DR1 Daily News - Thursday, 7 June 2018

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DR1 Daily News next update on 11 June 2018
DR hopes to win vote for non permanent seat on UN Security Council
DR is ranked 91st of 163 countries in Global Peace Index
DR signs drug related agreement with Colombia
Frente Amplio calls for deeper look at OMSA
Many blackouts in eastern Santo Domingo? Here is why
Haitians use Dominican documents to migrate to other places
Forest fire near Constanza under control
But they were supposed to be in jail
Battered woman says she met Spanish victimizer on Facebook
Hey, it’s hot and going to stay that way
Best basketball starts 7 June in Santiago
Dominican dance group performs on America’s Got Talent



DR1 Daily News next update on 11 June 2018
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 11 June 2018. 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


DR hopes to win vote for non-permanent seat on UN Security Council
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado will be at the UN headquarters in New York City for the vote that will determine if the Dominican Republic will be become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years (2019-2020). The vote will be cast on Friday, 8 June 2018. Vargas Maldonado has traveled all around the world to secure the international vote.

The permanent seats are held by China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. Non-permanent members are Ivory Coast (2019), Equatorial Guinea (2019) Kuwait (2019), Netherlands (2018), Peru (2019), Poland (2019). Also Bolivia (2018), Ethiopia (2018), Kazakhstan (2018) and Sweden (2018) whose term is up and need to be replaced in the 8 June election.

https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...n-escano-en-el-consejo-de-seguridad-de-la-onu


DR is ranked 91st of 163 countries in 2018 Global Peace Index
The Dominican Republic ranks 91st in the 163-country 12th Global Peace Index (GPI) carried out by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a think tank. The research points to improvements in the Dominican Republic. In the 2017 index, the DR was ranked 119th.

The GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness. It compiles results from the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies. It measures the state of peace using three thematic domains: the level of societal safety and security; the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict; and the degree of militarization.

The top most peaceful countries according to the index are Iceland, New Zealand, Austria, Portugal and Denmark. Canada is the top ranked country in the Americas (6). The United States is ranked at 121.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the country rankings are: Chile (28), Uruguay (37), Costa Rica (40), Panama (50), Argentina (66), Nicaragua (68), Peru (74), Ecuador (75), Paraguay (77), Cuba (81), Trinidad & Tobago (84), Haiti (88), Jamaica (90), Dominican Republic (91), Bolivia (94), Brazil (106), Guatemala (111), El Salvador (116), Honduras (118), Mexico (140), Venezuela (143), Colombia (145).

The index report pinpoints that the biggest challenge to peace in Central America and the Caribbean is crime and corruption.

The IEP explains that their research seeks to help countries understand the complex dynamics of peace and to provide the world with a roadmap for creating a more peaceful future.

http://economicsandpeace.org/
http://economicsandpeace.org/reports/
http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2018/06/Global-Peace-Index-2018-2.pdf


DR signs drug related agreement with Colombia
Minister of Foreign Relations Miguel Vargas announced the Dominican Republic has signed an agreement with Colombia for the control of drug trafficking and related crimes. Vargas and his counterpart from Colombia, María Angela Holguín signed the document during a visit by Vargas to Colombia.

The agreement calls for both countries to work together to reduce the demand of illicit drugs and develop strategies for the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation for drug addicts. The agreement also contemplates plans for controlling the production and trafficking of drugs and preventing asset laundering. The two countries agreed to share information on the global drug issues. “This is another step taken by the country to attack drug trafficking and abuse on all fronts so that these illicit activities will no longer contribute to erosion of our civil societies,” said Vargas, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noti...uerdo-con-colombia-para-combatir-narcotrafico


Frente Amplio calls for deeper look at OMSA
Representatives of the political group Frente Amplio (The Broad Front) went to the offices of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) to demand that the Administrative Minister for the Presidency, José Ramon Peralta, and other of officials be investigated as part of the “mafia” that operated out of the Metropolitan Bus Services Offices (OMSA).

According to Frente Amplio secretary-general Juan Dionisio Rodriguez, besides Minister Peralta other persons such as personal assistant to President Danilo Medina, Carlos Pared Perez, deputy Jesus Martinez Alberti, from the province of Santo Domingo, deputy Gertrudis Ramirez Cabral, the mayor of East Santo Domingo, Alfredo Martinez, the mayor of North Santo Domingo, René Polanco, and Wascar Rivera, a city councilman person from East Santo Domingo, should also be included in the investigation. T

The Frente Amplio says that it has proof and reliable sources that will back this accusation. The political movement is requesting “that an investigation be ordered that is broad enough to reach all the different powers held by the accused under the principle of equality before the law.” The group also stressed that the Constitution obliges the Attorney General of the Republic to investigate any formal complaint lodged by any citizen.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-funcionarios-por-mafia-en-la-omsa-BE10055884


Many blackouts in eastern Santo Domingo? Here is why
The Electricity Distributor for the East (EdeEste) said on Wednesday, 6 June 2018 that the blackouts, some of which last for 10 hours, and have been occurring over the last three weeks, are due to a deficit in generation of some 584 MW caused by a power generation deficit. Reportedly, five power plants are out of service. EdeEste explained that the long blackouts that affect the electric supply in the province of Santo Domingo and in other sectors in its concession area are the result of down time for San Felipe, Itabo I, Itabo 2, the Sultana del Este and Haina TG power stations. The company apologized for the inconveniences caused by these blackouts.

There were protests last night in the northern part of the National District in areas such as Espaillat, 27 February, Villa Juana and Villa Consuelo. The residents took to the streets to demand that the electricity distributor find a solution to the problem. Just in East Santo Domingo, more than 40 sectors are experiencing blackouts of up to nine hours for the last three weeks. There are also complaints that the electricity that is received is not stable. Merchants in the areas affected by the poor service from the power company are complaining of heavy economic losses because they have to buy fuel for their standby electricity generators.

A press release from the Association of Electric Industries (ADIE) indicated that the Itabo I power plant reported that it went off the grid on Tuesday, after being flooded by seaweed but is back in operation.

http://elnacional.com.do/deficit-de-generacion-causa-apagones-en-sde/
http://eldia.com.do/planta-afectada-por-sargazo-esta-en-operacion/


Haitians use Dominican documents to migrate to other places
A significant number of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic who benefited from the National Foreigner Legalization Plan (PNRE), and were able to obtain identity documents, use these very documents to obtain the legal means to request visas to go to other countries, particularly South America, according to the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development.

Economy Minister Isidoro Santana said that the Haitian immigrants benefited by the plan now have an easier life, job stability and access to public health and education plans in the Dominican Republic. Santana said that today Haitians by the thousands enter and leave the country regularly. The PNRE has not ended, with most of the beneficiaries hold only temporary documentation because they have not secured proper identity documents from Haiti to complete the process.

Santana recently had announced results of the 2017 National Immigration Survey (ENI-2017). He added that the survey makes evident that the issue of migration is being taken very seriously in the country. He said that regardless of whether the foreigners are here legally or illegally they need to be taken into account. He highlighted that if there is an outbreak of a contagious disease, there is no distinction if the blood is from a legal resident or not and therefore public policies need to be created with this segment of the population in mind.

The poll determined that 87% of immigrants, and 95% of the Haitian immigrants, are not protected by health insurance. The Dominican public health service does not require health insurance to provide services. The poll indicated that 42.4% of the foreign workers are unskilled.

For the survey, 270,000 persons were polled.

http://elnacional.com.do/haitianos-regularizados-usan-papeles-para-irse-a-otros-paises/


Forest fire near Constanza under control
These dry months of the year represent a major danger for the forests of the Dominican Republic. The Ministry of the Environment reported on 6 June 2018, that the forest fire that affected areas of the Pinar Bonito and Rio Grande in the municipality of Constanta are now under control.

A press release indicates that the fire affected some 30 hectares of pasture, trees and a small section of newly planted Caribbean pine trees (pinus occidentalis).

In large part thanks to the efforts by the forest fire brigades from Constanza, La Vega and Jarabacoa and support from the soldiers of the Sixth Battalion of the Army, the fire was quickly brought under control.

The ministry added that they are looking into the causes of the fire. Experts have suggested that the hot, dry temperatures combined with winds are most likely the cause of the fires. Fires have also been reported in the La Descubierta area on the border with Haiti.

https://www.diariolibre.com/medioam...e-afecto-pinar-bonito-en-constanza-EE10055753


But they were supposed to be in jail
Three of the four persons accused of the murder of a man and a woman in the Residencial Herfa sector of Cotuí, Sánchez Ramírez province, on 24 May 2018, were supposed to be serving sentences in the Palo Hincado Prison. Instead they were out in the street and no authority can explain why.

The commander of the Police Department of Sánchez Ramirez, Colonel José Poche, and the spokesman for the South Cibao Regional Command of the National Police, Lieutenant Colonel William Alcantara, said in a press conference that they had identified the murderers of the two persons as Maximo Rafael Alcantara (29), Bronfi Omarlin Leo Nardo Mendoza (30), whose nickname is El Sicario (hitman)) and another man identified only as Esmelin and who is a fugitive of justice. The fourth person implicated in the crime is Umberto Tejada Guzman, whose nickname is “the trustee” and who is said to be the mastermind behind this crime.

The police spokespersons noted that Mendoza had been hired to locate where Victor Manuel Vasquez was living before carrying out the crime, according to the police.

The authorities said that the murder was committed after a heated argument over the telephone between Victor Manuel Vasquez and Humberto Tejada Guzman from the prison over the control for drug points that were controlled from inside the prison.

The director of Prisons, General Thomas Holguin de la Paz, said on 6 June 2018, that he had no knowledge that three persons who were supposed to be in jail had committed the crime. He told the reporters from El Nacional over the telephone “we know nothing about what has happened. Ask the person who told you about it.”

So here is a case where drug distribution is argued over the phone from prison, at least three persons serving 30-year and 20-year terms for murder were hired for the sum of RD$50,000 each with another RD$10,000 for renting a car, left the prison, and located their victim who was not home and then killed the two persons found in the house. The National Police are investigating.

http://elnacional.com.do/asesinos-de-pareja-estaban-condenados-por-otros-crimenes/


Battered woman says she met Spanish victimizer on Facebook
Yaniris Hiciano López, whose boyfriend was arrested last week for gender violence, said she met her victimizer, the Spanish citizen Fernando Jiménez Baldaño by Facebook. The battered woman said she was attacked because he was jealous. She said she had ended her relationship with Jiménez and he kidnapped her and her seven year old son. She revealed it was her 7-year old son who saved her taking advantage of a moment when the foreigner looked for a weapon with which she says he had plans to kill her and calling out to the neighbors.

She said they were together for four months. But that she ended the relationship. She said he told her he was going to kill her and her children if she did not visit him. Jiménez Baldaño lived in Gaspar Hernández, in the La María barrio. She said she went to his house to talk and reach an agreement.

She when Jiménez locked them in the house, she looked through his things and noticed the day of the flight, that she notified to the authorities to prevent him from leaving the country.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-conocio-a-su-verdugo-por-facebook-JE10055804


Hey, it’s hot and going to stay that way
As everyone has noticed, it is very warm. The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) is reporting that there is a tropical wave to the southeast of Puerto Rico and a high level low pressure trough to the northeast of the island and these two are phenomenon are influencing the climate.

The forecast calls for an increase in cloudiness and scattered showers and thundershowers especially in the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and in the Central Mountains. The dust bringing hazy skies that is currently in our atmosphere is expected to be reduced considerably soon.

Onamet continues its recommendation for everyone to drink plenty of liquids, use of loose and light-colored clothing and avoid, if possible being out in the sun between 11am and 4pm.

It is expected that by Thursday, 7 June 2018 the tropical wave will have passed and there will be a small chance of continued showers.

http://eldia.com.do/meteorologia-pronostica-chubascos-dispersos-y-temperaturas-calurosas-5/


Best basketball starts 7 June in Santiago
The National Basketball League (LNB 2018) championship will take place from Thursday, 7 June through 19 August 2018. The inaugural game matches the Metros de Santiago and the Indios de San Francisco de Macorís at the 8pm game at the Arena del Cibao Oscar Gobaira in Santiago. Other games will be at the Club San Carlos in Santo Domingo. Games are scheduled for 8pm from Monday to Saturday and at 6pm on Sundays.

The teams are defending champions Metros de Santiago, Reales de La Vega for the North. Leones de Santo Domingo and Titanes del Distrito Nacional for Santo Domingo. And Cañeros del Este and Soles de Santo Domingo Este for the East. Each team will play 18 games in the regular season, five semi-final games, and a playoff series of 7-4. The tournament is dedicated to former Dominican national basketball team member, Felipe López.

The teams compete for the Banreservas Cup. An All Stars Game is scheduled for 3 July 2018 between the best of the league and the national basketball team. The Dominican team the day before will have matched Bahamas for a slot in the World Cup 2018.

The games are being televised by Coral 39, Digital 15, CERTV, LNB TV, Gigantes TV 1094HD and the YouTube channels LNBRD Circuito Norte/Sur. On radio they are transmitted on the Voz de las Fuerzas Armadas (106.9FM).

http://www.lnb.com.do/portal/index....cada-al-exjugador-de-la-nba-luis-felipe-lopez
http://www.lnb.com.do/portal/


Dominican dance group performs on America’s Got Talent
Dominican hip hop dance troupe the charmed the four judges and audience at the “America’s Got Talent” show on NBC and made it to the next round. The street dance troupe spokesperson said they were there to pursue their dream. They are competing for US$1 million in prize money.

Judge Heidi Klum hearing they were from the Dominican Republic remarked: “I love the Dominican Republic!”. Other judges are Howie Mandel, Mel B, Simon Cowell and Tyra Banks. The reality competition is in its 13th season. The judges were all praise: “Pure amazing brilliance in dance,” “different kind of passion, “ Within those two minutes you did everything you should do, so powerful, so cool, infectious.”

The urban dancers are members of the Academia Nucleo Extremo. The troupe had won the Hip Hop International competition in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INPK3t3mLaI&t=30s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INPK3t3mLaI