DR1 Daily News - Friday, 7 July 2017

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List of Catholic schools that are now public schools
DR wins FAO Award at 2017 Conference
Judge orders Salvador Holguin to pay RD$7 million fine for defamation
Dominican government has opened the border
Techo volunteers ask for your contribution this weekend
Central Romana sets new sugar mill harvest record
60% of bank transactions are now online
20% off movie ticket prices paying with American Express
German “restaurant of the future” design at new McDonald’s
Eat papaya seeds
Three dead in Monte Plata
Haitian woman run over by fuel tanker
Lidom election will be on 11 July 2017



List of Catholic schools that are now public schools
The Ministry of Education has published the list of Roman Catholic schools that are now operating as public schools in a co-management alliance with the government and Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, the Ministry of Education announced 127 educational centers under the Catholic Church will now operate as public schools. The agreement was signed by the Dominican Espiscopal Conference and the Ministry of Education. The agreement establishes that the Catholic Church will continue to appoint the director of the schools.

The Ministry published the complete list of the schools on its website.

Read more in Spanish:
http://www.minerd.gob.do/Lists/Noti...aspx&Web=754836dd-ffd5-4ead-8c2e-b7c9b87af8e2

7 July 2017


DR wins FAO Award at 2017 Conference
The Dominican Republic received the Edouard Saouma Award (cash prize of US$25,000) for its true impact in the efficient execution of the family dairy farms project funded by FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). The award was presented by the FAO director-general José Graziano da Silva to Conaleche director Arnaldo Gómez at a special ceremony held during the FAO Conference on 5 July 2017 taking place from 3 to 8 July in Rome, Italy.

The project to improve small family dairy farms was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Council for Regulation and Promotion of the Dairy Industry (Conaleche) in the Dominican Republic. It was recognized for the successful transfer of technology. The project was developed from 2013 to 2015 in the provinces of Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, El Seibo and La Altagracia and increased productivity and access to market for family dairy farmers. Some 764 family dairy farms were trained in best practices to improve production and quality of the milk produced at their farms. The model contributed to cut costs of cattle feed by 50% and increased family income 15-20%.

Read more in Spanish:
http://www.fao.org/fao-awards/conference-awards/edouard-saouma/en/
http://www.fao.org/americas/noticias/ver/en/c/903538/

7 July 2017

Judge orders Salvador Holguin to pay RD$7 million fine for defamation
Judge Suinda Brito of the 8th Penal Court of the National District ordered that TV show host Salvador Holguin pay RD$7 million after she found him guilty of defamation against the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lucia (Yomaira) Medina. Medina is the sister of President Danilo Medina.

Holguín had suggested on his program Hilando Fino that Nelson Peguero was named chief of the Police because he had a romance with Lucia Medina. Medina sued Holguín attesting that the statement affected her family. She is married and has two children.

Once the judge submits her written opinion on 26 July 2017, the case will move on to the court of appeals, where Holguin could appeal the verdict. The judge in this case only applied a monetary fine, instead of ordering jail time that has been usual in past defamation suits.

The judge’s ruling sets a precedent that the private life of public figures, including government officers, is private and not open to scrutiny.

The ruling has motivated many comments in social media for equally quick resolution of a recent defamation suit against radio talk show host Julio Martínez Pozo of 106.5FM, regarding statements against Ricardo Ripoll of the Green March Movement where Martínez accuses Ripoll of being a drug addict.

Read more in Spanish:
http://elnacional.com.do/video-tribunal-condena-a-holguin-por-difamacion-a-lucia-medina/

7 July 2017

Dominican government has opened the border
An editorial in El Dia newspaper criticizes the government for apparently abandoning efforts to restrain illegal immigration. The newspaper highlights the unchecked flow of indigent Haitians through the border, with thousands burdening the Dominican public health system.

The editorialist comments on Haitian immigration: “Apparently only the Dominican authorities are unaware of the unchecked illegal migration from Haiti. The Haitian migration is overflowing, with the aggravation that it generates a mountain of additional problems and international discredit for the country. That migration is bleeding public services, destroying our fragile health system.”

The editorial also mentions the increasing flow of Venezuelan migrants that flee the desperate political and economic situation in Venezuela.

The editorial that is headlined “Open borders” concludes:
“Our authorities have not wanted to assume that there is an irresponsible international community committed to ensure the Dominican Republic take on as its own the problem of poverty and institutional disorder in the neighboring country.
“Urban centers and rural areas are overflowing with illegal Haitian immigrants, undocumented in their country and with a number of agencies that have shown no consideration when it comes to pressure the Dominican state to take on these Haitians as our own.
“There is no perceived firm action on the part of the authorities to deal with this phenomenon.
“Apparently the Dominican state has left the border to its fate so that all who want may enter.”

7 July 2017

Techo volunteers ask for your contribution this weekend
Some 2,400 youth volunteers for Techo Latin American, a non-profit organization, have signed on to solicit contributions this Friday and Saturday, 7-8 July 2017, at main intersections and in malls in nine cities nationwide, including Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Bonao, Moca, San Francisco de Macorís and Baní. In Santo Domingo alone, they will be soliciting contributions at 80 point throughout the city. The announcement was made by Matías Miguens, communications director for Techo.

Last year a similar effort collected RD$3.6 million that enabled work in 10 poor communities and the construction of 46 dwellings. This year they hope to collect more than RD$4 million. Techo has improved or built over 900 dwellings in the Dominican Republic since start of operations in 2008.

Techo is a Latin-American non-profit organization led by youth volunteers that work in areas that require aid located across the continent, focused on: Community Development, seeking support by means of Political Advocacy, as well as increasing volunteering and Social Action. The work is carried out with the support of people who commit to improving society and the quality of life in their home country believing that changes towards that goal is achievable.

Techo is a Latin-American non-profit organization led by youth volunteers that works in areas focused on improving quality of life in low-income neighborhoods. Techo presently operates in 19 countries in Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. Techo also has a fundraising office in Miami and New York, USA.

Read more in Spanish:
http://www.techo.org/paises/republicadominicana/

7 July 2017

Central Romana sets new sugar mill harvest record
The La Romana sugar mill, the largest in the Caribbean, announced they have set a new production record of 188,812 short tons for the 2016-2017 harvest. The Central Romana said this will enable stability in meeting demands of the local market. Central Romana says it has milled 3,520,000 tons of sugar cane for the production of 379,724 short tons of grade 96 sugar, generating a production of 23,727,400 gallons of molasses.

Production of refined sugar at the Central Romana is certified under ISO-9001 for quality control since 2011 by the Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance.

A spokesperson for the sugar mill also said that since last year the company has installed three electrostatic precipitators on their boiler system to reduce the emission of solid particles to the atmosphere by 90%.

Read more in Spanish:
http://centralromana.com.do/

7 July 2017

Electronic payments prevail in the Dominican Republic
An investigative report in El Día reveals that already 60% of bank transactions in the Dominican Republic are carried out online. The report indicates that the prevalence of smart phones and the electronic payment facilities are catching on every day more among Dominicans. The Sistema de Pagos y Liquidaciones de Valores de la República Dominicana (Sipard) reports that on average every day RD$84 billion is transacted online, spiking during peak shopping days.

In June 2017, the Sipard registered on average RD$23,369 million in bankcard transactions and RD$161.9 million mobile phone payments. This is much more than the RD$14,328.6 million in paper check transactions.

There are several electronic payment systems in place, including Consorcio de Tarjetas Dominicanas (Cardnet), GCS Systems, LTD and Todo Pago Dominicana, among others.

Read more in Spanish:
http://eldia.com.do/el-60-operaciones-bancarias-en-el-pais-se-hace-via-electronica/

7 July 2017

20% off movie ticket prices paying with American Express
Banco del Progreso’s American Express credit card holders are now getting 20% off ticket prices at all movie houses, every day of the week. The 20% discount also applies to snacks purchased at the movie houses.

7 July 2017


German “restaurant of the future” design at new McDonald’s
In an attempt to attract more families, McDonald’s has opened a redesigned restaurant with capacity for 250-seated persons on Av. Abraham Lincoln with Porfirio Herrera Street. The fast food restaurant features the new architectonical design implemented in Germany, and is the first Latin American restaurant to use the atypical design.

The remodeling initiative features a modern design for dining rooms, updated kitchens and ordering systems, more digital offerings and children’s play areas. The PlayPlace on the second floor has capacity for 60 children. A terrace is located on the second floor overlooking the Av. Lincoln.

The modern restaurant offers the “Crea” or “make your Mac” option that allows customers to choose their own ingredients. Innovations in ordering systems include digital kiosks and service staff equipped with tablet PCs.

The new McDonald’s is open 24 hours with breakfast on Monday to Friday from 6am to 10:30am.

7 July 2017

Eat papaya seeds
A story in El Dia advises people in the Dominican Republic to not throw out the seeds that come inside the papaya. Papaya is reasonably priced and abundant in the country. It is better to freeze the seeds and use them gradually for health reasons. Papaya seeds are known to have strong anti-parasitic properties.

The writer recommends mashing them a bit and adding them to salad dressing. The seeds taste like a cross between mustard and black peppercorns.

The seeds contain the digestive enzyme papain that creates an intestinal environment more favorable to good bacteria and less so to the bad ones that can cause digestive issues and health problems.

The papaya seeds also contain carpaine that has been shown to be very effective at killing parasitic worms and amoebas in the intestinal tract. Papaya seeds are often reported as an effective treatment for liver cirrhosis and liver detoxification in general.

Papaya seeds are also said to be helpful aid in the treatment of candida yeast overgrowth.

Read more in Spanish:
http://eldia.com.do/los-5-grandes-beneficios-de-comer-semillas-de-lechosa/

7 July 2017

Three dead in Monte Plata
The head of the police station in Sabana Grande de Boyá in Monte Plata province, second lieutenant 49-year old Johnny de los Santos Vergal was killed together with a police corporal 28-year old Basilio Carmona Taveras. The supposed criminal, identified as “Blanco”, also died in an incident that took place around 100 meters from the police station on Duarte Street.

General Máximo Báez Aybar, who was at the scene, said that there was a standoff between a police patrol and armed men in a car. The police officers had gone to the site to investigate reports of high level of noise coming from the car. The officers arrested one of the occupants in the vehicle, but when they returned to vehicle to question the other men, shots rang out from inside the car, fatally wounding the policemen and the civilian.

The man who had been arrested escaped. The police are now looking for the men known as “Wily” and “Wilfri”.

The Police say that Wilfi Ferrer Corniel was the head of a drug trafficking gang and had threatened to kill officer Johnny de los Santos Vergal after having been arrested weeks ago for drug possession. Ferrer was set free after paying bail.

Police investigators said that the officer and agent Basilio Carmona Taveras were ambushed and killed by Ferrer Corniel, Billy Confesor Báez and Eliezer Reyes Polanco while investigating a complaint of a vehicle with music at high volume.

Prosecutors Félix Heredia and Marina Caraballo, along with a police contingent from the department of Criminal Investigations (DICRIM) are investigating the crime.

Read more in Spanish:
http://eldia.com.do/muerte-de-policias-en-sabana-grande-de-boya-fue-un-ajuste-de-cuentas/

7 July 2017

Haitian woman run over by fuel tanker
A 33-year old Haitian woman died on Thursday, 6 July 2017 on Autopista 30 de Mayo in West-East direction from the Migration Agency (DGM) on a motorcycle with her husband on the Autopista 30 de Mayo in West-East direction. She was struck by a Petromovil fuel tanker truck. The victim was identified as Norzelus Widline. Her remains were taken to the morgue of the Marcelino Vélez Hospital in Herrera.

Her husband, Juan Plácido said they were leaving the DGM on board the motorcycle when they turned on Calle Héroes de Luperón to Autopista de 30 de Mayo and were struck by the truck. He said he narrowly escaped serious injury.

Placido said they had visited the DGM to regularize the migratory status of Wildline.

The couple had been married for six months. Widline leaves behind two children, 6 and 12 years of age.

The truck driver Juan Leonardo Padilla Vásquez was arrested by Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) agents.

Bystanders said that both drivers had green light to pass, because it is an express lane.

Read more in Spanish:
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...-por-un-camion-tanquero-al-salir-de-migracion
http://noticiassin.com/2017/07/muje...por-una-patana-la-motocicleta-en-que-viajaba/

7 July 2017

Lidom election will be on 11 July 2017
DR1 erroneously reported in its Wednesday, 6 July 2017 issue that lawyer Vitelio Mejía had been elected as the new president of the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball League (Lidom).

Diario Libre had reported that after 26 years of the rule of former president Leonardo Matos Berrido, the six Dominican Professional Winter Baseball League (Lidom) had agreed to a change in leadership. Presidents of the baseball clubs were reportedly in favor of Mejía assuming the presidency of the League. Mejia has served as vice president of Lidom since 1991, when he replaced Luis Ramón Cordero.

However, a report on 6 July 2017, in El Día indicated that the election will actually take place on 11 July 2017.

The presidents of the six teams of Lidom are:
José Mallen, Estrellas Orientales; Winston (Chilote) Llenas, Aguilas Cibaeñas; Jaime Alsina, Tigres del Licey; Felipe Vicini, Leones del Escogido; Luís Rodríguez Amiama (Toros del Este) and Samir Rizek, Gigantes del Cibao.

Read more in Spanish:
http://eldia.com.do/campana-publica-pone-vitelio-en-cuerda-floja/

7 July 2017