DR1 Daily News - Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
37
48
www.
DR and NY Police sign agreement to fight crime
IMF happy with Dominican economy
More Odebrecht interviews at the Attorney General Office
Bidders lining up for Punta Catalina
Government not paying for school meals
A violent month of March
Returning to normal after the floods
Dominican Republic improving in English
No Easter Malecon swimming pools
LGBTI conference in Santo Domingo
Chinese Cultural Center in Santo Domingo
Classical dances of India at Palacio de Bellas Artes
Soberano Awards on Tuesday, 28 March 
Michael Dabroski Concert at Hotel Billini
City bike riding day
A Piece of Lilli Jolie's Doll at the Sala Ravelo 


DR and NY Police sign agreement to fight crime
The Dominican Police signed a five-year cooperation and transnational crime fighting agreement with the New York Police on Monday, 27 March 2017 in Santo Domingo. Signing were Mayor General Nelson Peguero Paredes, who is the director of the National Police, and James P. O’Neill, New York City Police Commissioner. 

The agreement focuses on fighting transnational crime, focusing on drug trafficking, terrorism, arms contraband, human trafficking, maritime fraud, cyber crime, money laundering, business crimes, banking crimes, credit card fraud, and the preparing, distribution and use of fraudulent travel documents. 

With this agreement the authorities of both countries will share intelligence to prove or refute the existence of criminal activity, identify those involved in criminal activities, their methods, and reveal evidence of criminal activity that is necessary for the detection and prevention of transnational crimes.

The agreement also includes cooperation in capacity-building, including the exchange of personnel for training.

The general director of the Police, Maj. Gen. Nelson Peguero Paredes said that the agreement is part of efforts to strengthen the efficiency of the Police in the combat and prevention of crime. To follow up on this agreement, a Joint Committee was appointed to be responsible for its implementation.

Following the signing of this agreement at the Police headquarters, James O 'Neill was received by President Danilo Medina in his office at the Presidential Palace. 

http://www.policianacional.gob.do/p...racion-y-combate-de-crimenes-transnacionales/
http://eldia.com.do/policia-rd-y-ny-firman-acuerdo/


IMF happy with Dominican economy
Under Article IV of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Articles of Agreement, an IMF staff team visits the country every year to collect economic and financial information, and discuss with officials the country's economic development and policies. The report on the 2016 economic performance has now been issued and an abstract published online for the general public. 

The abstract states that the country’s economic outlook is favorable. It states that the strong domestic demand has kept the Dominican economy outperforming most economies in the Americas. Growth has averaged 7% over the past three years, and GDP grew 6.6% with inflation at a low 1.75% in 2016, as the country benefited from low oil prices.

Nevertheless, the IMF states that growth is expected to slow towards the potential rate of around 5% from 2017 onward, while the recent rise in fuel prices should push inflation to target and widen the current account deficit moderately from 2017 onward. 

Risks around this baseline outlook are balanced, says the IMF. It explains that key risks stem from the uncertainty surrounding the economic and policy outlook for the external trading partners, notably the US, the outlook for oil prices, higher than expected global interest rates, and the ensuing dollar appreciation.

The IMF says that public debt was at 49.7% of GDP by the end of 2016, with a consolidated public sector registering a deficit of 4.3% of GDP for the same year.
On the positive side, the IMF reported that the policy interest rate was increased from 5 to 5.5% to prevent potential overshooting of inflation, as commodity prices begin to unwind against a backdrop of a positive output gap and robust credit growth. Financial soundness indicators for the banking system remain strong, with healthy capitalization, low asset impairment and strong provisioning.

The IMF recommends containing the fiscal deficit this year and broadening the narrow tax base through renewed revenue administration reforms that would also simplify the tax system, and streamline tax exemptions and incentives. The IMF directors say there is room for improving the quality of spending, especially on untargeted energy subsidies, while protecting pro-poor and pro-growth spending.

http://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles...-board-concludes-2017-article-iv-consultation


More Odebrecht interviews at the Attorney General Office
The former president of the Senate, Ramon Albuquerque, was questioned on Monday, 27 March 2017, by Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez and the director of the Specialized Prosecution Service for Persecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), Laura Guerrero Pelletier regarding the bribes the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht is said to have paid Dominican government officials to secure contract work. 

Already interviewed in connection with the case have been around 30 persons. These include the president of the Senate Cristina Lizardo, former president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Perez, former president of the Chamber of Deputies Julio Cesar Valentin, Odebrecht commercial representative, Angel Rondon, general manager of Odebrecht in the country, Marcelo Hofke and the former presidents of the Senate, Andres Bautista and Jesus Vasquez during the Hipolito Mejia presidency. 

Also interviewed in connection with the case were former president of the Chamber of Deputies Alfredo Pacheco, former Minister of Public Works Victor Diaz Rua, and former general managers of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) Radhames Segura and Cesar Sánchez. 

A caricature in El Dia points to the similarities between the parading of persons invited to answer questions at the Attorney General and a red carpet showbusiness event. Despite the many weeks of questioning, the Attorney General has yet to announce an arrest. One of the persons questioned, Angel Rondón admitted to receiving an amount similar to the US$92 million Odebrecht told a New York Court it had paid in bribes to Dominican government officers. But Rondón said the money was in payment for his services to assist the company in getting construction contract work with the Dominican government. 

http://eldia.com.do/procuraduria-ha-interrogado-a-30-por-el-caso-odebrecht/
http://eldia.com.do/el-carrusel-de-la-vida-902/


Bidders lining up for Punta Catalina
Faced with the possibility that the investigations into Odebrecht for paying bribes may result in the termination of that company’s contract to build the two coal-fired generating plants in Punta Catalina, it is known that three companies have approached the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) with offers to take over the construction project. All three companies have operations in China and Latin America.

A source linked to the sector told El Dia newspaper that among the companies are some that participated in the original bid for the project carried out by Stanley Consultants in 2013 with the participation of 24 international companies, including six from China.

The contract was won by a consortium led by Odebrecht to design and build and install the two coal-fired generating plans at a cost of US$2.04 billion. The construction is a year behind schedule. However, given the current scandal concerning bribes paid by Odebrecht, there is the possibility the government might find itself obliged to end business relations with Odebrecht. 

http://eldia.com.do/tres-empresas-extranjeras-estan-interesadas-en-punta-catalina/


Government not paying for school meals
The suppliers of school meals for those attending school for the extended school day have confirmed that the debt owed to them by the government has now risen to more than RD$3 billion.

They have said that in order to maintain the service they have had to incur debts of more than RD$1.5 billion and arrange for a line of credit with the Banco de Reservas Foundation. 

Marino Peralta and Luis Suarez, president and advisor of the Association of Suppliers and Providers of School Meals of the Dominican Republic (ASUPLIDERD), respectively, said that they were planning to explain the situation to President Danilo Medina on 1 March at a meeting, but this meeting was postponed indefinitely.  

Peralta said that the payments that the government has made have been minimum and that the suppliers are hoping that at the end of this month the National Institute of Student Welfare (INABIE) will at least pay them what they are owned up to December last year.

http://almomento.net/sube-a-rd3-mil-millones-deuda-del-gobierno-con-suplidores-de-almuerzo/301481


A violent month of March
According to the police, so far this month, violence has taken the lives of 103 people and injured another 198 in the Dominican Republic. Most were victims of attacks, armed robbery, robbery and domestic violence. The data reveals that 19 women were killed by gunshots or stabbed and another 14 were seriously injured.

The dead include 84 men, 10 of whom were police officers and two were members of the military who were killed by their own weapons. Among the men there were 184 injured. 

http://almomento.net/la-violencia-h...ersonas-en-lo-que-va-de-este-mes-en-rd/301443


Student elections to take place after Easter
The rector of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), Ivan Grullón, has announced that the suspended election for the Federation of Dominican Students (FED) will resume after Easter Week. Easter Week is from 9-16 April 2017. 

Grullón said he supports due process to ensure that justice is done in the case of the death of a food products supplier during the student council election. 

He said that the university would publish a full report on the incident on Friday, 24 March 2017, when gunshots interrupted the election of the Medical School.  The rector said that the he would be meeting with representatives of the political organizations to avoid a similar situation from happening in the future.

He announced a company was being contracted to issue identity cards to all UASD students. Finally, Grullon has denied that any boxes with ballots had been stolen. 

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...iles-en-la-uasd-seran-despues-de-semana-santa


Returning to normal after the floods
According to the Emergency Operations’ Center (COE), the number of people displaced by the floods has been reduced to 40 and the number of provinces on alert is also down to seven. Seven bridges are still affected.

The latest bulletin states that eight homes were destroyed by heavy rains and flooding. Puerto Plata province is under a yellow alert, while a green alert has been issued for Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Santiago, Espaillat, Duarte, Valverde and Montecristi provinces.

However, due to the opening of the gates at the Tavera Dam into the Yaque del Norte River, bathing and washing vehicles in any of the areas downstream is banned.

All alerts have been discontinued for Dajabon, Santiago Rodriguez, Monte Plata, Hermana Mirabal, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Sanchez Ramirez, La Vega, Monsenor Nouel, La Altagracia, Samana and San Pedro de Macoris.  

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...58/se-reduce-a-siete-las-provincias-en-alerta


Dominican Republic improving in English
According to a ranking carried out by Education First, the Dominican Republic is the second country in Latin America with the best domination of the English language, moving ten places up the ranking over the last five years. 

The English Proficiency Index (EPI) ranks the DR as moderate in English proficiency, only superseded by Argentina in the region.

The EPI was determined by testing English language skills of more than 950,000 adults from 72 countries. 

Education First attributes the English proficiency gains in the Dominican Republic to investments made in English education, especially by the Ministry of High Education, Science and Technology with their English Immersion Program and online courses for advance studies. 

http://elnacional.com.do/rd-es-segundo-al-en-dominio-ingles/
http://www.ef.com/wwes/epi/


No Easter Malecon swimming pools
Those who have enjoyed the swimming pools installed on the Santo Domingo Malecon during Easter Week can forget about them this year. National District Mayor David Collado has said that they will shortly be presenting new ideas for the area for Easter - but installation of the temporary swimming pools will not be part of the plan. The shallow pools were an initiative of long-time former city mayor Roberto Salcedo. 

Collado made his observations at a ceremony to start the work for a pedestrian bridge between the Avenues of Ortega and Gasset and Reyes Catolicos in the Cristo Rey sector.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/03/27/habra-piscinas-malecon-esta-semana-mayor


LGBTI conference in Santo Domingo
Government officials and political leaders from the LGBTI community (lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and intersexual) from Latin America and the Caribbean will participate this week in Santo Domingo in a conference about political leadership.

The III Meeting of LGBTI Political Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean will have the theme of “Democracy for Equality” and will take place on 31 March and 1 April 2017, with more than 200 LGBTI leaders.  This meeting will be preceded by a national meeting for LGBTI political leaders of the Dominican Republic, scheduled for 30 March.

Present at the activity will be Carmen Munoz, deputy minister of Government and Policy from Costa Rica; deputies Manuel Canelas (Bolivia), Tamara Adrian and Rosmit Mantilla (Venezuela), Martin Couto (Uruguay), Benjamín Medrano (Mexico) and Sandra Moran (Guatemala); Senator  Desiree Sousa de Croes (Aruba) and Congress members Diane Rodriguez (Ecuador) and Alberto de Belaunde (Peru).

According to the organizers, some five years ago one could count on one hand the number of open LGBTI elected government officials in Latin America and the Caribbea and now there are more than 70, and still increasing.

http://almomento.net/santo-domingo-...zgo-politico-de-lgbti-en-latinoamerica/301546


Chinese Cultural Center in Santo Domingo
The Centro de la Colonia China Inc. has inaugurated the Instituto Cultural Dominicano Chino located in Santo Domingo at Calle 27 Oeste No. 2 corner Calle Josefa Brea, Ensanche Luperon. Su King Fung, president of the center says the opening of the institute is focused on meeting the needs of the offspring of Chinese born in the Dominican Republic to learn the Chinese languages, customs and traditions. 

A three-story building is currently under construction that will serve as place to teach Chinese languages, with an initial focus on Mandarin. In its first phase, the center has capacity to serve 160 students. 


Classical dances of India at Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Embassy of India, the Honorary Consulate of India, the India Council for Cultural Relations and the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic are sponsoring an evening of classic dances of India at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The performers are Shovana Narayan and the Kathak group of narrators. The performance will be on Tuesday, 28 March 2017 at 8pm at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. 

Shovana Narayan is described in Wikipedia as one of the best Kathak choreographers and dancers in the world. In India she is regarded as a pioneer and a role model in successfully combining a full-fledged career as a senior serving civil servant in the Government of India with dance and choreography. 

Shovana Narayan has been conferred with numerous awards including the Padmashri Award for excellence and outstanding contribution to dance in 1992 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1999. In addition, she has also been awarded with Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, Indira Priyadarshini Samman, and Rotary International Award and Japan's Oisca Award.


Soberano Awards on Tuesday, 28 March 
Pamela Sued and Francisco Vasquez are the hosts for the Soberano Awards, the leading show business awards in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, 28 March 2017 at the National Theater. The awards are divided into four categories: Popular, Communication, Classics and Films, with 222 nominees chosen by the Dominican Show Business Writers (Acroarte) members. 

The show will be televised by TeleMicro, Channel 5. 

The 2017 show is produced by Edilenia Tactuk and airs starting with the red carpet pre-show at 7pm produced by José Enrique Pintor (Pinky). Carolina Aquino and Raeldo López are the emcees of the red carpet show. 
Others participating in the gala are Carlos Durán, who will be working the social media, and the Zona Chic will have Francisco Sanchís. Francisca Lachapel of Univision is coming as back up for the local hosts. 
The awards are sponsored by the Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana, the brewery of Presidente beer. 

See all nominations at: 
http://www.premiosoberano.com/2017/02/12/nominados/


Michael Dabroski Concert at Hotel Billini
Sunday, 2 April drop by the lovely roof terrace restaurant of the Hotel Billini in the Colonial City to enjoy the classic music performed by violinist Michael Dabroski. Sunday, 2 April at 7pm. RSVP 809-338-4040. 
The Hotel Billini is located at Calle José Reyes No. 8, Colonial City. 
http://dr1.com/directories/Billini-Hotel.html
http://bcovt.org/orchestra/bio_dabroski.html


City bike riding day
On Sunday, 2 April 2017, join thousands of cyclists as they take over Santo Domingo for a ride around the city. The organizers of Santo Domingo Monta have set out a route of 50 kms in the city, visiting 70 points of interest starting at 7:30am from the Olympic Stadium at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Stadium. Participation is open to those 14 years or older. Tickets are RD$800 for participants, and RD$300 for accompanying persons. Online registration is at Uepa Tickets at http://www.uepatickets.com.do or see http://www.santodomingomonta.com


A Piece of Lilli Jolie's Doll at the Sala Ravelo 
“Un pedazo de muñeca de Lilli Jolie” will be performed at the drama hall of the National Theater in Santo Domingo, the Sala Ravelo from 6-9 April 2017 at 8:30pm. The play is written and directed by Licelotte Nin Mojica and in 2015 who won the Encouragements award of the Paris Centre National du Théâtre (CNT) for her play “Un morceau de poupée de Lilli Joli” in May 2015. The play was originally written in French. 

The actors are: Cindy Galán, Johanna González, Indiana Brito, Karina Valdez, Juan Manuel Gautier and Clara Benoit-Casanova. 

The play tells the story of three doll factory workers that suspect that a new worker has suffered an accident. The play seeks to motivate empathy for others. 

Tickets are RD$600 and for sale at the National Theater box office. 

Nin Mojica is a graduate of the Nanterre Paris X University. She teaches drama at the Escuela Nacional de Teatro de Santo Domingo. 

For information on upcoming events:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar