MADRID: Spain said Thursday it will move to seize some of the Catalan regional government's powers after its leader warned he could declare independence, escalating the country's worst political crisis in decades.

The central government in Madrid had given separatist leader Carles Puigdemont until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Thursday to say whether or not he was declaring a breakaway state in the semi-autonomous region following a chaotic referendum on October 1.

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