• In a wide-ranging tax fraud case that captivated Spain, Princess Cristina was found innocent Friday of being an accessory to fraud, but her husband was convicted and sentenced to more than six years in prison. However, a panel of judges ruled that Cristina, the 51-year-old sister of King Felipe VI, must pay more than $280,000 in fines because the court considers that she indirectly benefited from the fraud. Her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, was found guilty of evading taxes, fraud and various other charges. He was sentenced to six years and three months in prison and fined $545,000. Urdangarin, a 49-year-old former handball Olympic medalist, can still appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. The trial centered on accusations that Urdangarin used his former title, the Duke of Palma, to embezzle $6.6 million in public funds for the nonprofit Noos Institute. Spaniards closely followed the "Noos case" since the first signs of Urdangarin's involvement emerged six years ago. As the scandal unfolded, King Juan Carlos' decision to abdicate the throne in 2014 was seen as an effort to allow his son Felipe to restore the monarchy's credibility. When his sister Cristina was indicted, King Felipe canceled her title of Duchess of Palma, granted by their father in 1997 on the occasion of her wedding. She and Urdangarin are no longer invited to any official events by the Royal House. A lawyer with Cristina's defense team, Miquel Roca, said the princess was "satisfied for the acknowledgement of her innocence" but she was still convinced that her husband is innocent.
• Regis Philbin says he hasn't kept in touch with his former TV co-host Kelly Ripa since he decided in 2011 to leave the show they headlined together, even though he last appeared on the show in 2015. In an interview with Larry King Now that was posted online this week, Philbin says Ripa took it personally and was offended when he decided to leave their show Live! with Regis and Kelly. He says she thought he was leaving because of her. He also said he hadn't been invited back since his departure. However, Philbin did appear on Live! With Kelly in 2015 for a Halloween special. In a statement on Thursday, the president and general manager of WABC-TV, which produces the show, said it was wonderful having him on the show. "He's also been invited back several times as a guest, and in fact was confirmed for a date, but was not able to make it," Dave Davis said. Philbin, who's 85, told King he left the show because he was getting older and it "wasn't right for me anymore." Philbin said he still misses hosting. Asked if he would go back to television, he said it would depend on how often he would appear.
A Section on 02/18/2017