Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 10 Sep 2013

1. SYRIA ACCEPTS RUSSIA'S ARMS PLAN

Syria has accepted Russia's proposal to place its chemical weapons under international control for subsequent dismantling. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem announced today that his government quickly "agreed to the Russian initiative." Al-Moallem added that Syria did so to "uproot US aggression."

Does Russia's chemical weapons plan give Obama a way out?

2. JAGUAR LAND ROVER TO CREATE 1,700 JOBS

Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to expand its product range, creating 1,700 new jobs in the UK at its Solihull plant. The firm will develop a new aluminium chassis designed to be flexible enough to be used in either Jaguar or Land Rover cars. This will necessitate an investment of £1.5bn.

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Jaguar invests £1.5bn in new technology to challenge rivals

3. NADAL BEATS DJOKOVIC FOR US OPEN

Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat world tennis number one Novak Djokovic in four sets yesterday at Flushing Meadows to win the US Open for the second time. The highlight of a match lasting three hours and 21 minutes was a 54-shot rally, 20 shots longer than any other. The final score line was 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Rafa Nadal smashes Djokovic in thrilling US Open final

4. SIX OF WORLD’S TOP 20 UNIVERSITIES IN UK

The UK now has six of the 20 best universities in the world, according to the latest league table, the QS World University rankings. Cambridge, UCL, Imperial and Oxford are all in the top 10, while Edinburgh and King’s College London have now edged into the top 20. The top three are MIT, Harvard and Cambridge.

Six UK unis rank in world top 20, but research status slips

5. BBC PAYOFF HEARING ‘GROSSLY UNEDIFYING’

Yesterday’s meeting of the Public Affairs Committee, at which BBC executives and trustees sought to explain the corporation’s generous redundancy payoffs, was a “grossly unedifying occasion which can only damage the standing and reputation of the BBC”, according to committee chair Margaret Hodge. Her report is expected to be damning.

'It wasn't me, guv': shifty BBC crew give the looter's excuse

6. FOUR CONVICTED FOR DELHI GANG RAPE

Four men have been found guilty of gang-raping a 23-year-old woman on a bus in Delhi last December. The assault was so brutal that the victim died two weeks later from internal injuries, prompting protests across India for tougher laws on sexual offences. The men could face the death penalty when sentenced tomorrow.

Delhi gang rape: call for death penalty as four men convicted

7. YORKSHIRE WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN TURKEY

A 56-year-old woman from North Yorkshire has been shot dead and her mother and son badly injured after an argument with the gardener at their holiday villa in Turkey. Catherine Bury was killed by a blast from a pump-action shotgun yesterday as she celebrated her birthday in Dalyan on Turkey's south coast.

Turkish villa shooting: British woman killed after row

8. CRACE 'FAVOURITE' ON BOOKER SHORTLIST

Jim Crace is being touted as the "marginal favourite" to win the Man Booker Prize following the announcement of the shortlist today. Crace is shortlisted for Harvest, a novel about the fragile social eco-system of a remote English village, which the author has claimed will be his last.

Jim Crace still favourite to win Booker prize

9. MICHAEL LE VELL FOUND NOT GUILTY

Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell has been found not guilty of child sex offences including rape at his trial in Manchester. The 48-year-old denied 12 charges in total, including five of rape. The court heard the girl, who cannot be named, claimed she was abused from the age of six.

10. HOT TICKET: ROME II GOES BACK TO 272BC

The latest instalment in the ‘Total War’ historical strategy video game series, ‘Rome II’, has been released in the UK. The 300-year long grand campaign begins in 272BC and allows players to control Roman and non-Roman factions in small and large-scale battles and empire-building projects. “Mesmerising,” says Metro.

Total War Rome II revisits the battlefields of ancient Europe