BRUSSELS -- The European Union leaders on Thursday called for dialogue between the Spanish government and the regional government of Catalonia to solve the Catalan crisis.
Spain's cabinet will hold a special session Saturday to approve the suspension of its Catalonia region's autonomy, and impose central rule in response to Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont's failure to clarify if he had declared Catalonia's "independence" from Spain. (EU-Spain-Catalonia)
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WELLINGTON -- The New Zealand First party has decided to side with the Labor party to form the coalition government, NZ First party leader Winston Peters announced here Thursday.
The decision is about to see the shift of the government from New Zealand National party, which led a minority government for the past nine years, to Labor party. (New Zealand-First party-Labor party)
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KABUL -- A total of 102 militants were killed and 44 others wounded when Afghan security forces launched wide-scale operations against militants over the past 24 hours, the country's Defense Ministry said Thursday.
"Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have conducted 16 clean up operations and 20 special operations in 15 provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces since early Wednesday, killing 102 insurgents and injuring 44 others," the ministry said in the statement. (Afghanistan-Unrest)
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ISLAMABAD -- At least 15 people were injured as a blast hit Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province Thursday evening, local Urdu media reported.
According to local media reports, the blast happened at about 7:30 p.m. local time in the Sultan Shaheed area of Mastung, a district in Balochistan province. (Pakistan-Blast)
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YANGON -- The Myanmar authorities are urgently investigating the cause of Thursday's huge fire that devastated a lakeside hotel in Yangon run by the Htoo Group of Companies, said U Htay Lwin, the company's managing director.
The fire started from the fifth floor of the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel but it was not triggered by explosion which occurred later, U Htay Lwin told a press conference here shortly after the fire was put under control. (Myanmar-Fire-Investigation) Enditem
