DR1 Daily News - Friday, 26 August 2016

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Vargas Maldonado outlines foreign policy plans
Mining with strict supervision
City government and Public Works to work together
New environment minister meets environmentalists
Zika in decline in DR
Website to monitor government spending
Andeclip wants explanation for clinic closures
Emergency landing at Punta Cana International
20% of Dominicans have mental health problems
Dominican plastic surgeons join ISAPS
Tomas Castro: upper echelons left out of corruption cases
Rains to continue
Sixth DR Environmental Film Festival in September
Cooking classes with Amaya Baez
Le Cirque de Paris in Santo Domingo
Hector Acosta El Torito, Yiyo Sarante and Vakero



Vargas Maldonado outlines foreign policy plans
New Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas believes that the country needs to make better use of globalization and exert a greater influence on regional and international organizations. He was speaking during a meeting with diplomats and consuls accredited in the country and said he planned to consolidate inclusive and transparent policies working together with the country?s traditional allies.

He spoke of trade, investment, food and energy safety, tourism, environment, human rights and defense of the Diaspora as the key areas. He also mentioned cultural diffusion, territorial integrity and regional security, emphasis on fighting drug trafficking, people smuggling and trans-regional crime.

He stressed the importance of open communication channels with the diplomatic and consular missions.

He announced plans to travel to Haiti on Tuesday, 30 August 2016 to meet with the acting President of Haiti and the Minister of Foreign Relations.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/08/26/vargas-esboza-planes-cancilleria
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...er-mas-incidencia-en-los-organismos-fc4774788


Mining with strict supervision
Minister of Energy and Mines Antonio Isa Conde says that the 25.1% growth registered in the mining sector in the first half of 2016 shows that the sector can develop by complying with the rules and the strict supervision of the state regulator, as has been the case.

As reported in Hoy, Isa Conde said that the results showed that the will to do things well was the key.

?Adjusting to the regulations does not slow down mining development,? said Isa Conde, pointing out that the first mining supervision protocol, which had been pending since the 1970s was approved under his administration.

He said that 44 administrative resolutions for exploration and mining concessions have been granted during his tenure, and seven protocols and regulations have been prepared to establish clear rules for the mining sector.

http://hoy.com.do/isa-conde-el-desarrollo-minero-es-posible-respetando-las-normas/


City government and Public Works to work together
New National District mayor David Collado met with Minister of Public Works (MOPC) Gonzalo Castillo on Thursday 25 August 2016. They announced they would sign a cooperation agreement at the city government (ADN) offices on Wednesday, 7 September 2016.

Under the new agreement, the Ministry of Public Works will carry out city works, as it has been doing with traffic improvements in recent months. The Ministry of Public Works will also provide funds for city markets, cemeteries and storm drainage.
The meeting follows the new mayor?s meeting with President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace earlier this week.

Castillo said the agreement was being drafted and promised that in a year?s time a major difference would be perceived as a result of the works carried out jointly with the government entities. MOPC cabinet chief Engineer Ramon Antonio Pepin is working on the document with architect Tammy Villar, who is in charge of planning at the MOPC, and architect Juan Mubarak for the ADN.

He said the next step would be to involve other institutions, including the Santo Domingo Waterworks Corporation (CAASD) and the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET).
Collado confirmed that one of the city government?s priorities was to restore the Malecon, on the stretch from the Hotel Santo Domingo to the Fray Anton de Montesinos Monument. He will also be working to find a definite solution to the disorder created by informal vendors at the intersection of Av. Duarte and Calle Paris.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/08/26/432803/adn-y-obras-publicas-realizaran-proyectos
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...ntos-fallidos-por-mejorar-la-duarte-con-paris


New environment minister meets environmentalists
New Minister of Environment Francisco Dominguez Brito met with representatives of 20 leading environmental organizations for around three hours last week to obtain a first-hand overview of their concerns and to open communication channels for the best results for the environment. ?Our commitment is to work hard while respecting the law and protecting natural resources,? the former Attorney General told the environmentalists. He agreed to hold monthly meetings with the groups.

He highlighted President Danilo Medina?s stated interest in protecting water sources in this four-year term.

Dominguez Brito also agreed to draw up a plan for the gradual recovery of Valle Nuevo mountain area.

The topics discussed included verifying the legality of processes that affect natural resources - especially protected areas, deforestation, large-scale charcoal production, river and dune depredation for extraction of construction materials, and illegal farming in protected areas and riverbeds.

The environmentalists also spoke of the need to improve transparency in the process of granting permits and environmental licenses.

The meeting was moderated by Dominican Republic Academy of Sciences president Milciades Mejia and was attended by Luis Carvajal, Milton Martinez and Felicita Heredia for the UASD Environmental Commission, Yvonne Arias, Yolanda Leon and Andrea Thomen for the Grupo Jaragua, Beatriz Ferrer and Maria Isabel Serrano for Grupo SOS-Ambiente-RD, Ricardo Garcia from the National Botanical Gardens, Nelson Bautista of the Green Action Foundation, Jovanny Krawinkel of the Church Ecological Pastoral Service, Andres Ferrer of the Moscoso Puello Foundation, Maria Paula Miguel from the Propagas Foundation and environmentalists Adolfo Lopez, Ricardo Briones, Victor Almanzar, geographer Jose Ramon Martinez Batlle and nature researcher Kelvin Guerrero.

http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...-promete-plan-para-recuperar-valle-nuevo.html


Zika in decline in DR
On Thursday, 25 August 2016 the Ministry of Public Health reported a significant drop in the number of Zika virus cases affecting the Dominican Republic. The Ministry says that a downward trend in suspected and confirmed cases has been maintained for eight weeks. The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

The National Epidemiological Watch System (Sinave) reported more than 350 cases of Zika in week 22 of 2016. By week 30 the number had declined to fewer than 20 cases.
The ministry says that so far three cases of microcephaly have been attributed to the Zika virus in babies born in Independencia and Santo Domingo provinces and the National District.

http://elnacional.com.do/ministerio-de-salud-informa-gran-descenso-de-la-curva-epidemica-del-zika/


Website to monitor government spending
A newly launched watchdog website, vigilantes.do is described as a tool that will enable citizens to monitor government spending and transparency. It is updated with information corresponding up to the first half of 2016.

The website has been created by Oxfam in the Dominican Republic. Country director Raul del Rio says it will contribute to citizen participation in ensuring better government spending. He said it would be useful for social organizations, journalists, academics and rights activists who need access to data and tools to act in favor of better public policies.
The three thematic observatories within the site provide data on budget allocations and social oversight in the areas of education, habitat and housing.

The initiative has been coordinated with civil society organizations the National Farmers? Network, Alternative City, the Decent Education Coalition and the Fiscal Justice Movement.

http://www.7dias.com.do/el-pais/201...os-vigilen-inversion-gastos-del-gobierno.html


Andeclip wants explanation for clinic closures
Private Clinics Association (Andeclip) president Rafael Mena has asked Santo Domingo prosecutors to clarify the reasons for the shutdown of three private clinics ? Centros Medicos Integral I, II and III. Of the three, only Centro Medico Integral II is a member of the private clinics association.

After the shutdown only hospitalized patients were allowed to continue receiving services from the clinics, described as three of Santo Domingo East?s leading private health facilities.

Mena said that neither the Ministry of Public Health nor the Attorney General office has explained the decision, and that there has only been speculation. After the establishments were raided on Sunday, 21 August 2016 they were closed down without the prosecutors providing any report with an explanation.

?We want to know the real reason for the shutdown order because the patients are anxious for information about the situation and if a crime has been committed citizens need to know and we also to know the measures to be taken,? said Mena in an interview with El Dia. ?We will not back any wrongdoing, but we need to know the truth,? he stated.

Santo Domingo prosecutor Olga Dina, who is in charge of the investigations, has told the press she has no comments to make yet.

There is speculation that the raids could be linked to the discovery of a girl?s body on Km. 23 of Duarte Highway. The remains are suspected to be of 10-year old Carla Massiel Cabrera, who was kidnapped in June 2015, allegedly for organ harvesting.

A report in Listin Diario says that investigators have made several visits to the abandoned lot where the body was found, following statements made by main suspect in her murder, Darwin Trinidad, who is under arrest.

Trinidad led the authorities to find the body. As reported, the authorities may have found other corpses on the site.

Meanwhile, National Transplant Coordination Institute (Incort) president Fernando Morales Billini has called on state prosecutors to act sensibly and suspend their raids on medical centers in Santo Domingo East. He said these actions only served to strengthen the urban legends about the robbery of organs. Incort spokesmen observed that a psychiatric check up to Darwin Jose Trinidad be carried out as he shows signs of a psychopath that is frequent in serial killers and rapists.

Writing in Hoy, Dr. Ashley Baquero, one of the founders of the organ transplant movement in the country, called for the investigations to continue so that the alleged involvements of clinics in Santo Domingo East could be discarded.

?While it is true that it is a complex surgical procedure involving a large number of professionals that cannot be carried out on a tabletop, it is also the case that there are professional criminals who can act as mercenaries and carry out these operations in a house prepared for these purposes or in a small clinic,? he pointed out.

In his opinion, nevertheless, the child body?s burial near the home is more likely to be linked to a satanic rite rather than a transplant operation. He said to wait for the authorities to conclude their investigations and called for the press to be patient and not alarm the public, which he said only makes it more difficult to educate people and cultivate trust so they choose to donate their organs at death.

Dominican Medical Association (CMD) president Waldo Ariel Suero observed the authorities must have found sufficient proof before closing the private clinics.

In a press release, the Ministry of Public Health said that they were cooperating with the prosecutors and that the clinics had been closed to prevent patients from being affected by any situations that could result from the ongoing investigations. The Ministry says that it needs to wait for the competent authorities to conclude the legal investigation and that it cannot intervene.

http://eldia.com.do/presidente-de-andeclip-dice-desconoce-causas-del-cierre-clinicas/
http://eldia.com.do/554522-2/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/justicia/la-fiscalia-del
-distrito-nacional-guarda-silencio-sobre-el-cierre-de-tres-
clinicas-EC4774897
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=494614
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...an-como-compleja-investigacion-del-caso-carla
http://hoy.com.do/trafico-de-organos-mitos-y-realidades/autor/hoy/


Emergency landing at Punta Cana International
A Latin American Wings (LAW) flight operated by Chilejet made a successful emergency landing at Punta Cana International Airport on Wednesday, 25 August 2016 after pilots decided to return to the airport following an explosion during takeoff, as reported by the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC). The pilots reported the explosion and airport ground crew established that a tire had exploded. The Boeing 737 with Chilean registration CC-ADZ had taken off en route to Santiago de Chile with 156 people on board. The pilots circled for two hours to use up fuel before making the landing. All major crash procedures were put into place at the Punta Cana International Airport, and hospitals in Higuey and La Romana were informed.

According to news reports, most of the passengers were Haitians. As reported, the airline took the passengers to a hotel in Bavaro and announced plans to depart on Friday.

The airplane had departed at 12:33pm and was scheduled to arrive at the Jorge Chavez International Airport in Peru, according to a press release from the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC). All the passengers were evacuated safely.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...os-que-aterrizo-ese-avion-tan-facil-HB4762595
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...mergencia-de-aeronave-en-punta-cana-DB4762371
https://www.vuelalaw.com


20% of Dominicans have mental health problems
In an interview with Hoy, Dominican Psychiatry Society representatives Angel Almanzar, Fernando Sanchez Martinez, Carlos de los Angeles and Maria Neri Perez said that 20 of every 100 Dominicans suffer from mental health problems. Nevertheless, they said Dominicans have high resilience levels and a capacity for overcoming adversity, which makes them some of the happiest people in the world, as has been recognized internationally.

Dominican Psychiatry Society president Maria Neri Perez said that safety issues like violence, survival struggles, traffic chaos, lack of respect for laws and impunity, and the fact that more than 500,000 young people are neither studying nor working are all social factors that affect Dominicans? mental health.

http://hoy.com.do/psiquiatras-el-20-dominicanos-tiene-su-salud-mental-afectada/


Dominican plastic surgeons join ISAPS
The Dominican Plastic Surgery Society (Socipre) has announced that it has joined the global alliance organized by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), a leading international professional organization for plastic surgeons. Sodocipre president Dr. Otoniel Diaz said that entry to this select group was a step forward for Dominican plastic surgeons and represented recognition of the programs carried out by the society.


Tomas Castro: upper echelons left out of corruption cases
Suspended judge Awilda Reyes?s lawyer Tomas Castro has complained that judicial corruption investigations have not included the upper echelons of power. The lawyer suspects that any investigation into former attorney general Radhames Jimenez would also mean investigating former President Leonel Fernandez, which he says no one is willing to do, as reported in Acento.

He complained that the prosecutors have prepared the case focusing only on his client and former Judicial Branch councilor Francisco Arias Valera, when the decisions they took had been approved by their superiors.

Castro said: ?There is a mafia that begins with the pre-selection of judges who will serve the political and economic interests of a range of political and legal groups. The rulings by these judges are then confirmed by the court and the Supreme Court of Justice. Then you are not talking of two or three judges who are carrying out the wrong exercise of their profession. I believe it is the system that is not working.?

He said that civil society organizations, despite declaring themselves independent are also members of the mafia. He also included in the mafia legislators who send orders that cannot be disobeyed to judges. ?That judge has no other option but to do what the senator tells them,? he stated.

The lawyer pointed out that the highest echelons of government were involved in the Tucanogate corruption case but have not been included in the judicial probe that has concentrated on the bribes and not on the overvaluation in the sale. He added that if the overvaluation in the purchase contract of the aircraft were investigated, they would have to look beyond the arrested colonel and former minister of the Armed Forces.

Castro says he will not stand by silently in the case of Arias Valera and Reyes Beltre.

http://acento.com.do/2016/actualida...orrupcion-no-incluyen-todos-los-altos-mandos/


Rains to continue
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) has extended the weather alerts to 23 provinces and the National District due to the low-pressure system. He said so far 1,025 people had to leave their homes and 205 houses were affected by the heavy rains on Wednesday and Thursday, 25 and 26 August 2016.

A yellow alert has been issued for the National District and provinces of Santo Domingo, Maria Trinidad Sanchez (Nagua), La Romana, Azua, Peravia (Bani), Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui), Monte Plata and San Cristobal.

Green alerts (watch) are in place for La Altagracia (Higuey), Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris, especially the Bajo Yuna area), El Seibo, San Jose de Ocoa, Hato Mayor, Espaillat (Moca), Puerto Plata, Santiago, Monsenor Nouel (Bonao), San Pedro de Macoris, La Vega, Dajabon, Monte Cristi, Santiago Rodriguez and Valverde (Mao).
The weather service (Onamet) forecasts continued but lighter rainfall.


Sixth DR Environmental Film Festival in September
The Sixth Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival is being held from 13-18 September 2016 with screenings in 10 cities around the country. This year the Muestra de Cine Medioambiental Dominicana (DREFF) features 45 movies and will be attended by 40 national and international guests.

The festival opens on 13 September at 5pm at the Agora Mall movie center in Santo Domingo with a screening of the documentary, ?The True Cost? that focuses on sustainable fashion.

There will be 140 film screenings and dozens of talks, workshops, exhibitions and other events as part of the prestigious environmental film festival.

Through DREFF, this year the Dominican Republic is hosting the Green Film Network Award, the Oscars of the environmental films.

The films include:
10 Billion: What?s on Your Plate (Germany, 2015)
All the Time in the World (Canada, 2014)
Death by a Thousand Cuts (Dominican Republic, 2016)
Freightened: The real cost of maritime transport (Spain, France, 2016)
The Anthropologist (USA, 2015)
The Messenger (Canada and France, 2015)
The True Cost (USA, 2015)
This Changes Everything (USA, 2015)
After the Spill (USA, 2015)
Blood Lions (South Africa, 2015)
Catching the Sun (USA, China, 2016)
Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (USA, 2014)
Dear President Obama (USA, 2016)
In Defense of Food (USA, 2015)
Monkey Kingdom (USA, 2015)
Sonic Sea (USA, 2015)
Stink! (USA, 2015)
Sunu (Mexico, 2015)

There will be screenings in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Bani, Puerto Plata, Sosua, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, Samana, Hermanas Mirabal, Azua, Bonao, Punta Cana and La Romana, in more than 40 venues.

See details of the program and the film schedule at:
http://www.dreff.org/dreff2016/peliculas/
http://www.dreff.org/dreff2016/
http://www.dreff.org/dreff2016/programa/


Cooking classes with Amaya Baez
Masterchef Junior USA semifinalist Amaya Baez is giving cooking lessons at Prieto Nouel on Saturday, 27 August 2016 at 11am and 4pm.

Prieto Nouel is at Calle Haim Lopez Penha #19 in Ensanche Paraiso, Santo Domingo. Tel 809-541-0400.


Le Cirque de Paris in Santo Domingo
The Lucien Durand and Alexis Choisnet?s Paris Circus is in Santo Domingo for shows from 19 August 2016 to 23 October 2016.

The circus has pitched its tent at the former Herrera Airport site for performances on Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 5 and 8pm.

The circus is famous for its magic shows and acrobatic performances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OOYJuwUqUw


Hector Acosta El Torito, Yiyo Sarante and Vakero
Hard Rock Cafe Santo Domingo presents merengue band Hector Acosta (El Torito), the urban music of Vakero and bachata from Yiyo Sarante on Friday 30 September at 9:30pm at the Hard Rock Cafe at Blue Mall in Santo Domingo.

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


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http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.p...-Headline-News

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