Spain will move to suspend Catalonia's autonomy unless the region's leader drops his push for independence, the deputy prime minister says. Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría gave the warning a day before a Spanish deadline to Carles Puigdemont was due to expire. Catalonia's government has insisted it will not meet Madrid's demands in the wake of a disputed vote on secession. There have been protests over the detention of two leaders of the separatist movement. Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart are being held while they are investigated for sedition - a move which many on the pro-independence side see as politically motivated. The men were leading figures in the 1 October independence vote, which Madrid branded illegal. After the referendum, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence but halted its implementation and called for negotiations. Prime Minister Rajoy has given Mr Puigdemont until Thursday to come up with a definitive answer on the independence question or face the implementation of direct rule under Article 155. "All I ask of Mr Puigdemont is that he acts sensibly... to put the interest of all citizens first," Mr Rajoy told the Spanish parliament on Wednesday.

In her resignation letter, Constança Urbano de Sousa said she was leaving to "preserve her personal dignity". The deadly wildfires killed at least 41 people and hundreds more were injured - the second such tragedy this year. Another four died in northern Spain. Portugal's president has also called on parliament to consider if the current government should continue in office. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the government should have a strong mandate in order to enforce fire fighting and forest management reforms to avoid future tragedies. His presidency is largely ceremonial, but he does have the power to dissolve parliament. The opposition People's Party has already tabled a motion of no confidence over the handling of the emergency. Constança Urbano de Sousa's former ministry is responsible for firefighters and the country's civil protection agency. Both have faced public criticism over their handling of the fires. Ms de Sousa had also faced calls for her resignation following a massive blaze in June killed more than 60 people. In her resignation letter, she said she had privately offered the prime minister her resignation at the time, which he refused. But she now felt there were no "political and personal conditions" for her to continue, she said. In a statement, Prime Minister António Costa said he had accepted Ms de Sousa's resignation, despite having earlier ruled out firing any of his ministers.

A leading French music magazine has responded to criticism for making a rock star who killed his girlfriend its cover star. Les Inrockuptibles placed Bertrand Cantat, who beat actress Marie Trintignant to death in 2003, on its front page last week. In a statement, it said its choice was "debatable", and expressed "sincere regrets" to "those who felt hurt". France's Elle magazine responded with a editorial tribute to Ms Trintignant. Under the headline "In the name of Marie", it said its words were for "all women victims of violence" carried out by men. Cantat, who was released from prison in 2007, is trying to relaunch his music career with a new solo album. Les Inrockuptibles said it had been covering Cantat since the 1980s and its history was built on his old band, Noir Desir. It justified its coverage by saying the article tackled controversial issues, such as "Did Cantat have the right to a public life after having killed Marie Trintignant with his fists?" The controversy coincided with the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which has seen the US producer accused of multiple assaults against women and which has also provoked a big reaction in France. On Monday, Gender Equality Minister Marlène Schiappa set out plans for new laws to crack down on sexual violence.