This Week in Pictures: October 24 – October 30, 2017

With so many important news stories breaking around the world each week it can be awfully easy to miss something salient so here’s our round up of the headlines from the last week.

In Spain the government in Madrid imposed direct rule over the Catalonia region last week following a declaration of independence from the instantly dismissed government of Carles Puigdemont who suggested peaceful resistance despite a constitutional court declaring the referendum, that was the basis of the separatist move, illegal. With the central government seizing control of Catalan institutions a massive rally in support of Spanish Unity was held in Barcelona, with the crowd demanding Puigdemont be jailed.

In the United States previously classified documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy were released last week. This included a CIA memo that suggested Lee Harvey Oswald had spoken with a KGB officer at the Russian embassy in Mexico City, an FBI warning to the Dallas police to protect Oswald after his arrest (he was later shot by Jack Ruby) and a report alledging that Lyndon B Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, may have been a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Texas in his early career.

In the Arctic a Norwegian search team located the wreckage of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter operated by the Russian coal mining firm Arktikugol that was lost last week. Discovered on the ocean floor off Barentsburg, a settlement on the archipelago of Svalbard Norwegian police said it would be searched for the eight people, five crew and three scientists, who were on board at the time of the crash. The helicopter was on a routine short flight to Barentsburg from Pyramiden a former Russian run mining camp.

In sports following an incident just after the start of the Mexican Grand Prix a race of slow drama saw Max Verstappen get a run away victory with Lewis Hamilton finishing a barely adequate 9th place to earn himself a fourth World F1 Championship title with chief rival Sebastian Vettel only able to finish fourth. This puts both drivers on four championships each and you’ll have to read our daily news pages to see who’ll win next season, but in the meantime here’s a run down of our big headlines from last week.

Who will win 2017 European Championship in darts? Can we finally crown a new king of darts…

Learn everything about Phil Ivey’s brand new title: cheat.

Would you bet on another wardrobe malfunction or the return of Janet Jackson?

Check out the best Amazon Headquarters Betting Odds from Paddy Power Sportsbook!

Read our guide for a profitable bet on Irish Lotto results

Meanwhile the French President, Emmanuel Macron, whilst on a visit to French Guiana interacted with the full spectrum of society last week catching a whiff of Marijuana in the Crique neighborhood and warning the local kids it wouldn’t help with their studies, then running into a seven year old boy who confidently stated he wanted to be a policeman. Mr Macron faced demonstrations during his visit but refused to make “grand promises that are hot air” nor pretend he was “Father Christmas” and treat people like children.