Faces and Places

Mohammad bin Salman The United Nations says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman should be investigated for his involvement in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. This recommendation was part of a 100-page report by U.N. special rapporteur Agnes Callamard. In the report, Callamard said that Khashoggi had been, quote, “the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution,” unquote. The U.N. report suggests that Khashoggi was drugged and then suffocated inside the consulate. Callamard’s report says there is evidence of Mohammad bin Salman’s personal responsibility in this case. Khashoggi was a columnist for the Washington Post and had been an editor-in-chief of the All-Arab News Channel. Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia’s oppressive regime in 2017, and went into self-imposed exile. He was an outspoken critic of bin Salman and the Saudi government’s human rights record. What impact do you think this report will have on Saudi Arabia’s government?

David Ortiz On June 9th, retired baseball star David Ortiz was shot in his hometown of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Doctors saved his life by taking out sections of his colon, as well as his gallbladder. Investigators say the shooter worked for a Mexican drug cartel and was attempting to shoot another man, one of Ortiz’s friends. Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992 at the age of 17, and traded to the Minnesota Twins four years later. But he became a star in 2003, when the Twins traded him to the Boston Red Sox. As the team’s designated hitter and first baseman, Ortiz became a 10-time All-Star and fan favorite. His outsized personality and large frame earned him the nickname “Big Papi.” His hitting and clubhouse leadership helped lead the Red Sox to the 2004, 2007, and 2013 World Series titles. Ortiz retired in 2016 with 541 home runs, the 17th-highest total in Major League Baseball history. Ortiz’s condition continues to improve as he recovers at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was transported the day after the shooting. Why do you think so many great baseball players come from the Dominican Republic? Copyright 2019 Knowledge Unlimited