- WorldYahoo News
Will Barcelona secede from Spain? Catalan independence is up for a vote — and Russia is stirring the pot
Here in Spain’s second-largest city, long a magnet for American tourists, life on the surface appears as festive as ever, from the beach terraces laden with pitchers of sangria to the crowds browsing the kiosks on the pedestrian median of La Rambla, which almost immediately returned to normal after last month’s terror attack. But the tension brewing just below the surface of Catalonia, the wealthy northeast region of 7.5 million of which Barcelona is capital, burst into the open Wednesday morning with a series of raids by national police on the regional ministry of finance, leading to at least a dozen arrests of senior officials, followed by hours of flag-waving marches and demonstrations. At issue is a wave of Catalan nationalism culminating in a referendum on secession, scheduled for Oct. 1.
- NewsHuffPost
Black Cornell Student Allegedly 'Bloodied Up' In Racially Charged Attack
Less than two weeks after someone chanted “build a wall, build a wall” near the Latino Living Center on Cornell University’s campus, a white student was arrested after allegedly assaulting a black student in front of his home and yelling racial slurs at him. “I will not tell you this is not who we are, as the events of the past few weeks belie that,” wrote Cornell President Martha Pollack in a statement on Sunday. The black student, identified only as a Cornell junior and member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, told The Cornell Daily Sun he’d arrived home at 1 a.m. on Friday morning to find a group of strangers “shoving” his friends.
- NewsAOL.com
Trump's 'horrible' handshake with Melania suggests 'their marriage is in jeopardy': Body language expert
"You go sit down, honey," Trump said as he urged Melania off stage. The latest interaction between the commander in chief and first lady isn't the first to raise eyebrows over the presidential couple, and body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass warns it could be a signal of trouble in their marriage.
- NewsHuffPost
A Lot Of Americans Don't Know That Puerto Ricans Are Americans, Too
Maria “will essentially devastate most of the island,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said earlier this week. “After Irma, the people of Puerto Rico stood up and helped others,” he said, according to USA Today. Fewer than half of Americans, however, even realize that Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Thousands rally in Philippines, warn of Duterte 'dictatorship'
Thousands of Filipinos rallied on Thursday to denounce Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and warn of what they called an emerging dictatorship, in a major show of dissent against the controversial but hugely popular leader.
PoliticsYahoo NewsObama blasts 'aggravating' GOP plans to repeal Obamacare
Former President Barack Obama mocked Republicans in a speech on Wednesday for repeated efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, his signature health care law also known as Obamacare. “The legislation that we passed was full of things that still needed to be fixed,” Obama said at an event hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York City. GOP leaders on Capitol Hill made repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act the No. 1 priority following President Trump’s inauguration.
NewsInternational Business TimesWATCH: Video Of Georgia Students Hitting Teacher Goes Viral
A video of two students fighting and a teacher getting caught in the crosshairs has appeared online. The teacher who tries to break the fight up ends up getting slapped by the two students. According to Atlanta based ABC News affiliate WSB-TV, the incident happened at Rome Middle School in Floyd County, Georgia.
- ScienceAOL.com
Cassini captured mysterious 'glitch' on Saturn's rings before death dive
Peggy lives along the edge of Saturn and is an anomaly from which researchers have been unable to unearth the source. The bizarre disturbance was first noticed in 2013 by London researcher Carl Murray, who named it after his mother-in-law after making the discovery on her birthday.
- CelebrityHuffPost
Navy Hospital Staffers Removed After Sharing Disturbing Photos Of Newborns
“It’s outrageous, unacceptable, incredibly unprofessional, and cannot be tolerated,” the hospital said, without identifying the corpsmen by name. One video posted to Snapchat shows a woman holding up a newborn and forcing it to dance to rap music like a puppet, First Coast News reported. Attorney Sean Cronin, who has filed medical malpractice lawsuits against the Naval hospital in the past, told News 4 Jax that he was left “utterly shocked” by the content.
- WorldNewsweek
Russia Claims to Kill 850 Jihadists; U.S. Targets ISIS
Russia said Wednesday its forces and Syrian troops killed up to 850 jihadists in a counterattack in rebel-held northeastern Syria. Both the Russia-backed Syrian military and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish formation of Arabs and ethnic minorities, are battling various insurgent and ultraconservative Islamist groups that have attempted to take control of Syria since 2011. Three Russian special forces members were reportedly injured, but a top Russian general said the retaliation by his forces was devastating.
- WorldAssociated Press
The Latest: Death toll in Mexican quake rises to 273
Mexico's office of the presidency says the death toll from a magnitude 7.1 earthquake has risen to 273, including 137 in the capital. The presidency said in a statement Wednesday that there were also 73 deaths in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 13 in the State of Mexico, six in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca. Mexico's navy says there are no missing children at a collapsed Mexico City school where rescuers have been hunting for a girl they believed to be trapped.
- PoliticsYahoo News
Presidential paranoia: Does Mueller have a mole in the White House?
President Trump has a long history of consorting with conspiracy theorists, including Alex Jones and Roger Stone. Michael D’Antonio, the author of Trump biographies “Never Enough” and “The Truth About Trump,” said the president has confessed to being a little paranoid and suggested this can help someone succeed in business. “I think Trump is temperamentally inclined toward conspiracy theories and, at the same time, disinclined to do the work of studying matters fully,” D’Antonio told Yahoo News.
- NewsHuffPost
Virginian Charters Jet To Rescue 300 Pets Stranded On Virgin Islands After Irma
When Hurricane Maria took aim at the U.S. Virgin Islands last week, Sali Gear knew she had to move fast. Gear, the co-founder of Virginia Beach’s Island Dog Rescue, grew up in the islands. To make this happen, Gear initially aimed to fly 20 animals to the continental U.S. every day for one week, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
BusinessAFPGE to sell corporate jets in cost-cutting move
General Electric plans to sell its corporate jets in a cost-cutting move amid sluggish activity in key industrial divisions, a spokesperson said Wednesday. "As we have said, we are executing on a plan to take out $2 billion in cost by the end of 2018," the GE spokesperson told AFP. The company plans to sell the fleet, the spokesperson said.
- NewsHuffPost
Linked By Their Choice To Become Single Mothers, Two Women Share Their Stories
Brenda Torres, a 34-year-old mom of one in Caldwell, Idaho, and Kriss Kokoefer, a 50-year-old mom of two in Oakland, California, always knew they wanted to be mothers. Brenda and Kriss are single moms by choice. Kriss adopted her two daughters, who are 9 and 5, from China.
NewsInternational Business TimesFormer Arkansas Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With Students
A former art teacher, Jessie Lorene Goline, 25, who taught at a northeast Arkansas high school, Marked Tree High School, was arrested Wednesday as she allegedly had sexual relationships with four of her students, reports said. Three of those students were from the same school where Goline taught and one was from East Poinsett County School District, reports said. Goline faces one count of first-degree sexual assault because one of the students, whom she had believed to be 18, apparently turned out to be "way younger than what he told her," Arkansas Online reported citing an affidavit.
- LifestyleYahoo News Photo Staff
Breathtaking shots of king penguins marching in golden sunrise
Wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever, 45, visited the Falkland Islands this year to shoot pictures and scout the area for future tours. Wim’s breathtaking images show a small group of king penguins before they head out to sea at sunrise. Wim said: “The sunrise created beautiful vibrant colors and amazing reflections.
BusinessReutersOil up 2 percent despite U.S. crude build; set for best third quarter since 2004
By Julia Simon NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled up 2 percent on Wednesday despite a rise in U.S. crude inventories, with the market heading for its largest third-quarter gain in 13 years after the Iraqi oil minister said OPEC and its partners were considering extending or deepening output cuts. Brent crude futures rose $1.06, or 1.9 percent, to $56.20 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 93 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $50.41. U.S. crude oil stockpiles jumped last week as imports and production increased, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said, as operations resumed from the impact of Hurricane Harvey which hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 25.
- WorldThe National Interest
How North Korea Could Start World War III: A War Between Russia and America
Ultimately, while American attempts to shoot-down a North Korean missile are unlikely to trigger an accidental nuclear war, it might not be good idea stress the Russian early warning system. The best option—time permitting—would be to forewarn Moscow of any attempt to shoot down a North Korean missile. If the United States decides to attempt to shoot down future North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests using the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, it is likely that Russia’s early warning system will not mistake the interceptors for a potential nuclear attack.
- PoliticsHuffPost
Obamacare Repeal Depends On 3 GOP Senators Breaking Their Word
The fate of health care for millions of Americans appears to rest on the shoulders of a trio of Republican senators who split with their party and voted to block Obamacare repeal two months ago. Based on their own words then and now, a yes vote from any of them on the latest Senate GOP health care bill would be a stunning reversal. Susan Collins of Maine, John McCain of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who all have supported repealing the Affordable Care Act in the past, shocked their colleagues and President Donald Trump by casting the deciding votes against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vehicle to undo the law in July.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Theresa May rebukes Donald Trump at UN for his threat to pull out of Paris climate change deal
Theresa May issued a thinly veiled rebuke to Donald Trump for threatening to pull out of Paris Climate accord last night. In the speech the Prime Minister also threatened to withhold tens of millions of pounds from the United Nations' budget until it reforms the way it is run and can demonstrate better value for money. Mr Trump announced in June that America was withdrawing from the Paris deal, arguing that it disadvantaged businesses and would impoverish the US.
- LifestyleArchitectural Digest
8 Wellness Travel Destinations You Shouldn’t Miss
These wellness travel destinations combine healing waters with stunning design and exceptional service
- CelebrityHuffPost
These Were The Most Popular Baby Names In England And Wales
In May, the Social Security Administration released the list of most popular baby names in the U.S. Now, our neighbors across the pond are sharing their data.On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics released the list of the most popular baby names
- WorldTime
6.1-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off the Coast of Japan
The U.S. Geological Survey, or the USGS, recorded the earthquake near Japan at 11:37 a.m. EST. The agency’s website also showed that 41 people responded saying they felt the earthquake along Japan’s eastern coast. No tsunami warning has been issued so far.
NewsAssociated PressKansas shooting suspect owes almost $400,000 in unpaid taxes
A man suspected in the shooting of a Kansas Department of Revenue employee in Wichita was under investigation by the agency and owed nearly $400,000 in sales taxes related to his construction business, according to police and records. Ricky Todd Wirths, 51, walked into the taxation side of the Wichita office on Tuesday afternoon and asked to see Cortney Holloway, a tax seizure agent, according to Wichita police officer Charley Davidson. The two men were discussing Wirths' case when Wirths pulled out a gun and shot Holloway, Davidson said at a news conference Wednesday.
