title: Catalan separatist leader turns down chance to talk to Spanish Senate
text: MADRID (Reuters) - Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has turned down an invitation to address Spain s Senate on Catalonia s bid for independence on Thursday, a spokesman for the regional government said. Earlier on Wednesday, aides had indicated that Puigdemont, who is the region s president, would attend the session in Madrid.  But a spokesman for Puigdemont said later the Catalan leader would not do so because the Spanish government had already announced its intention to impose direct control on the autonomous region to counter its independence drive. 