Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/895147
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2017 News 2 WORLD BRIEFS CATALONIA'S ousted presi- dent, Carles Puigdemont, has said he came to Belgium to act "in freedom and safety", but not to seek political asylum. Speaking at packed press con- ference in Brussels yesterday, Puigdemont said he would re- turn home immediately if a fair judicial process was guaranteed. On Monday, Spain's attorney general called for charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds to be brought against him and 13 other sep- aratist leaders. That request showed "a desire, not for jus- tice, but for vengeance", Puig- demont said. His appearance in Brussels marked a further twist in a month-long crisis triggered by an independence referendum in Catalonia on 1 October. Asked by reporters yesterday how long he would stay, Puigdemont re- sponded: "As long we consider it [necessary]. The situation is developing every day. We have better guarantees for our rights here and we can meet our obli- gations." He added: "If they [Spanish authorities] can guarantee to all of us, and to me in particular, a just, independent process, with the separation of powers that we have in the majority of European nations, if they guarantee that, we would return immediately." The press conference came as Spain's constitutional court suspended Friday's declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament, and the supreme court said it had begun proceed- ings against Catalonian parlia- mentary officials over their role in the referendum. Separately, Spain's civil guard police force searched the headquarters of Catalonia's regional police. Puigdemont said yesterday that he accepted the challenge of those elections "with all our strength" and that Catalan na- tionalists would vote. Spain wants Catalonia "to abandon our political project, and they won't achieve it", he said. He blamed Madrid for the im- passe, pinpointing the start of the crisis to the heavy-handed police response during the ref- erendum he organised in defi- ance of Spanish law. "The chaos started on 1 October with vio- lence on the Spanish side," he said. SOME people just aren't cut out for the realities of a high-pressure work environment - and it would seem the same goes for dogs. The handler of Lulu, the lab- rador, had high hopes of her be- coming the CIA's latest bomb- sniffing talent, but it was not meant to be. It started out well, accord- ing to a "pupdate" on the CIA's website, but soon it started to go downhill. A few weeks into training, Lulu began to show signs that she simply "wasn't interested in detecting explosive odours", the blog post said. "Lulu was no longer interested in searching for explosives," the post said. "Even when they could moti- vate her with food and play to search, she was clearly not en- joying herself any longer." The post went on to say that the mental and physical well- being of the sniffer dogs is the CIA's priority, so they "made the extremely difficult decision to do what's best for Lulu and drop her from the programme". But it is not all bad news, as handlers have the option to adopt dogs which are dropped. Lulu now has a new home, and spends her days chasing rabbits and squirrels in the garden – much less stressful. It is not clear whether Lulu simply wasn't up to the chal- lenge of sniffing out bombs, or whether it was all part of a cun- ning plan to never have to go to work. Either way, she's happy, and so is her handler – and the CIA can now focus on its top dogs. Catalonia's ousted president 'not seeking asylum in Belgium' Ousted leader says he would return immediately if a fair judicial process was guaranteed in Spain, where he may face charges of rebellion and sedition Bomb-sniffing labrador fired from CIA for refusing to sniff bombs A few weeks into CIA training, labrador Lulu began to show signs she simply "wasn't interested in detecting explosive odours". Lulu is now a labrador of leisure MASSIMO COSTA A French national arraigned in court this morning with- drew her guilty plea related to an incident involving the ill- treatment of a dog. Nina Schmitt, a 26-year-old waitress residing in St Julian's, was this morning brought to court on charges of having struck a dog when inebriated, for which she had intended to plead guilty. The court, presided by Mag- istrate Donatella Frendo Di- mech heard that while in a drunken state, the accused had taken a Belgian Shepherd out for a walk with her friend. At some point the dog ran away and when it returned she struck the animal with its dog chain. She maintained that the way she struck the animal matched the method she had learnt in France for disciplining a dog. Schmitt claimed that she had not used excessive force. The police confirmed that animal welfare examined the dog and determined it had not sustained any injuries. The defence argued that animal welfare were in favour of the dog being returned to the ac- cused, showing that they did not believe the dog to be in danger. The woman's legal aid, Noel Cutajar, informed the court that he had advised the ac- cused to plead not guilty, but she had insisted on pleading guilty because she was keen on having the dog returned to her. On learning this, the magis- trate warned the accused, who was being assisted by an in- terpreter, that she should not be admitting guilt for the sole reason of getting her dog back. After a discussion with her lawyer and the magistrates warning, the accused decided to change her plea to not guilty, as she maintained that she had not actually ill-treated the dog. The court granted bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000, and ordered the accused to sign-in at the St Julian's police station on Mon- day's and Friday's between 8am and 8pm. The case continues. Woman charged with ill-treatment of dog TWO days into the start of winter for the aviation indus- try, Malta International Air- port welcomed its second in- augural flight for the season. The first Ryanair aircraft from Belfast touched down at the airport late on Monday, es- tablishing a direct connection between Malta and Northern Ireland. The new service will be provided every Monday and Friday, with flights to Belfast International Airport taking around three and a half hours. The terminal is connected to the city centre via a regular airport express service, and for those who opt for driving the journey takes around 30 minutes. Just a short walk from the city centre is Titanic Belfast. Located close to where Ti- tanic was designed, built and launched, the six-floor build- ing houses the most compre- hensive Titanic visitor experi- ence. Belfast and the Giant's Causeway were recently listed by travel guide Lonely Planet amongst the top regions to visit in 2018. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, the Giant's Causeway is dotted with some of the most impressive and recognisable rock formations, which have given rise to many a fascinat- ing legend. Game of Thrones fans will be pleased to know that Belfast houses Titanic Studios, where the series is shot, and is close to a number of locations across Northern Ireland that have served as a backdrop for some of the most epic moments of the series. Tours to these film- ing locations allow one to be transported to the fantasy world created by the series, whilst taking in Northern Ire- land's breathtaking beauty. Belfast's calendar of events ensures that the city buzzes with activity throughout the year. November has become associated with the C.S. Lewis Festival – the author having been born and raised in Bel- fast - and the Armagh Geor- gian Festival, which takes place towards the end of the month and marks the begin- ning of the festive season. Belfast just a flight away