The 10 most important things in the world right now
1. A gunman opened fire Thursday night at a Louisiana movie theater, shooting two people dead and injuring several before killing himself.
2. Turkey is building a wall along "critical sections" of its border with Syria to keep out Islamic State after a suspected suicide bombing from a member of the militant group killed more than 30 people on Monday.
3. NASA on Thursday announced the discovery of the closest analogue to Earth so far, a planet called Kepler 452b that orbits its sunlike star every 385 days at a distance where the temperature could support liquid water on its surface.
4. The BBC on Thursday broadcast an interview with US President Barack Obama, in which, among many topics discussed, he admitted the biggest failure of his presidency has been to enact gun control legislation and also urged the UK to stay in the EU.
5. The World Trade Organisation agreed to eliminate tariffs on more than 200 new technology products worth $1 trillion, including video game console and GPS devices, in a deal that expands a product list that hasn't been updated in 18 years.
6. Amazon on Thursday reported much better than expected earnings, with revenue of $23.18 billion (£14.9 billion) versus analyst estimates of $22.39 billion, sending the company's stock shooting up more than 18% in after-hours trading.
7. Iran has outlined a plan for nearly 50 oil and gas projects worth $185 billion (£119 billion) once United Nations economic sanctions have been lifted, which likely won't happen until next year.
8. Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei is buying the Financial Times for £844 million ($1.3 billion), a move that Pearson, the FT's owners, said is "the best way to ensure the FT's journalistic and commercial success" amid the "explosive growth of mobile and social."
9. Evidence from an autopsy report for Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old woman found dead in a Texas jail cell after being arrested following an altercation with an officer during a traffic stop, is consistent with suicide.
10. European leaders are expected to meet in Athens on Friday to begin negotiations for a third international bailout, though the International Monetary Fund said it anticipates the discussion process will be "difficult" and there would need to be a "specific, concrete commitment" on debt relief.
And finally ...