BREAKING: Spain rejects call for mediation in Catalonia crisis

Spain’s government on Wednesday rejected calls by the leader of Catalonia for mediation over the region’s demands for independence which have sparked a violent political crisis.

A statement from Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s office said there would be no talks until Catalan president Carles Puigdemont abandons the independence drive, which Madrid brands illegal.

“The government will not negotiate over anything illegal and will not accept blackmail,” the statement said.

BREAKING: Catalan vote: Catalan President faults Spanish King for failing to ease independence crisis

The Catalan President vowed to implement the results of the region's contested independence referendum on Wednesday and criticized the King of Spain for failing to bring the divided factions together.

In a TV address from the headquarters of the Catalan government in Barcelona, northeast Spain, Carles Puigdemont said King Felipe had missed an opportunity to mediate in the political and constitutional crisis that has engulfed the country.

"You disappointed many people in Catalonia who were expecting a call to dialogue," Puigdemont said, after an unexpectedly hardline TV address by the King on Tuesday night. "We need mediation," he said. "This conflict needs to be resolved in a political way, not with police." He directed parts of his address to Spaniards in other parts of the nation, to the king, and to Catalonians.

Puigdemont is expected to formally declare independence on Monday, after 90% of voters in last Sunday's referendum opted for a split -- a result that was followed by clashes between citizens and Spanish police.

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Michael Kors Buys Italy's Versace Fashion House For $2.12 Billion

Fashion company Michael Kors is buying Versace, the Italian luxury brand founded by Gianni Versace in 1978, for $2.12 billion. The two fashion houses made the announcement Tuesday, one day after speculation spread about a potential deal. Donatella Versace, the artistic director of the Milan-based fashion house who helped lead the company after her brother's death in 1997, said it's the perfect time for the company to join with Michael Kors. "It has been more than 20 years since I took over the company along with my brother Santo and daughter Allegra," Donatella Versace said in a news release. "I am proud that Versace remains very strong in both fashion and modern culture."

Flair, parties, the exuberant world of Ronaldinho

The man who once lobbed England’s David Seaman from 40 yards, Ronaldinho has officially hung up his boots following a career of backheels, nutmegs, no-look passes, and Parisian party nights. Tricks, flicks and stepovers, to watch Ronaldinho play in his prime was to savour a festival of the “jogo bonito” — the beautiful game in his native Portuguese — and that always with his goofy smile. Both on and off the pitch, Ronaldinho was a free spirit, almost as infamous for his nocturnal lifestyle as he was famous for his silky skills. And it was the former that perhaps contributed to a gradual petering out of what was nonetheless a trophy-laden career. World Cup winner in 2002, Ballon d’Or winner in 2005, Champions League winner in 2006 and Copa Libertadores winner in 2013, Ronaldinho won the lot for both club and country. “God has been good to me, he allowed me to live football,” Ronaldinho told So Foot magazine in July. “I loved what I did… and I had the satisfaction of enjoying myse

Islamic State releases purported audio message from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

The leader of the Islamic State group urged followers to burn their enemies everywhere and target "media centers of the infidels," according to an audio recording released Thursday that the extremists said was by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The reclusive leader of Islamic State, who has only appeared in public once, also vowed to continue fighting and lavished praise on his jihadis for their valor in the battlefield — despite the militants' loss of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in July. "You soldiers of the caliphate, heroes of Islam and carriers of banners: light a fire against your enemies," said al-Baghdadi, a shadowy cleric who has been surrounded by controversy since the Sunni terror group emerged from al-Qaida in Iraq, its forerunner. Russian officials said in June there was a "high probability" that al-Baghdadi had died in a Russian airstrike on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, the group's de facto capital. US officials later said

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