DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

President Luis Abinader received the Chairman’s Award for Leadership in the Americas during the 54th Americas Society/Council of the Americas meeting on 8 May 2024 in Washington, DC.

President Abinader received the award from Andres Gluski, president and CEO of the AES Corporation and Chairman AS/COA. Gluski highlighted that the prize was created in 2004 to recognize democratically-elected leaders who have made a strong positive impact on regional democracy and governance. He spoke of how the DR is open for business and the private sector is responding attracting new business and foreign investment, while the country has a strong regional voice, evidence of which is that the DR will host the 10th Summit of the Americas in 2025.

In 2021, President Abinader started the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD) working with Costa Rica and Panama. It was...

María Salazar and Adriano Espaillat / DR1

Republican Florida representative Maria Salazar and Democratic New York representative Adriano Espaillat expressed optimism the US Congress will pass the Americas Act that ensures funding and actions to step up US participation in development strategies in that country’s back door, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Americas Act introduced in March 2024 is a follow-up to the Dignity Act, submitted to the US Congress in May 2023. Both bills seek bipartisan support to revert the migration processes underway in the region after years of the United States investing in Asia rather than in “their back yard”. The legislators say the US government and opposition see in the Americas Act a “game changer” for robust development in the Americas.

Salazar and Espaillat championed the bill when presenting at the 54th Americas...

Román Jáquez / Junta Central Electoral

The president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) Román Jáquez used the forum of the May business lunch of the American Chamber of Commerce to sum up the preparations for the 19 May 2024 presidential and congressional elections and to urge political parties to rise to the democratic challenge ahead, as reported in El Caribe.

The presentation by the president of the JCE was attended by the main executives of the Amchamdr, led by its president, Edwin de los Santos and executive vice president, William Malamud who hosted the plenary of the JCE. In addition to Román Jaquez, other JCE members in attendance were Dolores Fernández, Samir Chami Isa, Rafael Vallejos and Patricia Lorenzo. Representatives of the political parties also attended.

Polls show President Luis Abinader will sweep the election with a comfortable lead and...

The Ministry of Education and the president of the Dominican Association of Public School Teachers (ADP) reached a consensus during ther talks on Wednesday, 8 May 2024.

The Ministry of Education is willing to raise wages to 10%, up from 8% first offered, to reach an agreement with the public school teachers’ union.

Former president of the ADP, Enrique de Leon, and the National Ombudsman Pablo Ulloa mediated for the agreement with the current president of the ADP, Eduardo Hidalgo.

After the meeting on Wednesday, Ulloa said another meeting would be held this week. He expects more meetings to follow once the presidential and congressional elections are over on 19 May 2024.“We have a schedule with all the points we are talking about and it will not only cover this space but vacations among other things,” he said.

Among the points that to be worked on are the...

The 2024 first time experience with the national debates makes unsubstantiated that the fear past presidential candidates had that held up their participation in presidential debates. In past elections, neither former President Leonel Fernandez nor former President Danilo Medina had accepted to participate in the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (Anje) organized debates. This changed in 2024, when incumbent President Luis Abinader said “yes.”

Bernardo Vega explains that questions to the effect included in the 24-28 Penn Stagwell poll made the point, as reported in Hoy. He said that 30% of those polled did not even tune in to watch the widely publicized debate. The 30% of those who did not watch included 38% of those who described themselves as independents, that is not partisan of any party.

36% of those interviewed during the debate considered that Luis Abinader...

The people and companies that created financial schemes and led the operations that would have resulted in more than RD$19 billion in fraud against the Dominican state have been removed from the charges, El Dia reports. The charge presented by the Administrative Corruption Prosecution (Pepca) says that a large portion of the funds secured through the financial schemes were then used for the presidential campaign of former Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo in 2020.

El Dia reports that the prosecutors are not placing charges against Ramon Emilio Jimenez Collie, Bolivar Ventura, Fernando Crisostomo, Jose Arturo Ureña nor companies they may have used to commit the fraud against the Dominican state.

The state prosecutors preferred to release these from responsibility once they shared details on the operations so their bosses and contractors could be incriminated. The...

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams and the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Ivan J. Arvelo announced on 8 May 2024 the arrest of several flight attendants for money smuggling on flights from New York to the Dominican Republic.

In total, the defendants are estimated to have smuggled US$8 million in bulk cash from the United States to the Dominican Republic.

US Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, these flight attendants smuggled millions of dollars of drug money and law enforcement funds that they thought was drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic over many years by abusing their privileges as airline employees. Today’s charges should serve as a reminder to those who break the law by helping drug traffickers move their...

President Luis Abinader returned promptly from his trip to Washington D.C. to receive a leadership award and participate in the 54th Meeting of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas to go direct to the Presidential Palace for a meeting on government actions now that the country has been under intense rains for weeks. There has been major flooding in cities and damages to farms and road infrastructure. Several troughs have brought intense rains in April and May.

Diario Libre reported that the meeting convened at the Presidential Palace gathered Defense Minister Carlos Diaz Morfa; Civil Defense director Juan Sala; ministers of the Presidency, Joel Santos; Public Works, Deligne Ascención; Public Health Víctor Atallah; Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte; the directors of the Santo Domingo Water Corporation (Caasd), Fellito Suberví; the director of the National Institute of...

Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the USA are scheduled to participate in the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six 2024 in the Dominican Republic. The event is scheduled to be held from 23 June to 1 July 2024 and is a preparatory event for teams that will be competing in the Paris Olympics.

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President Luis Abinader when asked during the Monday, 6 May 2024 press conference, said he has not had contact with the named acting president and acting prime minister in Haiti. These were recently designated by the new Presidential Transitional Council in Haiti.

Meanwhile, the intense rains falling over the past two weeks has brought the Masacre irrigation canal built in the Ouanaminthe area in Haiti, across from Dajabón in the Dominican Republic, back in the news. The canal was built by private interests in Haiti in violation with the treaty on the use of river waters that was signed with the Dominican Republic in 1929.

Recent intense rains have filled the course of the Dajabon-Masacre River and caused damage to lands on the course of the makeshift canal built in Haiti. Local experts, such as engineer Osiris de Leon, had warned on several...

President Luis Abinader and First Lady Raquel Arbaje traveled on Tuesday, 7 May 2024 to Washington, D.C. where the President is to receive the Americas Society’s leadership award as part of the complementary events of the 54th Washington Conference on the Americas organized by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas for 8 May.

The conference is an opportunity to hear from the most senior-level officials. It offers participants the chance to engage with business and policy leaders, members of the diplomatic community, and special invited guests from throughout the hemisphere.

President Abinader seeks to be reelected in the 19 May 2024 general elections. Leading polls indicate he is likely to win with around a 60% vote and a comfortable lead over the divided opposition parties.

Read...

President Luis Abinader dedicated his presentation at the Monday, 6 May 2024 in La Semanal con la Prensa press conference to focus on actions his government has taken in favor of Dominicans abroad and the importance of this community. Dominicans abroad can participate in health insurance plans, education plans, housing plans, funeral services plans, among others.

Around 800,000 Dominicans are registered to vote abroad.

President Abinader will be in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, 8 May 2024 to receive a leadership award from the Americas Society/Council of the Americas.

During the Monday press conference, the President spoke of the many programs his administration has underway to benefit Dominican expats. Remittances from Dominicans abroad have an enormous impact on the economy every year. Likewise, the expat vote could decide an election.

Currently, there...

Enrique De León / Acento

The Ministry of Education and the striking ADP, the public school teachers’ union, are again talking. The impasse has mostly revolved around a Ministry-approved teacher raise for 8% when the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), that represents the public school teachers, is asking for 20%.

In an arbiter role, social activist Enrique de León announced the two parties would meet on Wednesday, 8 May to further the talks to end the work stoppages. De León, a social and union activist, is recently known for his lobbying in the climate change and energy sector.

Since 2016, when the Danilo Medina administration began to implement the law that orders 4% of GDP to be awarded to public education, public school teachers have seen giant leaps in their compensation and benefit programs. Nevertheless, the public school system has little to show in advances in...

An ongoing debate on who gets a cushy government pension disguises the reality that pension plans in the DR for the general public suck. In the Dominican Republic, financial institutions control and have impeded improvements to the pension law to increase the pensions people receive at retirement. The general public in the social security system will receive at retirement around 25% of the last earned wages and retirees lose their health plans.

This low level of compensation at retirement does not apply to officers at several government entities, including the Central Bank or National Congress or the state university UASD. All those entities have pensions that are similar to the earnings of the person when on the job and in most cases, those who retire get to keep their generous health plans.

The other way to get a cushy pension is to get a special one, allowed by provisions...

Superintendent of Banks Alejandro Fernandez reports that he has skin cancer but this is under control because he caught it early.

He said that a month ago he was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma type. He was operated and it was removed.

“The good news is that, thanks to Dr. Manuel Cochón, a prominent Dominican dermatologist, we identified the melanoma in time and, after additional evaluations, we began the removal process. With the grace of God, it was completely removed,” he tweeted.

Read more in Spanish:

• Listin Diario
• Twitter + Alejandro Fernandez W

José Mulino / Z101

President Luis Abinader tweeted on Monday, 6 May 2024 his congratulations to Panama’s President-elect Jose Raul Mulino. “On behalf of the government and the Dominican people, I extend warm congratulations to the elected President of Panama, Jose Raul Mulino. Together with the next government of Panama, we hope to continue working together for the progress of our citizens in democracy.”

The new Panamanian president thanked the presidents of the different countries who have communicated with him in the first hours after the victory. “I will be a guarantor of Panama’s good relations with the world and the strengthening of security in the region,” he stated.

Mulino won the election in a single round with 34% of the votes. Upon receiving the news of his victory from the Electoral Court, he promised to form “a government of national unity as soon as possible”, expressing...

The Embassy of India in the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Relations joined to celebrate the 25 years of establishment of India-Domiican Republic diplomatic ties, as reported in Diario Libre.During the commemorative event, the ambassador of India, S Jaishankar honored the late Dominican ambassador to India, Hans Dannenberg Castellanos for his major contribution to the country relations. Dannenberg established the resident mission in 2006 and served as the dean of the Diplomatic Corps until 2021. He passed away in Montreal, Canada on 23 December 2023 of a heart attack. He had taken on a new commitment as ambassador in Canada.

Ambassador Jaishankar also thanked the Dominican authorities for its support for Operation Indravati that evacuated Indian citizens from Haiti.

Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Álvarez, highlighted in a commemorative...

National District Senator Faride Raful rendered accounts on her four years as senator for the capital city for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM). She highlighted her term was marked by ethical principles. President Luis Abinader was present for the presentation of her four-years in the Senate rendition of accounts.

Raful had sought to be reelected but desisted at the request of President Luis Abinader and the ruling political party. She eventually would go on to back the choice for senator for the National District of Guillermo Moreno, a several times presidential candidate for the Alianza Pais minority party.

Raful says she took on the challenging role of checking the requests for loans submitted by the Executive Branch. She said she sought to avoid what she had seen was the norm, that the loans were passed without even a reading by the legislators. She said she...

Medar de la Cruz, a Dominican-American cartoonist and illustrator born in Miami, Florida, and currently residing in Brooklyn, New York was awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary. The award comes with a US$15,000 cash prize.

De la Cruz won the award for his contribution to The New Yorker magazine. The award is given “for his visually-driven story set inside Rikers Island jail using bold black-and-white images that humanize the prisoners and staff through their hunger for books.

The winning work, The Diary of a Rikers Island Library Worker, was published in The New Yorker on 12 May 2023.

The Pulitzer Prize website shares this biography on Medar de la Cruz.

Medar de la Cruz graduated with a degree in illustration from Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, and has worked as a freelance illustrator for The New York Times and The New...

A father and two sons are accused of the murder of Luis Alfredo Pacheco, son of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco. Pacheco senior is running for reelection for the National District for the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) in the 19 May 2024 elections.

Hernan Torres Jr. and Hernando Torres were arrested on Monday, 6 May 2024 by the HPD South Gessner Patrol Division Crime Suppression Team, along with help from DEA agents and U.S. Marshals. Hernan Sr. was already in custody in Philadelphia on unrelated charges and will be extradited to Harris County.

Police said the suspects got out of two cars, a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan and a silver Dodge Charger. They began firing at the black Cadillac Escalade in which the son of the politician was with a 29-year old victim who is still in critical condition at the Houston Memorial Hermann...

Intense rains falling in Santo Domingo on the evening of 7 May 2024 caused massive traffic jams, with people taking more than an hour and a half to get to destinations that could be reached in 15 minutes.

The National Weather Office (Onamet) forecasts rains will continue in most of the country, especially in the afternoons and evenings, while issuing red alerts for Puerto Plata, Montecristi, La Vega, Duarte (San Francisco de Macoris) and Santiago Rodríguez provinces. Yellow alerts are issued for the provinces of Valverde, Santiago, Espaillat, Monseñor Nouel, Juan Sánchez Ramírez, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monte Plata, Samaná, San Pedro de Macorís, La Altagracia, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, San Cristóbal, San José de Ocoa, and Greater Santo Domingo (National District and province of Santo Domingo).

Weather is expected to improve over the weekend, but a wet May is...

Anthony Edwards / Minnesota Timberwolves

In an incredible game, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated Denver Nuggets in the continuing of the NBA Western Division playoffs. The game played in Denver ended 106-80, with the Timberwolves, playing with Dominican national team player Karl Anthony Towns.

The Timberwolves now have a two-game lead in the 7-games-win-4 series that after the two games in Denver moves to Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

During the Monday, 6 May game, the Timberwolves overpowered the Denver Nuggets. The game ended with “the stunningly efficient 106-80 thrashing of the reigning NBA champions”, CBS Sports News reported on the second game played in Denver, Colorado.

“We’ve had some really good defensive efforts this year,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said after his team took a surprising 2-0 lead in the Western Conference...

The two-time Pan American and Norceca champions, the Dominican Republic Women’s Volleyball Team (The Queens of the Caribbean), qualified for the Paris Olympics for the fourth time, are now in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to prepare for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) that starts on 14 May 2024. The Nations League tournament is the most important annual championship for senior volleyball.

Head coach, Marcos Kwiek, stated that these days of training leading up to the Nations League will be crucial for the matches ahead. Kwiek is a Brazilian volleyball coach who has been coaching the Dominican team since 2008.

Coach Marcos Kwiek said that team members who play in professional leagues around the world are joining the Santo Domingo-trained women for the preparatory practices. These include Brayelin Martínez, Gaila González, Jineirys Martinez, Alondra Tapia, Eve Mejía, Yonkaira Peña...

The Ministry of Tourism has taken on the task of preparing the First Encounter Africa and the Americas to promote tourism to be held 10-11 October 2024 in Punta Cana. The dates are subject to confirmation.

The DR holds the presidency of the Regional Commission for the Americas of the World Tourism Organization and used the occasion of the meeting of ministers for the 69th Meeting of UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Americas on 30 April 2024 in Varadero, Cuba to make the announcement.

During the meeting, DR’s Tourism Minister David Collado proposed the bi-regional meeting between the countries of Africa and the Americas on tourism (CAF-CAM). The event promises to promote cooperation and development of both regions in tourism matters.

The central theme of the October 2024 meeting in Punta Cana will be “Promotion of South-South cooperation in investment...

With the formal opening of state-of-the-art Terminal B at the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), the airport management is now focused on the renovation and expansion of its original Terminal A, Arecoa reports. Punta Cana International is the largest airport in the Dominican Republic, receiving the lion’s share of tourism traffic, most headed to the nearby Punta Cana beach resorts. The airport improvements are in line with the increasing number of travelers who fly in and out of the airport.

Alberto Smith, director of Landside & Cargo Operations at Punta Cana International Airport for the Grupo Puntacana, told Arecoa that the works will take around three years to be completed because it is a working terminal. He said the challenge is to meet the growing demand and remain at the forefront in the airport industry.

Smith said by the year’s end an increase of 1...

Local media has been sharing photos of the new Miss Dominican Republic Celinee Santos, who will represent the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico in September 2024.

Celinee Santos is a 24-year old professional model who studies law.

Meanwhile, social media has dedicated itself to speculate whether Celinee Santos is intelligent and lovely enough to become the second Dominican Republic Miss Universe. Amelia Vega, today the mother of four girls and a first-born son as wife to NBA Boston Celtics player Al Horford, is the Dominican Republic’s only Miss Universe. Vega won the contest in Panama in 2023.

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• El Dia
• DR1 News

Contemporary art is inspiring and promises to surprise. The First International Contemporary Art Fair is happening now in Santo Domingo and Santiago. Exhibitions are at the Museum of Modern Art (Plaza de la Cultura), BanReservas Cultural Center (Colonial City), ASR Galería (Arte San Ramón) in Santo Domingo and the Centro Leon in Santiago. The invite is to “come listen with your eyes.”

Santo Domingo and Santiago are hosting multiple contemporary art exhibitions with hundreds of local artists and special guest artists from abroad participating in the First International Contemporary Art Fair.

The FIACI activity at Bellas Artes Art Gallery is from 1 to 12 May. Others continue through June.

The venues and dates are:19 April 19 – 19 May: Centro Cultural Banreservas (Calle Isabel La Católica, Colonial City)26 April – 25 May: ASR Galería (Ave Lincoln, Piantini)18 April – 30 May: Centro León...

The Presidency announces that President Luis Abinader will travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the 8 May 2024 54th Washington Conference on the Americas. organized by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. He is the only President on the extensive list of speakers. During the event, President Abinader will be awarded the Chairman’s Award for Leadership in the Americas. He will then deliver keynote remarks.

The ASCOA describes the event as “the premier forum for dialogue on Latin American politics, economics and culture.”

With the theme of “Advancing the Business Case for the Americas” the 54th conference focuses on trade, energy and democracy.

New York congressman Adriano Espaillat will also speak during the conference. Espaillat is a Dominican expat who keeps close contact with the Dominican affairs related to his constituency and in the...

Mark Penn/Stagwell released the findings of its April poll on who is most likely to win the 19 May 2024 presidential election in the Dominican Republic, poll representative Bernardo Vega reports. Face-to-face polls were carried out and 1,206 respondents said who they are likely to vote for. The polls were carried out from 25 to 28 April 2024. The survey was conducted freshly after the presidential debate on 24 April 2024. The margin of error of the poll is 2.8%.

The Mark Penn/Stagwell poll revealed that if the vote were held on the polling date, President Luis Abinader (PRM) would have won in the first round with 57%. 24% of the likely voters said they would vote for three-time former President Leonel Fernandez (FP). Former Santiago Mayor Abel Martínez (PLD) would receive 12% of the vote. 2% say they would vote for another party and 5% are undecided.

The poll...

President Luis Abinader delivered the Unesco Freedom of Press Award to 82-year old Eulalio Almonte Rubiera (Lalo) during the space of his weekly La Semanal press conference. Almonte Rubiera worked for La Nacion, Listin Diario, Noti Tiempo, El Caribe and Noticiario Cristal in his extended career as a journalist in the Dominican Republic and the United States.

The award is part of the UNESCO mandate for the World Freedom of the Press Week that takes place around the world from 3 to 10 May 2024. It comes with a medal, plaque and US$25,000 cash prize. The director of the Regional Office for the Unesco, based in Havana, Cuba, Anne Lemaistre, spoke of the importance of the award.

Speaking at the event, Dominican ambassador to the Unesco, Andres Mateo highlighted the Dominican Republic is a global model for freedom of the press today. The award juror worked under the...

Roberto Herrera / El Caribe

The Ministry of Public Works has finally responded to the quest of El Caribe reporters for an update on the Km 9 city connector roadworks. Herrera says the roadworks are 70 to 80% finished. He set a completion date of August 2024.

The connector would decongest traffic at Santo Domingo’s north exit/entrance. The works call for the expansion from 8 to 14 lanes in the stretch that connects the Duarte Highway and Av. Luperon in Santo Domingo.

The Ministry had announced the start of the works in February 2022 indicating these would be completed in 10 months. More than two years later, El Caribe reported that nothing was clear about when the works will be completed.

Deputy Minister for Supervision and Inspection Roberto Herrera said the delay has been because the merchant and transport businesses that command land in the area have...

Abel Martínez while signing the Pact / Listin Diario

The Listin Diario got the three main contenders for the Presidency in the Dominican Republic to sign on to a pact on 6 May 2024 to ensure the implementation of Animal Protection Law 248-12. The law has been in effect for 12 years with governments of the ruling parties Modern Revolutionary Party nor Dominican Liberation Party taking actions to enforce its clauses.

The Listin Diario went to bat for the effort of the Dominican Federation for Animal Rights (FEDDA) and called for a pact to create an awareness and to promote actions in favor of animals and their interaction with humans in the Dominican Republic.

An editorial on 22 April 2024 by Listin Diario executive editor Miguel Franjul invited the presidential candidates to visit the newspaper to sign the commitment to comply with the law.

Of the three...

The 26th Santo Domingo International Book Fair (FILSD 2024) will be held from 7 to 17 November 7 2024 on the grounds of the Plaza de la Cultura Juan Pablo Duarte in Santo Domingo.

The Ministry of Culture says that in upcoming weeks it will announce the name of the writer to whom the fair will be dedicated, and the guest country.

“The 2024 International Book Fair will be a window to the future of literature. With the introduction of innovative technologies and the inclusion of new voices, this edition promises to redefine the way we experience reading and cultural exchange,” said Culture Minister Milagros Germán.

The event congregates intellectuals and lovers of readers among the general public. The Ministry of Culture says that last year the fair attracted over 300,000 visitors when held at the Plaza de la Cultura grounds. The Ministry says that bookstores...

Francelys María Furcal Rodríguez, the Dominican woman accused of killing her boss, Chinese merchant Chen Zongxin on 21 April 2022 after a heated argument at the Z&C Hardware Store in the National District, is back in the Dominican Republic. She now awaits her indictment in the Ciudad Nueva Courthouse jail. She had fled abroad to escape charges. She was deported on 6 May 2024 on an Iberia flight from Madrid, after the Spanish judiciary approved her extradition. She had been arrested in August 2023 in Madrid.

What is most extraordinary, and has yet to be answered, is how a woman who took a job in a Chinese hardware store, known for their poor working conditions and low pay, would have the backing to flee on 22 June 2022, with changes of identity and stops in multiple countries (Colombia, Brazil, Qatar, Spain), before taking residence in Spain.

The incident marked an increase...

For those living in Santo Domingo, all throughout the morning and for the first half of the afternoon, it was blue sunny skies on Monday, 6 May 2024. In the late afternoon and evening, though, the rains fell hard, causing flooding in some areas of the capital city. Hoy reports that the waters turned the Av. Luperon into “an arm of the sea.”

The National Weather Office (Onamet) is forecasting more rains as another trough moves west over the Dominican Republic. Weather has alternated between sunny skies alternating with intense rains, product of the humidity and instability associated with the passing weather systems.

Onamet forecasts more rains for La Altagracia, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, Samaná and María Trinidad Sánchez, especially in the afternoon. The downpours, thunderstorms and gusts of wind can be expected to impact the northeast, east, southeast, Central...

Weather forecaster Jean Suriel says that the days of gorgeous blue skies will soon be impacted by the Sahara dust blowing our way from Africa. The Caribbean region will be impacted from now until September, with a peak in Sahara dust usually from June to August. The dust causes hazy skies and worsens people’s allergies.

Read more in Spanish:

• Twitter + Jean Suriel
• Hoy

The arrival of a third military aircraft from the United States continues to stir interest in following actions the United States may be taking to step up its overt involvement in Haiti. Officially, these aircraft are bringing agents that will be preparing the way for the United Nations’ effort that is scheduled to begin in about two weeks with the arrival of the police troops from Kenya.

Under-Secretary of State Todd Robinson told the Miami Herald that the arrival of the US contingent was the forerunner of the official mission from the UN. No further details have been forthcoming.

It was also revealed that the United States Defense Department has set aside US$190 million to finance the equipment and support of the UN mission.

It was reported that entire families have abandoned their homes in the barrios of Port-au-Prince to head to safer spaces.

The United...

The Greenberg poll on the presidential election in the Dominican Republic on 19 May 2024 reveals that President Luis Abinader, running for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) will comfortably win the election. Greenberg reports of those polled 58% will vote for Abinader. Former three-term President Leonel Fernandez of the People’s Force (Fuerza del Pueblo) trails well behind with 25%. Greenberg says 13% of the eligible voters polled say they will vote for the former mayor of Santiago, Abel Martínez, who is running for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).

The poll says Abinader now has a 74% approval rate of eligible voters.

The previous Greenberg poll in November 2023 had shown Abinader leading with 49% of the vote. In the Dominican Republic, to win in a first round of the election, 50%+ 1 of the vote is needed.

Read more in Spanish...

Former three-term President Leonel Fernandez offers his experience in government and his privileged intellect to the population again. He wants to do better and resolve key problems left pending from his being President from 1996-2000, 2004-2008 and 2008-2012.

Read more in Spanish:

• Listin Diario
• Listin Diario
• El Dia
• El Dia

With but two weeks to go for the Presidential and Congressional election on 19 May 2024, the Fuerza del Pueblo political party seems to not have been able to get its act together and comply with legal statutes for registering candidates.

One of the affected by recent decisions of the Fuerza del Pueblo leadership, Andy Morales says he has not resigned his candidacy for deputy for the FP in the National District. The FP had announced the candidates would be chosen by poll, and Morales won the poll. Subsequently, the FP leadership, namely party president and former three-time President Leonel Fernandez, chose to register a different candidacy, that of Rafael Paz.

Paz is a former executive vice president of the National Business Council.

The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has sided with the TSE that had ruled against the registration of the candidacies of Rafael Paz and Selinee Mendez...

83-year old former President Hipólito Mejía reported suffering a fall that caused a fracture in his right forearm. The information was posted in his X and Instagram accounts with a photo where he is with members of his family, including his daughter, National District Mayor Carolina Mejía.

“I feel fine, thank God. I had a fall and it caused a non-displaced fracture in my right forearm. As you can see, I’m fine and whole! I wish you all a happy Sunday with family. Blessings,” was the message published on the social networks.

Mejía was President of the Republic from 2000 to 2004.

Read more in Spanish:

• Listin Diario
• Instagram

General Juan José Otañez Jimenez / Acento

In just two weeks, on 19 May 2024, millions of Dominicans will diligently go to the polls to elect their President for the next four years.

As is typical in this type of event, passions are high. The JCE seeks to prevent any clashes that could disrupt the public peace at the voting stations. As a result of this, Major General Juan Jose Otaño Jimenez, commander of the Electoral Military Police, will head some 56,000 members of the Dominican military and the National Police charged with maintaining domestic tranquility on election day, Sunday, 19 May 2024. There are some 16, 857 polling units spread out in 4,298 election locations in the entire nation, thus their work is cut out for them.

The main mission of the Election Military Police is to protect the election machinery, equipment, personnel and the ballots. The force is also...

Vice President Raquel Peña and Industry & Commerce Minister Victor (Ito) Bisono attended the opening of the International Chamber of Commerce in Santo Domingo Centre of Entrepreneurship. The center is a joint effort of the ICC and the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santo Domingo (CCPSD).

The Vice President and Industry Minister were present for the center inaugural speeches by ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO, CCPSD Second Vice-President of the Board of Directors Anyerlene Bergés and CCPSD Executive Vice-President Antonio Ramos.

The new ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship in the Dominican Republic seeks to promote the participation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in international trade.

This is ICC’s 15th entrepreneurship center opened since the first was launched in Istanbul, Turkey in 2020.

“We are excited to announce...

The Central Bank reported on Sunday that the Consumer Price Index for April was -0.10%. Interannual inflation now stands at 3.03%.

The Central Bank reports that the index was impacted significantly by the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages group, that posted a variation of 0.72% in April.

The reported interannual inflation rate is the lowest in the past 46 months or since June 2020. It is now at the lower limit of the target range for the year of 4.0% ± 1.0% established in the Central Bank monetary program for 2024.

Read more in Spanish:

• Central Bank

The Ministry of Education announced on Thursday, 2 May 2024 an overall 8% wage increase for public school teachers and those retired, but this was not enough for the teachers’ union (Asociación Dominicana de Profesores – ADP). The teachers’ union continues to rally its members to strike in protest. The union is asking for at least a 20% increase.

Public school teachers are among the best paid school teachers in the Dominican Republic, to the point the once burgeoning private school system has not been able to compete and thousands of teachers have resigned to join the public school system.

Local media report that not all public school teachers nationwide are backing the strike. Many have said the labor demands should not affect classes.

When making the announcement of the 8%, Education Minister Ángel Hernández recalled that only two years ago the...

At a time when gushing wealth from oil is coming to Guyana, government authorities in the Dominican Republic keep their hopes up that there could be commercially-exploitable oil off Dominican shores, too.

The Dominican Oil Refinery (Refidom) and the National Pedro Henriquez Ureña University (UNPHU) have released the second report on their findings of an exhaustive geological study of possible hydrocarbon-bearing areas of the Dominican Republic. The most recent release is titled: “Geochemical modeling of the Enriquillo, Azua, San Juan, and Cibao basins” and was presented at the UNPHU campus in Santo Domingo.

Refidom general manager, Yamily Lopez, told reporters that these studies are very important for the development of the country as well as for the refinery. According to this spokesperson, the results of the study will be made available to potential investors, both...

After media pressure, the echelons at the Ministry of Environment have taken actions to assuage concerns and put a stop to violations to the Environment Law 64-00 and Protected Areas Sectoral Law 202-04, much criticized in the media.

The Ministry of the Environment arrested hundreds of persons, mostly from Haiti, who were scratching out a living in the Los Haitises protected area, a national park. Dozens and dozens of small, subsistence plots of basic foods such as yucca, corn, and squash were also razed.

While this might seem cruel, the reality is that the area commonly called Los Haitises is a critical natural resource and eco-system. It is the source of hundreds of rivers and streams that provide water to nearly half of the population of the Dominican Republic. It must be preserved. Several Dominicans were also arrested and...

The people in the Dominican Republic drink a lot of soda drinks, flavored water and fruit juices. Soft drinks cost little and distribution is excellent nationwide.

The soft drinks industry is now lobbying to keep its tax benefits. Health sectors consider the sugary drinks should be taxed as these drinks are damaging to health. Most consumers are unaware of the negative effects the sugary drinks have on health.

The soft drink and juices industry reveals that and all together this non-alcoholic beverage sector produces a whopping RD$15.6 billion for the National Treasury (Hacienda). The sector also provides jobs for over 60,000 persons.

A recent study sponsored by the Association for Non-Alcoholic Beverages of the Dominican Republic and carried out by Despradel and Associates (DESA) looked at data from the Central Bank and...

Just about 60 years ago, a young Mary Perez de Marranzini, whose son Celso suffered from polio in his youth, realized that there was no place in the Dominican Republic where persons with physical disabilities could receive assistance. She was determined to change all of that, and, as a result, the was the Dominican Rehabilitation Association was founded in Santo Domingo.

The organization, now known simply as Rehabilitacion, has provided for more than 22 million services since its inception, and treated an estimated more than 10% of the Dominican population that has suffered some type of injury or illness that has resulted in a disability or an impairment of physical movement. Just last year the agency provided over 1.5 million services, many of which were free.

Celso Marranzini Perez, the current president of the Board of Directors, noted that there...

The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) has placed over more than half of the Dominican Republic under some kind of alert. From Punta Cana to Montecristi, and all along the North Coast, there are both Yellow and Green alerts due to the rains that keep falling, Diario Libre reports.

Communities in the province of Puerto Plata, on the north coast, made headlines for flooding after weeks of rains saturated the soils.

Although not in the news, the nation’s second-largest city Santiago de los Caballeros is suffering from a serious water shortage due to the muddy water in the Yaque River.

The new weather front currently passing over the country is expected to cause rains into today, Monday, and possibly into this week.

Only the Southwest, known as the Deep South, traditionally dry areas and southcentral San Cristobal, Peravia and Azua, have escaped these latest heavy...

24-year old professional model Celinee Santos won the right to represent the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe contest during the contest held on 5 May 2024. She was chosen from 18 participants during the event televised from the Sambil Convention Center in Santo Domingo.

Santos will represent the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe pageant that this year is scheduled for Mexico on 28 September 2024, under new more relaxed rules.

Santos won the crown on her second intent in the pageant. She had competed in the contest in 2023. She represented the DR in the Miss International 2022 in Tokyo, Japan coming in as the fourth finalist.

Santos was 15 years old when she won a first beauty contest and was crowned Reina de Santa Ana in San Francisco de Macorís on a vacation trip to that northeastern city. She was born and raised in Santo Domingo.

Santos...

The Dominican national basketball team is ranked 19th in the world and is one of six teams that will seek to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games during the summer of 2024.

The DR got a last chance when the team finished in 14th place at the World Cup. That qualified the team for the OQTs as one of the best 16 remaining teams that did not advance directly to the Summer Olympics.

The Dominican Republic team has never made it to the Summer Olympics. FIBA Basketball is following the team’s participation over the years. The news release says that the Dominican team has participated twice in an OQT. The DR was just one victory from making their Olympic debut in 2012 when the team beat North Macedonia in the Quarter-Finals in Venezuela but then lost to Lithuania 109-83 in the Semi-Finals. The Dominicans had one more chance but lost to Nigeria 88-73 in the Third Place Game to decide the final...

40 global track stars were in The Bahamas for the Paris Olympic relays qualifier during the World Athletics Relays at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau on Saturday, 4 May and Sunday 5 May 2024. The DR qualified to participate in the 4 x 400m mixed relay, the same competition in which the country won the silver medal in the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympic Games. Marileidy Pauino, Anabel Medina and Alexander Ogando were on the Tokyo winning team and repeated in The Bahamas competition.

The DR qualified with a 4 x 400 m Season Best of 3:14.39. Yeral Núñez joined relay members Marileidy Paulino, Alexander Ogando and Anabel Medina Ventura in The Bahamas.

The US team won the race with 3:11.52 – Ryan Willie, Matthew Boling, Kendal Ellis and Lynna Irby-Jackson.

The Olympics website explains the qualification is not final and depends on the...