- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Mets advance on Lindor grand slam, Yankees and Tigers win
- Taiwan President Lai vows to 'resist annexation' of island
- China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Zelensky on whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
Spain PM's wife to testify before judge in graft probe
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife testifies before a judge Friday as part of a preliminary corruption probe into her business ties, two weeks after the initial hearing was suspended.
The investigation into Begona Gomez over alleged corruption and influence peddling has infuriated Sanchez, who has insisted there is "absolutely nothing" in the allegations which amount to little more than a smear campaign aimed at undermining him and his left-wing government.
Although Gomez attended court on July 5 to testify in a closed session before judge Juan Carlos Peinado, the hearing was suspended within minutes after her lawyer said they had "not been notified" about all the complaints against her and asked for time to study them.
The hearing was rescheduled for Friday when Gomez will appear at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) before Peinado in a highly-anticipated hearing as the right-wing ramps up its attacks on the government over the matter.
The investigation was opened on April 16 following a complaint by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), an anti-graft NGO linked to the far-right, which alleged corruption in the private sector and influence peddling, while admitting its claims were based on media reports.
A second complaint was filed by Hazte Oir (Make Yourself Heard) -- an ultra-Catholic pressure group linked to the far-right -- also alleging influence peddling.
Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, notably for foundations and NGOs, is suspected of using Sanchez's position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with a businessman and consultant called Juan Carlos Barrabes who received public funding.
- 'Nothing unusual' -
Testifying before the judge on Monday, Barrabes -- who teaches part of a master's course at Madrid's Complutense University that is run by Gomez -- admitted meeting with her five or six times at Moncloa, the official residence of the Spanish premier.
Sanchez was also present at two of those meetings, he said.
The businessmen -- who got two letters of recommendation from Gomez before pitching for a public tender worth several million euros -- said such meetings only touched on matters of innovation, judicial sources said.
"There is absolutely nothing" unusual in such meetings, said Socialist Party spokeswoman Esther Pena, saying it was normal for Sanchez "to meet businessmen, cultural bodies or institutions".
The same view was taken by Guardia Civil police investigators who presented the court with a new report in early July concluding there were no irregularities on Gomez's part.
The public prosecutor's office also called for the case to be closed for lack of evidence at the end of April.
But Peinado refused, insisting there was "sufficient" evidence to justify continuing the probe.
- An anti-disinformation plan -
The case has provoked a growing chorus of criticism from the right-wing opposition.
"It is neither ethical nor acceptable for Moncloa to sign letters of recommendation for companies wanting to receive public money," opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said in parliament on Wednesday, accusing Sanchez of being on edge over Friday's hearing.
Feijoo, head of the right-wing Popular Party (PP), once again urged Sanchez to resign.
When news of the probe broke in April, Sanchez shocked Spain by saying he was considering resigning over what he described as a campaign of political harassment by the right. He ultimately decided to stay on.
Gomez, 49, has not spoken publicly on the case but Sanchez has decried it as a political bid to "harass and discredit" him by "media heavily influenced by the right and far-right".
On Wednesday, he unveiled a plan for "democratic regeneration" aimed at fighting disinformation, sparking fierce opposition from the right.
Gomez did not want to give up her career when her husband became premier in 2018 and has retained a very low public profile. She does not hold public office.
Ch.Havering--AMWN