QUICK HITS

Opening night blues: Plenty of force was with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”on its first night in theaters, but it fell short of the two previous films in the trilogy. “The Rise of Skywalker” brought in an estimated $40 million in North America in its Thursday night previews, the fifth-biggest Thursday opening ever.

Sanders apologizes: Sarah Sanders apologized late Thursday after she mocked comments by former Vice President Joe Biden during the Democratic presidential debate in which he recounted mentoring a boy who had a speech impediment. Sanders, the former White House press secretary, made the remarks on Twitter after Biden, who has been open about his stutter and his struggle with it since he was a child, described his interaction with the boy.

Restrictions eased: Japan’s trade ministry said Friday that it has eased controls on exports to South Korea of one of three chemicals used in semiconductors that it had restricted, a sign of a thaw between the two countries just days before their leaders meet in China.

Manatee deaths: Florida boaters killed a record number of manatees in 2019. According to a preliminary mortality report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 129 manatees were hit by boats and died as a result this year. That’s four more than the previous record of 125 in 2018. The report tracks manatee deaths through Dec. 13.

Protests banned: Police banned public gatherings in parts of the Indian capital and other cities for a third day Friday and cut internet services to try to stop growing protests against a new citizenship law that have left 11 people dead and more than 4,000 others detained.