The singer Shakira has achieved an important legal victory against the Spanish Tax Agency after more than eight years of legal battle. The National Court has ruled in favor of the artist and has ordered the refund of 60 million euros, in addition to the generated interest and the costs of the procedure. This closes one of the most high-profile tax cases of recent years.
“Please sign the petition for the repair of the Lukianivskyi market,” reads the signs held by several women. Behind them lie the burnt iron and roofs of what until the early hours of last Sunday was one of the oldest markets in Kyiv, said to date back 120 years. “I have been living in fear of missiles, of losing everything, for more than four years. And now we have nothing left,” says Marina, who stands out among the other women because of her yellow wool jacket. For 25 years she has had, or had, a small fruit and vegetable shop.
The Romanian director Cristian Mungiu has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes festival with Fjord, a film as uncomfortable as it is necessary, which was among the favorites in a rather uncertain 79th edition. With the audience giving a standing ovation, Mungiu went up to the stage of the grand Lumière theater to receive from Tilda Swinton an award he had already won in 2007 with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. “It is necessary to talk about relevant things in a society that has become radicalized, and this film is a message of tolerance,” he said in reference to the plot of the film starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, which narrates how the traditional and religious values of an ultra-conservative Romanian family clash with the supposed progressive values of Norwegian society. Fjord had also been awarded shortly before with the prize from the international critics (Fipresci), the Ecumenical, and the Citizenship awards.
The president of RTVE, José Pablo López, has criticized the statements of the director of the Eurovision Festival, Martin Green, about a possible return of Russia to the contest, and has warned that “they destroy the image of the competition and make Spain’s return more difficult.”
An Ebola outbreak that threatens to become one of the largest in history has already killed 65 people and affected 246 suspected cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.
At 13:49 yesterday, May 14, the trial against the Pujol family and nine businessmen who allegedly paid them commissions in exchange for public works was submitted for judgment. 38 oral hearing sessions, in which more than 200 witnesses and experts have appeared. The trial closes 3,685 days after the visit of Victoria Álvarez, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola’s ex-lover, to the Canillas police complex, accompanied by the “patriotic police,” in which she explains that she saw with her own eyes how Pujol Ferrusola carried bags of cash to Andorra. It is December 13, 2012. The police investigation that started then, which was halted until El Mundo published seventeen months later information about the Pujol accounts in Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA) allegedly obtained by the Spanish police, ended with the entire family charged, as well as ten businessmen; since the hearing began last November, one of them, Carles Vilarrubí, has died, and former president Pujol was exonerated for health reasons. The rest await sentencing, possibly at the end of July, according to legal sources. All the accused plead not guilty. About 200 hours of oral hearing have not cleared up many of the case’s doubts.
China and the United States agreed to reduce tariffs on some products to promote bilateral trade, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce of China, which describes the agreements as preliminary.
From the euphoria of the fourth Champions, to the sadness of a farewell that, although anticipated in recent weeks, still hurts. The departure of Alexia Putellas is now a reality. Three days after being crowned European champions, Barça and their captain have announced her farewell with an emotional video through social media.
A Louisiana father shot and killed eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that spanned two homes in a Shreveport neighborhood shocked by one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years, police said. Two women, including the attacker’s wife —the children’s mother—, were also seriously injured, according to Chris Bordelon, a spokesperson for the Shreveport Police Department. Authorities noted that the children —all killed in the same house— were between 3 and 11 years old. The attacker, identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, died after a police chase that ended when officers opened fire on him, according to Bordelon.
Aliança Catalana (AC) currently constitutes a unique political phenomenon in Spain. It is the party that is indisputably growing, according to all polls. More than Vox, since some surveys and the elections in Castilla y León point to a certain stagnation of Santiago Abascal’s party, pending what the Andalusian elections on the 17th may dictate. But the case of AC is a perfect assembly in demographic terms, as it is gaining potential voters not only from abstention but from several parties. If this continues, it could also disrupt the entire distribution of seats in the Parliament. Why has Aliança Catalana managed to gain ground so decisively, above Vox?