Ford Recalling 154,000 Fiestas

Ford has announced a recall of 154,000 Fiestas.

In the 2011 through 2013 models, side air bags were failing to deploy, in the rear, if no one was sitting in the passenger seat.

Dealers will simply reprogram the air bags to deploy even if no one is in the passenger seat, for free.

According to the company, no injuries have been related to the issue.

Syrian Jets Bombard Maaret al-Numan

Syrian jets focused on bombarding rebel areas in Maaret al-Numan, on Tuesday.

Fighting has centered around the area as rebel forces work to cut the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo.

Elsewhere, across the country, fighting rages on all fronts as the rebels continue to gain ground against government forces.

With death tolls mounting, international agencies confirm that the fighting is only growing in intensity.

Estimates place the death toll closing in on thirty-five thousand, as the conflict continues into it's twentieth month.

Fears of international involvement continue to grow as Turkey brings more firepower to it's border, and the war of words between the two countries escalates, with both countries banning the other from using it's airspace in any capacity.

Second Presidential Debate Tonight

The second Presidential debate of 2012 will take place tonight, in New York City.

Tuesday's moderator will be CNN's Candy Crowley.

This debate will be a town hall format, so set up quite differently and more strictly than the first one.

Eighty participants, who were chosen by Gallup as being undecided voters, and who live in the area, have submitted questions for the candidates.

Crowley will pick which of the questions she wishes to have asked, the audience member who wrote the question will then get to ask the question, the candidates will each have two minutes to respond to it, and then Crowley can ask a follow up question.

The Romney campaign is hoping for a repeat of the first, with a definitive win, whilst the Obama campaign is promising an actual fight this time.

Supreme Court Will Take up Arizona Voter Law

On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to take on a decision over Arizona voter law.

The law in question requires people to prove their citizenship when they register to vote.

Arizona passed the law, in 2004, and in April 2012 it was suspended by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

In June, the Supreme Court denied Arizona the right to lift the ban, whilst the appeals process was under way.

Arguments, for the case, won't be heard til at least February of 2013, and so will have no effect upon the 2012 election.

Clinton Claims Responsibility For Benghazi Debacle

In a CNN TV interview, Monday night, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated that it was her fault that the Benghazi debacle occurred.

An attack upon the US consulate there, left four Americans dead, including the US ambassador to Libya.

Saying "I take responsibility", Clinton attempted to deflect criticism aimed at President Obama over the lack of security at the consulate.

That criticism was only strengthened while administration officials continued to give countering accounts of what occurred in Benghazi.

Over the last few weeks more and more evidence has come out that the consulate repeatedly asked for an increase in security, but the requests were both rejected and ignored.

Clinton now pledges that such an incident will never happen again.

Softbank to Buy 70 Percent of Sprint

Japan based Softbank Corp is moving ahead with plans to buy seventy percent of Sprint.

It will cost them over seventy billion dollars, the largest amount ever spent by a Japanese firm to buy into a foreign one.

Sprint is the third largest mobile carrier, in the US, and Softbank is one of the largest in Japan.

The move is an important one for Softbank, as the Japanese mobile market has stagnated, whilst the US is still growing.

Since the announcement was made, Softbank stock has gone down, but Sprint and that of the companies it owns have gone up, especially that of Clearwire.

Every part of the deal should be completed by mid 2013.

Portugese Protesters Clash With Police

Portuguese austerity protests turned into a half riot Monday night.

Thousands of people in Lisbon had peacefully protested for hours, on Monday.

They were demanding that Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho cancel the newly approved budget.

By Monday evening protesters began setting fires, and then clashed with police when they tried putting them out.

Tear gas was used to clear the crowd from the area outside of the National Assembly.

The government approved the new budget, early Monday, that is one of the harshest in history for the country, and includes heavy tax increases, pension cuts, and other ways the government hopes to save money.

Portugal is working hard to rescue it's failed economy, they've already received over a hundred billion dollars in bailout money from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Hurricane Paul to Hit Land Tuesday Afternoon

A low populated area of the Baja peninsula is bracing for the impact of Hurricane Paul.

Paul should strike the west coast of Mexico, Tuesday afternoon.

The category two hurricane has winds over one hundred miles per hour.

It is moving at twenty-one miles per hour, and picking up speed.

Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the area between Santa Fe and Punta Abreojos.

Girl Receives 60 Lashes for Talking to Men

A fifteen year old girl in Timbuktu received sixty lashes for talking to men.

Ansar Dine currently run the city, and they do so with Shariah law.

Charges of talking to men were accompanied by accusations that she refused to stop talking with them, despite multiple warnings.

The Shariah court found her guilty, sentenced her, and had her punishment carried out.

The whipping took place in front of the Islamic police headquarters, which has been placed next to Independence Square.

German Town Evacuated Due to Chemical Accident

A chemical accident at a Kraft chemical plant caused an evacuation of part of Bad Fallingbostel, Germany.

Nearly fifteen hundred people were forced to evacuate the area, on Monday.

Hundreds of firefighters converged on the plant, and broke out biohazard gear and tents.

Focus is still on cooling the container to avoid any explosion.

Plant workers accidentally added acid to a tank of sodium hydroxide.

The resulting chemical reaction created hazardous nitrous gasses.