince George, didn't go to church.

Kate told one person in the crowd she didn't bring 1-year-old George because he would have made too much noise.

Prince Charles' wife Camilla also didn't attend because of a painful back injury suffered earlier this month, officials said.

The queen arrived by car while the other royals walked from her estate to the village church.

Hundreds of well-wishers lined the route to the church to exchange Christmas greetings with the royals. Some shouted with glee as Prince Harry walked by. One visitor from Spain told reporters she had asked Harry to marry her.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby cancelled his Christmas sermon because of a severe cold. In a statement he expressed "great regret" about his inability to preach his planned sermon about the true meaning of Christmas.

Church officials said the sermon at Canterbury Cathedral would instead be delivered by the Dean of Canterbury Robert Willis.

AP

Republicans crowed in 2004 that freshly re-elected President George W. Bush had established a "permanent governing majority" for the GOP. Eight years later, Democrats were touting the enduring power of the "Obama coalition" to keep their party in the White House.

But Democrats couldn't sustain that coalition for this year's midterm elections, leading to Republican gains in Congress, governorships and state legislatures nationwide.

"The notion of demographics as destiny is overblown," said Republican pollster and media strategist Wes Anderson. "Just like (Bush aide Karl) Rove was wrong with that 'permanent majority' talk, Democrats have to remember that the pendulum is always swinging."

So how will it swing in 2016? Is the path to 270 electoral votes so fixed that one side just can't win? Do Obama's unpopularity carry over into the next race for the White House? Or will an increasingly diverse electorate pick a Democrat for a third consecutive presidential election for the first time since Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman won five straight elections from 1932 to 1948?

Despite Democrats' midterm shellacking and talk of a "depressed" liberal base, many in the party still like their starting position for 2016. Ruy Teixiera, a Democratic demographer, points to a group of states worth 242 electoral votes that Democratic presidential nominee has won in every election since 1992. Hold them all, and the party is just 28 votes shy of the majority needed to win the White House next time.

Obama twice compiled at least 332 electoral votes by adding wins in most every competitive state. He posted double-digit wins among women, huge margins among voters younger than 30 and historically high marks among blacks and Latinos.

As non-white voters continue to grow as a share of the electorate, a Democratic nominee that roughly holds Obama's 2012 level of support across all demographic groups would win the national popular vote by about 6 percentage points and coast in the Electoral College, Teixeira estimates.

"Could a Republican win? Sure," Teixeira said. "But they have to have a lot of different things happen."

What if the GOP is able to continue its gains among non-white voters? Obama, after all, lost ground in 2012 among most demographic measures, compared to his 2008 performance. Those slides helped make him the first president since World War II to win re-election with a lower popular vote total than he got in his initial victory.

A GOP nominee such as the Spanish-speaking Jeb Bush, a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, has the potential to capture significantly more than the 27 percent of the Latino vote that Mitt Romney claimed in 2012. Meanwhile, Republicans hope African-Americans make up a smaller share of the electorate with Obama no longer atop the ballot.

"We're not talking about winning those groups, but these elections are fought on the margins, so improvements here and there can make a difference," Anderson said.

Republicans acknowledge that demographic shifts make it more difficult than in years past for the GOP nominee to depend on white voters, who cast 87 percent of presidential ballots in 1992 and just 72 percent in 2012.

At the same time, Democrats have watched white voters, particularly those without a college degree, move away from the party during Obama's presidency — and not just in the conservative South. Obama lost this group by about 26 points in 2012, according to exit polls and other analyses. By this November, his Gallup approval rating among the group stood at 27 percent.

Extending that trend into 2016 could push Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire into the GOP column. Whites also could tip Florida, Virginia and Colorado, although non-white voters in those states hold more influence than in the Midwest and northeast. Those seven states, plus all won by Romney in 2012, would give the GOP a winning total of 295 electoral votes.

It should be noted that path to 270 requires any potential GOP president to win Florida, with its 29 electoral votes. And while it's mathematically possible for a Republican to win without Ohio's 18 electoral votes, no GOP nominee has ever done so, and Republican strategists widely acknowledge the state as essential.

Of course, further analysis of the raw numbers alone ignores the potential of the candidates themselves to shape the election — not to mention dramatic changes in the economy, national security events or other developments that fall outside the control of any candidate.

"Presidential elections don't take place in a vacuum," Anderson said. "It's an adversarial system in which their side has a face and our side has a face, and everything flows from that."

AP

Political advisers, chiefs of staff, press secretaries and national security advisers have come and gone in the nearly six years Barack Obama has been president. Now, the White House chef is also waving goodbye.

Sam Kass has been a fixture at the executive mansion, serving up nutrition policy as well as meals for Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha. He was not only their personal chef but also senior adviser for nutrition policy, giving him a seat at the table where administration officials hashed out everything from updated food labels to new requirements for healthier school lunches.

Kass, a newlywed, is leaving the White House at the end of the month, but don't ask him what the Obamas like or don't like to eat. "Top secret," he said.

"I love this family and believe in everything the president and first lady are doing and this has been the greatest job of my life and I assume will be the greatest job of my life," the 34-year-old said in an interview. "But I'm going to be with my wife. Once you're married you kind of need to be together."

Kass' wife, MSNBC host Alex Wagner, is based in New York City.

Kass' relationship with the Obamas started when they hired him to cook healthier meals for the family in Chicago before the 2008 elections. Michelle Obama was a vice president at the University of Chicago Medical Center and caring for young daughters, while Obama was a U.S. senator spending most of his time in Washington.

But the relationship sprouted well beyond the professional. Besides Kass' tireless work for Mrs. Obama, for whom he wore a third hat as executive director of her anti-childhood obesity campaign, Kass sometimes traveled with Obama and joined his weekend or vacation golf outings. Obama, in turn, blocked out several hours on his busy schedule to attend Kass' late-August wedding.

Obama said Kass "has grown from a close friend to a critical member of my team" and has left "an indelible mark on the White House." Mrs. Obama praised Kass' "extraordinary legacy of progress," which she said includes healthier food options in groceries, more nutritious school lunches and initiatives to improve how food is marketed to kids.

Unlike any White House chef before him, Kass helped make decisions with far greater potential consequences than whether the president's veggies, which Kass often plucked from the first lady's garden on the South Lawn, should be steamed or sautéed.

The school lunch changes have led Mrs. Obama into a public spat with the School Nutrition Association, an industry-backed group that represents school cafeteria workers and food companies that sell to schools. The group has lobbied Congress to weaken the standards, arguing they are a burden on financially pinched districts and a big reason why kids are throwing their lunches into the garbage.

A House Republican-led effort to allow some districts to ignore the new lunch standards altogether failed to advance in Congress, but requirements for more whole grains in school foods will be eased instead. The fight over the broader standards is expected to heat up again next year when Republicans, who are sympathetic to the association's arguments, will control both houses of Congress.

Nutrition advocates say anyone who hopes these issues will disappear with Kass will be disappointed.

"This administration is very committed to nutrition and obesity prevention. That commitment runs very deep," said Margo Wootan, a nutrition lobbyist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who has pushed for healthier school meals.

Despite her group's issues with the lunch standards, Patricia Montague, the School Nutrition Association's chief executive, said Kass and "Let's Move" played "an important role in promoting healthier lifestyles for children both at school and at home."

Kass will stay involved with "Let's Move," Mrs. Obama's anti-childhood obesity initiative, along with broader efforts to improve childhood nutrition, the White House said.

Testifying to Kass' commitment, former colleague Kristina Schake said Kass spent weekends living the work he did at the White House, including visiting farms, farmers markets and food purveyors. "He can talk about different types of lettuce the way other men talk about sports teams," she said.

Kass said his big plan after leaving the White House is to get some sleep, and "I guess I'll also be the chef for my wife."

While some former White House chefs welcomed Kass' extra-culinary activities, one said Kass was an unnecessary staff addition.

"There is no need for two chefs in the White House. One is enough," said Roland Mesnier, who spent 25 years there as executive pastry chef. He was referring to executive chef Cristeta Comerford, who likely would have prepared Obama's meals had Kass not come along. She handles menus for official White House entertaining, such as state dinners.

AP

U.S. stocks rose for a fifth straight session on Tuesday, with the Dow climbing above 18,000 for the first time ever after an unexpectedly strong report on economic growth.

Both the Dow and S&P 500 hit intraday records, and the S&P is on track for its 51st record close of 2014. The gains pushed the Dow as high as 18,051.14, and the blue-chip index is now up about 175 percent from a 12-year low hit on March 9, 2009.

The final estimate for third-quarter U.S. economic growth was revised up to a 5 percent annual pace, its quickest in 11 years and easily topping expectations calling for growth of 4.3 percent.

"Everyone is surprised, and I'm definitely pleased," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at Phoenix Financial Services in New York. "How can inflation be so low when GDP is so high? Either this is just a one-off and GDP will fall back dramatically, or we'll see a pickup in inflation, which could put more pressure on the Fed."

The report spurred a broad rally, with nine of the ten primary S&P 500 sectors higher on the day. The only group to fall was healthcare .SPXHC, down 2.5 percent alongside a massive drop in biotech stocks.

The Nasdaq biotech index .NBI fell 5.4 percent, its biggest one-day decline since April 10. Components of the index made up the top six percentage decliners on the S&P; Celgene Corp (CELG.O) fell 8 percent to $104.49 while Biogen (BIIB.O) lost 6.6 percent to $329.14 and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O) lost 6 percent to $388.

Gilead Pharmaceuticals (GILD.O) fell 4.5 percent to $88.70, extending Monday's drop of 14 percent, which came after Express Scripts (ESRX.O) said it would abandon covering Gilead's hepatitis C treatment in favor of a cheaper option.

"This is just a kneejerk reaction, based on a bear thesis that Express Scripts will start to dictate prices," said Kaufman. "I don't see how this is any different than any other company in another sector getting more competition. Soon people will go through the stocks one-by-one to see which got oversold."

At 1:10 p.m. (1810 GMT) the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 99.21 points, or 0.55 percent, to 18,058.65, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 5.72 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,084.26 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 12.25 points, or 0.26 percent, to 4,769.17.

In addition to the GDP report, data showed a solid rise in consumer spending while consumer sentiment hit its highest level in nearly eight years. Separately, durable goods orders unexpectedly fell in November while new home sales fell for a second straight month.

Trading volume is expected to be light this week due to the Christmas holiday, which could increase volatility. U.S. equity markets will open for an abbreviated session Wednesday and be closed on Thursday.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,086 to 932, for a 2.24-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 1,463 issues rose and 1,222 fell for a 1.20-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.

The benchmark S&P 500 index was posting 113 new 52-week highs and 5 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite was recording 164 new highs and 42 new lows.

Reuters

"We have never given up on releasing 'The Interview' and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Entertainment. "At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience."

"I want to thank our talent on 'The Interview' and our employees, who have worked tirelessly through the many challenges we have all faced over the last month. While we hope this is only the first step of the film's release, we are proud to make it available to the public and to have stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech."

AP