10 things you need to know today: October 14, 2012

New York Yankee Derek Jeter is carried off of the field by trainer Steve Donohue, right, and manager Joe Girardi after injuring his leg during Game 1 of the American League Championship serie

(Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. TURKEY DEPLOYS TANKS TO HILLS OVERLOOKING SYRIA

According to Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency, Ankara has deployed tanks and missile-defense systems to the hilltops overlooking Syria. Tension between the two neighboring countries has reached a fever pitch since the Oct. 3 Syrian shelling of a Turkish town that left five civilians dead. Turkey's ties with Syria had been eroding since it began supporting Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad. On Saturday Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the United Nations Security Council for failing to agree on decisive steps to end the crisis. More than 30,000 people have been killed in the 19-month uprising against Assad's regime. [Bloomberg]

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Britain plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan next year, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday. Pressure has been mounting in the U.K. to end British involvement in the war. "More than 430 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led intervention in 2001, yet stability remains elusive and violence high, while relations between Western troops and Afghan forces and civilians are increasingly frayed." [Reuters]

The American Beverage Association has sued to block the enforcement of a New York City ban on oversized sugary drinks, which has been dubbed the Big Gulp ban. The association claims that the ban is an "unprecedented interference" with consumer choice. In September, New York City's Board of Health approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to restrict sales of sugary soft drinks to no more than 16 ounces a cup in restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums, and arenas. The ban is set to go into effect in March. A spokesman for the mayor said that the Board of Health "absolutely has the authority to regulate matters affecting health." [Bloomberg]

Two Navy vessels — a nuclear submarine and a cruiser — collided on Saturday off the coast of northeastern Florida. No injuries were reported, and the submarine's nuclear-powered reactor was unaffected. The two ships, along with a third, were participating in an anti-submarine exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment as part of the strike group for the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. [ABC News]

The shortfall in the supply of Apple's new iPhone 5 is being exacerbated by stricter quality control measures at the Foxconn Technology factory that produces the smartphone. The crackdown is designed to reduce the number of devices shipped with nicks and scratches, according to a person familiar with the matter. Scrapes that had been appearing on newly shipped phones were at the center of complaints with the phone's debut last month. Apple is using a type of aluminum that makes the iPhone 5 lighter and thinner, but also apparently more prone to wear and tear. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Bruce Springsteen will perform at concerts in Ohio and Iowa on Thursday in support of President Obama's re-election effort. The Boss' appearances come as the president's team is ramping up efforts to turn out supporters before the Nov. 6 election. "Iowans understand hard work, fairness and integrity, the same values that Bruce Springsteen, the president and vice president stand for," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in a statement. [Reuters]

During Game 1 of the American League Championship series, the New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, and also lost the captain of their team. Derek Jeter fractured his left ankle after attempting a diving stop on a grounder by Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta during the 12th inning of the game. Jeter will need at least three months to recover, so will be unable to play in the remainder of the Yankees' postseason. [Los Angeles Times]

The sole vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) got the Saturday Night Live treatment. Cast member Kate McKinnon portrayed the much-praised debate moderator Martha Raddatz, while Jason Sudeikis stepped in as Biden and Taran Killam as Ryan. "Both Sudeikis and Killam (when he wasn't drinking water) portrayed candidates who struggled on the issues." McKinnon's Raddatz reminded the candidates that "your performance tonight is extremely unlikely to affect the presidential campaign... So just have fun with it." [NBC News]

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox