Latest news with #DominicanRepublic
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte Reveals Fan Who Brought Him to Tears Shouted He Messaged His Late Mother
Ketel Marte, the Arizona Diamondbacks' second baseman, said a fan in Chicago who brought him to tears during a game against the White Sox this week shouted that he messaged his late mother the previous night. The two-time All-Star revealed what was said during an interview with Spanish-language journalist Yancen Pujols. 'A fan was up on the dugout shouting things about my mother,' he said. 'He was like, 'Last night I sent a message to your mother.'' Marte was seen in tears on the field after the 22-year-old spectator yelled a derogatory comment about Marte's late mother during a seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona's 4–1 win over Chicago on Tuesday night. Major League Baseball banned the fan indefinitely from all stadiums the following day. Marte's mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017. He said he's used to being taunted but had never been heckled about his mom. 'We have to do something about the fans; they're going too far,' he said. 'They always shout things about me, but not about my mother. Everyone knows that my mother died in an accident.' 'And nothing. We're praying for him, for the guy who shouted and for his family, you know? May God protect him. May God protect him and cleanse his heart. They always shout things at me, but I don't pay attention, but when they talk about my mother it's a different story.'
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte reveals fan who brought him to tears shouted he messaged his late mother
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte said a fan in Chicago who brought him to tears during a game against the White Sox this week shouted that he messaged his late mother the previous night. The two-time All-Star revealed what was said during an interview with Spanish-language journalist Yancen Pujols. 'A fan was up on the dugout shouting things about my mother,' he said. 'He was like, 'Last night I sent a message to your mother.'' Marte was seen in tears on the field after the 22-year-old spectator yelled a derogatory comment about Marte's late mother during a seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona's 4-1 win over Chicago on Tuesday night. Major League Baseball banned the fan indefinitely from all stadiums the following day. Marte's mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017. He said he's used to being taunted, but had never been heckled about his mom. 'We have to do something about the fans; they're going too far,' he said. 'They always shout things about me, but not about my mother. Everyone knows that my mother died in an accident. And nothing. We're praying for him, for the guy who shouted, and for his family, you know? May God protect him. May God protect him and cleanse his heart. They always shout things at me but I don't pay attention, but when they talk about my mother, it's a different story.' ___ AP MLB:
NHK
4 hours ago
- Business
- NHK
EU proposes international trade regulations on all eel species
The European Union has proposed making all eel species, including the Japanese eel, subject to trade regulations under an international convention. The EU and other countries, including the Dominican Republic, submitted the proposal on Friday to the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The convention regulates international trade in endangered species. The EU calls for all non-listed eel species to be subject to trade controls under the pact. Parties to the convention will discuss the proposal at a meeting in Uzbekistan starting in November. If they approve the proposal, international trade in the eel species will come under the regulations, which require exporting countries to issue permits. A series of moves have been made to strengthen protection of eels. Parties to the convention made the European eel subject to the regulations in 2009. In 2016, they adopted a proposal by the EU to conduct a study of the global eel trade. The EU cited a lack of transparency in such trade.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte reveals fan's vile taunt about his dead mother that reduced him to tears
Ketel Marte has revealed the vile insult about his late mother that was shouted from the stands and reduced the Arizona Diamondbacks star to tears. Earlier this week, Marte, 31, was seen weeping on the mound at Rate Field in Chicago after he was taunted during a game against the White Sox. His mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic in 2017. A 22-year-old man was handed an indefinite ban by the team and Major League Baseball over the insult. After the game Diamondbacks manager Torey Luvollo refused to reveal what the fan had said. But Marte has now explained that they shouted: 'I sent your mom a text last night'. 'What happened was in the seventh inning, I came to bat. I'm ready at the plate and I hear this fan shouting. He was on top of the dugout,' Marte told @DannyBeisbol. 'He yelled at me, saying stuff about my mom. He was like, "I sent your mom a text last night." When everything happened with my mom, I was here in Chicago. I was in this city.' Later, Marte added: 'I think something needs to be done about the fans. It's getting out of hand. People always yell stuff at me, but never about my mom. People know that my mom passed away in an accident. But anyways, we're praying for him and his family, too. May God protect them and help him heal his heart. 'They're always yelling things at me, but I don't mind. But when it comes to my mom that's where the line gets crossed.' Luvollo was seen consoling Marte during a pitching change in Arizona's 4-1 loss. He pointed at the fan and appeared to shout: 'His mom died, you dumb f***. Dumb f***' 'It was a terrible moment,' Luvollo said afterwards. 'Fans are nasty, and fans go too far. I love my players, and I'm going to protect them.' Luvollo continued: 'I looked right at [Marte] when I heard...I looked right at him and he looked at the person, as well. 'He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure... I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers. I could see he was sobbing. It hurt.' The fan was later ejected. As reported by ESPN they expressed remorse and admitted to the inappropriate comments and will now be denied entry into all MLB stadiums until further notice. '[I told him], "I love you and I'm with you and we're all together and you're not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn't have an impact on you,"' said Lovullo, who has managed Marte since their first year together in Arizona in 2017. It was later that year that Marte's mother died in a car accident in their native Dominican Republic. 'I've known Ketel for nine years, and he's had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships, as well,' the Arizona manager continued. 'Some really, really tough moments in his life, and I know those. At the end of the day, we're human beings and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him.' A versatile player and fan favorite in the Phoenix area, Marte comes from a baseball family and is actually married to Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s cousin.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tourist dies in mysterious Dominican Republic drowning three months after student whose body was never found
A Canadian tourist has been found dead on a beach in the Dominican Republic, marking the second recent mysterious fatality in the Caribbean country under unexplained circumstances. Dorian Christian MacDonald, 38, of Nova Scotia, Canada, was tragically discovered dead in the waters off a beach in Maimon Bay last week while vacationing in the Dominican Republic's popular Puerto Plata resort town, according to CTV News. The unsettling discovery comes just three months after 20-year-old spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki vanished from her resort - her body still missing, and the case clouded in more questions than answers. 'He wasn't just a friend. He was my brother in every way but blood - and maybe more so than some who share it,' wrote MacDonald's loved one, Tara McKenzie, on a GoFundMe page launched to help cover expenses. 'He was that person, his presence felt like it would just always be there. And now, somehow, just like that, he's gone.' On June 20th, MacDonald reportedly took a brief late-night walk alone on a beach around 2am, stepping out from his solitary stay at a hotel in Puerto Plata on the island's north coast, according to CTV News. Tragically, that would be the last time he was seen alive, as just an hour later, a harrowing 911 call was placed reporting a missing person. Both police personnel and Civil Defense - a government agency that supports local law enforcement with naval operations - arrived at the scene, where they discovered MacDonald's body in the water during high tide just after 4am. According to the fundraiser, the Canadian tourist tragically died from a sudden and unexpected drowning. 'On June 20th, while vacationing in the DR, Dorian died suddenly in a drowning accident,' McKenzie wrote. 'He was only 38 years old.' 'And now, the world feels a lot quieter and a whole lot less vibrant just knowing he's no longer part of it,' she added. A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) told CTV News that the department 'is aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in the Dominican Republic,' but 'due to privacy considerations, no further information may be disclosed.' Now, MacDonald's family - his mother, sisters, and close friends - are tirelessly working to bring his body back home to Nova Scotia, with the fundraiser launched to support the difficult process. 'We don't even get to even begin saying goodbye properly or grieve as we should until then,' McKenzie wrote. 'The process of repatriating someone from another country is a slow, expensive and deeply complicated situation that I wish on no one.' 'Between flights, international paperwork, funeral coordination, preparation of his body and all the red tape, we're looking at a cost of $10,000–$20,000 just to get him back,' she added. 'And honestly? We just want him out of that cold system and back where he belongs - with us.' As of Friday evening, the family had raised over $33,000 toward their $40,000 goal. 'Dorian handed out hugs, compliments and I love you's as freely as oxygen and always wanted and was willing to celebrate any and everything together, McKenzie added. 'We will carry your name, your stories, the memories, your ridiculous jokes and infectious laugh and incredible heart with us always.' Although the Dominican Republic is known as one of the Caribbean's most sought-after tourist destinations, several foreigners have been found dead under suspicious circumstances - including unexplained drownings and mysterious disappearances from guarded beaches. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, vanished in the early hours of March 6 at the Riu Republica Resort on Punta Cana. The spring breaker was caught on CCTV walking to the beach with former Iowa high school wrestling champ, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, at 4.15am. Dominican officials were quick to rule her death a drowning, but investigator Toby Braun - along with an oceanography expert - told that if that were the case, her body would almost certainly have washed ashore. Riibe, the 22-year-old college student last seen with Konanki, quickly became a central figure in the chaotic case - his passport was confiscated, and he was ordered to remain in the Dominican Republic under strict supervision. He came under suspicion after reportedly giving various versions of his drunken night out with Konanki, but provided more insight in a further interview with investigators before he returned to the US. In a reversal of his earlier statements, Riibe later claimed he had managed to bring Konanki to safety before she ultimately went missing. He was never named a suspect in the case. Konanki's family has since made the heartbreaking decision to ask the investigation to be closed as a drowning, as reported by Fox 5 DC. However, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman is urging Dominican Republic authorities to release all evidence related to the 20-year-old's case, citing key information that remains undisclosed - including the analysis of Riibe's cell phone and any text messages sent after Konanki's disappearance. Chapman has since dispatched two of his own detectives to the Dominican Republic to conduct an independent investigation.
