Spain

22 Jan 2019; AFP: Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Madrid for a court date on Tuesday in which he could be fined 18.8 million euros ($21.4 million) for tax fraud as part of a deal reached with the Spanish taxman.

As part of an agreement arranged in June with the former Real Madrid hero's lawyers, prosecutors are also asking that the Portuguese attacker, who last summer left the Spanish capital for Italian champions Juventus, be handed a 23-month jail sentence.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Police in Barcelona have arrested seven people on suspicion of attacking cars that work with ride-hailing apps like Uber and Cabify as part of a protest by taxi drivers that turned violent on Friday.

The attacks occurred after taxi drivers announced an indefinite strike protesting a regional government plan to regulate the ride-hailing services, which they argued was too lax.

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s maritime rescue service says it has saved 472 people who were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe over the past two days.

The service says that 17 people, including one woman, were rescued early Thursday from two inflatable rafts like those used at beaches and swimming pools.

The spokeswoman, who wasn’t authorized to be identified in media reports, said that 455 migrants were rescued Wednesday — 124 in the Strait of Gibraltar, and 331 further east.

28 Dec 2018; DW: Charity organization Proactiva Open Arms said Spain was the only country to allow its vessel a port to dock. Pregnant women, children and babies were among the group of migrants rescued off the coast of Libya.

The Spanish rescue boat Open Arms arrived on Friday morning in a port near the city of Algeciras, in southern Spain. Aboard the vessel were 310 migrants who were rescued by the organization off the coast of Libya.

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s maritime rescue service says it has saved two underage migrants who were trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar on a truck tire.

The service says that its rescue craft took aboard the two minors on Saturday after it was alerted to their plight. The service didn’t specify their sex or nationality, but it appears they left from Morocco.

Spain has become the main entry point for migrants to Europe this year with more than 57,000 arrivals, according to the U.N. Authorities have registered more than 11,000 unaccompanied minors arriving this year.

MADRID (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping issued an impassioned defense Wednesday of free markets’ ability to combat economic uncertainty as he sought allies amid his nation’s worsening trade dispute with the United States.

In a speech to lawmakers in Spain, where Xi is on a state visit before attending the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Argentina, the Chinese president said the world is facing “instability, uncertainty and hot topics without precedents in our history.”

MADRID, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The former president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Rodrigo Rato entered prison on Thursday to start serving his 4.5-year jail term for the fraudulent use of a "black" credit card during his term as the chairman of the Spanish bank Bankia, the Spanish media informs.

Rato, who was also Spanish deputy prime minister and economy minister in the People's Party (PP) government of Jose Maria Aznar, handed himself in at the Soto del Real Prison north of Madrid shortly after midday.

MADRID, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The latest opinion poll published by the Spanish Center for Sociological Investigation (CIS) on Thursday shows a continued rise in the popularity of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist (PSOE) Party.

The polls also shows that center-right party Ciudadanos has overtaken the right-wing People's Party (PP) in voting intention and would be the second most voted party if a general election were to be held now in Spain.

MADRID; 28 Sep2018; (AP) — Thousands of travelers in Europe saw their plans disrupted Friday after airline Ryanair cancelled more than 200 flights because of strikes by cabin crew in Spain, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The budget airline says it had informed passengers of possible disruptions ahead of time, giving them time to adjust.

MADRID, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell confirmed on Tuesday that Spain will double its aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the wake of the decision taken by the U.S. government to end its contributions to the organization which was created in 1949.

Borrell made his announcement after meeting Riyad al-Maliki, Palestinian foreign minister, who is currently visiting Spain.