DR1 Daily News - Wednesday, 24 August 2016

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May 3, 2000
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DR to attend Kazakhstan World Fair
Screening to prevent neonatal mortality
Power cut announced for Duarte province
Electricity tariffs should go down, not up
Brugal says ProCompetencia report tells it as it is
Oxygen company closed
Senate priorities for this legislature
National District RD$2 billion in debt
Internet forums to celebrate .do
Police arrest suspected hitman
Arias Valera may go to jail
Case of Amet agent and prosecutor closed
More on Tucanogate investigation
Three aircraft crashes in less than two months
Amaya Baez: the famous little chef
Big rainstorm forecast
Auction of drawings by late child cancer victims
Andres Cepeda at the National Theater



DR to attend Kazakhstan World Fair
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado has announced that the Dominican Republic will be sending a delegation to the Expo-2017 World Fair that will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan. The exhibition theme is the future of energy around the world.

Minister Vargas met with the commissioner for Expo 2017, Azamat S. Abdraimov in Santo Domingo on Tuesday 23 August 2016 and highlighted the importance of the Dominican Republic?s involvement in events that help promote the country?s image and its commitment to sustainable energy.

Vargas added that the Dominican participation was within the framework of cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan to strengthen bilateral relations with the Dominican Republic. Relations were established in 2009.

Dominican ambassador in India and concurrent with Kazakhstan, Hans Dannenberg Castellanos was also present at the meeting.


Screening to prevent neonatal mortality
First Lady Candida Montilla de Medina is highlighting the importance of reducing infant and neonatal mortality through the use of early diagnostic techniques for congenital disorders. She was speaking during her welcoming speech to participants in an international seminar on ?Improving the Quality of Care for Newborns? on Tuesday, 23 August 2016.

The First Lady?s Office has taken on the leadership of a neonatal screening project that began in December 2015 with the construction of a first laboratory to analyze samples.

Montilla mentioned that President Danilo Medina had issued a decree in 2015 creating the National Program for Neonatal and High-Risk Screening that is linked to the Disability Comprehensive Care Centers (CAID), which are now up and running in three provinces in the country and the National District.

https://www.presidencia.gob.do/noti...licas-regionales-reduzcan-mortalidad-infantil


Power cut announced for Duarte province
The northern electricity distribution company, Edenorte has announced that on Wednesday 24 August 2016 electricity supplies will be cut off for eight hours in most of Duarte province, including San Francisco de Macoris and Las Guaranas, the town of Jaya and most other areas, from 9 am to 5 pm.

The measure is being taken so that maintenance work can be carried out on a transformer. The company apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...-el-servicio-electrico-en-la-provincia-duarte


Electricity tariffs should go down, not up
The Dominican Electricity Industry Association (ADIE) has denied reports that the sector is calling for an increase in electricity rates. As reported in El Nuevo Diario, ADIE?s position is that rates should be reduced in line with this year?s drop in global petrol prices. Reportedly, power distributors are sourcing power from the generators at a 30% lower cost, both in contracts and spot purchases.

The cost of the kilowatt hour has dropped from 37 US cents in 2013 to 13 cents at present, according to data from the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE).

CDEEE executive vice president Ruben Jimenez Bichara admitted the savings are being used by the government to finance the construction of the coal-fired Punta Catalina plants.

The government is the owner of the country?s main power distributors ? EdeEste, EdeSur and EdeNorte.

ADIE says the savings have not been passed on to consumers because the Superintendence of Electricity has chosen to keep the same electricity rates.

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=494181
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...no-ha-bajado-preguntenle-a-catalina-HB4751449


Brugal says ProCompetencia report tells it as it is
In a press release, the Brugal rum manufacturing company says it was consulted for the study carried out by the National Commission for the Defense of Competition (CNDC) on the impact of the merger between the Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana and AmBev on the alcoholic beverages market.

In the press release, Brugal says that the study reflects the concerns that it has expressed over the past two years to the CND, the brewers of Presidente beer and distributors of Barcelo rum.

According to the report produced by economist Jaime Aristy and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, the CND engages in anti-competitive practices that are affecting the national rum market.

Brugal says that the research verified that the brewery pressured its customers to reduce Brugal?s presence and marketing and increased the presence of Barcelo, which is distributed by the brewery. Moreover, Brugal confirmed the study?s finding that CND-AmBev also uses its beer pull to get its clients to remove promotional material placed by Brugal. As reported, anyone who doesn?t comply loses the discount on the purchase of beer or the supply of this high-demand product.

http://www.diariolibre.com/economia...o-competencia-recoge-su-declaracion-EY4742431


Oxygen company closed
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the closure of Oxigeno Medicinal Industrial (Ogim), after establishing that it lacks the appropriate permits for selling oxygen to its client, the Marcelino Velez Santana Public Hospital in Santo Domingo, in violation of Law 64-00.

The decision also ordered the company manager, Venezuelan Jose Guerrero Rocca to stop providing full tanks of oxygen to the public hospital and to pay a fine of RD$1,023,000, equivalent to 200 minimum salaries, for not holding the corresponding environmental authorization and for operating illegally.

http://elnacional.com.do/ministerio-ambiente-cierra-una-empresa/


Senate priorities for this legislature
Senators from the ruling PLD have announced in a press release that they will be giving priority to the proposals for the Political Parties Bill, the Electoral Bill and the Penal Code during this legislature.

Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez announced that the members of the permanent committees in charge of studying and discussing the bills would be chosen during the first legislature session that opened on Tuesday, 23 August 2016.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...an-prioridad-a-ley-de-partidos-y-codigo-penal


National District RD$2 billion in debt
Mayor David Collado says that the National District City Hall is bankrupt and that he has inherited a debt of RD$2 billion from his predecessor, Roberto Salcedo, who served as mayor during the previous three four-year terms.

Although he did not provide a breakdown of the debt, Collado said that this year City Hall would be working on a permanent deficit and that debt notifications from suppliers were still coming in.

Collado said that he would be meeting with each supplier to work out a payment schedule. Economist Jacqueline Mora is responsible for sorting out the city government finances.

The new mayor added that they would need to take out a RD$400 million loan to pay the Christmas bonus in December. He said that employees doing their job would stay on, despite pressure to hire members of the opposition PRM party that took him to the post. Collado promised that under his administration there would not be any botellas, or people who are paid wages for political patronage.

He announced an amnesty for households that have not paid for garbage collection for more than two years, adding that he planned to reduce the cost of garbage collection by 15-20%.

http://almomento.net/david-collado-...to-del-distrito-nacional-esta-quebrado/237013


Internet forums to celebrate .do
Technical experts from Latin America and the Caribbean are meeting in Santo Domingo this week in an important event for the region?s Internet community.

LACNIC On The Move is a meeting organized by the Internet Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACNIC), which is holding a weeklong conference which began on Monday 22 August 2016. It will bring together representatives from several international bodies working to grow the global Internet.

According to LACNIC CEO Oscar Robles, average Internet penetration in Latin America used to be between 10 and 15% but this has now grown to 55.9%. Their goal is to connect the 44% of Latin Americans who still aren?t connected to the Internet.

A parallel event, AMPARO, ran from August 22 to 24. AMPARO is a closed workshop aimed at technical staff from government institutions in the Dominican Republic and members of LACNIC. It is part of an ongoing initiative by LACNIC to strengthen the security capacity of the regional Internet community.

Both events are part of the weeklong celebration of the 25th anniversary of the .do domain, organized by PUCMM through the .do domain registration office (NIC.DO).
Called Internet Week, the event is jointly organized by the Dominican Republic Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL), the Organization of ccTLDs of Latin America and the Caribbean (LACTLD), Dominican Republic Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC RD), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/top...-Santo-Domingo-hosts-internet-week-31507.html


Police arrest suspected hitman
The National Police said the Cibao police department has arrested a man accused of belonging to a gang of hit men who are believed to have killed three people in drug-related shootings in Moca, Espaillat province.

The arrested man is 22-year old Rudy Ezequiel Almonte Peralta, alias Chiquiton. According to the Police, he was identified by several witnesses as one of the men who shot Jose Miguel Jimenez Pena, known as Buche, Rafael Arturo Rivera Cruz and Arturo Argelis Taveras Gomez.

Also arrested in connection with this crime are Juan Carlos Santiago Ferreiras (Rafuche) and Jose Luis Paulino Tejada (Chucho), who Police say were both members of the gang. The gang leader was Arturo Anyelis Taveras Gomez (Anyelis), who was killed in a gun battle between rival gangs last month.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/08/23/policia-apresa-moca-presunto-sicario-22-anos


Arias Valera may go to jail
The head prosecutor for the Court of Appeals, Jose del Carmen Sepulveda, says that the former president of the Judicial Branch Council, Francisco Arias Valera had violated the terms of his house arrest when he left his home to request political asylum at the Embassy of the Vatican. He said a hearing would be held to change the terms of the pre-trial coercive measures. Del Carmen Sepulveda said that when a judge hands down coercive measures the accused must comply with them. He said the prosecution now would ask for Arias Valera to be sent to jail.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/08/...ue-revoquen-prision-domiciliaria-arias-valera


Case of Amet agent and prosecutor closed
The National District prosecution office held a press conference on Tuesday 23 August 2016 to announce that National District Court of Appeals prosecutor Sourelly Jaquez and Metropolitan Transport Authority (Amet) agent Richardson Saba Nunez had come to an agreement following an altercation that was filmed and shared on social media. The incident occurred after the prosecutor violated traffic law by parking on a sidewalk.

The agreement means that the agent, who had been sent to jail for a month for pushing the prosecutor, has been released. As part of the agreement, both Saba and Jaquez acknowledged responsibility.

During a press conference, Saba admitted to mistreating Jaquez, and expressed regret at this. The prosecutor admitted the traffic violation and said she would pay the corresponding fine.

The dispute took place after the agent asked Jaquez to move her car after she parked on a sidewalk to visit a beauty salon. She also refused to show her driver?s license to the traffic agent.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...usado-de-agredirla-llegan-a-acuerdo-BA4750560
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...sta-reconoce-cometio-infraccion-transito.html


More on Tucanogate investigation
The Dominican media is disclosing more details from the files that were received from Brazil in February 2016 on the alleged bribes that led to the purchase of the Super Tucano aircraft during the Leonel Fernandez administration. The aircraft were purchased to police Dominican skies from drug trafficking.

Diario Libre reports that the purchase contract with Embraer was padded with 3.7% for commercial representation. In the case, Colonel Piccini Nunez, responsible for special projects for the Armed Forces, was ordered to three months pre-trial custody. The chief of the Armed Forces at the time, Major General Pedro Rafael Pena Antonio and businessmen Daniel Aquino Mendez, former owner of the Escogido, and his son Daniel Aquino Hernandez were authorized to wear electronic tags while the investigations are underway. Documents were presented that alledgedly tie Embraer payments to Piccini through the companies 4D Business Group, Ferroboc and Magycorp to ?facilitate? the purchase of the airplanes.

Diario Libre reports the files reveal that the payments were for US$2.5 million, US$920,000 and US$100,000 in 2009.

TV investigative journalist Alicia Ortega also aired a special report on the case on Monday, 22 August 2016 based on documents shared by investigators in Brazil and the United States.

http://www.noticiassin.com/2016/08/...-de-drogas-hoy-es-un-escandalo-de-corrupcion/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...io-pruebas-del-caso-tucano-a-brasil-XB4751404


Three aircraft crashes in less than two months
Three air accidents involving two helicopters and one light aircraft have occurred in less than two months, with one military officer dead and several people injured, including an Air Force General and a prominent former government employee.

The Civil Aviation Board (JAC) and the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) are meeting with technicians to decide what action should be taken, including a thorough review process to ensure that all airplanes and helicopters used in domestic, private and fumigation flights are in good condition.

The most recent accident occurred on Monday, 22 August 2016 when a light aircraft with four tourists on board, flying from Punta Cana to Arroyo Barril in Samana had to make an emergency landing on a highway after its engine lost power. IDAC reported that a small plane, a PA-32 single-engine, registration HI-482 crash landed on the Uvero Alto highway on the way to Macao beach in northern Punta Cana just seven minutes after taking off from Punta Cana International Airport. The pilot Gustavo Ayala reported engine trouble.

In the forced landing, the airplane hit a 20-year old motorcyclist, Luis Gomez Martinez who was on his way to work at the Bahia Principe hotel.

The first accident occurred in Santiago Rodriguez province on 12 June when a helicopter carrying sports minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal crashed, resulting in the death of a military officer who was on board.

The second helicopter accident took place two weeks ago in Santo Domingo?s Higuero airport when it crashed, injuring its pilot General Victor Reynoso.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/08/23/aeronave-aterrizo-emergencia-uvero-alto
http://elnacional.com.do/tres-accidentes-aereos-ocurren-rd-en-menos-de-dos-meses/


Amaya Baez: the famous little chef
An 11-year old Dominican-American girl, Amaya Baez was one of the four finalists in this year?s Masterchef Junior USA. In an interview with MetroRD she said that the dish that got her through to the finals was ?asopao de camarones?, a traditional Dominican soupy rice dish with shrimp.

Amaya had to compete with 4,000 children to qualify for the Masterchef Junior finals and made it to the 46 who were selected for the popular televised cooking competition.

A 5th grade student at the Hoover School in Bergenfield, New Jersey, earlier this year Amaya received The President Award for academic excellence signed by US President Barack Obama.

http://www.metrord.do/estilo-de-vid...-y-el-aceite-caliente/ftwphw---9bhxKJctnQynw/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tnXJb8vdm0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVhNjgBpR7A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr4IaqgECJ4


Big rainstorm forecast
While Tropical Storm Gaston is unlikely to affect the Dominican Republic, weather forecasters are closely monitoring the closer tropical wave 99L that is affecting Puerto Rico today and tomorrow. The storm could reach tropical depression or tropical storm category in 24 hours and would be named Hermine.

Regardless of its category, the storm is expected to bring heavy rains and thunderstorms to the Dominican Republic in the next 24 hours.

http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/157613-2016-Hurricane-Season


Auction of drawings by late child cancer victims
The Friends Fighting Child Cancer Foundation (Casa Facci) is hosting an auction of works by artist Tete Marella and of drawings by children who died of cancer at the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo on Wednesday, 24 August at 7:30pm.

An exhibition of the works by the children, ?The Art of Saying Goodbye? is open to the general public free of charge from Wednesday to Friday, 26 August from 9am to 5pm. The exhibition features the work of patients Wilfrainy Almond, Elisand Pinales, Polynester Mateo, Kimberly Mejia, Orquidea, Ronaldo Santana, Ginette Mancebo, Hansel A. Abreu, Carla C. Bernard, Dawalky de la Rosa and Katherine Gomez.

The funds from the event will be used to help other cancer patients.

The Facci president says the exhibition seeks to raise awareness about the importance of backing institutions that work to increase the lifespan and quality of life of children with cancer.

http://elnacional.com.do/subastaran-dibujos-pintados-por-ninos-fallecidos-de-cancer/


Andres Cepeda at the National Theater
Colombian singer Andres Cepeda will be performing with Pamel Mancebo on Friday, 2 September 2016 and Pavel Nunez on Saturday, 3 September at the Carlos Piantini Hall of the National Theater in Santo Domingo. The concerts start at 8:30pm.

Listen to his music at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvITnIylaQ8

http://andrescepeda.com.co

For more on ongoing and upcoming events:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar


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