DR1 Daily News - Thursday, 11 January 2018

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DR1 Daily News next update on Monday
New Year greetings at Presidential Palace
Venezuelan political talks resume in Santo Domingo
Chamber of Deputies building to be modernized
JCE president to await political agreement to submit new political organization bills
Taiwan to expand assistance to Dominican police
Repairs of Santo Domingo Metro elevators and escalators to start in two weeks
Immigration detains dozens of ballplayers and coaches
A national sweep against crime
US State Department issues recommendations for travel to DR
Spaniard of Dominican origin to be deported from US
PRM registers several candidates for party leadership
19,000 strokes a year in Dominican Republic
Italian gets cold feet after marrying
Vlad looks good for the Hall of Fame
Winter baseball update


DR1 Daily News next update on Monday
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 15 January 2018. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See the DR1 Forum at http://www.dr1.com


New Year greetings at Presidential Palace
President Danilo Medina and First Lady Candida Montilla received the traditional New Year greetings at the Presidential Palace on 10 January 2018. They were accompanied by Vice President Margarita Cedeño. The diplomatic corps, top brass of the Police and the military, key members of the three branches of government, ministers and directors of cabinet positions stopped by the Presidential Palace to wish the President and Vice President the best in the New Year.

https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...uevo-con-mucho-entusiasmo-lo-acompana-candida


Venezuelan political talks resume in Santo Domingo
President Danilo Medina, former Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado and his colleagues, the foreign ministers from Chile, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Mexico will be serving as mediators between representatives of the Venezuelan government and the political opposition.

The Venezuelan government has released 44 political prisoners ahead of the talks. An estimated 150 political prisoners remain behind bars.

This is the third series of talks to be held in Santo Domingo. Past meetings were held in November and December 2017. The talks are taking place at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Observers are hopeful a deal might be struck now that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s cash-strapped administration needs support to refinance Venezuela’s rising foreign debt.

Venezuelans are scheduled to vote for a new president in 2018, but a date has not been set amidst the political and economic crisis affecting the country.


Chamber of Deputies building to be modernized
The new president of the Chamber of Deputies, Ruben Maldonado (PLD-Santo Domingo province), announced a comprehensive remodeling of the Chamber of Deputies area of the National Congress. This includes the area where the sessions take place. He says the renovations will begin in earnest as soon as the present work session concludes on Friday, 12 January. In advance, works have already begun on the lobby and a new area for additional offices.

Maldonado did not tell the press the cost of the renovations but said the objective is to modernize the main legislative hall. He said new giant screens would be installed for projecting the vote of the deputies.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-edificio-de-la-camara-de-diputados-DK8941757


JCE president to await political agreement to submit new political organization bills
The president of the Central Electoral Board, Julio Cesar Castaños Guzmán, says the JCE will not present another proposal for the Political Parties and Electoral bills until the political parties reach an agreement. Castaños Guzmán said the JCE already has submitted the bill on four previous occasions, expiring each time before coming up for a vote. He said the JCE would wait for a consensus on critical points to be reached in Congress. The ruling PLD party is majority in both houses of Congress. The present bills expire with the legislature that closes on 12 January 2018. The legislature reopens on 27 February 2018.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/01/...oral-hasta-que-partidos-se-pongan-de-acuerdo/


Taiwan to expand assistance to Dominican police
The government of Taiwan will be cooperating with the government to improve the Dominican police force. Police director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte and Taiwan ambassador Valentino Tang signed a cooperation agreement on 9 January 2018. In a press release, the Taiwan ambassador highlighted the joint efforts underway and past cooperation that lead to the solving of the murder of a Taiwanese diplomat in 2012. He also mentioned recent case in which Taiwan and Dominican authorities collaborated to uncover a communications scam that affected citizens in Taiwan.

Tang said that the Taiwan government has been assisting the Dominican authorities in the implementation of the 911 Emergency System and the National Airport Surveillance Integrated System.

https://www.taiwanembassy.org/do_es/post/7814.html


Repairs of Santo Domingo Metro elevators and escalators to start in two weeks
The Santo Domingo Metro office (OPRET) says it has the budget to repair the damaged elevators and escalators. The director of the Metro, Manuel Saleta García, said that RD$1.5 million will be invested to repair 87 elevators and escalators serving lines 1 and 2 of the Santo Domingo Metro. News reports had focused on the many escalators and elevators that are out of service, especially affecting disabled people that use the important mass transport service.

Saleta explained the delays in the repairs are due to the arrears with the contractor in charge of the maintenance of elevators and escalators installed in the Metro stations. Saleta Garcia said orders for the spare parts have already been placed and in less than two weeks the maintenance operations would begin.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/01/10/repararan-mas-de-80-escaleras-y-ascensores-danados-del-metro/


Immigration detains dozens of ballplayers and coaches
It appears that three days ago the Migration Agency (DGM) apprehended 33 baseball players and coaches at the Las Americas International Airport (SDQ) for migratory violations.

What is known is that the baseball players (28 minors and five adults) were invited to the Dominican Republic to participate in a tournament from 12 to 14 at the baseball training complex run by major league scout Epy Guerrero in Villa Mella. According to Guido Villamizar, a list with the names of the ballplayers and the accompanying personnel had been deposited at the main offices of the DGM in Santo Domingo, but the authorities had not cleared their entry.

Patrick Guerrero, who manages the baseball complex name for his father, says that these ballplayers arrived in the Dominican Republic as amateurs, but the immigration authorities apparently want them to enter the country as professionals so they would need a different type of visa. Four teams are scheduled to play in the tournament, two Dominican and two Venezuelan, and this is a tournament that is held every year.
As reported in Diario Libre on 11 January 2018, the ball players did not comply with the protocol signed with Major League Baseball and the baseball academies operating in the country that establishes the ball players need to apply for a visa. The DGM said that the Venezuelans sought to enter as tourists, when they were coming to workout at a well-known baseball academy.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...enores-y-cinco-tecnicos-venezolanos-AD8948332
https://www.diariolibre.com/deporte...anos-no-cumplieron-con-el-protocolo-HK8950889
https://www.migracion.gob.do/Content/pdf/Instructivodeportistas.pdf


A national sweep against crime
The National Police and the Armed Forces began on Wednesday, 10 January 2018, a national crime prevention campaign with the arrest of hundreds of persons on charges of possession of firearms, illegal weapons such as knives, and drug charges. The police director, Major General Ney Bautista Almonte, told reporters from the El Nacional newspaper that the arrests had been made in the National District, the province of Santo Domingo, San Cristobal, Santiago, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, San Francisco de Macoris, San Juan, Azua, San Jose de Ocoa, Puerto Plata, La Vega, and Valverde.

Police spokesman Colonel Frank Duran Mejia, said that during the operations some 8,762 persons were searched and of these 1013 persons were detained because of suspicious activity or profile, and another 10 persons were arrested for having a prior criminal record, 67 persons were arrested because they were “known criminals”; seven persons were detained after being allegedly caught in the act of a crime and 18 persons were found to be fugitives from justice.

According to the spokesman for the police, nine firearms were seized, four of them because they did not have documentation and five of them because they were homemade firearms. In addition, hundreds of illegal knives were also seized. More than 100 packages of different drugs were seized together with equipment needed to prepare drugs for sale.

More than 18 assistant prosecutors, 1,500 agents and nearly 500 military personnel using over 200 cars and trucks and 260 motorcycles took part in the operation.

http://elnacional.com.do/realizan-operativo-nacional-contra-la-delincuencia/


US State Department issues recommendations for travel to DR
On 10 January 2018, the US Department of State alerted US citizens to exercise increased caution when visiting the Dominican Republic, due to the increase in crime. The DR is now level 2 of four levels of recommendation for travelers from the United States. Level one means “normal precautions” for personal safety and level 2 calls for “increased safety precautions”. Level 3 is a recommendation to reconsider travel and level 4 is a warning not to travel.

For the Dominican Republic the US State Department recommendations are the following:
Be Aware of your surroundings.
Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
The US Embassy also recommends travelers to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) in order to receive alerts and make it easier to locate US visitors in the DR in an emergency.

In its country information page, the US State Department alerts to violent crime, such as robbery, murder, and sexual assault, is common. The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...ntry-Information-Pages/DominicanRepublic.html
https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...es-viajan-a-la-republica-dominicana-MD8948842


Spaniard of Dominican origin to be deported from US
Yancarlos Mendez, 27, was driving without a license in Cincinnati, Ohio when he was recently involved in a traffic accident. As a result, his visa status as a non-immigrant tourist in the US was discovered. Mendez, who made his living in the United States as a mechanic, did not have authorization to work in the US and will most likely be deported.

The reason that this case has made headlines is the fact that young Mendez together with his girlfriend are the guardians and sole supporters of his six-year old stepson who is paralyzed from the waist down because of a traffic accident. Dozens of persons in the United States, including singer and actress Alyssa Milano, have spoken out about this case.

Unfortunately, Mendez who was born in the Dominican Republic but raised in Spain, has lost his appeal to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE).

The young child, Ricky Solis, was injured in a traffic accident in February 2017 in the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield. The young boy is a United States citizen and is the son of Sandra Mendoza.

https://www.diariolibre.com/mundo/e...onalidad-espanola-en-estados-unidos-GI8947495


PRM registers several candidates for party leadership
The leading opposition political party, the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) announced that Andres Bautista, Geanilda Vasquez, Jesus Feris Iglesias and José Ignacio Paliza have registered their candidacies to preside the organization. Bautista is the actual president.

Likewise, for the party’s secretary general positions, the aspirants are Carolina Mejia, Andres Lugo Risk, Leonardo Faña and Aneudy de León.

Those seeking to be elected national vice president are: Roberto Fulcar, Nelson Arroyo, Franklin Garcia, Jacobo Fernandez, Cesar Cedeño and José Montas.

The PRM has called a national convention for 18 February 2018 in which around 1,100 directors will be chosen for positions nationwide.

Commenting on the registrations of candidates, the president of the PRM organizing commission, Tony Raful refuted there was an agreement between party leaders former President Hipólito Mejía and former presidential candidate Luis Abinader to choose the president of the party and the secretary general.

http://eldia.com.do/prm-termina-inscripcion-de-candidatos-para-convencion-ordinaria/


19,000 strokes a year in Dominican Republic
The president elect of the Dominican Society of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Dr. Freddy Flores, alerted that in 2017 there were around 19,000 people suffered debilitating strokes. He called for the launch of prevention programs and patient education.

He said the number of strokes rose 17% in 2017. He attributed the increase in the incidences of strokes in the general public to the consumption and abuse of sexual stimulants. He said other risk factors, such as high levels of cholesterol, arterial hypertension and a lack of adequate exercising can also lead to strokes. Although factors such as race, age and genetics can lead to strokes, Flores urged the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle to lower the risk of suffering a stroke.

He mentioned the initial symptoms of a stroke are a sudden, severe headache; weakness or tingling sensation in a part of the body (including arms, face or legs); loss of speech and loss of balance. If these symptoms occur, Flores urged people to immediately seek medical assistance. In most cases, the attending physician will order a tomography or resonance to detect if the brain or arteries leading to the brain have been affected. He mentioned there are two types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic.

http://hoy.com.do/neurocirujano-en-la-rd-se-registran-al-ano-19-mil-acv/


Italian gets cold feet after marrying
El Caribe reports that a newly wed Italian who had gone missing after marrying in Sosua, Puerto Plata, on the north coast, was found alive, and with another woman in the beach town of Boca Chica, on the south coast. El Caribe speculates the Italian, Matteo Baldasi, had a nervous breakdown after his wedding in Sosua.

As reported, Baldasi flew in with his girlfriend who he married on Friday, 5 January 2018, and then left where he was residing without telling where anyone where he was going. Relatives of the wife reported the disappearance to the Police, asking for help in locating him. An investigation showed he was in Boca Chica.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/01/...recien-casado-que-fue-reportado-desaparecido/


Vlad looks good for the Hall of Fame
Dominican slugger Vladimir Guerrero has received 94% of the first 176 votes cast in this year’s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. There are 453 members of the Baseball Writers Association that have voted, which means that 58% of the writers still have to vote.

Guerrero is second in the class of 2018 that is headed by Chipper Jones who has received 98% of the votes cast. Guerrero is next with 94% followed by Jim Thome who has received 93%. Edgar Martinez (80%) and Trevor Hoffman (78%) are the only others who so far have received more than the required 75% to enter the Hall of Fame.

According to Hall of Famer Tim Raines, it is possible that Vladimir Guerrero could make the Hall of Fame this very year. The Dominican slugger played 16 years in the Big Leagues, from 1996 to 2011. He played with the Expos, Anaheim Angels and the Baltimore Orioles.

Playing as an outfielder Guerrero batted .318 and hit 499 home runs and drove in 1,496 RBI and was named to the All Star team nine times.

According to the manager of the Angels, Mike Scioscia, who was Guerrero’s manager for six years, he was as “complete a baseball player as anyone could be.”

In spite of his numbers, Guerrero was not inducted in his first year on the ballot where he appeared on only 71.7% of the ballots. If inducted, Guerrero will be the first Dominican position player to reach the Hall of Fame and will follow Dominican pitching legends Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez.

https://www.diariolibre.com/deporte...cer-vladimir-guerrero-luce-inmortal-EI8947226


Winter baseball update
The Dominican Winter Professional Baseball Championship continues with the four teams continuing to have a chance at making the playoffs. The defending champions, the Tigres del Licey continue to lead, with a standing of 7-4, but the Aguilas Cibaeñas are one game behind, and the other two teams, the Leones del Escogido and the Gigantes del Cibao are two and three games behind. The four teams are participating in the round robin to decide the playoff teams. The round robin will last until 18 January 2018. Games are scheduled for every day until then.

http://estadisticas.lidom.com/Estadisticas/Inicio
http://www.lidom.com/home/calendario/
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.p...nican-Baseball