The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now

Good morning! Here's what you need to know for Thursday.

1. McDonald's CEO Don Thompson is leaving the company after 25 years with the fast-food chain.

2. Greece's new radical left-wing government will meet with European parliament head Martin Schulz, a day after announcing several anti-austerity measures.

3. The Islamic State released a new recording in which a Japanese journalist held captive by the militant group purportedly says a Jordanian hostage will be killed unless Jordan releases a Iraqi prisoner.

4. New figures from the World Health Organization show that the spread of Ebola has slowed significantly and health officials believe they can move to the eradication phase.

5. Two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed in an attack along the Lebanese border by Hezbollah.

6. Australia has started an investigation into the Sydney cafe siege to establish whether the deaths of two hostages could have been avoided.

7. The French co-pilot of the AirAsia jet that crashed into the Java Sea last month was at the controls just before the accident.

8. Police detained and questioned an 8-year-old boy from France who claimed to support the terrorists who attacked the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

9. North Korea may be trying to restart a nuclear reactor that can produce plutonium for atomic bombs.

10. Royal Dutch Shell posted a rise in fourth-quarter earnings, despite a slump in oil prices.

And finally...

A rare megamouth shark washed up in the Philippines.