Catalonia: Spain ultimatum looms over independence push

     Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont is facing a final deadline to drop a secession bid, with Spain warning it will suspend the region's autonomy if he fails to do so today.

After a referendum on 1 October, he signed an independence declaration but then suspended it, asking for dialogue.

    Reports suggest he will press ahead on independence if Madrid moves to take direct control.

   There are fears that this may lead to civil unrest in Catalonia. Article 155 of Spain's 1978 constitution allows Madrid to impose direct rule in a crisis but it has never been invoked in democratic Spain.

   In the lead-up to the deadline, there have been mass protests over the detention of two leaders of the separatist movement. Political leaders in Madrid and Barcelona have been engaged in a tense stand-off since the disputed referendum, which Catalan leaders say resulted in a "Yes" vote for independence but which the central government regards as illegal.