Advances on improving roads to Barahona and Pedernales
Barahona coastal view-breaking wall protested
Gabriella Bonetti named ambassador to WTO
Marching in support of abortion rights
Green March Movement winds through Los Tres Brazos
Only 16% of deportees still have roots in the DR
Son of Superintendent of Insurance sent to pre-trial detention
Fidget spinner mania takes hold of Dominican students
Listín Diario journalist to head show business guild
Dutch men killed in suspected drug related operation
Venezuelan arrested for multimillion peso credit card fraud
US defeats DR in Pan Am Volleyball Cup
Advances on improving roads to Barahona and Pedernales
The Ministry of Public Works (MOPC) announced advancing are being made on the repaving and improvements of the Km 15 de Azua to Barahona highway. Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo says that RD$600 million are being invested in the 58 km stretch that connects Azua to Barahona. The construction is part of the Corredor Vial Sur project that calls for the expansion of the highway leading from Baní to Pedernales.
The Ministry says that the stretch from Baní to Azua has been completed and later this year they will complete the Azua-Barahona stretch, including the Azua bypass that should be delivered by 2018. Roadworks are carried out by Constructora Rizek supervised by the Ministry of Public Works.
The Circuito Vial del Sur also includes the Avenida Antonio Méndez Méndez Barahona city bypass, the expansion of the stretch that passes in front of the UASD university in Barahona. Works have been underway on the Barahona-Enriquillo road and the road to Pedernales. Already completed are the Cruce de Ocoa and Ocoa to Sabana Larga road, the San Juan Bypass, with the San Juan-Sabaneta road completed and work still on going on the San Juan-Elías Piña road.
The road improvements coincide with the announcement by Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier García that the government was ready for the start of the construction of 3,000 hotel rooms and an international airport to serve tourism in the Bahía de las Aguilas beach area in southwestern Pedernales.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/gobierno-invierte-600-millones-pesos-carretera-azua-barahona/
http://www.ecosdelsur.net/2017/05/santo-domingo-gonzalo-castillo-el.html
Barahona coastal view-breaking wall protested
The Ministry of Environment may have authorized the construction of a view-blocking fence along the Barahona panoramic highway to a company property of Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo. A report in El Nacional says that, if so, it would be in violation of articles 145 and 146, 148 of Law 64-00 and Law 305-68. As reported, the authorization allowed for the construction of the wall 30 meters from the sea, instead of the legal 60 meters established by law. As reported, the company said it would present a decree from the Presidency authorizing the exception.
El Nacional carried statements by priest Manuel Hidalgo Féliz, of La Ciénaga, who says Minister Castillo purchased and is remodeling the Bahoruco Beach Resort in La Ciénaga, Barahona. The priest of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima church in La Ciénaga says that the wall is approximately two meters high and extends for more than 1.5 km along the panoramic coastal road. La Ciénaga mayor Kevin Féliz says that the wall was not authorized by the town councilors.
The priest says the illegal construction is an abuse of his power as minister. He said the height of the wall impedes those driving along the panoramic highway from enjoying the panorama.
Director of public relations for the Ministry of Public Works Juan Pérez Recio, told El Nacional journalists that the hotel already had a wall that they took down and rebuilt in all its extension. Perez argued it was private property. He did not deny the Minister of Public Works is the new owner of the Bahoruco Beach Resort. Reports are that Gonzalo paid RD$30 million for the property that is under renovation.
http://elnacional.com.do/autorizan-construccion-pared-ilegal-a-ministro-op/
Gabriella Bonetti named ambassador to WTO
Gabriela Bonetti is the new Dominican Representative to the World Trade Organization (OMC). She replaces Ambassador Luis Manuel Piantini Munnigh. The appointment is issued in Decree 211-17.
Bonetti began her diplomatic career in 2003 as counselor at the Dominican Embassy in France. She advanced to minister counselor, in charge of political affairs at the Dominican Republic embassy in India. Afterwards, she was promoted to business attaché at the Dominican embassy in Egypt. In 2009 she was named ambassador in Egypt.
She is a graduate of the Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and holds a master’s in Communications and Public Administration at the same university.
She has worked in communications for the Spanish daily El País, as stringer for national security matters. When in Paris, she was the stringer for North Africa and Middle East affairs for The Washington Post when based in Paris, France. She speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and colloquial Arabic.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...resentante-ante-organizacion-mundial-comercio
Marching in support of abortion rights
Hundreds marched to Parque Independencia in the Colonial City to pressure the Chamber of Deputies to vote in favor of eliminating restrictions on abortion in the cases of incest, rape or fetus abnormality inserted in the Senate to the Penal Code.
The Chamber of Deputies house had originally passed the Penal Code prior to sending it to the Senate. In passing the bill, the deputies had agreed with the observations made by President Danilo Medina who on two occasions has vetoed the elimination of the abortion exceptions. The Senate, nevertheless, eliminated these exceptions to the ban on abortion in the Dominican Republic and passed the Penal Code with provisions that regard as criminal any person intervening in any way to assist in an abortion, as reported in El Dia.
Beginning on Sunday at 10 AM, protestors walked from 10am along El Conde to the Parque Independencia. Reading the march manifest, Arelis Ferrer said: “The penalization of abortion in any circumstance conspires against the physical and moral integrity of women.” She said that 13% of maternal deaths are caused by clandestine abortions.
The Chamber of Deputies has pending a vote to reject or pass the Senate eliminations of the exceptions. If the Chamber votes to reject, the Penal Code will once again have to be resubmitted to Congress as of the session that begins on 16 August 2017.
http://eldia.com.do/cientos-de-pers...-despenalizacion-del-aborto-en-tres-causales/
Green March Movement winds through Los Tres Brazos
The green shirts of the Green March Movement paraded along the main street in the populous Los Tres Brazos as residents in that low-income barrio came out in force to create awareness and protest corruption in government and impunity. The walk began at 10am in front of the Club de los Billeteros. Protestors also complained that while the barrio itself was subject of what now is being seen as major government corruption, after government property was irregularly sold, there is yet to any government officer submitted to justice in the case.
The Sunday, 25 June 2017 march is part of a series of activities carried out by the civic movement to create an awareness of the struggle against political crimes in low income areas that are also affected by the theft of public resources, as in the cases of bribes, overpricing and illegal financing of political campaigns by Odebrecht, as spokespeople for the organization highlighted during the Los Tres Brazos walk.
“We are in Los Tres Brazos because it is a national and international symbol of corruption and the damage caused by political crime and impunity that operates with the backing of the Presidential Palace,” said spokespeople for the group.
The Green March Movement is organizing a major protest walk for Sunday, 16 July in the National District.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...e-los-tres-brazos-pedir-fin-la-impunidad.html
Only 16% of deportees still have roots in the DR
Florinda Rojas, the executive director of the National Migration Institute, says that only 16% of those deported from abroad have relatives and roots in the Dominican Republic. This makes their re-insertion into their country of origin more difficult.
The US government routinely deports Dominicans that have served jail time in the United States. Committing a felony is grounds for deportation for legal US residents.
The deportations are carried out primarily to persons who have committed crimes in the United States. In most cases, these persons have their primary residence in the United States for years. She said the deportees make up a large number among those in situation of vulnerability in the country.
Rojas says a study carried out looking into deportees from 1993 to 2016 shows that 66,000 have been deported from the United States. Of these 43% have served jail sentences mostly in the United States, and mostly for crimes related to drug trafficking and the remainder for irregularities in their migratory status, among others.
Rojas presented the findings of the study during the first forum to discuss support to vulnerable population that returns to the Dominican Republic. During the forum an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Attorney General Office, the Vice Presidency of the Republic and the National Migration Institute to adopt strategies to resolve the problems of Dominicans that voluntarily return or are deported.
The National Migration Institute is a technical government division in charge of carrying out research to help design public policies on migratory issues.
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...rtados-tiene-arraigo-familiar-dominicana.html
http://immigration.findlaw.com/deportation-removal/felony-convictions-and-immigration-status.html
Son of Superintendent of Insurance sent to pre-trial detention
A Santo Domingo West court sent Pedro José Gutiérrez Nova, son of the Superintendent of Insurance Euclides Gutiérrez Félix, to jail for three months of pre-trial detention. He is accused of posing as a Police general and being the head of the Asociación de la Policía Comunitaria Municipal (Asopodomc), whose members are dedicated to train youths in military exercises without authorization.
In the same case, the court imposed a month of pre-trial custody on six other persons accused of using military attire without actually being in the military. Those accused are Edward Méndez Méndez, Gilberto López Henríquez, José Aneudy Pichardo Gil, Francisco Javier de la Nieve, Manuel Cabo Fernández and Faustina Valentín Díaz.
http://elnacional.com.do/envian-a-najayo-hijo-de-euclides-por-usurpacion/
Fidget spinner mania takes hold of Dominican students
Diario Libre reports that the fidget spinner has caught on as a toy in the Dominican Republic to the point it is becoming a problem in schools. The device was originally developed to help people with hyperactive movements associated with ADHD to focus and learn better.
But the mania for fidget spinners has taken off, as Dominican kids have been quick to follow the YouTube videos showing people spinning them on their noses, foreheads and their popularity has exploded.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...pularizarse-en-republica-dominicana-CA7471646
Listín Diario journalist to head show business guild
Emelyn Baldera, the Listin Diario entertainment writer, is the newly elected president of the Dominican Show Business Association (Acroarte). She won the guild election having received 111 votes to 87 votes for fellow journalist Cristina Liriano.
Baldera was elected for the 2017-2019 period. The vote counts were: in Santo Domingo (51 to 49), Santiago (22 to 12), New York (26 to 15) and Florida (12 to 11).
At the meeting, a new board was named, including Ney Zapata, vice president; Alexis Beltré, secretary general, Wanda Sánchez, finances; Jorge Jiménez, learning advancement and culture; Robert Sánchez, public relations. Also on the board are Samir Saba, international relations; María Luisa Estévez, regional issues; and Belkis Castillo, social and recreational affairs.
https://www.listindiario.com/entret...melyn-baldera-gana-las-elecciones-de-acroarte
Dutch men killed in suspected drug related operation
The Police is investigating the finding of two corpses now identified as Dutch men 33-year old Rachid Benbouker and 35-year old Cuma Ceviz. The two murder victims were found in El Seibo, in the east. Investigators say everything so far points to a settlement in the drug circuit.
The two men are believed to have been shot on 19 June 2017. The bodies were found in a pit in a sugarcane plantation. Twelve bullet casings were found in the immediate surroundings.
News reports say that residents of the area about 22 kilometers from Mata de Palma in the eastern province of El Seibo heard several shots, followed by the flight of a small plane. The next day they observed three SUVs accompanying an excavator.
As reported in Diario Libre, prosecutors suspect the Dutch citizens were spotters for the aircraft that landed in the sugarcane field. The authorities speculate that the two men were shot shortly after the plane may have landed. On one of the bodies a white paper with a sketch indicating that the perpetrators were of a particular drug gang.
Both bodies were buried about three to five meters below ground. The remains of the victims were taken to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences, INACIF (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses) for an autopsy.
In connection with the double murder Dominican police made several raids. As reported in Diario Libre, these included a villa in Casa de Campo and another dwelling in Piantini, Santo Domingo. In Casa de Campo, one person was arrested.
Dutch media reports that Benbouker’s brother, Mohamed Benbouker, also was murdered in what is described as having been “a conflict in cannabis cultivation.”
http://www.boevennieuws.nl/nieuws/rachid-benbouker-cuma-ceviz-geliquideerd-dominicaanse-republiek/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...tini-por-holandeses-muertos-a-tiros-BJ7469120
Venezuelan arrested for multimillion peso credit card fraud
Law enforcement authorities arrested Venezuelan Julio César Medina Navas who is accused of stealing RD$2,600,000 (more than US$55,300) for fraudulent cash retrievals and purchases with cloned credit cards. The arrest was made at an apartment located on the Malecon in Santo Domingo in a raid by the Police and state prosecutors.
The Police reported occupying 7,400 bolivars, 100 US$, RD$279,000 and clothing used in fraudulent cash retrievals from ATMs, a grey Honda Civic model 2010.
http://elnacional.com.do/apresan-clonador-robo-2-6-millones-en-tarjetas-credito/
US defeats DR in Pan Am Volleyball Cup
Team USA defeated Team DR 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23) for the Pan American Cup trophy during the finals of the 16th Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup by Movistar that took place in Lima, Peru on Sunday, 25 June 2017. The DR was the defending champion. Both teams had reached the finals with six wins and without losing a set. Both teams have been crowned four times in the history of the competition.
To reach the finals, on Saturday, the Dominican Republic had defeated Puerto Rico, again in straight sets in the semi-final. The DR defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19).
The United States is now the winningest country in the history of the Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup earning their fifth crown. The USA team has won four of the last six editions of the Pan American Cup in 2012-13, 2015 and 2016. They also won in 2003. The DR had won in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016.
The win was especially important for Team US as it seeks to resume its world leadership in the sport. In the 15th Pan Am Cup, the US finished third behind the DR and Puerto Rico. In the Rio Olympics, the US team had failed to reach the semifinals.
Karch Kiraly, coach of United States: “It feels great to be the champions of this important tournament. Dominican Republic is a great team with a lot of experience in Norceca zone and we respect them very much.”
Bethania de la Cruz, captain of Dominican Republic: “Congratulations to United States for the victory. Their blocking dominated us for moments and we also failed too much with our attacks so we were not able to put everything together like we did in the second set.”
Marcos Kwiek, coach of Dominican Republic: “We missed the aggressiveness with our serves. The American setter has a very fast game and made it very difficult for us to defend. However, I think that in case we had been able to keep the aggressive serve we had in the second set, which allowed to control the ball, we would have obtained better results.”
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Panamericana_de_Voleibol_Femenino_de_2017
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Features/2017/June/25/US-Women-Claim-Gold-at-Pan-Am-Cup
Barahona coastal view-breaking wall protested
Gabriella Bonetti named ambassador to WTO
Marching in support of abortion rights
Green March Movement winds through Los Tres Brazos
Only 16% of deportees still have roots in the DR
Son of Superintendent of Insurance sent to pre-trial detention
Fidget spinner mania takes hold of Dominican students
Listín Diario journalist to head show business guild
Dutch men killed in suspected drug related operation
Venezuelan arrested for multimillion peso credit card fraud
US defeats DR in Pan Am Volleyball Cup
Advances on improving roads to Barahona and Pedernales
The Ministry of Public Works (MOPC) announced advancing are being made on the repaving and improvements of the Km 15 de Azua to Barahona highway. Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo says that RD$600 million are being invested in the 58 km stretch that connects Azua to Barahona. The construction is part of the Corredor Vial Sur project that calls for the expansion of the highway leading from Baní to Pedernales.
The Ministry says that the stretch from Baní to Azua has been completed and later this year they will complete the Azua-Barahona stretch, including the Azua bypass that should be delivered by 2018. Roadworks are carried out by Constructora Rizek supervised by the Ministry of Public Works.
The Circuito Vial del Sur also includes the Avenida Antonio Méndez Méndez Barahona city bypass, the expansion of the stretch that passes in front of the UASD university in Barahona. Works have been underway on the Barahona-Enriquillo road and the road to Pedernales. Already completed are the Cruce de Ocoa and Ocoa to Sabana Larga road, the San Juan Bypass, with the San Juan-Sabaneta road completed and work still on going on the San Juan-Elías Piña road.
The road improvements coincide with the announcement by Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier García that the government was ready for the start of the construction of 3,000 hotel rooms and an international airport to serve tourism in the Bahía de las Aguilas beach area in southwestern Pedernales.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/gobierno-invierte-600-millones-pesos-carretera-azua-barahona/
http://www.ecosdelsur.net/2017/05/santo-domingo-gonzalo-castillo-el.html
Barahona coastal view-breaking wall protested
The Ministry of Environment may have authorized the construction of a view-blocking fence along the Barahona panoramic highway to a company property of Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo. A report in El Nacional says that, if so, it would be in violation of articles 145 and 146, 148 of Law 64-00 and Law 305-68. As reported, the authorization allowed for the construction of the wall 30 meters from the sea, instead of the legal 60 meters established by law. As reported, the company said it would present a decree from the Presidency authorizing the exception.
El Nacional carried statements by priest Manuel Hidalgo Féliz, of La Ciénaga, who says Minister Castillo purchased and is remodeling the Bahoruco Beach Resort in La Ciénaga, Barahona. The priest of the Nuestra Señora de Fátima church in La Ciénaga says that the wall is approximately two meters high and extends for more than 1.5 km along the panoramic coastal road. La Ciénaga mayor Kevin Féliz says that the wall was not authorized by the town councilors.
The priest says the illegal construction is an abuse of his power as minister. He said the height of the wall impedes those driving along the panoramic highway from enjoying the panorama.
Director of public relations for the Ministry of Public Works Juan Pérez Recio, told El Nacional journalists that the hotel already had a wall that they took down and rebuilt in all its extension. Perez argued it was private property. He did not deny the Minister of Public Works is the new owner of the Bahoruco Beach Resort. Reports are that Gonzalo paid RD$30 million for the property that is under renovation.
http://elnacional.com.do/autorizan-construccion-pared-ilegal-a-ministro-op/
Gabriella Bonetti named ambassador to WTO
Gabriela Bonetti is the new Dominican Representative to the World Trade Organization (OMC). She replaces Ambassador Luis Manuel Piantini Munnigh. The appointment is issued in Decree 211-17.
Bonetti began her diplomatic career in 2003 as counselor at the Dominican Embassy in France. She advanced to minister counselor, in charge of political affairs at the Dominican Republic embassy in India. Afterwards, she was promoted to business attaché at the Dominican embassy in Egypt. In 2009 she was named ambassador in Egypt.
She is a graduate of the Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and holds a master’s in Communications and Public Administration at the same university.
She has worked in communications for the Spanish daily El País, as stringer for national security matters. When in Paris, she was the stringer for North Africa and Middle East affairs for The Washington Post when based in Paris, France. She speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and colloquial Arabic.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...resentante-ante-organizacion-mundial-comercio
Marching in support of abortion rights
Hundreds marched to Parque Independencia in the Colonial City to pressure the Chamber of Deputies to vote in favor of eliminating restrictions on abortion in the cases of incest, rape or fetus abnormality inserted in the Senate to the Penal Code.
The Chamber of Deputies house had originally passed the Penal Code prior to sending it to the Senate. In passing the bill, the deputies had agreed with the observations made by President Danilo Medina who on two occasions has vetoed the elimination of the abortion exceptions. The Senate, nevertheless, eliminated these exceptions to the ban on abortion in the Dominican Republic and passed the Penal Code with provisions that regard as criminal any person intervening in any way to assist in an abortion, as reported in El Dia.
Beginning on Sunday at 10 AM, protestors walked from 10am along El Conde to the Parque Independencia. Reading the march manifest, Arelis Ferrer said: “The penalization of abortion in any circumstance conspires against the physical and moral integrity of women.” She said that 13% of maternal deaths are caused by clandestine abortions.
The Chamber of Deputies has pending a vote to reject or pass the Senate eliminations of the exceptions. If the Chamber votes to reject, the Penal Code will once again have to be resubmitted to Congress as of the session that begins on 16 August 2017.
http://eldia.com.do/cientos-de-pers...-despenalizacion-del-aborto-en-tres-causales/
Green March Movement winds through Los Tres Brazos
The green shirts of the Green March Movement paraded along the main street in the populous Los Tres Brazos as residents in that low-income barrio came out in force to create awareness and protest corruption in government and impunity. The walk began at 10am in front of the Club de los Billeteros. Protestors also complained that while the barrio itself was subject of what now is being seen as major government corruption, after government property was irregularly sold, there is yet to any government officer submitted to justice in the case.
The Sunday, 25 June 2017 march is part of a series of activities carried out by the civic movement to create an awareness of the struggle against political crimes in low income areas that are also affected by the theft of public resources, as in the cases of bribes, overpricing and illegal financing of political campaigns by Odebrecht, as spokespeople for the organization highlighted during the Los Tres Brazos walk.
“We are in Los Tres Brazos because it is a national and international symbol of corruption and the damage caused by political crime and impunity that operates with the backing of the Presidential Palace,” said spokespeople for the group.
The Green March Movement is organizing a major protest walk for Sunday, 16 July in the National District.
https://www.metrord.do/do/destacado...e-los-tres-brazos-pedir-fin-la-impunidad.html
Only 16% of deportees still have roots in the DR
Florinda Rojas, the executive director of the National Migration Institute, says that only 16% of those deported from abroad have relatives and roots in the Dominican Republic. This makes their re-insertion into their country of origin more difficult.
The US government routinely deports Dominicans that have served jail time in the United States. Committing a felony is grounds for deportation for legal US residents.
The deportations are carried out primarily to persons who have committed crimes in the United States. In most cases, these persons have their primary residence in the United States for years. She said the deportees make up a large number among those in situation of vulnerability in the country.
Rojas says a study carried out looking into deportees from 1993 to 2016 shows that 66,000 have been deported from the United States. Of these 43% have served jail sentences mostly in the United States, and mostly for crimes related to drug trafficking and the remainder for irregularities in their migratory status, among others.
Rojas presented the findings of the study during the first forum to discuss support to vulnerable population that returns to the Dominican Republic. During the forum an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Attorney General Office, the Vice Presidency of the Republic and the National Migration Institute to adopt strategies to resolve the problems of Dominicans that voluntarily return or are deported.
The National Migration Institute is a technical government division in charge of carrying out research to help design public policies on migratory issues.
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...rtados-tiene-arraigo-familiar-dominicana.html
http://immigration.findlaw.com/deportation-removal/felony-convictions-and-immigration-status.html
Son of Superintendent of Insurance sent to pre-trial detention
A Santo Domingo West court sent Pedro José Gutiérrez Nova, son of the Superintendent of Insurance Euclides Gutiérrez Félix, to jail for three months of pre-trial detention. He is accused of posing as a Police general and being the head of the Asociación de la Policía Comunitaria Municipal (Asopodomc), whose members are dedicated to train youths in military exercises without authorization.
In the same case, the court imposed a month of pre-trial custody on six other persons accused of using military attire without actually being in the military. Those accused are Edward Méndez Méndez, Gilberto López Henríquez, José Aneudy Pichardo Gil, Francisco Javier de la Nieve, Manuel Cabo Fernández and Faustina Valentín Díaz.
http://elnacional.com.do/envian-a-najayo-hijo-de-euclides-por-usurpacion/
Fidget spinner mania takes hold of Dominican students
Diario Libre reports that the fidget spinner has caught on as a toy in the Dominican Republic to the point it is becoming a problem in schools. The device was originally developed to help people with hyperactive movements associated with ADHD to focus and learn better.
But the mania for fidget spinners has taken off, as Dominican kids have been quick to follow the YouTube videos showing people spinning them on their noses, foreheads and their popularity has exploded.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...pularizarse-en-republica-dominicana-CA7471646
Listín Diario journalist to head show business guild
Emelyn Baldera, the Listin Diario entertainment writer, is the newly elected president of the Dominican Show Business Association (Acroarte). She won the guild election having received 111 votes to 87 votes for fellow journalist Cristina Liriano.
Baldera was elected for the 2017-2019 period. The vote counts were: in Santo Domingo (51 to 49), Santiago (22 to 12), New York (26 to 15) and Florida (12 to 11).
At the meeting, a new board was named, including Ney Zapata, vice president; Alexis Beltré, secretary general, Wanda Sánchez, finances; Jorge Jiménez, learning advancement and culture; Robert Sánchez, public relations. Also on the board are Samir Saba, international relations; María Luisa Estévez, regional issues; and Belkis Castillo, social and recreational affairs.
https://www.listindiario.com/entret...melyn-baldera-gana-las-elecciones-de-acroarte
Dutch men killed in suspected drug related operation
The Police is investigating the finding of two corpses now identified as Dutch men 33-year old Rachid Benbouker and 35-year old Cuma Ceviz. The two murder victims were found in El Seibo, in the east. Investigators say everything so far points to a settlement in the drug circuit.
The two men are believed to have been shot on 19 June 2017. The bodies were found in a pit in a sugarcane plantation. Twelve bullet casings were found in the immediate surroundings.
News reports say that residents of the area about 22 kilometers from Mata de Palma in the eastern province of El Seibo heard several shots, followed by the flight of a small plane. The next day they observed three SUVs accompanying an excavator.
As reported in Diario Libre, prosecutors suspect the Dutch citizens were spotters for the aircraft that landed in the sugarcane field. The authorities speculate that the two men were shot shortly after the plane may have landed. On one of the bodies a white paper with a sketch indicating that the perpetrators were of a particular drug gang.
Both bodies were buried about three to five meters below ground. The remains of the victims were taken to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences, INACIF (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses) for an autopsy.
In connection with the double murder Dominican police made several raids. As reported in Diario Libre, these included a villa in Casa de Campo and another dwelling in Piantini, Santo Domingo. In Casa de Campo, one person was arrested.
Dutch media reports that Benbouker’s brother, Mohamed Benbouker, also was murdered in what is described as having been “a conflict in cannabis cultivation.”
http://www.boevennieuws.nl/nieuws/rachid-benbouker-cuma-ceviz-geliquideerd-dominicaanse-republiek/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...tini-por-holandeses-muertos-a-tiros-BJ7469120
Venezuelan arrested for multimillion peso credit card fraud
Law enforcement authorities arrested Venezuelan Julio César Medina Navas who is accused of stealing RD$2,600,000 (more than US$55,300) for fraudulent cash retrievals and purchases with cloned credit cards. The arrest was made at an apartment located on the Malecon in Santo Domingo in a raid by the Police and state prosecutors.
The Police reported occupying 7,400 bolivars, 100 US$, RD$279,000 and clothing used in fraudulent cash retrievals from ATMs, a grey Honda Civic model 2010.
http://elnacional.com.do/apresan-clonador-robo-2-6-millones-en-tarjetas-credito/
US defeats DR in Pan Am Volleyball Cup
Team USA defeated Team DR 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23) for the Pan American Cup trophy during the finals of the 16th Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup by Movistar that took place in Lima, Peru on Sunday, 25 June 2017. The DR was the defending champion. Both teams had reached the finals with six wins and without losing a set. Both teams have been crowned four times in the history of the competition.
To reach the finals, on Saturday, the Dominican Republic had defeated Puerto Rico, again in straight sets in the semi-final. The DR defeated Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19).
The United States is now the winningest country in the history of the Women’s Volleyball Pan American Cup earning their fifth crown. The USA team has won four of the last six editions of the Pan American Cup in 2012-13, 2015 and 2016. They also won in 2003. The DR had won in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2016.
The win was especially important for Team US as it seeks to resume its world leadership in the sport. In the 15th Pan Am Cup, the US finished third behind the DR and Puerto Rico. In the Rio Olympics, the US team had failed to reach the semifinals.
Karch Kiraly, coach of United States: “It feels great to be the champions of this important tournament. Dominican Republic is a great team with a lot of experience in Norceca zone and we respect them very much.”
Bethania de la Cruz, captain of Dominican Republic: “Congratulations to United States for the victory. Their blocking dominated us for moments and we also failed too much with our attacks so we were not able to put everything together like we did in the second set.”
Marcos Kwiek, coach of Dominican Republic: “We missed the aggressiveness with our serves. The American setter has a very fast game and made it very difficult for us to defend. However, I think that in case we had been able to keep the aggressive serve we had in the second set, which allowed to control the ball, we would have obtained better results.”
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Panamericana_de_Voleibol_Femenino_de_2017
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Features/2017/June/25/US-Women-Claim-Gold-at-Pan-Am-Cup