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■ Pop star Shakira struck a deal on the first day of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona, avoiding a potential eight year prison sentence. The deal made her acknowledge that she failed to pay the Spanish government about $15.8 million in taxes between 2012-14. She will receive a suspended three-year sentence, pay an $8 million fine and another fine of $472,000 for having her sentence waived. In a statement provided by her public relations firm, Shakira said, “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. 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 had originated after her name was revealed in the 2017 “Paradise Papers” leak, with prosecutors claiming that Shakira should have paid taxes on her worldwide income in Spain due to how much time she’d lived there instead of the Bahamas where tax rates are much lower.

■ Comedian Dana Carvey announced that he would take a break from his work and social media so that he and his wife, Paula Zwagerman, could mourn the death of their son Dex. Their older son, Dex Carvey died Wednesday at age 32 due to an overdose. Having joined the comedy industry himself, Dex had opened for his father’s Netflix special “Straight White Male, 60” in 2016. “I will be taking a break from work and social media — trying to figure out what life looks like now that we are a family of three,” Carvey posted Friday on Instagram. “We will heal the best we can and carry on. Our darling Dex would have wanted it that way.” “Saturday Night Live” gave a silent tribute as they closed Saturday’s show when cast member Colin Jost held up a sign that read, “We love you, Dana and Paula.” Carvey spent seven seasons on the Saturday night show from 1986-93. The Carveys Friday thanked everyone for the support that had flowed in since Dex’s death. “My wife and I have been overwhelmed by your love, your personal stories, your compassion,” Carvey wrote in his Instagram post. “We received so many beautiful messages from people who knew Dex. These touched us more than we could ever express in words.”

TUESDAY

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2023-11-21T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-11-21T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.pbcommercial.com/article/281698324487200

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