The Second Collegiate Tribunal of the Santo Domingo East sentenced priest Elvin Taveras Duran to 30 years in jail for the murder of 16-year old altar boy Fernelis Carrion in 2017. Taveras will serve the sentence at the Najayo jail in San Cristobal. The court determined that the priest killed Carrion of a hammer blow and several knife injuries because he was being blackmailed for publishing sexual relations with the child during a three-year period.
Source: DR1, DaiioLibre
Feb 17, 2019
Two Italian divers, 57-year old Carlos Barbieri and 44-year old Carlos Basso, are missing after going for a cave dive on Saturday, 9 February 2019 in El Dudú in Cabrera, in northeastern María Trinidad Sánchez province. The Dominican Republic Speleological Society (DRSS) said that two of their experts, Phillip Lehman and Ángel Compres have joined the rescue team and are working in collaboration with Cabrera authorities and the owners of the Laguna El Dudú recreational area. The search, nevertheless, was suspended on Monday, 11 February 2019 due to reduced visibility in the lagoon waters.
Gerge Martínez, manager of El Dudú, explained that it appears that the Italians ignored the sign posted at the entrance to the cave that warns about the hazards of diving in the cave without adequate international cave diving certification. The society says that diving in a cave requires different training than what is needed to dive in the sea or open water. Likewise, different equipment is required for cave diving. Martínez said that the wife of one of the missing divers said they have dived at the site on many occasions in the past.
El Dudú has a maximum depth of 25 meters and has 800 meters extension.
Update: Body of one of two missing Italian divers located in El Dudú cave
The team working to rescue two missing Italian divers in Laguna Dudú in Cabrera, in northeastern province María Trinidad Sánchez said they have located a corpse deep inside the cave. The corpse was located in a high-risk area where a large amount of sediment makes visibility very scarce. Two Italians divers, 57-year old Carlos Barbieri and 44-year old Carlos Basso went missing in the cave on Saturday, 9 February 2019. The rescue efforts will continue as soon as the waters clear.
Director general of the Specialized Corps for Touristic Security, General Juan Carlos Torres Robiou explained the team is made up by Phillip Lehman and Angel Comprés of the Dominican Republic Speleological Society (DRSS) and Sergio Yipola, certified diver of the Auxiliares Navales who joined the search.
Environmentalist Luis Carvajal ured the Ministry of Environment to intervene and establish strict security measures to avoid accidents in the future. A sign in El Dudú alerts to the ban on diving without adequate cave diving certification.
Update: Remains of second diver lost in Dudú lagoon found
Rescue workers announced they located the remains of 44-year old Carlos Basso, the second missing Italian diver in Dudú Lagoon on Tuesday, 26 February.
The rescue operation included specialists from the Dominican Republic Speleological Society (DRSS), Center for Emergency Operations (COE), Civil Defense, Red Cross, National Police, Ministry of Tourism, among other entities. 10 divers endeavored in the search since the divers went missing on Saturday, 9 February 2019.
The remains of 57-year old diver Carlos Barbieri was recovered on Monday, 11 February. Barbieri resided in Las Terrenas where he was the owner of a construction material company located in the city of Sánchez, Samaná.
Source: DR1, Listindiario, Eldia
Feb 17, 26, 2019
Dominican population increased 1,960,518 persons from 8,397,802 inhabitants to 10,358,320 at the end of 2018, reported the National Statistics Office (ONE). That is a 23.35% increase from 2000 to 2018, or an annual population increase of around 1.17%. The increase is almost equal for men (5,174,343 – 49.95%) and women (5,183,977 – 50.05%). There are slightly more women now than in the past. The ratio in the past was 50.2% men and 49.8% women.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Feb 17, 2019
Turmoil in Ouanaminthe, Haiti on the border with Dajabón led the authorities to suspend the Monday market day on 11 February 2019. The Dominican government announced the staff of the Dominican consulate in Ouanaminthe was evacuated given the increased violent unreset. At the same time, border security was enhanced, according to the Dominican Army.
Market days are held Mondays and Fridays in Dajabón, when Haitians are admitted through the main border gate without documentation so these can trade their goods and later return to Haiti. As reported, the market opened as usual at 6am but was closed reportedly for low attendance of buyers and vendors from Haiti. Dominican vendors complained of millionaire losses when the buyers did not attend.
Unrest in Haiti is at a new high due to violent protests against the President Jovenel Moise government. These request his resignation and a clarification of where the Petrocaribe funds received from Venezuela were used by the Haitian government.
President Moise was scheduled to leave for Italy to participate in the 42nd International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governors Council on 14-15 February 2019. Also scheduled to participate was Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte. The press has reported that Moise would not be traveling to Rome due to the unrest in Haiti.
Meanwhile, Air Century announced the temporary suspension of its daily flights to Haiti from the La Isabela International Airport.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Feb 17, 2019
It took three days for the Puerto Plata firemen to put out the fire at the Sosua municipal garbage dump that sent dense smoke clouds affecting health, transport and educational activities. Two public schools had to be evacuated.
Province governor Iván Rivera, in his condition as president of the Prevention, Mitigation and Response Committee of the Province (PMR) and the Puerto Plata Air Force Base commander Colonel Cesar Edgardo Severino Santana assisted Sosua mayor Ilana Neumann to put out the stubborn fire. Several businesses sent water tanker trucks to assist the firemen.
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Feb 16, 2019
Saturday, February 9th for the first time the artisan market (El Mercadito Artesanal) was held at the square of the Park Los Flores. This square is located next to the casino at the beginning of Pedro Clisante, the main street. For the coming Saturdays, every week there will be another artisan market. The entire square was covered with screens and filled with tables to exhibit the products. There were stands with carvings, ornaments and paintings. And also stands with traditional-made beer. Visitors could sample free cocktails with alternative types of rum.
As for culinary there was a lot to experience including roasted suckling pig. For children there were fried sausages and cotton candy. There were also stands with information about jazz workshops for young people in Cabarete and the program Recycle Puerto Plata. In the middle of the square there was an open area where folkloristic dance groups performed their act for an enthusiastic audience. For the little ones there were clowns to take pictures with the children. In short, a very successful artisan market that will be continued in the coming Saturdays. Everyone is welcome!
Source: Sosua News
Feb 16, 2019
Currently, the main road between Puerto Plata (from Playa Dorada) to Sosúa and Cabarete will be widened with an extra lane. Just past Montellano, the work can already be observed. A few months ago, Mayor Ilana Neumann had a meeting with President Danilo Medina in Santo Domingo. In this conversation she made a plea for the further development and stimulation of tourism for Sosúa and Cabarete. Both resorts are totally dependent on tourism. The president promised that the infrastructure for these resorts should be the first thing to improve, making them with a better access. The president has fulfilled his promises. Almost all roads in Sosúa and the immediate surroundings have been paved. Now the expansion of this artery road has also started, connecting Puerto Plata with Sosúa and Cabarete.
Source: Sosua News
Feb 16, 2019
On Thursday, February 14th there was a Valentine’s Day celebration in the restaurant ‘Parada Tipica el Choco’. The jazz singer Heather Maxwell accompanied by four musicians made it a great swinging evening. Heather is from Michigan (USA) and has studied African influences on jazz. For this, she stayed regularly in Mali. She is active at the Voice of America in Washington, DC. The accompanying musicians are also active in the Fundacion Educativo Jazz in Cabarete.
During this party, Heather brought a variety of songs. She sang songs of Nina Simone and Porgy and Bess. But later in the evening also Blues, ballads and Pop. The guests really had fun on the dance floor. The restaurant was packed with enthusiastic crowd, and unfortunately, at some stage a whole group of new comers got turned down, because the place was so full. After this performance, Heather will continue to South Africa where she will be touring the various cities.
Source: Sosua News
Feb 16, 2019
In a measure that protects sales by local telecoms, the Customs Agency (DGA) announced that individuals importing mobiles would be charged 20% tax, and not the 3% as at present. The measure is in effect immediately and complies with Customs Reform Law 146-00. The administrative measure reducing the tax had been issued in 2005. The DGA said the 3% is still valid for imports that were on their way or in Customs as of 6 February 2019.
Source: DR1
Feb 10, 2019
The toll of mostly young Dominicans that have been crippled by traffic accidents in the past five years is estimated at up to 7,000, according to a report in El Dia. The Dario Contreras and Ney Arias Lora public hospitals, where most trauma victims in Greater Santo Domingo are taken, report registries of over 120,000 persons that suffered major injuries in traffic accidents. The physicians at the hospitals estimate at around 6% those that remain with permanent injuries. Of these too many will suffer from quadriplegia and paraplegia.
The physicians say that most of the severe injuries are because those driving motorcycles are speeding and do not use protective helmet. Outside of Greater Santo Domingo, the local traffic agents do not enforce the law that requires motorcyclists to use the protective helmets.
El Dia points out for many of the young men, their life after the accident has been “almost worse than death.”
Source: DR1, Eldia
Feb 10, 2019
