Entertainment

Pop Star Shakira Reaches A Deal With Spanish Prosecutors On The First Day Of Tax Fraud Trial

Published

1 year ago

2023-11-20

Kiara Grace

BARCELONA, Spain — After claiming her innocence for over five years, music singer Shakira reached a last-minute bargain on the first day of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona to avoid prison.

On Monday, Shakira informed the presiding magistrate, José Manuel del Amo, that she accepted the arrangement with prosecutors. She said “yes” to affirm her admission to six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

Shakira will receive a three-year suspended sentence and a fine of 7.3 million euros ($8 million) under the terms of the agreement. In exchange for her sentence being commuted, she will pay another fine of 432,000 euros ($472,000). However, she now has it on her legal record that she was found guilty of tax fraud, which may have an impact on another current case with tax officials.

The trial, which would have included over 100 witnesses over the next few weeks, was called off after only eight minutes.

Pop Star Shakira Reaches A Deal With Spanish Prosecutors On The First Day Of Tax Fraud Trial

Prosecutors announced in July that they will seek an eight-year prison sentence and a fine of 24 million euros ($26 million) for the singer, who has garnered admirers worldwide for her hits in Spanish and English in many musical genres.

Shakira stated in a statement released by her public relations office that she wanted to battle on but prioritized her family, career, and mental health.

“I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,” she said in a statement. “I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love, my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career.”

The case turned on where Shakira, now 46, lived. Prosecutors in Barcelona claim that the Colombian singer spent more than half of that time in Spain and thus should have paid taxes on her worldwide income in the country, despite her official residency still being in the Bahamas. The Bahamas has substantially lower tax rates than Spain.

Pop Star Shakira Reaches A Deal With Spanish Prosecutors On The First Day Of Tax Fraud Trial

Before entering the courts, the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner waved and kissed a small audience of onlookers. She momentarily sat in front of the panel of judges, flanked on one side by prosecutors and on the other by defense attorneys.

“This has been a difficult decision that took time to reach,” defense attorney Miriam Company told reporters. “Her legal team had prepared the trial and were convinced we could demonstrate her innocence, but the circumstances changed and (Shakira) opted to accept the deal.”

Shakira declined a plea bargain offered by prosecutors to resolve her case in July 2022, stating through her Spanish public relations firm Llorente y Cuenca that she “believes in her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands of the law.” The specifics of that proposed transaction were not made public.

Shakira was implicated in the “Paradise Papers” revelations, which revealed the offshore tax arrangements of a number of high-profile figures, including Madonna and Bono of U2.

Shakira’s public relations firm earlier stated that she had paid off all of her debts and an additional 3 million euros (approximately $3.2 million) in interest.

Pop Star Shakira Reaches A Deal With Spanish Prosecutors On The First Day Of Tax Fraud Trial

The defense team for Shakira, Molins Defensa Penal in Barcelona, stated in November 2022 that she had not spent more than 60 days a year within the nation during the period in question, adding that she would have been required to spend half the year in Spain to be considered a fiscal resident. Her defense claimed that she was away from Barcelona for extended periods during a world tour in 2011 and later spent a significant amount of time in the United States as a jury member for the NBC television music talent show The Voice.

Prosecutors in Spain disagreed, and the investigating judge, Marco Juberas, stated in 2021 that at the end of a three-year investigation into the charges, he found “sufficient evidence of criminality” for the case to go to trial. When Juberas questioned Shakira in 2019, she proclaimed her innocence.

Last year, she lost an attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed.

According to her defense team, Shakira established her fiscal residency in Spain in 2014; at the same time, her oldest child was enrolled in school in Barcelona to spend more time in the nation with her family.

In Spain, an investigating judge conducts an initial investigation before deciding whether the matter should be dismissed or tried.

However, her problems with Spain’s tax authorities are far from ended.

Separately, Spanish state prosecutors prosecuted Shakira in September with alleged tax cheating of 6.7 million euros on her 2018 earnings. They accused her of evading taxes by forming an offshore corporation in a tax haven.

Over the last decade, Spain has cracked down on sports players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for failing to pay their full taxes. The former Barcelona and Real Madrid players were found guilty of evasion, but their penalties were suspended. Thus, they escaped prison time.

Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has two children with Barcelona soccer player Gerard Piqué, Milan and Sasha. The pair lived together in Barcelona for 11 years until calling it quits last year. She has lived in Miami since then.

After winning Thursday’s Latin Grammy Awards gala in Seville, Shakira praised her Spanish followers for “being with me in the good times and the bad.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.