Spanish leader asks Senate for power to take over Catalonia

In an extraordinary showdown over the future of the country, the Spanish and Catalan parliaments staged dueling sessions Friday — as the central government pressed for permission to take over control of the breakaway region, and the secessionists in Catalonia threatened to declare independence.

In Madrid, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged the Senate to grant the central government unprecedented powers to establish control over Catalonia, which earlier this month defied Spanish authorities and held a referendum that backed the push for statehood.

If the Senate invokes the never-before-used Article 155 of Spain’s 1978 constitution, the central government could move swiftly to remove the Catalan president, suspend his ministers and assume authority over the region’s public media, police and finances.

Rajoy told the Senate that his government had repeatedly tried to rein in the secessionists in Catalonia. He scoffed at Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s repeated offers of “dialogue” to end the impasse.

Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker all want to unify heavyweight belts

Joshua will defend his WBA ‘super’ and IBF belts against Carlos Takam at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this Saturday night

Hearn: It’s about money, and who is worth what. Wilder would get much more money to fight Joshua

WBC champion Deontay Wilder and WBO title holder Joseph Parker will be watching their rival with interest, but will we see fights between the three current champions?

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, Lou DiBella, who works closely with Wilder, and David Higgins of Parker’s promotional team Duco Events have joined a debate about whether we could see an undisputed champion in the future.                               

Matt Damon Debuts George Clooney's 'Twins' as He Crashes Jimmy Kimmel Live

The actor showed up partway through his Suburbicon director and costar Clooney's chat with Kimmel after Clooney revealed that his infant twins, Ella and Alexander, were actually backstage. (Clooney's wife, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, gave birth back in June.) After teasing the studio audience a few times, Clooney summoned Damon, posing as his "manny," out onto the stage.

"I just want to make something very clear right now: they're cheering for the babies, not this person. Who let him in here?" Kimmel said, bristling as Damon walked out onstage pushing a double stroller, diaper bag hanging off his shoulder.

NSA contractor leaked US hacking tools by mistake, Kaspersky says

An incredible sequence of security mistakes led to a US National Security Agency contractor leaking his own confidential hacking tools to Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, the Moscow-based company has alleged.

The claim comes as part of an internal investigation into allegations that the company helped Russian spies discover and steal the NSA files, by locating and flagging the contractor.

Kaspersky Lab does not dispute that it discovered hacking tools on the computer of a user of one of its consumer antivirus products. But the timeline it lays out is one of multiple serious security errors on the part of the user, believed to be an NSA contractor.

According to Kaspersky’s report, the contractor was using the company’s home antivirus software when it detected a piece of malware attributed to the “Equation Group” (the security firm’s internal codename for what is believed to be the NSA’s hacking team) on 11 September 2014.

Some time after that, the contractor apparently disabled the Kaspersky antivirus software, the company says, but is unable to pinpoint the exact date as that information is not logged. On 4 October 2014, it appears that the contractor turned the antivirus software back on – because he had downloaded and installed some malware while trying to pirate Microsoft Office.

Witnesses say 4 men, now fugitives, changed clothes after killing Kim Jong Nam

Four men suspected of killing the North Korean leader's half-brother at a Malaysian airport changed their clothes and appearance to escape detection, a police witness said on Thursday.

The four, who are still at large, are charged together with two women - Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam - with killing Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport's budget terminal on Feb. 13.

Prosecutors in the Malaysian court say Siti Aisyah and Huong conspired with the men to murder Kim, by smearing his face with liquid VX, a chemical poison banned by the United Nations.

George H.W. Bush Apologizes to Actress After Sexual Assault Allegations

On Tuesday, Lind shared a since-deleted post to Instagram recalling an interaction with the former president three years ago that left her feeling unsettled.

According to Lind, she and her costars met Bush during a Houston screening of their AMC series Turn: Washington's Spies, about America's first spy ring. It was there that she was accosted by Bush not once, but twice, she alleged.

"He didn't shake my hand. He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side," Lind wrote in her caption. "He told me a dirty joke. And then, all the while being photographed, touched me again. Barbara rolled her eyes as if to say 'not again.' His security guard told me I shouldn't have stood next to him for the photo."

These Are the Top 10 Halloween Costumes of 2017

This year brought us more gripping cultural obsessions than any year in recent memory. Between record-breaking blockbuster films, the penultimate installment of the epic Game of Thrones series, phenomena like the fidget spinner, and huge news from some of our favorite artists, 2017's most memorable moments provide endless Halloween costume inspiration.
For some people, it's a holiday — for us, it's a freakin' lifestyle.
Naturally, we're happier than kids in a (Halloween) candy store. At POPSUGAR, we don't take Halloween lightly; we start burning Autumn-scented candles as soon as the first leaf changes, taste-test pumpkin spice snacks in the middle of Summer, and begin our horror movie marathons immediately after Labor Day. For some people, it's a holiday — for us, it's a freakin' lifestyle.

Two Women Now Accuse George H.W. Bush Of Groping Them, Jokes About ‘David Cop-A-Feel’

There are now two women who allege that former President George H.W. Bush has groped them.


In a now-deleted Instagram post, actress Heather Lind said she was triggered after seeing a photo of Bush shaking hands with former President Barack Obama at a recent hurricane relief fundraiser and had decided to share her story.

“But when I got the chance to meet George H. W. Bush four years ago to promote a historical television show I was working on, he sexually assaulted me while I was posing for a similar photo,” she said. “He didn’t shake my hand. He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side. He told me a dirty joke. And then, all the while being photographed, touched me again.”

Stephen Paddock’s Missing Hard Drive Deepens an Already Tough Case

Determining a motive for the man who committed one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history continues to be an exasperating task for investigators. They have interviewed many of Stephen Paddock’s relatives and friends, and examined his travel, financial and health history. But they have yet to find anything that points to what drove him to kill 58 people at a concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 1.

On Wednesday, information emerged that adds to the complexity of the case. Mr. Paddock apparently removed the hard drive from at least one computer found in his room at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, according to a law enforcement official.

Additionally, housekeepers had visited Mr. Paddock’s room, where he fired on the crowd below, more than once in the days before the shooting, but did not notice any sign of his large stockpile of weapons. He also ordered room service at least once, according to people with knowledge of the security response inside the hotel.

Blueberry Hill singer Fats Domino dies aged 89

Fats Domino has died aged 89, an official from New Orleans coroner's office has confirmed. The singer was one of the most influential rock and roll stars of the fifties, best known for his hits Blueberry Hill, Ain't That A Shame and Walking To New Orleans. Domino passed away at home in Louisiana surrounded by his family and friends; US media have reported that he died of natural causes.

The New Orleans singer sold more than 65 million records. His first, The Fat Man, was released in 1949 and was widely considered to be the first ever rock and roll record. His music influenced artists in the sixties and seventies, including Elvis Presley, who said "this gentleman was a huge influence on me when I started out".
Fats Domino was best known for his hits Blueberry Hill and Ain't That A Shame

Stars we've lost in 2017

Bad Rabbit: Ten things you need to know about the latest ransomware outbreak

A new ransomware campaign has hit a number of high profile targets in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Dubbed Bad Rabbit, the ransomware first started infecting systems on Tuesday 24 October, and the way in which organisations appear to have been hit simultaneously immediately drew comparisons to this year's WannaCry and Petya epidemics.
Following the initial outbreak, there was some confusion about what exactly Bad Rabbit is. Now the initial panic has died down, however, it's possible to dig down into what exactly is going on.

1. The cyber-attack has hit organisations across Russia and Eastern Europe

Organisations across Russian and Ukraine -- as well as a small number in Germany, and Turkey -- have fallen victim to the ransomware. Researchers at Avast say they've also detected the malware in Poland and South Korea.

Russian cybersecurity company Group-IB confirmed at least three media organisations in the country have been hit by file-encrypting malware, while at the same time Russian news agency Interfax said its systems have been affected by a "hacker attack" -- and were seemingly knocked offline by the incident.

A passenger was killed by a falling rock, and five teens are now charged with murder

Kenneth Andrew White was riding in the passenger seat of a van on Interstate 75 outside Flint, Mich., last Wednesday when a six-pound rock sliced through the windshield, striking him in the chest and head, police said. The 32-year-old construction worker was pronounced dead at a hospital.

“He was a good man and a good father,” Amiee Cagle, his fiancee, told news station WDIV Local 4. “For some senseless act, for it to be just a rock, just to take him so soon.”

2 young men shot dead on Grambling State University campus

Authorities are trying to find the person who fatally shot two young men at Grambling State University early Wednesday morning.

One victim was identified as Earl Andrews, 23, a Grambling State University senior from Farmerville, Louisiana, university spokesman Will Sutton said.
The other victim was identified as Monquiarius Caldwell, another 23-year-old from Farmerville. Caldwell was not a student at the university, Sutton said.
They were discovered in a courtyard between two dorm buildings, said Stephen Williams, a spokesman for the Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office.

THAI KING HONORED LIKE A GOD AND BURNED ON MASSIVE FUNERAL PYRE AT LAVISH $90 MILLION CEREMONY

Hundreds of black-clad mourners have lined the streets of central Bangkok at the start of an extravagant five-day funeral for Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died over a year ago.

For millions of Thai people it is the first funeral of a ruling monarch of their lifetimes, given that Bhumibol, also known as King Rama IX, was the world’s longest reigning monarch, ruling for 70 years and 126 days before his death on October 13 last year, aged 88.

Following his death, the country’s prime minister announced a one-year mourning period that was extended twice and will conclude on October 29, during which all government officials were made to wear black—a provision also observed by some members of the public who avoid wearing colourful clothing.
The monarch’s son King Maha Vajiralongkorn, known as Rama X, inherited the throne but won’t officially be crowned until the end of his father’s funeral rites.

The new king spends large portions of his time abroad and especially in Munich, Germany, where his son is at school, but was seen on Wednesday arriving at the palace with his two daughters. He lit candles in front of his father’s coffin and a symbolic royal urn, Reuters reported.

Queen banks £6.7million in horse racing prize money over 30 years to sit 11th in rankings

The Queen has bagged £6.7million in prize money over her 30 years involved as an owner in flat racing.

Her majesty's most successful year was 2016, proving she is getting better with age, when she scooped £557,650.

Her prolific run and longevity in the sport sees her rank 11th amongst flat racing owners having secured 451 wins at a win 15.9 percent win ratio.

The data assembled by myracing.com has been verified by British Horse Racing Authority for accuracy.

The records only date back to 1988, which means the royal has won even more having been heavily invested in the sport right back to the 1950s.