Medina attends brewery expansion inauguration
City police patrols reinforced for Christmas
State of emergency declaration to pass on 6 December
AEIH president calls for changing development model
Peralta corrects wealth statement publication
Christmas Tree “detailed replica” of Eiffel Tower
More than RD$3.63 billion in sales on Black Friday
Chapecoense wives planned vacation in Punta Cana
Tourist bus overturns on Coral Highway
Two men killed in rescue of kidnapped British citizen
Fugitive woman arrested in drug trafficking case
Quick solving of Arroyo Hondo burglary
Carpinteros selected for Sundance Film Festival 2017
Juan Bosch and Carmen Quidiello love story
Coca Coca Christmas Tree lit on Sunday
Medina attends brewery expansion inauguration
President Danilo Medina attended the inauguration of Cervecer?a Nacional Dominicana’s (AmBev-Presidente Beer) new manufacturing installations in Hato Nuevo, Manoguayabo on Wednesday, 30 November 2016.
CND president Franklin Le?n said the plant, which was built at a cost of US$43 million adds 144 million liters of beer, the equivalent of 13.8 million boxes of beer to its production capacity. He said this was equivalent to 36% to the brewery’s current output of around 400 million liters or 38.2 million boxes of beer a year.
The new bottling line is a state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to simultaneously fill and box 60,000 bottles an hour.
http://www.eldinero.com.do/33079/la...en-la-ampliacion-de-su-fabrica-de-hato-nuevo/
City police patrols reinforced for Christmas
The National Police has announced that it is posting 5,000 agents to patrol city streets during the busy Christmas season. Police chief Nelson Peguero Paredes says that another 1,800 military agents have also been assigned to patrols in December and January. He said the agents would be posted at malls, stores and party areas to discourage crime in addition to the usual 15,000 agents assigned to patrols nationwide.
The extended patrols, which began on 30 November 2016, will end on Three Kings Day, 6 January 2017.
Nevertheless, Diario Libre reports in its 1 December 2016 issue that the announced presence of the increased patrols was not evident in busy commercial areas like Av. Duarte, Calle El Conde or the Barrio Chino, according to reporters.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...videna-inicia-con-escaso-patrullaje-NY5625816
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/12/01/policia-fuerzas-armadas-lanzan-patrullaje-navideno-2016
State of emergency declaration to pass on 6 December
The spokesman for the ruling PLD party Deputies, Gustavo S?nchez, has announced that the Chamber will be passing the bill for the declaration of a state of emergency in the 15 provinces worst affected by the torrential rains in November on Tuesday, 6 December 2016. The bill has already been passed in the Senate.
Following Hurricane Georges in 1998, a request for a state of emergency declaration was presented by then-President Leonel Fern?ndez, but was rejected by Congress. The PLD now holds the majority in both legislative chambers.
The state of emergency bill gives President Danilo Medina special powers to act to assist the victims, according to Art. 265 of the Constitution. Art. 265 of the Constitution reads: “A state of Emergency may be declared when events occur, other than those provided for in articles 263 and 274, that seriously and imminently endanger or threaten to endanger, the economic, social or environmental stability of the country or constitute a public calamity.”
The opposition PRM deputies had been urging the government to amend the recently passed National Budget to allocate more resources to the provinces worst affected by the floods.
The state of emergency will be declared for the provinces of:
Puerto Plata, La Vega, Espaillat (Moca), Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez (Nagua), Santiago, Duarte (San Francisco de Macor?s), Monse?or Nouel (Bonao), Saman?, S?nchez Ram?rez (Cotu?), Montecristi, Hermanas Mirabal (Salcedo), Valverde (Mao), Hato Mayor, El Seibo and La Altagracia (Higuey).
http://elnacional.com.do/aprobaran-dar-poderes-especiales-al-presidente/
AEIH president calls for changing development model
During the Herrera and Province of Santo Domingo Industrial Association (AEIH) monthly luncheon event on Thursday, 1 December 2016, the leading private sector organization’s president Antonio Taveras Guzm?n said that while they were in agreement with more taxes being paid in general, a more rational use of government revenue was needed. He called for a “fiscal revolution” to fund development and increase efficiency in government spending.
“Citizens must realize that they have to be an active part of the changes we propose, because they will be the direct beneficiaries. We need to increase social capital and educate citizens so they can fulfill their duties at the same time as demanding their rights,” he said.
Taveras says the DR must reinvent its productivity and development model or the country could remain, despite the high relative growth experienced in recent years, among Latin America's most lagging and poor countries in future decades. He said that the current development model is obsolete and unable to meet the global economic challenges.
Taveras called for coordination between government, business and citizens in general for a new focus on exports and re-launching measures to strengthen remittance generation from Dominicans living abroad and hard currency generating sectors such as tourism and industrial export free zones.
The AEIH president called for more transparency and accountability in government, and fewer populist and political patronage measures, which he said discouraged sustainable growth and balanced distribution of revenue.
He pointed out that Dominican society is one of the most unequal in Latin America and one with the least social mobility.
The luncheon was also attended by Minister of Industry and Commerce Tem?stocles Mont?s and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) country representative, Flora Montealegre.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Temistocles Montas was in agreement with Taveras. Speaking at the same event, he called for reinventing the Dominican production model to create more jobs and opportunities and reduce the widening trade gap.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/12/02/montas-sugiere-reinventar-modelo-productivo
http://acento.com.do/2016/economia/...presion-tributaria-manejo-racional-del-gasto/
Peralta corrects wealth statement publication
Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jos? Ram?n Peralta said that his declared wealth has increased from the RD$145,356,367 declared when he entered the Medina government to RD$225,577,482 as of 30 August 2016. Diario Libre published that his wealth had increased to RD$419,892,176 but now says this was an error. The newspaper gives details of the composition of Peralta’s asset declaration as corrected by the government officer.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...azones-del-aumento-de-su-patrimonio-LB5627368
Christmas Tree “detailed replica” of Eiffel Tower
Santo Domingo West Mayor Francisco Pe?a’s “Christmas Tree-Eiffel Tower” will cost taxpayers RD$1,166,886.29, according to the Compras Dominicanas government website. The Mayor of Santo Domingo West purchased the smaller version of the Tour Eiffel that used to grace the entrance of the now closed Euroclub Disco at the Hotel Hispaniola. When at the original site, the structure went practically unnoticed.
The decision to locate the tower near the Plaza de la Bandera has created considerable controversy. The Dominican Republic Society of Artists opposes the site, saying it shows a lack of respect towards the Dominican flag plaza. Cultural institutions have submitted a legal bid against the location saying that it violates the cultural heritage law ruling in its Art 14 and 15 and Art. 64 of the Constitution on citizens’ right to culture.
Diario Libre reports that the installation and decoration of the replica of the Tour Eiffel at the corner of Av. 27 de Febrero and Av. Luper?n, across from Plaza de la Bandera, is what has brought the total cost to RD$1.16 million. The mayor had said he purchased the used structure for RD$500,000. The works were contracted by Constructora Jos? Manuel Tejeda on 21 October 2016 (ASDO-CP-NO.003-2016).
The tower was created for the discotheque by La Romana-based metalwork artist Jos? Ignacio Morales (El Art?stico) who said it originally cost more than RD$2 million.
In an interview with Diario Libre, Morales said he never imagined it would be placed in front of the Plaza de la Bandera. He believes there are better places for the tower. “It is a scaled-down replica of the original, in full detail,” said Morales. Morales added that he felt insulted that the tower, which was painstakingly built as a replica, is being decorated as a mere Christmas tree. He suggested finding a better location like a city park instead of the busy city intersection chosen by Mayor Pe?a. The replica is 50 feet tall, compared to the 1,063 feet of the real Paris landmark.
Diario Libre reports that the structure will not be permanent. The Santo Domingo West municipality’s culture department says that they chose the theme for the 2016 Christmas season because Paris is the city of love and Christmas is promoted as a time to express love. Next year they will choose another theme to be installed in the same place.
The installation of the Tour Eiffel replica has inspired many memes in social media, especially after Mayor Francisco Pe?a admitted he was “neither a historian nor an anthropologist” to know about the Tour Eiffel. On the positive side the mayor said that people who could not make it to Paris could now take their photos at Santo Domingo’s Tour Eiffel. Pe?a said that all he wanted was to have a structure to decorate and create an attractive Christmas tree to make people happy.
The precise date for the tree’s inauguration has not been announced, but is expected to take place between 5 and 10 December 2016.
Jumbo superstore has taken advantage of the buzz about the Santo Domingo Tour Eiffel to advertise a 20% discount on French wines and discounts on other French products. It is also promoting French fashions for sale in the store, including scarves and jackets in the red, blue and white colors of the French flag.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...isco-pena-que-se-retraten-ahi-ahora-HE5611449
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...costo-de-replica-de-la-torre-eiffel-CM5619657
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ran-frente-a-la-plaza-de-la-bandera-LN5618692
More than RD$3.63 billion in sales on Black Friday
CardNet president Luis Bencosme estimates that RD$3.63 billion worth of credit and debit card transactions was processed on Black Friday, which is 10% more than on the same day in 2015. He said that superstores attracted 42% of purchases, retail stores 10% and hotels and resorts 7%.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...nte-el-black-friday-crecieron-en-10-LC5620058
Chapecoense wives planned vacation in Punta Cana
Rosangela Maria Loureiro, widow of the captain of the Chapecoense football team, Cleber Santana, one of the 71 victims in the Colombia air crash, had planned a vacation trip for the winning team in Punta Cana once the tournament was over. She and 12 other wives were members of a Whatsapp group that was planning the trip for the players and their families, as reported in Pasion Futbol news site.
She showed the media her tattoo with a heart and an airplane in commemoration of the trip. “That heart was to celebrate the trip we would have made to Punta Cana on 9 December. We were going, Thiego’s family, Thiago Luis, Silvinho, Dener, Felipe Machado and the Kempes, everyone. And we all promised to get the same tattoo: a heart and an airplane,” she told the press.
https://www.pasionfutbol.com/notici...gadores-planeaban-tatuarse-20161130-0055.html
Tourist bus overturns on Coral Highway
A bus carrying around 50 tourists from Punta Cana on their way to Bayahibe for a Catalina Island excursion overturned on Thursday, 1 December 2016 causing injuries to around 40 tourists, including 18 seriously injured.
The accident occurred after a tire blew out. Public relations spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete said that after the blowout the bus turned over several times on the highway.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Franklin Mairen? Castillo said that the injured are of several nationalities, including Canadians, Poles, British, Spaniards and two Dominicans (the tour guide and the driver).
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...o-al-menos-40-heridos-18-de-ellos-de-gravedad
http://hoy.com.do/video-al-menos-10-heridos-en-accidente-de-minibus-turistico-en-autovia-del-coral/
Two men killed in rescue of kidnapped British citizen
The Police report the killing of two men suspected of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of a British citizen in Santo Domingo North municipality. The two were named as 34-year old Samuel Ar?stides Melo Torres aka Samuelito, in possession of a Browning 9mm caliber firearm and 58-year old Teodoro Samuel Melo Cuevas aka Vieja Rabia, who was in possession of a Taurus gun at the time of his death.
A preliminary Police report says that the two men were killed during a pursuit by Police agents on Calle 6 of the Residencial Bella Vista in Santo Domingo North where they had been holding 49-year old UK citizen John Basil Valentine. A third man, 45-year Fred Antonio Guerra Acevedo (aka El Don or El Jefe) was injured during the clash and is under police custody at the Ney Arias Lora Hospital.
According to the Police, several others were arrested in the case: 20-year old Enmanuel Lebr?n Gonz?lez aka El Guardia, 40-year old Jos? Manuel Montero Montero aka El Poli, 32-year old Francisco Aureliano Fabi?n Ure?a aka El Gordo, and 40-year old Fernando Cruz aka El Chino.
During the raid, the Police recovered a Nissan Pathfinder vehicle belonging to the British citizen as well as a black Chevrolet Tahoe, a red Mitsubishi Endeavor, and a green Kia Rio vehicle.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ico-raptado-mata-a-dos-en-la-accion-XN5618990
http://pn.gob.do/noticias-principal...ento-de-rapto-de-un-ciudadano-britnico-en-sdn
Fugitive woman arrested in drug trafficking case
Blanca Bautista Mart?nez (aka La Do?a) said to be the head of a major drug trafficking and money-laundering ring operating in the east has been sentenced to one year’s pre-trial custody.
National District Judge Honorio Susa?a also sent her suspected associate Mariano de la Rosa Santana (aka El Viejo) to pre-trial custody.
La Do?a is the third member of the same family in pre-trial custody for suspected drug trafficking activities in the eastern region. Her sons Rafael Pe?a Bautista (El Gordo) and Manuel Pe?a Bautista (Pochy) are already in jail while their cases are being prepared in the judiciary.
As reported, the ring would import drugs from Colombia for export to Puerto Rico and subsequently to the United States in cans of food.
Blanca has been on the run since 22 August when the authorities arrested six people, including her sons and found 357 packages of drugs during a raid. She was arrested in the Villa Verde residential complex in B?varo. The agents also seized several firearms in the raid.
In connection with the same case, the authorities have also arrested Venezuelans V?ctor Miliano and Robinson Mart?nez who are also serving pre-trial jail time.
http://hoy.com.do/la-dona-a-prision-acusada-de-dirigir-red-drogas/
Quick solving of Arroyo Hondo burglary
National District Judge Honorio Antonio Suza?a has sent Antonio Ram?n de los Santos to three months preventive custody in La Victoria Jail. De los Santos is accused of a burglary in the home of Carlos Valiente Fernandez in Arroyo Hondo in Santo Domingo. He is accused of stealing RD$130,000 in cash and around RD$15 million in jewelry from a home safe. A jewelry storeowner who was offered several of the jewels tipped off the Police, which is on the trail of two other fugitive suspects. The robbery occurred on 20 November 2016 when the thieves climbed over the home fence, tied up the security guard and entered the house. They then located the owners and forced them to open the safe. They also took a vehicle in which they left the scene. The security guard and family members were unharmed.
http://hoy.com.do/envian-a-prision-a-hombre-robo-mas-de-15-millones-de-vivienda-arroyo-hondo/
Carpinteros selected for Sundance Film Festival 2017
A Dominican film “Carpinteros” (Woodpeckers) by Jose Maria Cabral on the lives of inmates in the Najayo men and women’s jails and La Victoria jail in the Dominican Republic has been selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
The film was one of 12 international films chosen for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. DGCine, the national governmental cinema agency, said the event would take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA from 19-29 January 2017.
The plot of Woodpeckers is: Juli?n finds love and a reason for living in the last place imaginable: the Dominican Republic’s Najayo Prison. His romance with fellow prisoner Yanelly must develop through sign language and without tipping off the dozens of guards. The leading roles are played by Jean Jean, Judith Rodr?guez P?rez and Ram?n Emilio Candelario.
http://acento.com.do/2016/cultura/8...e-ma-cabral-competira-festival-sundance-2017/
Juan Bosch and Carmen Quidiello love story
Librer?a Cuesta has launched “Sobre todo el amor,” a new book by 2016 National Literature Award winner Angela Hern?ndez telling the love story between PLD founder and former President Juan Bosch and his Cuban wife Carmen Quidiello. The story is described as one of duty and love. It was launched by the Fundaci?n Juan Bosch at the Pedro Mir Forum of the Cuesta Bookstore on Av. 27 de Febrero on Thursday, 1 December 2016.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...oria-entre-bosch-y-carmen-quidiello-YD5612212
Coca Coca Christmas Tree lit on Sunday
The now traditional Coca Cola sponsored Christmas Tree, located amidst Plaza Espa?a in Colonial City will be lit on Sunday, 4 December at 6pm, the soft drink company has announced. The lighting of the tree had been delayed by the many days of rains affecting the city of Santo Domingo.
For information on upcoming events:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar
Archived News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/91-Daily-Headline-News
Archived Travel News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/92-Travel-amp-Tourism-News
City police patrols reinforced for Christmas
State of emergency declaration to pass on 6 December
AEIH president calls for changing development model
Peralta corrects wealth statement publication
Christmas Tree “detailed replica” of Eiffel Tower
More than RD$3.63 billion in sales on Black Friday
Chapecoense wives planned vacation in Punta Cana
Tourist bus overturns on Coral Highway
Two men killed in rescue of kidnapped British citizen
Fugitive woman arrested in drug trafficking case
Quick solving of Arroyo Hondo burglary
Carpinteros selected for Sundance Film Festival 2017
Juan Bosch and Carmen Quidiello love story
Coca Coca Christmas Tree lit on Sunday
Medina attends brewery expansion inauguration
President Danilo Medina attended the inauguration of Cervecer?a Nacional Dominicana’s (AmBev-Presidente Beer) new manufacturing installations in Hato Nuevo, Manoguayabo on Wednesday, 30 November 2016.
CND president Franklin Le?n said the plant, which was built at a cost of US$43 million adds 144 million liters of beer, the equivalent of 13.8 million boxes of beer to its production capacity. He said this was equivalent to 36% to the brewery’s current output of around 400 million liters or 38.2 million boxes of beer a year.
The new bottling line is a state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to simultaneously fill and box 60,000 bottles an hour.
http://www.eldinero.com.do/33079/la...en-la-ampliacion-de-su-fabrica-de-hato-nuevo/
City police patrols reinforced for Christmas
The National Police has announced that it is posting 5,000 agents to patrol city streets during the busy Christmas season. Police chief Nelson Peguero Paredes says that another 1,800 military agents have also been assigned to patrols in December and January. He said the agents would be posted at malls, stores and party areas to discourage crime in addition to the usual 15,000 agents assigned to patrols nationwide.
The extended patrols, which began on 30 November 2016, will end on Three Kings Day, 6 January 2017.
Nevertheless, Diario Libre reports in its 1 December 2016 issue that the announced presence of the increased patrols was not evident in busy commercial areas like Av. Duarte, Calle El Conde or the Barrio Chino, according to reporters.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...videna-inicia-con-escaso-patrullaje-NY5625816
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/12/01/policia-fuerzas-armadas-lanzan-patrullaje-navideno-2016
State of emergency declaration to pass on 6 December
The spokesman for the ruling PLD party Deputies, Gustavo S?nchez, has announced that the Chamber will be passing the bill for the declaration of a state of emergency in the 15 provinces worst affected by the torrential rains in November on Tuesday, 6 December 2016. The bill has already been passed in the Senate.
Following Hurricane Georges in 1998, a request for a state of emergency declaration was presented by then-President Leonel Fern?ndez, but was rejected by Congress. The PLD now holds the majority in both legislative chambers.
The state of emergency bill gives President Danilo Medina special powers to act to assist the victims, according to Art. 265 of the Constitution. Art. 265 of the Constitution reads: “A state of Emergency may be declared when events occur, other than those provided for in articles 263 and 274, that seriously and imminently endanger or threaten to endanger, the economic, social or environmental stability of the country or constitute a public calamity.”
The opposition PRM deputies had been urging the government to amend the recently passed National Budget to allocate more resources to the provinces worst affected by the floods.
The state of emergency will be declared for the provinces of:
Puerto Plata, La Vega, Espaillat (Moca), Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez (Nagua), Santiago, Duarte (San Francisco de Macor?s), Monse?or Nouel (Bonao), Saman?, S?nchez Ram?rez (Cotu?), Montecristi, Hermanas Mirabal (Salcedo), Valverde (Mao), Hato Mayor, El Seibo and La Altagracia (Higuey).
http://elnacional.com.do/aprobaran-dar-poderes-especiales-al-presidente/
AEIH president calls for changing development model
During the Herrera and Province of Santo Domingo Industrial Association (AEIH) monthly luncheon event on Thursday, 1 December 2016, the leading private sector organization’s president Antonio Taveras Guzm?n said that while they were in agreement with more taxes being paid in general, a more rational use of government revenue was needed. He called for a “fiscal revolution” to fund development and increase efficiency in government spending.
“Citizens must realize that they have to be an active part of the changes we propose, because they will be the direct beneficiaries. We need to increase social capital and educate citizens so they can fulfill their duties at the same time as demanding their rights,” he said.
Taveras says the DR must reinvent its productivity and development model or the country could remain, despite the high relative growth experienced in recent years, among Latin America's most lagging and poor countries in future decades. He said that the current development model is obsolete and unable to meet the global economic challenges.
Taveras called for coordination between government, business and citizens in general for a new focus on exports and re-launching measures to strengthen remittance generation from Dominicans living abroad and hard currency generating sectors such as tourism and industrial export free zones.
The AEIH president called for more transparency and accountability in government, and fewer populist and political patronage measures, which he said discouraged sustainable growth and balanced distribution of revenue.
He pointed out that Dominican society is one of the most unequal in Latin America and one with the least social mobility.
The luncheon was also attended by Minister of Industry and Commerce Tem?stocles Mont?s and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) country representative, Flora Montealegre.
Minister of Industry and Commerce Temistocles Montas was in agreement with Taveras. Speaking at the same event, he called for reinventing the Dominican production model to create more jobs and opportunities and reduce the widening trade gap.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/12/02/montas-sugiere-reinventar-modelo-productivo
http://acento.com.do/2016/economia/...presion-tributaria-manejo-racional-del-gasto/
Peralta corrects wealth statement publication
Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jos? Ram?n Peralta said that his declared wealth has increased from the RD$145,356,367 declared when he entered the Medina government to RD$225,577,482 as of 30 August 2016. Diario Libre published that his wealth had increased to RD$419,892,176 but now says this was an error. The newspaper gives details of the composition of Peralta’s asset declaration as corrected by the government officer.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...azones-del-aumento-de-su-patrimonio-LB5627368
Christmas Tree “detailed replica” of Eiffel Tower
Santo Domingo West Mayor Francisco Pe?a’s “Christmas Tree-Eiffel Tower” will cost taxpayers RD$1,166,886.29, according to the Compras Dominicanas government website. The Mayor of Santo Domingo West purchased the smaller version of the Tour Eiffel that used to grace the entrance of the now closed Euroclub Disco at the Hotel Hispaniola. When at the original site, the structure went practically unnoticed.
The decision to locate the tower near the Plaza de la Bandera has created considerable controversy. The Dominican Republic Society of Artists opposes the site, saying it shows a lack of respect towards the Dominican flag plaza. Cultural institutions have submitted a legal bid against the location saying that it violates the cultural heritage law ruling in its Art 14 and 15 and Art. 64 of the Constitution on citizens’ right to culture.
Diario Libre reports that the installation and decoration of the replica of the Tour Eiffel at the corner of Av. 27 de Febrero and Av. Luper?n, across from Plaza de la Bandera, is what has brought the total cost to RD$1.16 million. The mayor had said he purchased the used structure for RD$500,000. The works were contracted by Constructora Jos? Manuel Tejeda on 21 October 2016 (ASDO-CP-NO.003-2016).
The tower was created for the discotheque by La Romana-based metalwork artist Jos? Ignacio Morales (El Art?stico) who said it originally cost more than RD$2 million.
In an interview with Diario Libre, Morales said he never imagined it would be placed in front of the Plaza de la Bandera. He believes there are better places for the tower. “It is a scaled-down replica of the original, in full detail,” said Morales. Morales added that he felt insulted that the tower, which was painstakingly built as a replica, is being decorated as a mere Christmas tree. He suggested finding a better location like a city park instead of the busy city intersection chosen by Mayor Pe?a. The replica is 50 feet tall, compared to the 1,063 feet of the real Paris landmark.
Diario Libre reports that the structure will not be permanent. The Santo Domingo West municipality’s culture department says that they chose the theme for the 2016 Christmas season because Paris is the city of love and Christmas is promoted as a time to express love. Next year they will choose another theme to be installed in the same place.
The installation of the Tour Eiffel replica has inspired many memes in social media, especially after Mayor Francisco Pe?a admitted he was “neither a historian nor an anthropologist” to know about the Tour Eiffel. On the positive side the mayor said that people who could not make it to Paris could now take their photos at Santo Domingo’s Tour Eiffel. Pe?a said that all he wanted was to have a structure to decorate and create an attractive Christmas tree to make people happy.
The precise date for the tree’s inauguration has not been announced, but is expected to take place between 5 and 10 December 2016.
Jumbo superstore has taken advantage of the buzz about the Santo Domingo Tour Eiffel to advertise a 20% discount on French wines and discounts on other French products. It is also promoting French fashions for sale in the store, including scarves and jackets in the red, blue and white colors of the French flag.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...isco-pena-que-se-retraten-ahi-ahora-HE5611449
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...costo-de-replica-de-la-torre-eiffel-CM5619657
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ran-frente-a-la-plaza-de-la-bandera-LN5618692
More than RD$3.63 billion in sales on Black Friday
CardNet president Luis Bencosme estimates that RD$3.63 billion worth of credit and debit card transactions was processed on Black Friday, which is 10% more than on the same day in 2015. He said that superstores attracted 42% of purchases, retail stores 10% and hotels and resorts 7%.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...nte-el-black-friday-crecieron-en-10-LC5620058
Chapecoense wives planned vacation in Punta Cana
Rosangela Maria Loureiro, widow of the captain of the Chapecoense football team, Cleber Santana, one of the 71 victims in the Colombia air crash, had planned a vacation trip for the winning team in Punta Cana once the tournament was over. She and 12 other wives were members of a Whatsapp group that was planning the trip for the players and their families, as reported in Pasion Futbol news site.
She showed the media her tattoo with a heart and an airplane in commemoration of the trip. “That heart was to celebrate the trip we would have made to Punta Cana on 9 December. We were going, Thiego’s family, Thiago Luis, Silvinho, Dener, Felipe Machado and the Kempes, everyone. And we all promised to get the same tattoo: a heart and an airplane,” she told the press.
https://www.pasionfutbol.com/notici...gadores-planeaban-tatuarse-20161130-0055.html
Tourist bus overturns on Coral Highway
A bus carrying around 50 tourists from Punta Cana on their way to Bayahibe for a Catalina Island excursion overturned on Thursday, 1 December 2016 causing injuries to around 40 tourists, including 18 seriously injured.
The accident occurred after a tire blew out. Public relations spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works, Colonel Jacobo Mateo Moquete said that after the blowout the bus turned over several times on the highway.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Franklin Mairen? Castillo said that the injured are of several nationalities, including Canadians, Poles, British, Spaniards and two Dominicans (the tour guide and the driver).
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...o-al-menos-40-heridos-18-de-ellos-de-gravedad
http://hoy.com.do/video-al-menos-10-heridos-en-accidente-de-minibus-turistico-en-autovia-del-coral/
Two men killed in rescue of kidnapped British citizen
The Police report the killing of two men suspected of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of a British citizen in Santo Domingo North municipality. The two were named as 34-year old Samuel Ar?stides Melo Torres aka Samuelito, in possession of a Browning 9mm caliber firearm and 58-year old Teodoro Samuel Melo Cuevas aka Vieja Rabia, who was in possession of a Taurus gun at the time of his death.
A preliminary Police report says that the two men were killed during a pursuit by Police agents on Calle 6 of the Residencial Bella Vista in Santo Domingo North where they had been holding 49-year old UK citizen John Basil Valentine. A third man, 45-year Fred Antonio Guerra Acevedo (aka El Don or El Jefe) was injured during the clash and is under police custody at the Ney Arias Lora Hospital.
According to the Police, several others were arrested in the case: 20-year old Enmanuel Lebr?n Gonz?lez aka El Guardia, 40-year old Jos? Manuel Montero Montero aka El Poli, 32-year old Francisco Aureliano Fabi?n Ure?a aka El Gordo, and 40-year old Fernando Cruz aka El Chino.
During the raid, the Police recovered a Nissan Pathfinder vehicle belonging to the British citizen as well as a black Chevrolet Tahoe, a red Mitsubishi Endeavor, and a green Kia Rio vehicle.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ico-raptado-mata-a-dos-en-la-accion-XN5618990
http://pn.gob.do/noticias-principal...ento-de-rapto-de-un-ciudadano-britnico-en-sdn
Fugitive woman arrested in drug trafficking case
Blanca Bautista Mart?nez (aka La Do?a) said to be the head of a major drug trafficking and money-laundering ring operating in the east has been sentenced to one year’s pre-trial custody.
National District Judge Honorio Susa?a also sent her suspected associate Mariano de la Rosa Santana (aka El Viejo) to pre-trial custody.
La Do?a is the third member of the same family in pre-trial custody for suspected drug trafficking activities in the eastern region. Her sons Rafael Pe?a Bautista (El Gordo) and Manuel Pe?a Bautista (Pochy) are already in jail while their cases are being prepared in the judiciary.
As reported, the ring would import drugs from Colombia for export to Puerto Rico and subsequently to the United States in cans of food.
Blanca has been on the run since 22 August when the authorities arrested six people, including her sons and found 357 packages of drugs during a raid. She was arrested in the Villa Verde residential complex in B?varo. The agents also seized several firearms in the raid.
In connection with the same case, the authorities have also arrested Venezuelans V?ctor Miliano and Robinson Mart?nez who are also serving pre-trial jail time.
http://hoy.com.do/la-dona-a-prision-acusada-de-dirigir-red-drogas/
Quick solving of Arroyo Hondo burglary
National District Judge Honorio Antonio Suza?a has sent Antonio Ram?n de los Santos to three months preventive custody in La Victoria Jail. De los Santos is accused of a burglary in the home of Carlos Valiente Fernandez in Arroyo Hondo in Santo Domingo. He is accused of stealing RD$130,000 in cash and around RD$15 million in jewelry from a home safe. A jewelry storeowner who was offered several of the jewels tipped off the Police, which is on the trail of two other fugitive suspects. The robbery occurred on 20 November 2016 when the thieves climbed over the home fence, tied up the security guard and entered the house. They then located the owners and forced them to open the safe. They also took a vehicle in which they left the scene. The security guard and family members were unharmed.
http://hoy.com.do/envian-a-prision-a-hombre-robo-mas-de-15-millones-de-vivienda-arroyo-hondo/
Carpinteros selected for Sundance Film Festival 2017
A Dominican film “Carpinteros” (Woodpeckers) by Jose Maria Cabral on the lives of inmates in the Najayo men and women’s jails and La Victoria jail in the Dominican Republic has been selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
The film was one of 12 international films chosen for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. DGCine, the national governmental cinema agency, said the event would take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA from 19-29 January 2017.
The plot of Woodpeckers is: Juli?n finds love and a reason for living in the last place imaginable: the Dominican Republic’s Najayo Prison. His romance with fellow prisoner Yanelly must develop through sign language and without tipping off the dozens of guards. The leading roles are played by Jean Jean, Judith Rodr?guez P?rez and Ram?n Emilio Candelario.
http://acento.com.do/2016/cultura/8...e-ma-cabral-competira-festival-sundance-2017/
Juan Bosch and Carmen Quidiello love story
Librer?a Cuesta has launched “Sobre todo el amor,” a new book by 2016 National Literature Award winner Angela Hern?ndez telling the love story between PLD founder and former President Juan Bosch and his Cuban wife Carmen Quidiello. The story is described as one of duty and love. It was launched by the Fundaci?n Juan Bosch at the Pedro Mir Forum of the Cuesta Bookstore on Av. 27 de Febrero on Thursday, 1 December 2016.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...oria-entre-bosch-y-carmen-quidiello-YD5612212
Coca Coca Christmas Tree lit on Sunday
The now traditional Coca Cola sponsored Christmas Tree, located amidst Plaza Espa?a in Colonial City will be lit on Sunday, 4 December at 6pm, the soft drink company has announced. The lighting of the tree had been delayed by the many days of rains affecting the city of Santo Domingo.
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