Medina goes to Colombia on Friday
DR mission concludes humanitarian work in Haiti
New factory opens at Codevi park in Haiti
Industry Ministry will suspend fuel wholesaler permits
EU-LAC Summit Santo Domingo Declaration
The new EU-LAC Foundation
Senate approves US$600 million bond issue
Government institutions in debt to Coraasan
Asonahores supports Conep in fight against transport monopoly
DR retains Doing Business ranking
Catholics told not to scatter or keep ashes of the dead
Cold front brings chilly temperatures
David Ortiz wins Hank Aaron award
Davis Cup opens at Mirador del Este
Death by a Thousand Cuts is showing
Masquerade party for Mariposa Foundation
The New York Band coming for Christmas
Medina goes to Colombia on Friday
President Danilo Medina flies to Cartagena on Friday, 28 October 2016 to attend the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government. The summit on the theme of ?Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education? is being held from 28-29 October 2016.
President Medina will travel by private plane from San Isidro Air Base.
As reported by the Presidency, the summit will be attended by 12 heads of state, three vice presidents, five foreign ministers and two deputy foreign ministers. King Felipe VI of Spain is also expected, along with President Marcelo Robelo Da Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Lu?s Santos da Costa of Portugal. Other heads of state who have confirmed are: Antoni Mart? Petit of Andorra, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Rafael Correa Delgado of Ecuador, Jimmy Morales of Guatemala, Juan Orlando Hern?ndez Alvarado of Honduras, Enrique Pe?a Nieto of Mexico, Juan Carlos Varela Rodr?guez of Panama, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru, and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.
http://elnacional.com.do/medina-asistira-a-la-xxv-cumbre-iberoamericana-de-jefes-estado-y-gobierno/
DR mission concludes humanitarian work in Haiti
Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo has told reporters that the humanitarian mission from the Dominican Republic that went into Haiti following Hurricane Matthew is completing the process of returning with the final 30 of a total convoy of 500 vehicles coming back to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, 27 October 2016.
Minister Castillo said Dominican engineers had reopened all of the blocked passes, restoring access to the town of Les Cayes. He reported that electricity service has been restored to all of the area after being brought down by Hurricane Matthew in early October.
In a telephone interview with Diario Libre, the minister said that they had fulfilled the mission entrusted to them by President Danilo Medina and were satisfied with the job well done. In addition to opening roads, the mission delivered food rations, and construction material to assist victims of the category 4 storm.
Gonzalo Castillo said that he had met with the head of the cabinet in Haiti Jean Max Bellerive and Haitian Minister of Public Works and Transportation Jean Evelt Eveillart to announce the withdrawal of the teams that had been working to repair roads and bridges as well as to clear debris and reconnect electricity lines.
Castillo told the press that Haitian government officials had expressed their appreciation for the quick response from the Dominican government and said that it was one of the most significant that they had received during this current crisis.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...na-labores-de-reconstruccion-de-vias-en-haiti
New factory opens at Codevi park in Haiti
Acting President of Haiti Jocelerme Privert has attended the inauguration of the Winds Group?s new Mazava Hispaniola free zone industry in the Compagnie de Development Industriel (Codevi) Free Zone with operations in Dajab?n (Dominican Republic) and Ouanaminthe (Haiti). Speaking at the event on Wednesday 26 October 2016 he reiterated his gratitude for Dominican solidarity with Haiti following the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in early October 2016. He said his top priority was to restore political stability to Haiti.
The new plant will employ 1,000 people to manufacture sports clothing. The free zone has 8,000 jobs for Haitians in the northeast.*
Minister of Labor Jose Ramon Fadul represented the Dominican government at the ceremony.
Codevi and Grupo M president Fernando Capellan, Quisqueya Bi-national Council representative Juan Vicini and representatives of both border communities also attended the event.
http://eldia.com.do/presidente-de-haiti-pondera-solidaridad-de-los-dominicanos/
http://lenouvelliste.com/lenouvelli...VI-a-model-of-success-in-Haitian-textile.html
Industry Ministry will suspend fuel wholesaler permits
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) has announced that it will suspend distribution licenses for wholesale fuels, including natural gas, for as long as 60 days if vendors were caught selling to individuals or companies operating without a license for this purpose.
According to a press communiqu? from the Ministry, if a company is found in violation on a second occasion, the MIC can proceed to the definitive cancellation of the wholesale license.
Hydrocarbons department director Ram?n Cruz outlined the Ministry?s decision during a press conference at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday, 26 October 2016.
According to resolution No. 239 dated 26 October 2016, the MIC will immediately proceed to disable ?the tanks or storage units of such fuels that are installed by either individuals or companies that do not have a license to operate such an enterprise.?
This action by the ministry comes after several complaints about fuel being sold by people or companies in unsafe conditions.
EU-LAC Summit Santo Domingo Declaration
In the closing declaration of the 2016 EU-CELAC Summit, the attending foreign ministers and high-ranking European Union officials commended the Dominican Republic for the organization of the ministerial meeting. The participants welcomed the results of the first Inter-Summit meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs for contributing to enhance the strategic partnership and for serving as an effective platform for high-level dialogue between Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union. It was decided that the next CELAC-EU Summit would be held in the second semester of 2017 in El Salvador, which was designated as the next temporary president of the CELAC.
During the event, recommendations were made for consideration in the further implementation and development of the CELAC-EU Action Plan.
Participating nations agreed to build on the conclusions of the discussions on the assessment of the programs and actions adopted during the meetings, strengthening bi-regional dialogue and deepening mutual relations, financing for development and climate change, to consolidate a more ambitious, strategic and balanced association on the basis of clearly identified common interests, which shall be the framework of future bi-regional relationships.
The participants also acknowledge the need for open, constructive dialogue and closer cooperation in tax matters, recognizing the need to address tax evasion, base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) with standards monitored and assessed by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum).
See the Santo Domingo Declaration in full at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/10/26-celac-santo-domingo-declaration/
The new EU-LAC Foundation
Latin American and the Caribbean foreign ministers in Santo Domingo for the EU-LAC ministerial meeting signed the agreement for the European Union-Latin America & Caribbean Foundation on Wednesday 26 October 2016. The agreement was signed during the meeting of ministers of foreign affairs from the region and high-ranking European Union officials on 25-26 October 2016 in Santo Domingo. The meeting was co-chaired by Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic holds the 2016 pro-tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The President of the EU-LAC Foundation Leonel Fern?ndez was also present.
The EU-LAC Foundation brings together the European Union and its 28 member states and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and its 33 member states with the following objectives:
- Encouraging further mutual knowledge and understanding between both regions;
- Strengthening the CELAC-EU bi-regional partnership process, with increased participation of the civil society;
- Enhancing the mutual visibility between both regions, as well as of the bi-regional partnership itself.
The EU-LAC Foundation fulfills its objectives through activities such as encouraging debates through seminars, conferences and publications; promoting events related to the topics addressed in CELAC-EU Summits; launching bi-regional programs and organizing exchanges; encouraging studies and creating new contact opportunities.
The EU-LAC Foundation is based in Hamburg (Germany). The signing also called for the transitional EU LAC Foundation established in 2011 will be dissolved.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/p...lac-foundation-constitutive-agreement-signed/
Senate approves US$600 million bond issue
The Senate approved an urgent legislative proposal in two consecutive sessions on Wednesday, 26 October 2016. It will substitute Public Debt Securities for a maximum amount of US$600 million in sovereign bonds to be used for the construction of the Punta Catalina coal-fired generation plant in the southwestern province of Peravia (Ban?). The proposal was accepted after Hacienda Commission chairman Senator Tommy Galan presented a favorable report to senators together with a motion for its urgent inclusion in the day?s agenda because these funds were needed to finish the project.
Both Rub?n Jim?nez Bichara, the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) as well as Minister of Hacienda Donald Guerrero Ortiz presented statements to the Hacienda Commission explaining that the project is now 65% completed and that 90% of the equipment is on the ground. For this reason, no substantial delays are foreseen. The initiative submitted by the Executive Branch and signed between the Dominican Republic and the Economic and Social Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES) is for a total of US$656,008,078.
Government institutions in debt to Coraasan
The executive director of the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan), Silvio Dur?n, told reporters from Diario Libre that it is currently carrying RD$1.5 billion in debt owed by government entities, leading to a reduction in services to the public. He said that the Santiago city government alone owes the sum of RD$170 million, yet Coraasan has to pay the city RD$50 million.
Dur?n said that they now require RD$1.2 billion to provide the water service. He said that the current demand is 134,000,000 gallons per day but the corporation only produces 105,000,000 gallons.
He added that they also have the problems of both physical and commercial losses that represent as much as 2m? per second of their output.
Dur?n was speaking to reporters while inaugurating water treatment plants in the communities of Villa Liberaci?n and La Pi?a in Cienfuegos. These two facilities will allow Corasaan to collect 6.7 million gallons of sewage that used to be dumped into the Yaque del Norte River.
Asonahores supports Conep in fight against transport monopoly
The Dominican Republic Hotels and Tourism Association (Asonahores) has expressed its support for the legal action taken by the National Business Council (Conep) to eradicate the transport cartel monopoly over freight and passenger movement.
Asonahores stated that this situation works against competitiveness by maintaining a system that does not obey the rules of a free market and free competition.
In a press communiqu? issued on Wednesday, 26 October 2016, the largest tourism association in the DR announces that it is joining the legal action filed by Conep before the Superior Administrative Tribunal (TSA) on the grounds of fundamental violations of basic rights regarding freedom of movement, of contracts, of free enterprise and competition exercised by the so-called transport syndicates that currently control most of the transportation in the country.
Asonahores is joining the Conep action with another 80 entities seeking to end the transportation monopolies.
DR retains Doing Business ranking
The Dominican Republic has not moved up in the country rankings in the Doing Business 2017, Augusto L?pez-Claros, director of Global Indicators Group at the World Bank reports. The DR is ranked 103rd of 189 countries, the same as last year.
Now in its 14th year, the report is the World Bank Group?s flagship publication. The report measures regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it in 189 economies.
This year?s ranking includes indicators on the ease of doing business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, cross-border trade, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.
Data in Doing Business 2017 are current as of 1 June 2016. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms of business regulation have worked, where and why.
http://www.doingbusiness.org/reports/global-reports/doing-business-2017
Catholics told not to scatter or keep ashes of the loved
The Vatican?s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued on 25 October 2016 new guidelines banning the scattering of ashes or keeping them in one's house. The announcement comes at a time when cremation is becoming increasingly popular with Dominicans due to the decline in services at public cemeteries, high cost of private burial services, and a changing dead veneration culture.*Scattering or keeping ashes is now a popular practice.
But now the Vatican, under Pope Francis, says that the remains should be kept in a "sacred place." The Vatican doctrinal office says that cemeteries qualified as sacred places and that ashes must be buried, not scattered or kept at home. The Vatican says burial in a church or cemetery shows a greater esteem towards the deceased.
In the new guidelines on cremation, the Vatican says no to dividing the ashes, scattering theses in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way or converting them into mementos or jewelry, practices it now calls "sacrilegious."
The new guidelines were released in time for 2 November celebration of All Souls Day.
The release confirms the Vatican's preference for burial over cremation, which had been approved by the Roman Catholic Church in 1963.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...er-cremation-ashes-and-dont-keep-them-at-home
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...arcir-cenizas-los-difuntos-tenerlas-casa.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/25/europe/cremation-vatican-scattering/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRWYvQ_rCH4
Cold front brings chilly temperatures
Temperatures in mountain areas are reported to have been dropping to 12?C after the long months of summer heat. The weather service attributes this to a cold front located north of the Caribbean.
The weather service reports lows of 12?C in Hondo Valle, El?as Pi?a, and 14?C in Monci?n, Santiago Rodr?guez, 16?C in Polo, Barahona and Constanza, La Vega, and 17?C in Rancho Arriba, San Jos? de Ocoa province. Lows of 18?C were reported in Cabrera in Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez (Nagua), Peralta in Azua, Mao in Valverde and Jarabacoa in La Vega.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/10/26/temperaturas-bajan-hasta-12-grados-pais-por-frente-frio
http://www.onamet.gov.do
David Ortiz wins Hank Aaron award
Recently retired Boston Red Sox David Ortiz, the preeminent designated hitter, has received the Hank Aaron Award for his outstanding offenses statistics during the 2016 Major League season.
The prize is granted to the most outstanding offensive performers in their respective league. The selection is made by a panel of former major-league greats who this year included Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Junior, Eddie Murray and Robin Yount. Baseball fans were allowed to vote by Twitter.
The awards were handed out by Commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron in a news conference before Game Two of the 112th World Series at Progressive Field between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.
Commissioner Manfred speaking on Ort?z said:
"David created an extraordinary legacy with the Red Sox. Fans will never forget his consistent excellence at the plate and his performances on the game's greatest stages.?
In 2016, the last year of his great career, David Ortiz was the leader in slugging percentage at .620; OPS, 1.201 and doubles (48). He was also tied in runs ? batted ? in (RBI) at 127. This great Dominican star batted .315, it 38 homeruns, received 80 bases on balls and reached base at a .401 clip.
The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron?s surpassing of Babe Ruth?s career homerun mark of 714 homeruns.
The first winners of the award were Manny Ram?rez and Sammy Sosa in 1999, while the most recent winners are David Ortiz and Kris Bryant. Alex Rodr?guez has won the award four times, more than any other player.
Davis Cup opens at Mirador del Este
The best tennis players in the Dominican Republic will be playing against the best from Barbados starting this Friday, 28 October 2016 at the Mirador del Este tennis courts in Santo Domingo East.
The Dominican team members are Victor Estrella (ATP ranking 94), Jos? Hern?ndez (212), Jos? Olivares (999), Nick Hardt (1,286), and captain Rafael Moreno.
They will match Barbados? Darian King (132), Haydn Lewis (1,488), and yet to be ranked Seanon Williams and Adam Hornby. The Barbados team captain is Kevin Yarde.
The winner of the five game series (four singles and one double) will remain in the Americas Zone of Group I for 2017. The winner will next play Chile.
Follow the Davis Cup at:
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/group-i/americas.aspx
Death by a Thousand Cuts showing now
With stunning photography and an important story to tell, ?Death by a Thousand Cuts? is showing at cinemas nationwide. The story focuses on the murder of a park ranger in the southwestern mountains of the Dominican Republic to tell a bigger story about the illicit trafficking in charcoal and how it leads to exploitation and mass deforestation and tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The 73-minute feature-length documentary recently opened at Palacio del Cine cinemas in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Bavaro, Bonao, Casa de Campo and La Romana, Higuey and San Francisco.
The film is produced by Jake Kheel, Vice President of Sustainability of Grupo Puntacana and Vice President of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation, and Colombian filmmaker Juan Mej?a Botero.
Read more about the film at:
http://deathbyathousandcutsfilm.com
See movie houses schedules at:
http://www.cinema.com.do/detalles.php?id=2584
Masquerade party for Mariposa Foundation
Support Mariposa Foundation RD?s educational programs for women and girls in Puerto Plata by taking part in D?guis?, ?a masquerade party with a cause?. The event is scheduled for 3 November 2016 from 8:30pm to midnight. Minimum donations of RD$1,000 are required to attend the event at Chez Space on Calle Jacinto Ma??n 7 in Santo Domingo. For reservations write to Gerald@deguiseRD.org
For more information, see http://www.deguiserd.org
The New York Band coming for Christmas
The New York Band will be playing merengue on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 at the Salon La Fiesta of the Hotel Jaragua in Santo Domingo. The show is produced by Edilenia Tactuk who has produced the El Soberano Awards.
The New York Band will also be performing at the Gurabito Country Club in Santiago on Friday, 23 December 2016 and at the Club Casa Puerto Rico in La Romana on 25 December, Christmas Day.
The group is known for its best-loved hits including ?Col?,? ?Zombie,? ?Si t? eres mi hombre,? ?Dame vida? and ?Coraz?n de az?car.?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EonfQ70-_s&list=RD_EonfQ70-_s#t=42
For information on upcoming events:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar
Archived News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/91-Daily-Headline-News
Archived Travel News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/92-Travel-amp-Tourism-News
DR mission concludes humanitarian work in Haiti
New factory opens at Codevi park in Haiti
Industry Ministry will suspend fuel wholesaler permits
EU-LAC Summit Santo Domingo Declaration
The new EU-LAC Foundation
Senate approves US$600 million bond issue
Government institutions in debt to Coraasan
Asonahores supports Conep in fight against transport monopoly
DR retains Doing Business ranking
Catholics told not to scatter or keep ashes of the dead
Cold front brings chilly temperatures
David Ortiz wins Hank Aaron award
Davis Cup opens at Mirador del Este
Death by a Thousand Cuts is showing
Masquerade party for Mariposa Foundation
The New York Band coming for Christmas
Medina goes to Colombia on Friday
President Danilo Medina flies to Cartagena on Friday, 28 October 2016 to attend the 25th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government. The summit on the theme of ?Youth, Entrepreneurship and Education? is being held from 28-29 October 2016.
President Medina will travel by private plane from San Isidro Air Base.
As reported by the Presidency, the summit will be attended by 12 heads of state, three vice presidents, five foreign ministers and two deputy foreign ministers. King Felipe VI of Spain is also expected, along with President Marcelo Robelo Da Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Lu?s Santos da Costa of Portugal. Other heads of state who have confirmed are: Antoni Mart? Petit of Andorra, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Rafael Correa Delgado of Ecuador, Jimmy Morales of Guatemala, Juan Orlando Hern?ndez Alvarado of Honduras, Enrique Pe?a Nieto of Mexico, Juan Carlos Varela Rodr?guez of Panama, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru, and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.
http://elnacional.com.do/medina-asistira-a-la-xxv-cumbre-iberoamericana-de-jefes-estado-y-gobierno/
DR mission concludes humanitarian work in Haiti
Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo has told reporters that the humanitarian mission from the Dominican Republic that went into Haiti following Hurricane Matthew is completing the process of returning with the final 30 of a total convoy of 500 vehicles coming back to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, 27 October 2016.
Minister Castillo said Dominican engineers had reopened all of the blocked passes, restoring access to the town of Les Cayes. He reported that electricity service has been restored to all of the area after being brought down by Hurricane Matthew in early October.
In a telephone interview with Diario Libre, the minister said that they had fulfilled the mission entrusted to them by President Danilo Medina and were satisfied with the job well done. In addition to opening roads, the mission delivered food rations, and construction material to assist victims of the category 4 storm.
Gonzalo Castillo said that he had met with the head of the cabinet in Haiti Jean Max Bellerive and Haitian Minister of Public Works and Transportation Jean Evelt Eveillart to announce the withdrawal of the teams that had been working to repair roads and bridges as well as to clear debris and reconnect electricity lines.
Castillo told the press that Haitian government officials had expressed their appreciation for the quick response from the Dominican government and said that it was one of the most significant that they had received during this current crisis.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...na-labores-de-reconstruccion-de-vias-en-haiti
New factory opens at Codevi park in Haiti
Acting President of Haiti Jocelerme Privert has attended the inauguration of the Winds Group?s new Mazava Hispaniola free zone industry in the Compagnie de Development Industriel (Codevi) Free Zone with operations in Dajab?n (Dominican Republic) and Ouanaminthe (Haiti). Speaking at the event on Wednesday 26 October 2016 he reiterated his gratitude for Dominican solidarity with Haiti following the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in early October 2016. He said his top priority was to restore political stability to Haiti.
The new plant will employ 1,000 people to manufacture sports clothing. The free zone has 8,000 jobs for Haitians in the northeast.*
Minister of Labor Jose Ramon Fadul represented the Dominican government at the ceremony.
Codevi and Grupo M president Fernando Capellan, Quisqueya Bi-national Council representative Juan Vicini and representatives of both border communities also attended the event.
http://eldia.com.do/presidente-de-haiti-pondera-solidaridad-de-los-dominicanos/
http://lenouvelliste.com/lenouvelli...VI-a-model-of-success-in-Haitian-textile.html
Industry Ministry will suspend fuel wholesaler permits
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) has announced that it will suspend distribution licenses for wholesale fuels, including natural gas, for as long as 60 days if vendors were caught selling to individuals or companies operating without a license for this purpose.
According to a press communiqu? from the Ministry, if a company is found in violation on a second occasion, the MIC can proceed to the definitive cancellation of the wholesale license.
Hydrocarbons department director Ram?n Cruz outlined the Ministry?s decision during a press conference at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on Wednesday, 26 October 2016.
According to resolution No. 239 dated 26 October 2016, the MIC will immediately proceed to disable ?the tanks or storage units of such fuels that are installed by either individuals or companies that do not have a license to operate such an enterprise.?
This action by the ministry comes after several complaints about fuel being sold by people or companies in unsafe conditions.
EU-LAC Summit Santo Domingo Declaration
In the closing declaration of the 2016 EU-CELAC Summit, the attending foreign ministers and high-ranking European Union officials commended the Dominican Republic for the organization of the ministerial meeting. The participants welcomed the results of the first Inter-Summit meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs for contributing to enhance the strategic partnership and for serving as an effective platform for high-level dialogue between Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union. It was decided that the next CELAC-EU Summit would be held in the second semester of 2017 in El Salvador, which was designated as the next temporary president of the CELAC.
During the event, recommendations were made for consideration in the further implementation and development of the CELAC-EU Action Plan.
Participating nations agreed to build on the conclusions of the discussions on the assessment of the programs and actions adopted during the meetings, strengthening bi-regional dialogue and deepening mutual relations, financing for development and climate change, to consolidate a more ambitious, strategic and balanced association on the basis of clearly identified common interests, which shall be the framework of future bi-regional relationships.
The participants also acknowledge the need for open, constructive dialogue and closer cooperation in tax matters, recognizing the need to address tax evasion, base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) with standards monitored and assessed by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum).
See the Santo Domingo Declaration in full at:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/10/26-celac-santo-domingo-declaration/
The new EU-LAC Foundation
Latin American and the Caribbean foreign ministers in Santo Domingo for the EU-LAC ministerial meeting signed the agreement for the European Union-Latin America & Caribbean Foundation on Wednesday 26 October 2016. The agreement was signed during the meeting of ministers of foreign affairs from the region and high-ranking European Union officials on 25-26 October 2016 in Santo Domingo. The meeting was co-chaired by Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic holds the 2016 pro-tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The President of the EU-LAC Foundation Leonel Fern?ndez was also present.
The EU-LAC Foundation brings together the European Union and its 28 member states and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and its 33 member states with the following objectives:
- Encouraging further mutual knowledge and understanding between both regions;
- Strengthening the CELAC-EU bi-regional partnership process, with increased participation of the civil society;
- Enhancing the mutual visibility between both regions, as well as of the bi-regional partnership itself.
The EU-LAC Foundation fulfills its objectives through activities such as encouraging debates through seminars, conferences and publications; promoting events related to the topics addressed in CELAC-EU Summits; launching bi-regional programs and organizing exchanges; encouraging studies and creating new contact opportunities.
The EU-LAC Foundation is based in Hamburg (Germany). The signing also called for the transitional EU LAC Foundation established in 2011 will be dissolved.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/p...lac-foundation-constitutive-agreement-signed/
Senate approves US$600 million bond issue
The Senate approved an urgent legislative proposal in two consecutive sessions on Wednesday, 26 October 2016. It will substitute Public Debt Securities for a maximum amount of US$600 million in sovereign bonds to be used for the construction of the Punta Catalina coal-fired generation plant in the southwestern province of Peravia (Ban?). The proposal was accepted after Hacienda Commission chairman Senator Tommy Galan presented a favorable report to senators together with a motion for its urgent inclusion in the day?s agenda because these funds were needed to finish the project.
Both Rub?n Jim?nez Bichara, the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) as well as Minister of Hacienda Donald Guerrero Ortiz presented statements to the Hacienda Commission explaining that the project is now 65% completed and that 90% of the equipment is on the ground. For this reason, no substantial delays are foreseen. The initiative submitted by the Executive Branch and signed between the Dominican Republic and the Economic and Social Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES) is for a total of US$656,008,078.
Government institutions in debt to Coraasan
The executive director of the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan), Silvio Dur?n, told reporters from Diario Libre that it is currently carrying RD$1.5 billion in debt owed by government entities, leading to a reduction in services to the public. He said that the Santiago city government alone owes the sum of RD$170 million, yet Coraasan has to pay the city RD$50 million.
Dur?n said that they now require RD$1.2 billion to provide the water service. He said that the current demand is 134,000,000 gallons per day but the corporation only produces 105,000,000 gallons.
He added that they also have the problems of both physical and commercial losses that represent as much as 2m? per second of their output.
Dur?n was speaking to reporters while inaugurating water treatment plants in the communities of Villa Liberaci?n and La Pi?a in Cienfuegos. These two facilities will allow Corasaan to collect 6.7 million gallons of sewage that used to be dumped into the Yaque del Norte River.
Asonahores supports Conep in fight against transport monopoly
The Dominican Republic Hotels and Tourism Association (Asonahores) has expressed its support for the legal action taken by the National Business Council (Conep) to eradicate the transport cartel monopoly over freight and passenger movement.
Asonahores stated that this situation works against competitiveness by maintaining a system that does not obey the rules of a free market and free competition.
In a press communiqu? issued on Wednesday, 26 October 2016, the largest tourism association in the DR announces that it is joining the legal action filed by Conep before the Superior Administrative Tribunal (TSA) on the grounds of fundamental violations of basic rights regarding freedom of movement, of contracts, of free enterprise and competition exercised by the so-called transport syndicates that currently control most of the transportation in the country.
Asonahores is joining the Conep action with another 80 entities seeking to end the transportation monopolies.
DR retains Doing Business ranking
The Dominican Republic has not moved up in the country rankings in the Doing Business 2017, Augusto L?pez-Claros, director of Global Indicators Group at the World Bank reports. The DR is ranked 103rd of 189 countries, the same as last year.
Now in its 14th year, the report is the World Bank Group?s flagship publication. The report measures regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it in 189 economies.
This year?s ranking includes indicators on the ease of doing business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, cross-border trade, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.
Data in Doing Business 2017 are current as of 1 June 2016. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms of business regulation have worked, where and why.
http://www.doingbusiness.org/reports/global-reports/doing-business-2017
Catholics told not to scatter or keep ashes of the loved
The Vatican?s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued on 25 October 2016 new guidelines banning the scattering of ashes or keeping them in one's house. The announcement comes at a time when cremation is becoming increasingly popular with Dominicans due to the decline in services at public cemeteries, high cost of private burial services, and a changing dead veneration culture.*Scattering or keeping ashes is now a popular practice.
But now the Vatican, under Pope Francis, says that the remains should be kept in a "sacred place." The Vatican doctrinal office says that cemeteries qualified as sacred places and that ashes must be buried, not scattered or kept at home. The Vatican says burial in a church or cemetery shows a greater esteem towards the deceased.
In the new guidelines on cremation, the Vatican says no to dividing the ashes, scattering theses in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way or converting them into mementos or jewelry, practices it now calls "sacrilegious."
The new guidelines were released in time for 2 November celebration of All Souls Day.
The release confirms the Vatican's preference for burial over cremation, which had been approved by the Roman Catholic Church in 1963.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...er-cremation-ashes-and-dont-keep-them-at-home
http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...arcir-cenizas-los-difuntos-tenerlas-casa.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/25/europe/cremation-vatican-scattering/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRWYvQ_rCH4
Cold front brings chilly temperatures
Temperatures in mountain areas are reported to have been dropping to 12?C after the long months of summer heat. The weather service attributes this to a cold front located north of the Caribbean.
The weather service reports lows of 12?C in Hondo Valle, El?as Pi?a, and 14?C in Monci?n, Santiago Rodr?guez, 16?C in Polo, Barahona and Constanza, La Vega, and 17?C in Rancho Arriba, San Jos? de Ocoa province. Lows of 18?C were reported in Cabrera in Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez (Nagua), Peralta in Azua, Mao in Valverde and Jarabacoa in La Vega.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/10/26/temperaturas-bajan-hasta-12-grados-pais-por-frente-frio
http://www.onamet.gov.do
David Ortiz wins Hank Aaron award
Recently retired Boston Red Sox David Ortiz, the preeminent designated hitter, has received the Hank Aaron Award for his outstanding offenses statistics during the 2016 Major League season.
The prize is granted to the most outstanding offensive performers in their respective league. The selection is made by a panel of former major-league greats who this year included Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Junior, Eddie Murray and Robin Yount. Baseball fans were allowed to vote by Twitter.
The awards were handed out by Commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron in a news conference before Game Two of the 112th World Series at Progressive Field between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.
Commissioner Manfred speaking on Ort?z said:
"David created an extraordinary legacy with the Red Sox. Fans will never forget his consistent excellence at the plate and his performances on the game's greatest stages.?
In 2016, the last year of his great career, David Ortiz was the leader in slugging percentage at .620; OPS, 1.201 and doubles (48). He was also tied in runs ? batted ? in (RBI) at 127. This great Dominican star batted .315, it 38 homeruns, received 80 bases on balls and reached base at a .401 clip.
The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron?s surpassing of Babe Ruth?s career homerun mark of 714 homeruns.
The first winners of the award were Manny Ram?rez and Sammy Sosa in 1999, while the most recent winners are David Ortiz and Kris Bryant. Alex Rodr?guez has won the award four times, more than any other player.
Davis Cup opens at Mirador del Este
The best tennis players in the Dominican Republic will be playing against the best from Barbados starting this Friday, 28 October 2016 at the Mirador del Este tennis courts in Santo Domingo East.
The Dominican team members are Victor Estrella (ATP ranking 94), Jos? Hern?ndez (212), Jos? Olivares (999), Nick Hardt (1,286), and captain Rafael Moreno.
They will match Barbados? Darian King (132), Haydn Lewis (1,488), and yet to be ranked Seanon Williams and Adam Hornby. The Barbados team captain is Kevin Yarde.
The winner of the five game series (four singles and one double) will remain in the Americas Zone of Group I for 2017. The winner will next play Chile.
Follow the Davis Cup at:
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/group-i/americas.aspx
Death by a Thousand Cuts showing now
With stunning photography and an important story to tell, ?Death by a Thousand Cuts? is showing at cinemas nationwide. The story focuses on the murder of a park ranger in the southwestern mountains of the Dominican Republic to tell a bigger story about the illicit trafficking in charcoal and how it leads to exploitation and mass deforestation and tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The 73-minute feature-length documentary recently opened at Palacio del Cine cinemas in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Bavaro, Bonao, Casa de Campo and La Romana, Higuey and San Francisco.
The film is produced by Jake Kheel, Vice President of Sustainability of Grupo Puntacana and Vice President of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation, and Colombian filmmaker Juan Mej?a Botero.
Read more about the film at:
http://deathbyathousandcutsfilm.com
See movie houses schedules at:
http://www.cinema.com.do/detalles.php?id=2584
Masquerade party for Mariposa Foundation
Support Mariposa Foundation RD?s educational programs for women and girls in Puerto Plata by taking part in D?guis?, ?a masquerade party with a cause?. The event is scheduled for 3 November 2016 from 8:30pm to midnight. Minimum donations of RD$1,000 are required to attend the event at Chez Space on Calle Jacinto Ma??n 7 in Santo Domingo. For reservations write to Gerald@deguiseRD.org
For more information, see http://www.deguiserd.org
The New York Band coming for Christmas
The New York Band will be playing merengue on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 at the Salon La Fiesta of the Hotel Jaragua in Santo Domingo. The show is produced by Edilenia Tactuk who has produced the El Soberano Awards.
The New York Band will also be performing at the Gurabito Country Club in Santiago on Friday, 23 December 2016 and at the Club Casa Puerto Rico in La Romana on 25 December, Christmas Day.
The group is known for its best-loved hits including ?Col?,? ?Zombie,? ?Si t? eres mi hombre,? ?Dame vida? and ?Coraz?n de az?car.?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EonfQ70-_s&list=RD_EonfQ70-_s#t=42
For information on upcoming events:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar
Archived News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/91-Daily-Headline-News
Archived Travel News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/92-Travel-amp-Tourism-News