The 10 most important things in the world right now

Hello! Here's what you need to know on Friday.

1. It's looking like a landslide win for US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to Business Insider's electoral projection. With less than 20 days remaining in the presidential race, the electoral map is beginning to harden.

2. Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump at his own debate game. In slicing through his GOP primary opponents one by one, Trump often made other candidates the foil on the debate stage.

3. The largest deal in the history of a booming tech sector could be going down soon. Qualcomm is reportedly nearing a massive deal to buy NXP Semiconductors.

4. Microsoft shares popped up to an all-time high of above $60 as strength in its cloud business helped propel it past Wall Street financial targets. It's the first time Microsoft has set an all-time high record since December 1999.

5. A judge in Mexico dismissed the efforts of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to halt his extradition to the US, where he faces homicide, money laundering, and drug-trafficking charges.

6. Venezuela suspended a round of signature-collecting for a referendum on forcing President Nicolas Maduro from power, after governors in several states said local courts had annulled the results of a first round because of alleged fraud in counting the signatures.

7. British warships shadowed a Russian aircraft carrier battle group through the North Sea, as NATO voiced fears the powerful force could soon join in attacks on Syria's besieged city of Aleppo.

8. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning private personal meetings with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Tokyo, seeking to keep him onside with US-led efforts to contain China's South China Sea ambitions.

9. The apparent lack of interest in Twitter by potential suitors may force the social media company to consider a route anathema to aspiring tech startups. Twitter may need a major restructuring and to cut some of its nearly 4,000 employees.

10. The audience at a swanky New York charity dinner turned on Donald Trump once his Hillary Clinton jokes got too serious. Trump called Clinton "corrupt," which drew a chorus of boos from the crowd at the Al Smith dinner.

And finally ...

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