Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 4 Oct 2012

1. TURKEY STRIKES SYRIA AFTER SHELLING

Turkey has struck targets inside Syria after shells, apparently fired by Syrian forces, killed five Turkish nationals. The Turkish government has appealed to the UN security council to take all "necessary action" to stop Syrian "aggression". Nato has declared its support for Turkey and urged Syria "to put an end to flagrant violations of international law".

Crisis escalates as Turkey approves attacks on Syria

2. 'PLEBGATE' MITCHELL TO MISS CONFERENCE

Andrew Mitchell has pulled out of next week's Conservative Party conference as he does not want to become a "distraction". The government chief whip has been under scrutiny in recent weeks after allegedly calling Downing Street police officers “f****** plebs”. Television crews had planned to follow him around the conference.

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3. ASSURED ROMNEY STARS IN DEBATE

Mitt Romney strengthened his campaign with a confident performance in last night's televised presidential debate in Denver. Most commentators felt that Barack Obama's performance was nervous and unconvincing. Romney accused Obama of running a “bigger government, spending more, taxing more and regulating more”.

Romney thrashes Obama in first debate, but no game changers

4. MAIN LINE FIASCO COULD COST £300M

The government's mishandling of the West Coast Main Line franchise award could eventually cost £300 million. Three civil servants from the Department for Transport have been suspended after failing to consider the impact of inflation and rising passenger numbers as they awarded the £9bn contract to FirstGroup.

Main Line fiasco: did Cameron know before Cabinet reshuffle?

5. CLASHES IN TEHRAN AS ECONOMY PLUNGES

Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with riot police in Tehran yesterday as Iran's currency crisis deepened. Police used batons and teargas against the protestors who denounced president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "traitor". Iran's currency, the rial, has lost a third of its exchange value against the dollar in a week.

Iran currency crisis: riot police attack Tehran protestors

6. FLOOD OF NEW JIMMY SAVILE ALLEGATIONS

The presenter of 'Exposed: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile', an ITV documentary alleging sexual abuse by the TV presenter of underage girls in the 1970s, has said he has been inundated by women making new claims since the programme was broadcast last night. Mark Williams-Thomas said he would encourage the women to make official complaints to the police.

Were Jimmy Savile's alleged abuses a reflection of his era?

7. DRIVERS 'SHOULD LEARN FOR 12 MONTHS'

People should spend at least a year learning to drive and new drivers should face restrictions on night time travelling, says The Association of British Insurers. Its director argues that "radical action" is needed to reduce road deaths, adding that people aged between 17 and 24 are responsible for a disproportionate number of crashes and deaths.

Strict rules proposed for learner drivers, but can they be policed?

8. FACEBOOK HAS A BILLION ACTIVE USERS

More than 1 billion people around the world now log on to Facebook more than once a month, the company has announced. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social networking site, thanked users of the site in a status update. Facebook has added 100 million active members since April and is targeting new markets.

Facebook hits a billion users - but second billion will be harder

9. APRIL JONES POLICE GET MORE TIME

Police investigating the disappearance of five-year-old April Jones have been given more time to interview suspect Mark Bridger and have renewed their appeal for information about his movements. They are also searching a property where he lived, and the area around it, near the village of Machynlleth in Wales.

10. HOT TICKET: GO ZOMBIE HUNTING

‘Resident Evil 6’, the latest instalment in the popular horror survival video game series, has been released in the UK. Players can act as mercenaries, government agents and security personnel, fighting infected mutant foes in the aftermath of a bioterrorism attack. “Fantastic” says The Inquirer.

Resident Evil 6: the hit horror survival game gets even darker