Human Chain Formed in Cataloina to Support Leaving Spain

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a human chain across Cataloina, on Friday.

Four hundred thousand had signed up to be part of the chain, but many more showed up to take part.

Organizers claim that the actual number was near four times the amount of people who had signed up.

The chain stretched from the French border, to the neighboring region of Valenica.

They were showing their support for Cataloina to separate from Spain and become it's own country.

With a population of seven million, the region is one of the wealthiest in Spain, producing a fifth of the country's wealth.

Many Catalans are tired of paying more than what they see as their fair share, as the rest of the country has major debt.

Regional president Artur Mas is attempting to have a referendum asking Catalans if they should leave Spain and form their own country.

Spain has called such a referendum "unconstitutional".

Psychiatric Hospital Fire Kills 37 in Russia

Thirty-seven people were killed when a fire tore through a psychiatric hospital in Luka, Russia.

Friday's early morning fire destroyed the nearly two hundred year old building.

Authorities say that it was most likely set by a patient.

An investigation is underway to attempt to determine if it was an accident or not.

1 Killed in Protests in Egypt

Egyptian protesters clashed with each other, in multiple cities, on Friday.

Supporters of former president Morsi were met by anti Morsi and in several cases it ended in violence.

When it did, police and security forces broke up the fighting and then chased both groups away.

One person was killed in Alexandria, but it was unclear to which side they belonged.

In some cities the protesters stayed peaceful and neither side was bothered by the security forces.

3 Egyptian Soldiers Killed in Sinai

Three Egyptian soldiers were killed in the Sinai, on Friday.

All three were part of Egypt's offensive to rid the region of militants.

They were each killed in a separate incident, showing that the militants aren't going peacefully.

One was killed in Abu Tawila, another in al-Mahdya, and the third in Sheikh Zwaid.

Egypt's military has stopped releasing information on how many militants are killed, wounded, or arrested.

However, they do continue to brag about the number of weapons, ammunition, bombs, rockets, and Islamist books that they confiscate.

Mosque Bombing Kills 33 in Iraq

Thirty-three people were killed when a bomb tore through a Sunni mosque, in Iraq.

Another forty-five were wounded in the Umm al-Adham mosque.

Authorities say that the bomb had been hidden in the mosque's air conditioner.

In a separate incident two soldiers were killed and two wounded when a roadside bomb exploded, near Mosul.

Taliban Attacks US Consulate in Herat

Nine people were killed when Taliban forces attacked the US consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.

Friday's attack began in the morning when two suicide car bombers blew up both their vehicles, outside the consulate.

The explosions were followed by gunmen attacking the compound.

US security forces were able to keep them from entering the consulate's grounds, without loss to themselves.

An Afghan police officer and security guard were among the victims, of the attack, with the other seven being the attackers themselves.

At least a dozen more were injured by either the explosion or the following gun fight.

In a separate incident, four police officers and three Afghan army personnel were injured when a suicide car bomber approached their checkpoint, in Paktika province.

They were suspicious of the vehicle and opened fire when the driver refused to stop.

The driver then detonated his explosive laden vehicle before reaching the checkpoint.

3 Dead, Thousands Evacuated or Cut Off by Colorado Floods

Severe flooding has struck after heavy rains have pummeled Colorado for days. Several areas saw more than an inch of rain per hour, throughout Thursday. The rain is expected to continue through at least Friday, bringing several more inches.

Three people have died, one is missing, and hundreds have been evacuated. The three deaths occurred in Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Jamestown; while the missing person is from Boulder County. Emergency personnel were kept busy, on Thursday, performing water rescues.

Entire towns, including Boulder, Estes Park, and Lyons have been cut off. The National Guard is sending in raised vehicles to rescue the residents of Lyons. Low visibility has made helicopter flights impossible, limiting rescue efforts to the ground. However highways and city roads have been destroyed by the waters or covered by standing water and mudslides. Road closures continue to expand as they become impassable. For their own safety, law enforcement is asking the public to avoid being on the roads.

Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Irondale neighborhood, in Commerce City, as the dam at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was threatening to break. More than one hundred houses are part of that evacuation. Residents near the Olympus Dam, near Estes Park, were also forced to evacuate, due to concerns about their safety. Jefferson County ordered the evacuation of Leyden, due to overflow from the Leyden Dam. The Meadow Lake Dam, in Larimer County, burst but did not directly touch a populated area. Dams in several other locations are over flowing.

Multiple buildings in Jamestown and Boulder collapsed, including some on the CU campus. At least a quarter of the campus's buildings were damaged by the waters. The campus was closed on Thursday and will remain so, on Friday. Aurora, Boulder Valley, Cherry Creek, St. Vrain, and Thompson School Districts will all be closed on Friday. Other districts are considering closing. The United States Postal Service has also declared several areas will not be receiving mail on Friday, most of those areas did not get any on Thursday, either.

Power is out for thousands of Coloradans. In some areas cell towers have been knocked down. Estes Park was completely cut off as their land lines were taken out by the waters, as well. This left short wave radio the only way to communicate to the outside world. Concerns are high that drinking water might become contaminated, due to flooding. For now, only the town of Lyons has reported contamination and advising residents to boil water before drinking it.

California's Clover Fire Kills 1, Burns 68 Homes

Sixty-eight homes and one hundred and twenty-eight other buildings have been burned down by the Clover Fire, in northern California.

A body of a man was found in one of the burnt out homes.

Another three hundred houses are still threatened and remain evacuated.

The eight thousand acre fire is now sixty-five percent contained.

Six tankers, seven bulldozers, and eleven hundred firefighters are battling the blaze.

New Jersey's Boardwalk Burns

A stretch of New Jersey's boardwalk caught fire on Thursday afternoon.

Despite six alarms being called out, the fire is still burning Thursday night.

Four blocks worth of buildings have caught fire and it continues to spread as winds push it down the coast.

The flames were beginning to spread into parts of the boardwalk being reconstructed, after they were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Bulldozers have been brought in to knock down a part of the boardwalk in hopes of creating a fire line.

Massachusetts Schools Closed After 22 Slip and Fall

Amherst Regional Schools, in Massachusetts, were closed on Thursday, due to twenty-two accidents, on Wednesday.

Over the summer the schools had their floors waxed, then Wednesday's hot weather caused the wax to begin melting.

This caused the floors to be extremely slippery and twenty-two people fell due to them.

No one was seriously injured, but the district wanted to be safe on Thursday.

There was no word on whether they'll be open on Friday, at this time.

Mount Graylock Regional Schools closed early, on Wednesday, due to the same issue, but were open on Thursday.