The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now

DINA SPECTOR

OCT. 10, 2014

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Messages of support for pro-democracy demonstrations are seen on a wall near the government headquarters in Hong Kong October 8, 2014.

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know for Friday.

1. The World Health Organization said that Ebola is now “entrenched” in the capitals of the worst hit countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 

2. Pro-democracy demonstrators have called for renewed rallies after the government canceled Friday’s scheduled talks with student protest leaders on Thursday night. According to the South China Morning Post, “Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the talks would not be held because the government felt they would not lead to a constructive outcome.”

3. Elon Musk reveled the new Tesla “D”: An all-wheel-drive version of the Model S Sedan with additional auto-pilot features, like the car being able to read speed-limit signs and change how fast the vehicle is moving. 

4. While the US keeps pressing Turkey to take more action against Islamic State militants in the Syrian town of Kobani,the Obama administration is mulling over Turkey’s demands for a buffer zone on the border with Syria. “The idea is emerging as a possible way to end the standoff between the United States and Turkey,” The New York Times writes. 

5. A blitz of bad data out of Germany, including a fall in German exports and a decline in industrial production, has fueled suggestions that the country could be slipping back into recession. 

6. Kim Jong Un has failed to make an early appearance at North Korea’s big anniversary event on Friday, adding to rumors that he suffering from a leg injury or another illness. 

7. An American passenger was removed from a plane by a team wearing hazmat suits after reportedly joking that he had Ebola, adding “you’re all screwed.”

8. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. local time in Sweden). Pope Francis, Edward Snowden, and Malala Yousafzai are just some of the names that have been tossed out to take the award. 

9. Billionaire investor Carl Ichan wrote an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking the company to boost its stock repurchase because he thinks the stock is going to explode.

10. An Anti-EU party, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), won its first seat in Parliament in a landslide victory with candidate Douglas Carswell taking 60% of the vote. “The party’s victory will be seen as an embarrassment for Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Conservative Party had held the seat with Carswell before his high-profile defection in August,” Business Insider’s Tomas Hirst said. 

And finally …

Loukanikos, the stray dog that became famous for joining anti-austerity protestors in Greece a few years back, died on Thursday from health issues potentially related to tear gas exposure.