Good morning, and TGIF! Here are some of the stories we’re following today:
1. Experts say ‘The Interview’ will still hit screens
Investigators believe the hack attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment is linked to North Korea, renewing calls for harsher sanctions against the rogue nation. Sony Pictures, which reportedly invested $42 million in "The Interview," a buddy comedy that depicts the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, decided Wednesday to nix the film's Christmas Day release because of security threats. While Hollywood is outraged over the movie studio appearing to cave to hackers, industry analysts believe the flick could still see the light of day. Read more in POP CULTURE.
2. Eight children found dead in Australian home
Police in the northern Australian suburb of Cairns discovered an “unspeakable crime” on Friday when the bodies of eight children were recovered from a home. The children ranged from 18 months to 15 years old. The mother of seven of the children was found alive and was being treated at a hospital. The circumstances of the children’s deaths, however, wasn’t immediately made public. “We don't have any persons that are formally suspects at the moment. We're speaking to a range of people,” police said. Read more in NEWS.
3. Pakistan kills 59 militants in wake of school massacre
Following the shocking slayings of 148 people — most of them children — in a school massacre in Peshawar, the Pakistani military has reportedly killed 59 militants in a tribal region. This retaliatory operation was done in concert between ground forces and fighters jets, military officials said. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for Tuesday's school attack, and said it was “conducted under direct supervision” of a commander who told the rebel gunmen — all of whom were slain — what to do. Read more in NEWS.
4. Cuban Americans still seek to recover lost properties
Cuban-Americans cut off because of Cold War politics between their homelands and the U.S. now have the chance to re-examine their families’ assets. That includes long, lost properties. While some may not be interested in recovering homes where their families once lived in Cuba, others who owned large commercial properties, such as hotels or sugar mills, can find the idea of recovering those much more appealing. And now that President Barack Obama announced a shift in Cuba policy earlier this week, there has been a renewed interest among those looking to recover confiscated holdings, experts say. Read more in LATINO.
5. Stephen Colbert says so long to 'truthiness'
Colbert bid farewell Thursday in his final episode of “The Colbert Report” — the satirical show in which he lampoons political figures and current events as a faux-ultra-conservative. He announced in April he’s ending his nine-year run on Comedy Central to take over the “Late Show” from David Letterman next spring. The song-and-dance man got a rousing, star-studded sendoff from the likes of Jon Stewart, Tom Brokaw, James Franco and Alex Trebek. Read more in POP CULTURE.
And now this …
According to Google's log of trillions of searches run through its engine, these were the most searched terms of 2014.