DR1 Daily News - Thursday, 7 December 2017

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DR1 Daily News next update on Monday
President Medina launches Digital Education Program
Medina announces free Wi-Fi service on Santo Domingo Metro
More soldiers sent to the border with Haiti
Rafael Paz of CNC: Removing the deposit requirement to form a company
Nothing to say on the escape of Quirinito
Overseas deputies call for Christmas gift limit to be increased
Calls to ban mining exploitation
No need to prosecute President Medina
UK Embassy to assist Glyn Thomas to return to the UK
Increase in airline passengers expected for December
Dominican cigars lead the world
PanTerra seeks buyer for its Las Lagunas processing plant
Nothing to say on the escape of Quirinito
Strike in El Seibo
Bodies of two Frenchmen suspected of drug trafficking found
Nothing to say on the escape of Quirinito
Five teams battle to make playoffs of Baseball Championship
USA promotes American food
Christmas songs concert at Convento de los Dominicos
Festoon Navideño 2017 at the Sambil Mall



DR1 Daily News next update on Monday
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 11 December 2017. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the Forums. See the DR1 Forum at http://www.dr1.com


President Medina launches Digital Education Program
At a cost of RD$20 billion, the Medina administration announced the official start of the República Digital education program yesterday in an event at the Politécnico Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó in Buena Vista, in Santo Domingo North. Medina said that in the future, the government will hand over a million computers to students across the country. Public school teachers are also being given a computer.

President Medina highlighted the installation of 540 kilometers of fiber optic cable in coordination with the governmental power lines transmission corporation (ETE) to provide broad bandwidth Internet service to those who do not yet have access to this service.

Speaking to teachers and students at the high school where he handed over the first 940 computers of the pilot program, he said we are now in the digital era. The era of paper and pens has passed, he told the smiling students and professors.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...tara-rd-20-mil-millones-al-gobierno-FF8722513


Medina announces free Wi-Fi service on Santo Domingo Metro
President Danilo Medina announced on 6 December 2017 free Wi-Fi service on board the Santo Domingo Metro and the Santo Domingo Skylift across the Ozama River that will begin operations by February 2018. Free Wi-Fi will also be available in parks, schools and Dominican airports. Medina said the service is part of the República Digital program.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...tis-en-el-teleferico-y-metro-de-santo-domingo


More soldiers sent to the border with Haiti
Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Rubén Darío Paulino Sem has said that the Dominican Army has sent almost 500 military personnel to the border with Haiti to ensure better control of the area as in January many Haitians are likely to try to cross the border illegally. He said that the reinforcements had been sent to Dajabón, Elías Piña and Pedernales provinces.

He explained that many undocumented Haitians return to Haiti for Christmas and then travel back to the Dominican Republic where they work.

He was speaking at the graduation of the XV1 Cadet Promotion event ““General Francisco Antonio Salcedo” at the Air Force Academy Frank A. Miranda where he accompanied President Danilo Medina for the investiture of 31 new officers.

http://hoy.com.do/ejercito-rd-envia-casi-500-militares-a-la-frontera/


Rafael Paz of CNC: Removing the deposit requirement to form a company
Rafael Paz, executive director of the National Competitiveness Council, announced two measures to be promoted by the government to improve national competitive ranking. The announcement came after the first meeting of the National Competitiveness Council’s advisory board recently appointed by the Medina administration.

The measures that are being given priority include eliminating the minimum capital deposit requirement needed to form a company in the Dominican Republic. Paz said that the minimum capital requirement is at present the highest in the region and a deterrent to the formalizing of business.

Likewise, approved is that the payment of tourist card fees be collected by the airlines, with the fee appearing as part of the cost of the airfare. The airlines then will pay the US$10 fee to the government. This was approved in Decree 430-17 issued on 4 December 2017. The measure begins 1 January 2018.

The announcements was made following the first session of the National Competitiveness Council, after President Danilo Medina created the National Committee for the Facilitating of Trade (CNFC). The CNFC is entrusted with approving and supervising the new strategic plan of the CNC.
Paz said the members and business advisors of the National Competitiveness Council will meet monthly.
The World Economic Forum ranked the Dominican Republic 104th of 137 countries in the 2017-2018 Global Competitiveness Report. The government has expanded the number of big business executives on the advisory board of the CNC seeking to improve the country’s competitiveness ranking that from the previous report had slid 12 levels.
https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/gobierno-eliminarian-el-requisito-de-capital-minimo-LX8716683
https://www.scribd.com/document/366313398/Decreto-430-17
https://www.eldinero.com.do/51525/presidente-medina-lanza-estrategia-dominicana-competitiva/
https://www.listindiario.com/econom...-de-competitividad-adopta-una-estrategia-pais


Nothing to say on the escape of Quirinito
The Attorney General Office announced in concluding its investigation into the escape of convicted contract killer Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua (Quirinito). The Attorney General said it turns the investigation over to the branches of state security agencies. Quirinito had been sentenced to 30-years in jail for the murder of a Spaniard. Now the Attorney General says they have no credible information on the whereabouts of Quirinito, as reported in El Nacional.

“The Attorney General Office did its job and has identified and located those guilty of the escape, but it cannot do absolutely nothing until others, not us, fulfill their role of arresting him and bringing him to us,” the source told El Nacional. As reported, the authorities suspect Quirinito fled the country through the border with Haiti.

Quirinito’s wife and lawyer, Jennifer Estefani Domínguez Hernández attempted to leave the country last month. Domínguez has maintained that Quirinito is dead but cannot lead the authorities to where he was buried nor has she been helpful in informing the authorities of his whereabouts. She was arrested at the Las Americas International Airport because she had not notified the authorities she would be flying out of the country. She has not been banned from leaving the country, only from reporting her travel plans to the authorities. The media has not reported if she later left the country.

Dominguez was instrumental in obtaining the domiciliary arrest on grounds that her husband suffered from terminal mouth cancer. Later, she obtained a death certificate for her husband.

http://elnacional.com.do/concluye-indagatoria-fuga-quirinito/
http://hoy.com.do/esposa-de-quirinito-tambien-fue-su-abogada/


Overseas deputies call for Christmas gift limit to be increased
Deputies representing Dominicans living overseas have complained about the decision of the Customs Agency (DGA) to reduce the tax exemption limit on items which Dominicans living abroad bring into the country during the Christmas period from US$3,000 to US$1500. They have written to President Danilo Medina asking him to restore the exemption to the RD$3,000 total as it had been over the past five years.

Spokesmen for the group, José Morel, argued at a press conference, that Dominicans residing abroad contribute almost 5% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and deserve to be treated well when they return to the country to see their loved ones.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...as-deje-sin-efecto-recorte-en-gracia-navidena


Calls to ban mining exploitation
Given the announcement of possible mining exploration and exploitation permits that the Dominican government would award to foreign companies in southwestern San Juan de la Maguana, specifically in the water source area for the Yaque del Sur River, legislators in the area have approved a resolution declaring the area a “Mining Free Region”.

Bahoruco deputy, Edward Jorge Gómez, noted that 19 legislators from the southern region have approved a resolution by Al Pais deputy Fidelio Despradel that rejects approvals of exploration or exploitation permits in the hydrographical basin of the Yaque del Sur River. He also mentioned the river that feeds the Enriquillo and San Juan valley areas also originates there, and that the river is not just for those who live in the province but for the whole region.

Gomez said that they did not want to repeat the experience of those living in Sánchez Ramírez (Cotui) province where mining exploitation has caused serious problems for the population and agriculture.

San Juan de la Maguana deputy Lucía Medina declared that no type of mining permit had yet been given by the government in the province, but that a permit had been given to a company to carry out mining explorations in the area. She went on to say that, constitutionally the state has every right to issue the permits if the company was to make an investment and this is within the legal framework of the country.

Deputy Jorge Gómez asked that if they were not going to carry eventually exploit the region’s natural resources, then why carry out the studies. He called for support of the President to sustainable development and not mining exploitation in the San Juan de la Maguana valley area.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-a-explotacion-minera-en-el-valle-de-san-juan


No need to prosecute President Medina
PLD Senator Reinaldo Pared Pérez, secretary general of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), and president of the Senate has said that the accusations against the President Danilo Medina are sensationalist. He discounted the proposal of three deputies for Congress to subject the President to judicial proceedings.

The Green March Movement delivered a proposal to a delegation of deputies in Congress on Tuesday, 5 December 2017, demanding the start of a political trial against President Danilo Medina. Carlos Pimentel of the Green March Movement, and other representatives of the group, delivered a document where they highlight alleged misconducts committed by the President, including receiving illegal financing for his re-election campaign in 2016. The document had the backing of opposition deputies Fidelio Despradel, Fidel Santana and Faride Raful.

Pared Pérez said that Medina is a serious man, both as a private individual and a member of the government and said there were no reasons to submit him to legal proceedings as he had done nothing to deserve them.

Speaking to the press he also said that in relation to the decision made by the Political Committee of the PLD to consult experts in constitutional law about the issue of open primaries for choosing the political party candidates into the 2020 presidential election, that there needed to be another meeting of the committee. He said that former President Leonel Fernandez has the right to his own opinion. Fernandez is against the open primary recourse, on grounds that the subject was debated by the Supreme Court of Justice in 2005 and rejected.

http://eldia.com.do/reinaldo-pared-...para-enjuiciar-politicamente-a-danilo-medina/


UK Embassy to assist Glyn Thomas to return to the UK
An officer of the United Kingdom Embassy in the Dominican Republic told Listín Diario that it would assist British citizen Glyn Thomas to return to the UK. Thomas traveled to the Dominican Republic after six months of chatting with Dominican Wilfa Soto of Cotuí in the northeast. Soto has complained that Thomas has told her he came with a one-way ticket and has overstayed his welcome. Soto has appealed to social media for assistance so that Thomas can return to where he came from. She has said he has told her he cannot afford to purchase the return ticket.

As reported in Listin Diario, the embassy officer said that they would assist Thomas so all his rights be honored. The details of this case are not known. It is irregular for an airline to transport a tourist to the country without a return ticket.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...udadano-que-vino-a-conocer-a-joven-dominicana


Increase in airline passengers expected for December
Monika Infante, the chief executive officer for Aerodom, the company that manages the international airports in Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Samana and Barahona, said they are expecting around 344,000 passengers to arrive to Las Americas International (SDQ) in Santo Domingo for the Christmas holidays. December-January is the second peak travel time in the country, after the summer months.

Infante estimated another 103,000 visitors would arrive to four out of the six airports managed by Aerodom – Gregorio Luperon in Puerto Plata (POP), El Catey in Samana (AZS), La Isabela (JBQ) in northern Santo Domingo and Maria Montez (BRX) in Barahona.

The spike in travel during the holidays comes from visits from expat Dominicans. She estimated that travel will be up around 1% compared to 2016. She said around 2,900 international flights are programmed for December.

http://hoy.com.do/se-espera-que-uno...eguen-por-el-aila-por-festividades-navidenas/


Dominican cigars lead the world
According to the La Republica newspaper, edited in Colombia, the cigars from the Dominican Republic have reached an extraordinary place in the international arena.

In an extensive report, the newspaper highlights that with approximately 220 million cigars produced each year, the Dominican Republic is the main exporter in the world, above countries such as Nicaragua, Cuba and Honduras, with exports each year of 170 million, 90 million and 70 million, respectively.

The report states that the fame of Dominican cigars is well established, given that the producers, especially in the Cibao Valley, have been working with the tobacco leaves for more than a century.

http://almomento.net/r-dominicana-se-consolida-como-el-mayor-exportador-de-puros-del-mundo/


PanTerra seeks buyer for its Las Lagunas processing plant
PanTerra Gold announced plans to halt operations at its 200,000-tonne per annum Las Lagunas processing plant in the Dominican Republic, as reported in Stockhead online. The Australian company said it is putting up the gold processing plant for sale after failing to win support from the Dominican government for its future plans. PanTerra had intended to use imported concentrate after the current tailings retreatment project comes to an end in mid-2019.

The Las Lagunas plant uses a sulphide oxidation process developed in Australia to oxidise refractory ores to allow the recovery of precious and base metals using conventional extraction technology.

As reported by PanTerra, the Las Lagunas plant has delivered the company a “disappointing financial performance” largely due to poor gold recovery (63 per cent) from the low-grade (10 grams per tonne) concentrate that can be produced from the refractory tailings. PanTerra was confident that a clean concentrate from mined sulphide ore would have a higher gold grade of over 40 grams with a much better recovery rate of over 90 per cent.


https://stockhead.com.au/resources/panterra-loses-patience-dominican-republic-stalled-gold-plant/
http://www.panterragold.com/projects.html


Strike in El Seibo
Yesterday 6 December 2017, a 24-hour strike began in El Seibo with a lottery booth set on fire, businesses closed, tires burned and demonstrators taking to the streets. The residents are calling for public works to be carried out and more attention from the government, in general. In addition there was no transport and the business sector was only working partially. The strike is due to end on Friday at 6 am.

The burning of Alfredo Sport took place early in the morning before the strike began, after the owner of the business said he did not agree with the strike. The vandalism was carried out by an unidentified man wearing a hoodie.

Tires were burned in the neighborhoods of Los Cajuiles, Villa Guerrero and Capotillo. The strike was called by the Committee for a Better El Seibo, who called for roads to be repaired, the moving of the General Pedro Santana jail, a sewage plant and the completion of the public hospital.

There was a heavy police presence on bridges and in public areas to prevent incidents but there were reports of standoffs between police officers and young people.

In addition, there were no bus services to Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macorís, Hato Mayor, Higüey, Miches and La Romana.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-neumaticos-en-primer-dia-de-paro-en-el-seibo


Bodies of two Frenchmen suspected of drug trafficking found
The police announced the recovery of two bodies of Frenchman linked to drug dealing and who had been reported as missing. In connection with the cases, three Dominican brothers have been arrested.

The foreigners were identified as 34-year Maziz Mansour, and Akca Ilker Nazif, whose age is not known. Both are believed to be heads of an international drug network operating in the country. Mansour went missing on 4 April 2017 and his body was found on 30 November 2017 in a septic tank within an abandoned farm in the El Mamón sector in the municipality of Guerra to the east of Santo Domingo. Nazir disappeared on 26 November 2017 and was found in another septic tank in the El Paredon neighborhood in the El Valiente de Boca Chica area, also to the east of Santo Domingo on 1 December.

In relation to the crimes, Dominican brothers, 27 year old Leiden Beras Féliz,; July Eliezer Féliz Fernández, aged 35; and Leónidas Hidalgo Féliz, whose ages are unknown, have been arrested.

According to the police they have admitted they killed Mansour to take his property, especially vehicles and motorcycles that they had transferred into their names.

They also admitted to killing Nazif on 26 November inside a car, presumably as he wanted to kill Leónidas Hidalgo Féliz.

The investigation is ongoing to identify other persons involved.

http://almomento.net/hallan-cadaveres-de-dos-franceses-desaparecidos-en-la-republica-dominicana/
http://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/164322-2-french-narcotraficantes-found-dead
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-franceses-hallados-en-fosas-la-pasada-semana


More DNCD agents under investigation for airport drug trafficking
The National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) and the Armed Forces are investigating several members of the DNCD and the Specialized Corps of Airport Security (CESAC) for matters relating to drug dealing at the La Romana International Airport (LRM).

The investigating commission is composed of the internal affairs department of each organization and they are trying to establish the degree of involvement of each of those said to be involved.

The Ministry of Defense (MIDE) has information that the colonel in charge of the CESAC in La Romana deactivated the security systems to facilitate the entry of a 300-kilo shipment of cocaine from Cartagena, Colombia.

http://www.dncd.gob.do/investigan-varios-miembros-en-el-aeropuerto-de-la-romana/
http://francomacorisanos.com/VerNoticias.aspx?ID=70542&Imagenes=&NoticiaType=#.Wik2xbQ-fkJ


Five teams battle to make playoffs of Baseball Championship
With 29 baseball games to go, and 9 to 11 games per team, for the regular season of the Dominican Winter Professional Baseball Championship to end, it’s now or never for each of the six teams to make the playoffs.

For the two capital city teams, the Licey Tigers and the Escogido Lions, the situation is difficult. One of the two might not make the final four.

As of Thursday, 7 December 2017, the standings were: Aguilas Cibaeñas (22-17), Estrellas Orientales (22-18), Gigantes del Cibao (21-19), Leones del Escogido (20-21), Tigres del Licey (19-21) and Toros del Este (16-24).

http://estadisticas.lidom.com/Estadisticas/Inicio
http://www.lidom.com/home/calendario/


USA promotes American food
From 7 to 17 December 2017, the United States’ Embassy is joining with Santo Domingo restaurants to carry out the first “Sabor USA” restaurant event, a gastronomic event to promote US ingredients used in many popular dishes.

The diners can visit participating restaurants during their normal opening hours and receive a USA Flavors Passport, and obtain stamps in it from each establishment. They can then send photos of their filled passport saborusard@gmail.com to participate in a raffle and win prizes, including gift certificates for lunches and dinners. They can also obtain more raffle tickets by sharing pictures of their food in social media using the hashtag #saborusard and mentioning the restaurant.

The participating restaurants are:
Applebee’s, Bistro KC, Bistro KC, La Cassina, La Dolcerie Bistro, Asadero Los Argentinos, Atarazana, Vertygo 101 Bar and Winston’s Grill (JW Marriott), Filigrana and Pearl Urban Lounge (Catalonia Santo Domingo Hotel), Mila Restaurante, Muelle 47, Shorthorn Steak & Bar, Tony Roma’s, La Rosticería, Mijas, Outback Steakhouse, Pura Tasca, Sonoma Bistro, Samurai, Victoria by PorterHouse, Takumi in Weston Suites Hotel, among others.

https://do.usembassy.gov/es/saborusa-rd/


Christmas songs concert at Convento de los Dominicos
This Friday, 8 December 2017 starting at 7:30pm, the Golden Girls Choir presents a Christmas carols concert at the Convento de los Dominicos on Calle Padre Billini in the Colonial City. The event is sponsored by the Protectores de Nuestro Patrimonio Histórico Society (Propahis). Also performing is a youth philharmonic orchestra and Ministry of Culture lyrical singers. Admission is free.


Feston Navideño 2017 at the Sambil Mall
Sambil Mall in Santo Domingo is inviting to the Feston Navideño 2017 at its hall of events on Saturday, 16 December 2017. Performing are Wilfredo Vargas, Manny Manuel, Bonny Cepeda, Grupo El Norte and Chiquito Team Band. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa tickets and at Supermercados Nacional and Jumbo.
 
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