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Pop star Shakira has reached a deal with tax authorities in Spain, avoiding a €14.5m trial on the morning it was due to begin.

The Colombian pop star attended court on Monday and agreed to pay a fine of €7m (£6.1m). She waved and blew a kiss to bystanders as she walked in ahead of the short hearing.

After answering “yes” to confirm acknowledgement of failing to pay the Spanish government taxes, she also received a suspended three-year sentence, the AP news agency reported.

In a statement sent to Sky News, Shakira said she had “always strived to do what’s right and set a positive example for others” but now wants to “move past the stress”.

Colombian singer Shakira and her lawyer Pau Molins arrive at court for her trial facing allegations of tax fraud in Barcelona, Spain November 20, 2023. REUTERS/Albert Gea
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Shakira pictured outside court in Barcelona this morning

The agreement means a trial which had been due to include dozens of witnesses, and was expected to last several weeks, has now been called off – and prosecutors have dropped their demand for the star to be jailed for eight years.

The Hips Don’t Lie singer said her lawyers had been “confident” the court would have ruled in her favour following a trial.

However, she said she took the decision to resolve the matter beforehand “with the best interest of my kids at heart, who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal wellbeing in this fight”.

Shakira, 46, has two sons with her ex-partner, footballer Gerard Pique.

She had faced six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government €14.5m (about £12.7m) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

The case centred around where she was living at the time, and she had denied any wrongdoing. Her defence team had argued she had not spent more than 60 days a year in Spain during the period in question and so should not have been considered a fiscal resident.

‘Winning is getting my time back’

In her statement, Shakira said she had sought “the advice of the world’s preeminent tax authorities PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited and Ernst & Young Global Limited”, her advisers throughout the process.

“Unfortunately, and despite these efforts, tax authorities in Spain pursued a case against me as they have against many professional athletes and other high-profile individuals, draining those people’s energy, time, and tranquility for years at a time,” she said.

“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, including my upcoming world tour and my new album, both of which I am extremely excited about.

“I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.”

Spain has cracked down on football stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for tax offences in the last decade.

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid stars were found guilty of evasion but both avoided jail after their sentences were suspended.

From Grammy wins to court

Sergio Ramos and Shakira at the Latin Grammy Awards. Pic: AP
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Shakira attended the Latin Grammy Awards at the weekend. Pic: AP

Shakira’s deal comes after the star was named one of the big winners at the Latin Grammys at the weekend, taking home three awards.

She was presented with one award by Sergio Ramos, former Spanish international teammate of Pique and defender for Real Madrid, rivals of Pique’s former club Barcelona.

Prosecutors announced in September that Shakira would also face separate charges of €6.7m tax evasion in Spain, relating to a period in 2018. Sky News understands this case is still ongoing but her lawyers are confident of a resolution.

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Scottish artist Nnena Kalu wins Turner Prize 2025 for hanging Barcelona sculptures and Liverpool exhibition

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Scottish artist Nnena Kalu wins Turner Prize 2025 for hanging Barcelona sculptures and Liverpool exhibition

Scottish artist Nnena Kalu has won the 2025 Turner Prize with two exhibitions, including a series of brightly coloured sculptures.

The Glaswegian, 59, took home the visual arts prize along with £25,000 at an award ceremony on Tuesday in Bradford, this year’s UK City of Culture.

As reported by The Guardian, she is the first artist with a learning disability to win the award.

Nnena Kalu, from Glasgow, is the winner of this year's Turner Prize. Pic: Nnena Kalu/ActionSpace/PA
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Nnena Kalu, from Glasgow, is the winner of this year’s Turner Prize. Pic: Nnena Kalu/ActionSpace/PA

Along with Hanging Sculpture 1-10, which European art exhibitors Manifesta commissioned her to create at a disused power station in Barcelona, Ms Kalu won for her presentation in Conversations, a group exhibition at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

For the sculpture series, the artist created the vividly-coloured works from repeated lines and wrappings of different materials, making nest or cocoon-like forms.

Hanging Sculpture 1 - 10 by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
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Hanging Sculpture 1 – 10 by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA

The installation consisted of 10 large brightly-coloured sculptures that hung from grey concrete pillars of the industrial site.

Meanwhile, for Conversations, Kalu presented work in pen, graphite and chalk pen on two pieces of paper.

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Conversations by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
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Conversations by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA

The jury, which was chaired by Alex Farquharson, the director of Tate Britain, commended Kalu’s “bold and compelling work” and praised the “lively translation of expressive gesture” in the abstract sculpture and drawing.

The panel also acknowledged her scale, composition and colour, highlighting “the powerful presence” her works have.

Nnena Kalu's nominated Turner Prize works. Pic: PA
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Nnena Kalu’s nominated Turner Prize works. Pic: PA

Kalu is also a resident artist at ActionSpace’s studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London at Studio Voltaire, and beat out fellow shortlisted artists Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa.

The works by the four artists are currently available to see at a free exhibition at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery until 22 February.

Jonathan Orrell views work by Nnena Kalu for the Turner Prize. Pic: PA
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Jonathan Orrell views work by Nnena Kalu for the Turner Prize. Pic: PA

Named after British painter JMW Turner, this year’s prize marked the 250th anniversary of his birth.

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Previous winners include artist Damien Hirst in 1995 and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen in 1999, while last year’s winner, Jasleen Kaur, picked up the prize for Alter Altar – which covered a red sports car with a giant ornamental doily mat.

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Rappers Bob Vylan sue Irish broadcaster RTE over claim lead singer led ‘antisemitic chants’ at Glastonbury gig

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Rappers Bob Vylan sue Irish broadcaster RTE over claim lead singer led 'antisemitic chants' at Glastonbury gig

Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan are suing Irish national broadcaster RTE for defamation, claiming it misrepresented chants led by the band when they played this year’s Glastonbury festival.

The group, which performed at Dublin’s Vicar Street last month, claim they were defamed in a report by RTE News that said the lead singer led antisemitic chants when they played the Somerset festival in June.

During their performance, singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, whose stage name is Bobby Vylan, led a chant of “death, death, to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.

File pic: PA
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File pic: PA

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

It provoked widespread criticism of the artist, including from Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, and the BBC, which live streamed their show.

Phoenix Law launched legal action on behalf of Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George at Ireland’s High Court on Monday, according to court records.

The firm said: “The proceedings arise from a broadcast aired by RTE News following Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury Festival on 28 June 2025.

“During this broadcast, comments were made alleging that the lead singer of Bob Vylan led antisemitic chants. These allegations are categorically denied by our clients and are entirely untrue.”

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Phoenix Law said Bob Vylan had made statements expressing support for Palestinian self-determination and criticising military actions by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).

His comments did not target Jewish people or express hatred towards any group, the firm said, suggesting they were “politically charged but not antisemitic in nature”.

Solicitor Darragh Mackin said the pair “are no stranger to utilising their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza“.

Mr Mackin said there was “a fundamental distinction between speaking critically about the role of the Israeli state forces, and being antisemitic”.

“The former is speech within the confines of political expression, whereas the latter is a form of hatred directed towards Jewish people,” he added.

Read more on Sky News:
Who are Bob Vylan?

The BBC apologised, including to the Jewish community, and said it regretted not pulling the live stream of the set and promised not to live stream “high-risk” acts in future.

It partially upheld complaints made over the broadcast, accepting the live stream broke the corporation’s editorial guidelines.

Ofcom’s chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said the BBC needed to “get a grip quicker” on handling such controversies and complete its internal reports and investigations sooner.

Last month, the Metropolitan Police said detectives would take no further action over similar alleged chants made at a Bob Vylan gig in London in May.

The individual was not arrested but an investigation was ongoing, the Met said.

Avon and Somerset Police said a man, in his 30s, understood to be Mr Robinson-Foster, had voluntarily attended an interview in relation to the band’s Glastonbury performance. Enquiries are ongoing, the force said on Tuesday.

The US condemned the act’s “hateful tirade”, revoking their visas, while several festivals cancelled their upcoming appearances.

Speaking to Louis Theroux in October, Bobby Vylan said he had no regrets about the chants and would do it again “tomorrow”.

Sky News has contacted RTE for comment.

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Rapper Ghetts pleads guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

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Rapper Ghetts pleads guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

Rapper Ghetts has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The 41-year-old also pleaded guilty to driving dangerously before the fatal collision shortly after 11.30pm on 18 October.

The musician, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, appeared for a hearing at the Old Bailey via videolink from Pentonville prison, wearing a green polo shirt.

Yubin Tamang, 20, a student from Nepal, died two days after being hit by Clarke-Samuel’s BMW M5 in Redbridge Lane, Ilford, northeast London.

Ghetts, a two-time Mercury Prize nominee and MOBO winner, has been in custody since a preliminary appearance at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on 27 October.

He will now be sentenced in February.

The rapper was first nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2021, for his third album Conflict Of Interest. His second nomination for his fourth album, On Purpose, With Purpose, in 2024.

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