DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Anibal de Castro recommends the Dominican Republic discretely back Ukraine in the conference by sending a “modest representation”. He understands it would not be in the national interest for President Luis Abinader to attend the peace conference in Switzerland. The conference is organized by Ukraine and has the backing of several European countries.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal asked President Abinader to attend the conference when the Dominican statesman visited Portugal during his European work-vacation in May.

Executive editor of Diario Libre, Anibal de Castro, a former Dominican ambassador, says the perspective of the crisis in Haiti is what is most important in the country’s international dealings. De Castro explains that Russia has a seat on the UN Security Council and can veto any UN assistance to Haiti. Russia nor China are participating in the Swiss...

Four Dominican universities are included in the top 15 ranking score for the QS World University Ranking for the Caribbean region.

The Dominican universities are the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec), Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) and the state-owned Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD).

The Caribbean universities ranked by their overall Latin Rank in QS World University Ranking are:

Universidad de La Habana, Havana, Cuba – 33Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico – 46Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba – 116Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas – 133Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec), Santo Domingo, DR – 141Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Santiago, DR – 161-170Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), Santo Domingo, DR – 171-180St. George’s...

Punta Catalina Power Generation Company (EgePC) announced that its Unit 1 will undergo scheduled annual maintenance starting 10 June in an effort to ensure the stability of the national electricity grid, as reported in Diario Libre. In the short term, the maintenance is expecting to affect the power service, especially in Greater Santo Domingo.

The government-owned corporation says that the 40-day maintenance process is crucial for maintaining generation stability and guaranteeing the proper functioning of the coal-fired power plant.

The power plant, the largest in the country, is located in southcentral Baní and consists of two electricity generation units of 360 megawatts (MW) each, totaling 720 MW when synchronized.

Unit 1 contributes approximately 356 megawatts to the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI).

The generating company apologized to users who...

If you are gay in the DR you can marry, but you can’t officially call it a marriage. The former president of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Jorge Subero Isa says same-sex people can acquire the same rights as married couples through a legally-binding contractual agreement.

The Dominican Constitution (Art. 55) establishes marriages are between a man and a woman. Art. 55 reads: “The state will promote and protect family organization on the basis of the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.”

Interviewed on El Despertador morning program, Subero explained that two people of the same can formalize a legal union similar to common-law marriages under Article 1,134 of the Civil Code, even when it can never be called marriage under the law.

Subero Isa said that Art. 1,134 of the Civil Code covers contractual freedoms and...

Major General Ramón Antonio Guzmán Peralta, director general of the National Police, led a meeting on 5 June 2024 with representatives of the security teams of the Association of Multiple Banks of the Dominican Republic (ABA) to review two recent bank branch robberies. The meeting seeks to reinforce security after two bank branch robberies have been carried out in small branches over the past 10 days.

“We will continue to strengthen security throughout the country, especially in areas where bank branches operate,” guaranteed Major General Guzmán Peralta.

The security representatives for banks and Police also agreed to review established security protocols and increase the exchange of information at the national level.

Similarly, it was established that the main priority is to guarantee the security of customers and employees of the financial...

The Attorney General Office’s Public Ministry announced Operation Seagull (Gaviota) was launched to dismantle a network that is accused of scamming thousands into depositing in securities operations that promised the naive victims a monthly return of 10 to 30%. The scam operated under the Investor Winner firm umbrella. People were talked into depositing more than RD$3 billion before the scam was stopped by the authorities.

On Wednesday, 4 June 2024, raids involving more than a hundred police officers, prosecutors and special units participated, were carried out in La Altagracia (Higuey and Punta Cana), Santo Domingo, Azua, Dajabón and the National District. In these operations, people were arrested and evidence related to the investigation was seized.

The network used social media to attract and deceive victims who were promised unusually high...

Wilfredo Alemany’s life history is as impressive as any other TV news commentator. He passed away after a lengthy bout of illness. He worked in numerous media and government entities. He passed away of a heart attack on Tuesday, 4 June 2024, his widow Mencia Ortiz announced. He is known to have been suffering from mental illness.

The wake of 75-year old lawyer, journalist and politician Wilfredo Alemany will take place as of Friday at the Funeraria Blandino in Santo Domingo to give time to his offspring to travel to the Dominican Republic.

Alemany leaves behind an impressive career as a lawyer, politician and especially as a journalist. He is survived also by his five children. His younger three children are the offspring of journalist Maria Elena Nuñez. His son Marel is married to journalist Diana Lora and they now live in Canada.

Alemany hosted and participated in...

A tropical wave is combining with a trough bringing more rains on Thursday, 6 June 2024.

The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) has placed 15 provinces on yellow alert due to the increase in heavy rains caused by a trough crossing the Dominican Republic. 10 other provinces remain on green alert.

The provinces on yellow alert are Hato Mayor, El Seibo, San Pedro de Macorís, Santo Domingo, National District, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez, Peravia, Samaná, San Cristóbal, Monte Plata, Puerto Plata, Dajabón, Barahona, and Pedernales.

The provinces on green alert are Montecristi, Monseñor Nouel, San José de Ocoa, La Altagracia, Azúa, La Romana, La Vega, Duarte (especially the Bajo Yuna), Sánchez Ramírez, and María Trinidad Sánchez.

According to the Weather Office (Onamet), this present passing weather systems will generate showers of varying intensity with thunderstorms and...

In 2020, there were around 30 named storms in the Atlantic Basin including the Caribbean. This year, the national weather office director, Gloria Ceballos says the conditions are in place for a repeat of that dire situation. She says this season is being described as “hyperactive.”

Ceballos explains that the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean waters are unusually warm after a year of record-high temperatures from May 2023 to May 2024. After years of drought with El Niño, now La Niña is back and is coming strong. La Niña conditions lead to drier and warmer temperatures overall and create low-pressure zones that contribute to increased rainfall and intense hurricanes.

The hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November every year, but the critical period for the Dominican Republic has historically been the month of September.

The good news is that installation of a second radar...

Marc Anthony, best known as the “King of Salsa,” will be bringing his “Historia Tour” to Santo Domingo on 24 August 2024. The concert will be held at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez.

Anthony made the announcement on his Instagram account on Tuesday, 4 June 2024. “My people! Get ready because the #HistoriaTour keeps growing,” he wrote.

Anthony had performed at the same venue on 22 September 2022 as part of his Viviendo Tour.

Anthony is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. His concerts are always a major event. He is known for his high-energy performances and his ability to connect with his audience.

Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Anthony has won numerous awards, including 27 Lo Nuestro Awards, 23 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and six Grammy Awards. He is known for his high-energy performances and his ability to connect with his audience...

The Dominican U18 basketball team defeated Venezuela 99-63 during the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024, currently being played at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Lucas Morillo and Danny Carbuccia sparked the offense for Dominican Republic (2-0), who notched another convincing win over Venezuela (1-1) to secure the first place in Group A, as reports FIBA.

Morillo scored 24 points on 10/14 shooting from the field, while Carbuccia added 19 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Fernando De Los Santos and Yenndy Báez also scored in double digits, dropping 13 and 11, respectively, for a Dominican team that went 55-26 in the second half.

The offense made the difference and the Dominican players established their supremacy on the boards. The Caribbeans grabbed 47 rebounds (21 on the offensive glass) against 33 for their opponents and had big leads on second-chance points...

The NBA Finals start with the first game in Boston between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA Finals is the best of seven championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is contested between the Eastern Conference (Boston Celtics) and Western Conference (Dallas Mavericks) champions, representing the best two teams in the league, each season.

Interestingly, two of the main players that will be competing against each other had previously played for the contrary team.

Boston’s leading player, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis is a former Dallas player. Likewise, Kyrie Irving now playing for Dallas is a former Boston player.

The Boston Celtics reached the finals defeating the Indiana Pacers 4-0 and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1.

The best of seven series is played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the Celtics...

Dominicans with expired passports will be the first to get the new electronic passports that will be available starting February 2025, says the director of the Passports Agency, Digna Reynoso.

With the implementation of electronic passports, the Dominican Republic is set to take a major step forward in terms of border security and national security. The new passports, which are expected to be rolled out in February 2025, will offer new security features, including a chip that stores the holder’s personal information. The implementation of the electronic passport is expected to make it more difficult for criminals to forge or use passports illegally.

The new passports are also expected to make it easier for Dominicans to travel abroad, as many countries now have systems in place to facilitate entry with electronic passports. Reynoso said that the Dominican government...

Former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez Sanchez is accused of leading a corruption network that involves 41 physical persons and 22 companies that acted in coalition of government officers, prevarication, association of evildoers against the government. He is also accused of bribes and crimes of high technology. The criminal network fraud to the state is quantified at more than RD$6 billion. The case is known as the Medusa Operation.

Rodriguez Sanchez is now under house arrest as he awaits the advances to the trial. The judge hearing the case, Amauri Martinez of the Third Instruction Court of the National District has said he will announce his decision on 28 June 2024 on whether the case goes to the trial phase or is discarded. Speaking in his own defense, Rodríguez Sanchez urged the judge to discard the accusations on grounds that these lack concrete proof against...

Diario Libre city reporter Adalberto de la Rosa for weeks has been trying to interview the authorities at the National Transit and Transport Institute (Intrant), National District government (ADN) and Ground Transport Agency (Digesett) to ask about what he has detected is a common practice of citizens placing signage on city streets for particular, not necessarily collective interests.

For years, the Intrant, ADN and Digesett have been looking the other way as citizens violate traffic laws, especially in the cities. The overabundance of vehicles, including motorcycles, has apparently been too much, and the authorities have just let everyone be.

Diario Libre reports that this has led to a new modality, where creative citizens are placing road signage that looks official but isn’t official, to organize traffic at some of the more than usually congested city areas.

Read...

Journalist Nairobi Viloria has been appointed as the new director of Communications for the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), replacing Noemí Herrera, who had been serving in the position on an interim basis.

Viloria explained it is contract work and she is not named by decree nor will be an employee of the Attorney General Office.

Viloria only recently joined renowned TV presenter Mariasela Alvarez as co-host for the very popular Esta Noche con Mariasela TV 8pm variety show. She will continue on the variety show and with other other media endeavors.

Throughout her career, Viloria has been awarded on multiple occasions, including the World Vision Children’s Journalism Award in 2023. She was also the winner in the “Announcer of the Year” category at the Soberano Awards 2021.

Nairobi Viloria is a native of Cotui, Sanchez Ramirez province, and has more than 17 years of...

Dominican military seized a large shipment of contraband cigarettes at the border with Haiti. The border is known to be a smuggling route for various goods.

The Specialized Corps for Border Security (CesFront) seized 490,000 units of contraband cigarettes that were being imported from Haiti. The cigarettes were found inside a Toyota SUV.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Francisco Javier Ramírez Carrasco. He was arrested and is being held at the Coronel Elías Piña Border Operations Base along with the vehicle and the cigarettes.

Basketball fans are preparing to watch the NBA finals that start at 8:30pm on Thursday, 6 June 2024 in Boston. The Boston Celtics and Dominican team member Al Horford are at their second recent attempt to clinch the championship. The previous attempt was in 2022. The Dallas Mavericks will do their best to take the trophy back to Texas.

The odds seem to favor Boston this time, as SportsLine has analyzed for those who bet on sports.

Boston Celtics has won 17 NBA cups from 1957 to 2008. The team has won its conference 11 times since 1974, including in 2022 and now against the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in 2024.

Dallas Mavericks is the underdog in the finals. It has to its credit only one NBA trophy, won against the Miami Heat in 2011. In 2006, Dallas had reached the playoffs but would lose to the Miami Heat. Dallas reached the finals defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1.

The...

Lucas Morillo / El Día

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) described the Dominican Republic’s defeat of Canada in the start of the FIBA U18 tournament as one of the first surprises of the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024. The series is ongoing at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In its report on the game, FIBA highlighted that Frank Siaca was the hero when he scored with 28 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Dominican Republic a 79-77 victory over Canada in the second game of Group A.

Reporting on the game, FIBA wrote that the defense would then shut down as Canada missed three long-range shots after a pair of offensive rebounds, with Jalen Roane missing a tough attempt at the buzzer.

The Dominican U18 team had come back from an 8-point deficit (62-54) with 5:40 left in the regulation time and the team was close to putting the game away, when...

Dominican gymnast Audrys Nin Reyes won the silver medal during the vault mode at the FIG World Challenge Artistic Gymnastics World Cup, in Koper, Slovenia. The event was an Olympic qualifier and preparation for the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Nin Reyes had previously qualified to compete in the summer Olympic Games.

Nin Reyes finished in Koper with a total score of 14,300 only surpassed by Spaniard Pau Jimenez, who won gold with 14,400. The Dominican gymnast had been the favorite to win the competition, but he had problems controlling the land of his Dragulescu.

The three competitors are expected to meet again for the Paris Olympic Games.

Santo Domingo will host the 17th Panamerican Men’s Senior Volleyball Cup from 14 to 21 July 2024. Canada is the event’s defending champion.

The tournament is held shortly before the Paris Olympic Games when the volleyball tournaments are scheduled to run from 27 July to 11 August 2024.

The Palacio Ricardo (Gioriber) Arias will be the venue in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.

Twelve national teams from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States and Venezuela will compete with host Dominican Republic.

Rafael Villalona, president of the event’s organizing committee, highlighted the event reaffirms the positioning of the Dominican Republic as a growing destination for international sport events.

The event is dedicated to the Creating Olympic Dreams (Creso) sports foundation and its promoter...

The next best thing to vacationing at a resort in Punta Cana may be attending a comedy on vacationing in Punta Cana. The National Theater in Santo Domingo is staging “Weekend in Punta Cana” on the weekends of 7-9 June and 14-16 June 2024.

The comedy stars Lisette Selman, Jose Lora, Jose Roberto Diaz Garcia, Luis Felipe Fernandez, and Laura Jaquez Caminero.

Shows are scheduled for Friday, 7 June 2024, Saturday, 8 June at 8:30pm and Sunday, 9 June at 6:30pm. There will also be shows on Friday, 14 June, Saturday 15 June at 8:30pm and Sunday, 16 June at 6:30pm.

Tickets are for sale at the National Theater box office or at Uepa Tickets online.

Book tickets: Uepa Tickets

4 June 2024

In its 2024 Hospitality Report, McKinsey says travelers have changed, new destinations are gaining special attractiveness and the experience continues to prevail.

“Tourism and hospitality are on a journey of disruption,” reports the McKinsey analysts. There is a growing demand for experiential and luxury travel.

McKinsey expects the bulk of travel to remain close to home with international travel continuing to have to compete with domestic travel, while intraregional tourism is on the rise.

With more access to plan their own vacations, more travelers are not booking one-size-fits-all experiences. The trend opens opportunities for those who can personalize the vacation.

McKinsey says that the demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than any other travel segment today.

The tourism specialists warn destinations that they need to...

Teen pregnancy rates in the Dominican Republic have seen a significant decrease in the first quarter of 2024, according to the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani). Compared to the same period in 2023, there were 1,623 fewer pregnancies among teenagers, representing a 26.6% drop.

This positive development comes amid ongoing efforts by the Dominican government to address the issue of teen pregnancy, which has historically been a major social and health concern in the country. The data, compiled by the Ministry of Public Health, shows particular improvement in six provinces that have been prioritized by the Policy for the Prevention and Care of Early Unions and Adolescent Pregnancy (PPA) since 2022. These provinces – Puerto Plata, San Juan de la Maguana, Barahona, San Cristóbal, and San Pedro de Macorís – previously had the highest rates of adolescent...

Jaime Yorquis Francisco Rodríguez and Franklin García Fermín / MESCyT

The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Higher Education (MESCYT) is making strides to strengthen educational and research collaboration with Cuba and Vietnam, according to Higher Education Minister Franklin Garcia.

On 3 June 2024, Minister Garcia met with his Cuban counterpart, Walter Baluja, in Santo Domingo. Discussions focused on potential areas of cooperation, including:

Exchanging best practices in teacher trainingImplementing innovative educational technologiesDeveloping joint scientific research projects

A press release issued by MESCYT highlighted the initiative as a means to address shared challenges and promote knowledge-based sustainable development.

On 24 May 2024, Minister Garcia received the Dominican ambassador to Vietnam, Jaime Yorquis Francisco Rodriguez. “Our...

President Luis Abinader could return to Europe this month to participate in a peace conference in Switzerland.

On 2 June, Abinader returned from an around 10-day work-vacation in Europe with his family. When in Portugal, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa urged President Abinader to attend the peace conference in Ukraine on 15 and 16 June 2024 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Abinader said that Spanish President Pedro Sanchez has also asked him to attend the conference.

An editorial in El Caribe is cautious about Abinader attending the conference. The editorialist mentions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited to the conference. Xi Ping of China nor Joe Biden of the US are likely to attend.

The El Caribe editorial writer alerts:

“The steps of diplomacy are difficult to avoid, but not impossible to understand, because all of Abinader’s...

A Dominican Air Force pilot will preside the United Nations Military and Police Advisors Community (UN-MPAC). Military and Police Advisers’ Community (MPAC) is an informal group of United Nations (UN) delegates performing military and police advisory or liaison functions in New York at the UN headquarters.

Brigadier General Fernando Hernández Calcaño was chosen for the position on 22 May 2024 during a UN-MPAC ordinary meeting held at the German consulate in New York City. He will be responsible for coordinating the military attachés of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN).

Mauricio Ramírez Villegas, the Dominican Republic’s representative to the UN, said the appointment is a recognition of the responsible and dedicated work of General Hernandez. He remarked that the Dominican leadership in the United Nations...

The Dominican Republic hosted a reception at the Museum of Modern Art to celebrate Europe Day, marking the anniversary of the European Union’s founding.

The event featured a keynote address by European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, who was visiting the country to present the bloc’s ambitious Global Gateway development strategy. Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos, led a delegation of Dominican government officials in welcoming the Commissioner.

The Global Gateway initiative is a €300 billion investment program launched in 2021, aiming to fund infrastructure projects worldwide. The EU positions it as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which has faced criticism over human rights and economic concerns.

“Unlike other initiatives,” Commissioner Urpilainen reportedly said, “the Global Gateway...

An eight-year old boy is recovering well after a complex hand surgery at Manoclinic, where doctors successfully reattached a severed finger. The delicate procedure, performed under local anesthesia, has restored mobility to the child’s hand and offers hope for a full recovery.

According to El Dia, hand surgeon Dr. Otoniel Diaz led the surgical team at Manoclinic. The child’s family arrived at the hospital with the severed finger in a plastic bag, following a serious accident.

“Reattaching a finger is a challenging procedure in itself,” explained Dr. Diaz. “The fact that the patient was a child added another layer of complexity. Local anesthesia presented the greatest hurdle, as the delicate structures involved are much smaller in children, and any movement during surgery could jeopardize the outcome.”

The decision to use local anesthesia was made due to the child having a...

The National District Appeals Court rejected the request of Major General Adan Caceres Silvestre for the lifting of house arrest and electronic ankle monitoring. Caceres Silvestre is a former presidential security chief and is the main defendant in a major corruption case known as Operacion Coral.

Caceres Silvestre was accused of corruption while serving as head of the Presidential Security Corps (Cusep). He was arrested shortly after the change in authorities at the Attorney General Office with the change of government in 2020.

The Third Hall of the National District Penal Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Pedro Sánchez and including judges Daniel Nolasco and Nancy Joaquín, announced the decision to not change Caceres Silvestre’s trial custody conditions after hearing prosecutors from the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption...

In the months leading to the presidential and congressional elections in the Dominican Republic, political campaigns littered the city with billboards and other propaganda. Now that the election is over, yet most of the propaganda remains in place. The Omar Fernandez National District senator campaign management may be the exception and announced removing his propaganda.

Cities are full of propaganda from the municipal election in 18 February and the presidential and congressional election candidates of 19 May 2024.

Diario Libre reports that with the elections over, the political parties have not removed the propaganda that causes visual contamination in cities and towns.

Article 181 of Law 20-23 of Electoral Propaganda, orders that the political parties remove the propaganda, but there are no penalties.

There has been the suggestion that the Central...

After the presidential election, President Luis Abinader (who won with 57.44% of the vote) reached out to the runner-ups, Leonel Fernandez (28.85%) and Abel Martinez (10.39%) for the PLD and called for a post-election meeting for talks on reforms the Abinader administration and legislative community will be proposing. The ruling PRM has more than enough legislators to pass any reforms through Congress.

Initially, former three-term President Leonel Fernandez had agreed to the meeting with President Abinader, but it was postponed because he had a virus. With Abinader abroad on a work-vacation, the Fuerza del Pueblo announced that the meeting would be postponed until the party analyzed the results of the election.

Two weeks after the election, Radhames Jimenez, a former attorney general during one of the Fernandez terms, announced that the FP would oppose any attempt...

Diario Libre reports that the Chinese businesses that were recently closed for violation of Dominican tax and labor laws in their operation are again open.

The closed Chinese-owned businesses are now operating normally after being audited. After more than a month of closure mostly due to fiscal irregularities, the businesses belonging to Chinese owners in the commercial area of Duarte in the National District and in Santiago have resumed regular operations. Diario Libre reports that the businesspeople reached formal agreements with the Tax Agency (DGII) to settle their outstanding debts.

The Chinese businesses are charged with flexing the law to pay less import, sales and income taxes and labor charges.

In an unusual action, the Migration Agency is sending to justice three motorcyclists from Los Pilones in southcentral province of Azua accused of transporting undocumented Haitian migrants. The motorists transported the undocumented migrants through the migration checkpoints on the main highway. The migrants had traveled on a bus, used the motorist transport to cross the checkpoint, and then would have boarded again the bus to reach their destination in the Dominican Republic.

Christian José de los Santos, Edwin Castillo and Ángel Ariel Soto Lara were arrested when caught in the act.

As reported in Diario Libre, the “motoconchistas” will be charged for violating Migration Law 284-04 and People Trafficking Law 137-03 in an Azua court.

Diario Libre says that the motorcyclists are part of a network that regularly transports undocumented foreigners through the mountains and...

The Banco Popular confirmed the robbery of its small branch located on Avenida Gregorio Luperón corner Calle Olof Palme. The robbery took place on 3 June 2024 at around 4:30pm.

The bank reported that no injuries were sustained by either customers or employees.

According to witnesses, four armed men with covered faces burst into the branch. While two of the men subdued the security guard, a third stole an undisclosed amount of money. A fourth robber was waiting in a getaway vehicle, in which the group fled after committing the crime.

The bank is working with the Police to identify and apprehend the robbers.

Banco Popular Dominicano announced that the staff of this branch will receive psychological support from a team of professionals from the institution. The aging security guard was not injured, but was shaken by the incident, as reported in Listin Diario...

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue to impact most of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, 4 June 2024.

The National Weather Office (Onamet) forecasts more cloudy conditions with showers, sometimes moderate to heavy, thunderstorms, and gusts of wind over most of the southern coast, but also affecting the provinces of La Altagracia, El Seibo, Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, María Trinidad Sánchez, Samaná, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Valverde, Dajabón, and Monte Cristi.

The rains on Monday were due to the passing to the south of the country headed our way from Cuba. Onamet forecasts more showers, especially over the areas on the Caribbean coast. Onamet mentions the Greater Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, Peravia, San José de Ocoa, Azua, Barahona and nearby areas will be the most impacted.

For Tuesday, 4 June, moderate to heavy showers with thunderstorms and occasional gusts of...

The Dominican show business community is mourning the passing of 56-year old Franklin Elías Marte Rivera, best known as Kaki Martí, due to a heart attack on Sunday, 2 June 2024. He was the son of humorist Luisito Martí and is best known for producing the award-winning TV program, “El Show de Raymond y Miguel” with humorists Raymond Pozo and Miguel Cespedes on Sundays on Channel 9.

His wake is at the Funeraria Blandino on Avenida Sabana Larga on Monday, 3 June and Tuesday, 4 June through 2pm.

President Luis Abinader is back in the Dominican Republic since Saturday, 1 June 2024. The President flew into San Isidro Air Force Base in Santo Domingo East. He was met by the Minister of Defense and the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Abinader spent about a week in Europe (24 May to 1 June), had meetings at the Vatican See, including a private meeting with Pope Francisco, and with the presidents of Italy and Portugal.

Pope Francisco congratulated President Abinader on his re-election and discussed international and local matters during the private meeting. While in Italy, Abinader met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and invited him to attend his swearing ceremony on 16 August 2024. The two leaders talked about the possibility of having direct flights from different parts of Italy to the Dominican Republic and a stronger...

While President Abinader was meeting with the Pope and the presidents of Italy and Portugal in Europe, Vice President Raquel Peña was meeting the Spanish King, Felipe II, as he made a very brief visit to Santo Domingo during a stopover at Las Americas International Airport.

The Vice President took advantage of the Spanish king’s stopover to invite him to the 16 August 2024 inauguration. As reported in the Listin Diario, King Felipe II gladly accepted the invitation, and confirmed he would come.

Spanish royalty, and several heads of state are expected to attend the inauguration of the second Abinader administration on 16 August.

Luis Fortuño, former governor of Puerto Rico, in his keynote opening of the Forum on Perspectives for Economic Development and Trade Opportunities for Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic sent out a call for action, saying the time is right for a boom in manufacturing in both countries. The conference took place on Wednesday, 29 May 2024 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Santo Domingo. The event was organized by Gustavo Velez of Intelligent Economics of Puerto Rico and his partnership with Ellen Perez in the Dominican Republic.

Fortuño challenged Dominican and Puerto Rican businesspeople to retake efforts to foster sister-nation relations to compete for more US manufacturing business at a time when the US is looking South instead of East. He highlighted the positive economic growth in both countries. At the same time, he reminded his audience of the tense relations between China and...

The Ministry of Education (Minerd) announced receiving 47,000 applications for teacher positions in the nation’s public school system.

Education sciences graduates and of other disciplines are vying for these positions which are well paid and enjoy some interesting benefits.

The Deputy Minister for Accreditation and Certification at the Ministry of Education told reporters that the process was moving along with all established requirements met.

Beginning this week, the applicants will undergo tests on their general knowledge, teaching skills and specific disciplines. The applicants will be subject to personal interviews. The Ministry of Education usually employs some 20,000 new teachers each year.

Read more in...

Anibal De Castro / Diario Libre

With the elections in the Dominican Republic past, tax reform is on the table. Tax reform historically translates into more taxes for those who pay taxes.

But this time around, more people are calling for comprehensive tax reform that means less wasteful spending on behalf of the Dominican government.

Anibal de Castro, executive editor in Diario Libre, says it is responsibility of the Dominican government to act to reduce the size of government. “The Dominican state suffers from elephantiasis,” writes De Castro. He observes there are too many provinces and hundreds of municipalities and districts for a country that is but 50,000 km². The territorial divide has created hundreds of thousands of worthless political patronage jobs.

De Castro calls for a modern Dominican state. He says it is inexplicable that so much time is wasted in...

The former Unicef Latin America and Caribbean regional director, Garry Conille has arrived to Port-au-Prince on 2 June 2024 as the Presidential Transition Council appointed prime minister for Haiti. He is in charge of leading that country out of the very deep crisis it currently is experiencing.

To say that his task is monumental is not an exaggeration, as the gangs roam the streets of Port-au-Prince and continue to assault businesses and people await Police convoys to move in that city.

Trained as a medical doctor, Conille previously has already served for a year as an interim prime minister of Haiti upon the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

As reported, most international organizations applauded the appointment of Conille who has the backing of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean group, Caricom. Perhaps as a harbinger of better things to come, some...

On 24 May 2024, seven men pulled off a daylight bank robbery of a branch office of the Reserve Bank (Banreservas) in Santiago de los Caballeros and left with an undisclosed amount of money.

But crime, especially one so spectacular, is not easily carried out in this country. The National Police in less than a week announced the capture and arrest of five of the seven men crew that robbed the bank. Some RD$1.5 million in cash has also said to have been recovered.

The five men, all with nicknames so common among the criminal element, included one Haitian.

According to National Police spokesman Diego Pesquiera, the identity of the two remaining suspects is known, and they have been asked to turn themselves into the authorities.

The police have recovered some of the weapons used in the assault.

Police sources have recently revealed that the two leaders of the robbery had...

The Central Mountain Range in the Dominican Republic is in a great part a protected area under Protected Areas Law 202-04. Some of the mountain peaks are well known such as Duarte, the highest in the Caribbean. Others have picturesque names, and some have funny names such as Nalga de Maco, or Toad Butt Mountain. No matter the name, these are areas vital to the nation’s watersheds that carry water to reservoirs, agriculture, and for human consumption.

Last week a Dominican and four Haitian employees were arrested for felling trees in the protected area near Villa Los Almacigos in the province of Santiago Rodriguez. Destruction of the forest violates Environment Law 64-00 and Protected Areas Law 202-04.

The group was tracked down by forest rangers serving the Ministry of Environment assisted by members of the Dominican armed forces. The teams of forest rangers and...

The 2024 hurricane season made its entry with gray skies and torrential rains on Sunday, 2 June in the afternoon. More rains are forecast for the first week in June. The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from 1 June to 30 November.

The hurricane names for 2024 are Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Milton, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tony, Valerie and William. If there are more than these 21 named storms, the additional hurricanes are named according to an alternate list of names provided by the World Meteorological Organization.

Many names, such as David (1979), Federico (1979), Hortense (1996), Georges (1998) and others that have impacted large parts of the Dominican Republic have been removed from the hurricane name list. As every year, the authorities are telling people to get bad storm preparations in place...

Saturday Night Live star comedian, Dominican Marcello Hernandez told his story for Dominican audiences on Esta Noche con Mariasela talk show. He recently did his stuff for Dominican audiences, starring in four sold-out nights at the Hard Rock Cafe in Santo Domingo.

The 26-year old stand up comedian is a son of a Dominican father and a Cuban mother. When growing up in Miami, his father sent him to vacation with his many cousins in the Dominican Republic several times every year. He played soccer and even made the Dominican soccer youth team. He was here enough time to pick up the Dominican accent.

During the interview, he explained he was a champion soccer player in school in Miami, and was always very verbacious, making people laugh in school. He got an inkling he could have a career in acting after winning a drama contest in Florida. His teacher had told him...

10-year old Dinely Yarí Raynov Ricardo is a rising international star in gymnastics. She recently won five gold medals in her participation in the 2024 Artistic Junior Pan American Championships held 23-25 May 2024 in Santa Marta, Colombia. Her participation is the best ever for a Dominican athlete in this regional competition. She has now qualified to participate in the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.

The 2024 Artistic Junior Pan American Championships is a sporting event that will take place in 2024. It is an international competition that features artistic gymnastics events for junior athletes from countries in the Pan American region. The event is organized by the Pan American Gymnastics Union (PAGU) and is held every four years. It is a prestigious competition that attracts top gymnasts from across the continent.

Dominican senior competitor Audrys Nin Reyes...

Marileidy Paulino, the Dominican two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist, clocked the fastest outdoor 400 meters of the year at 49.30 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Norway on 30 May 2024.

The victory was Paulino’s fourth consecutive win in a major 400-meter race in 2024. She won the race at the Oslo Bislett Games in Bislett Stadium, Oslo, Norway.

Paulino also earned $10,000 for winning the race, her third 400-meter victory in the Diamond League this year. She has so far won $30,000 in prize money competing in the Diamond League.

Paulino has qualified for the 2024 Diamond League Final, which will be held in Brussels, Belgium on 13 and 14 September at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme-King Baudouin Stadium. The winner of each event at the finals receives an additional 30,000 cash prize and a trophy.

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