DR1 Daily News - Tuesday, 11 October 2016

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President Medina orders aid for Haiti
Jill Biden shares experiences with Candida Montilla
Hospitals being upgraded slowly
Gravel permits cancelled
Ruth Herrera to organize 2017 Book Fair
Santo Domingo barrios to be lit up
Cemeteries cleaned in National District
Policemen protest for better quality of life
Ex-President of Uruguay receives doctorate
Body of 10-year old buried, case unsolved
Trial to begin of OISOE four
Six-year old girl caught with crack
Nicole may become hurricane again
Nick Hardt wins all age group tennis meets
7 Mujeres back at the National Theater
Children?s theater festival
Electric Paradise returns to Cap Cana



President Medina orders aid for Haiti
President Danilo Medina has ordered a shipment of raw and processed food, rabies vaccines, reconstruction equipment including heavy machinery and zinc roofing sheets, medicines and mattresses to be sent to Haiti, responding to a request made by the government of Haiti.*

On Sunday, 9 October 2016 President Medina traveled to Haiti to express Dominican solidarity with the country and personally assess the damage.

Medina?s office based its decision on the contents of a document from acting President of Haiti Jocelerme Privert, listing the country?s most urgent needs.

The announcement about aid was made by the Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jos? Ram?n Peralta following a cabinet meeting on Haiti on Monday 10 October 2016, attended by Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas, Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo and Agricultural Minister Angel Estevez, along with the State Subsidized Canteens director Nicolas Calderon, Presidential Social Plan director Iris Guaba, National Housing Institute director Mayobanex Escoto and others.

It was also announced that the Dominican armed forces would coordinate land support.

Meanwhile, victims of Hurricane Matthew in the Dominican Republic complained that government help has not reached their communities.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...colchones-medicamentos-y-otras-ayudas-a-haiti

http://eldia.com.do/los-damnificados-se-quejan-del-gobierno/


Jill Biden shares experiences with Candida Montilla
The Presidency reports that during a meeting on Monday 10 October 2016, the Second Lady of the United States, Jill Biden and First Lady of the Dominican Republic Candida Montilla shared their experiences of educational, health and women?s programs.

Biden is the founder of the Biden Breast Health Initiative and Candida Montilla has championed the Healthy Women (Mujeres Saludables) program and the Center for Comprehensive Care for People with Disabilities (CAID) for educational inclusion for children with disabilities. Biden arrived in the country for a two-day visit on Sunday, 9 October 2016.

Her visit coincides with the celebration of Breast Cancer Month in October.

First Lady Montilla attended a meeting at the US Embassy residence to welcome the wife of the US Vice President.

Biden also met with Dominican authorities to discuss cultural, educational, health and women?s issues. During the visit, she was accompanied by US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women?s Issues Catherine Russell and US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Evan Ryan.

She also met with President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace, accompanied by US Ambassador James Brewster, Minister of the Presidency Gustavo Montalvo, Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jos? Ram?n Peralta and Minister of Education Andr?s Navarro. She was also scheduled to visit the government-built community college (ITSC) in eastern Santo Domingo.


Hospitals being upgraded slowly
A program for the expansion and remodeling of 56 public hospitals is proceeding at a snail?s pace, but according to Francisco Pagan, director of the Office of Supervising Engineers of State Works (OISOE), the first 18 hospitals will be ready by November.

He did admit that there had been a delay of around six months, due to the fact that the Health Ministry had introduced new rules for hospital construction.

The original budget for the 56 hospitals in the National Health Service network was RD$2,773,510,513 but the cost will now be higher, taking into account the new criteria issued by the Health Ministry and the Pan-American Health Organization.

The hospitals that are nearly ready are General Melenciano in Jimani, Castillo in Duarte province, Janico in Santiago and La Descubierta in the southwest. These hospitals are 95% complete and will be ready in 30 days.

Another 14 hospitals will be ready by the end of the year, according to Pagan, and the rest will be completed in 2017.

The new requirements for hospitals include a stipulation that the rooms should have one or two beds, air conditioning, and that the floors in the emergency areas, operating theaters, laboratory, intensive care and neo natal unit should be sterile.

The hospitals that will be finished this year are the maternity units of San Lorenzo de Los Mina and La Altagracia, Barsequillo in Haina, Ricardo Limardo in Puerto Plata, Alejandro Cabral in San Juan de la Maguana, Juan Pablo Pina in San Cristobal, Antonio Musa in San Pedro de Macoris, Teofilo Hernandez in El Seibo, Padre Billini in Santo Domingo, Bogaert in Mao, and Antonio Yapour in Nagua.

http://hoy.com.do/oisoe-atribuye-lentitud-remodelar-56-hospitales-a-aplicar-normas/


Gravel permits cancelled
The Ministry of Environment has announced the suspension of all permits for extracting gravel and construction materials from rivers.*

The measure was announced in a press release from the Chamber of Deputies Environment Commission following a meeting with the Minister Francisco Dominguez Brito.*

The Chamber of Deputies reports that Dom?nguez Brito said that extraction of gravel and sand is only still allowed to reduce sediment in dams nationwide.

Dom?nguez has said new sources will need to be identified to supply construction material. ?At this time, we are letting you know that we are going to promote dry quarries and we are going to maintain strict supervision over the extraction of sand from the rivers, because that practice must end,? Francisco Dom?nguez Brito is quoted as saying in the Chamber of Deputies press release.


Ruth Herrera to organize 2017 Book Fair
Culture Minister Pedro Verg?s has appointed the organizing committee for the 20th Santo Domingo International Book Fair in 2017. The committee will be chaired by journalist and publisher Ruth Herrera. The 2017 book fair will take place from 21 April to 2 May.

Ruth Herrera has worked as a journalist for ?ltima Hora and List?n Diario newspapers and at the Rumbo magazine. She headed Editorial Santillana?s publishing division for 18 years.

The committee will also include Le?n F?lix Batista, Pedro Antonio Valdez and Valent?n Amaro.

The 2017 fair will be dedicated to Ren? del Risco Berm?dez and the guest country is Paraguay.


Santo Domingo barrios to be lit up
According to National District Mayor David Collado, instead of the Sparkling Christmas light show in the park promoted by his predecessor Roberto Salcedo, the money will be spent on a new project called ?Lighting Up Santo Domingo.?

The RD$40 million budgeted for the Sparkling Christmas event at the Parque Iberoam?rica will be spent on the first stage of a program to install streetlights in the neighborhoods of Ensanche La Fe and part of Cristo Rey. The second stage will light up the neighborhoods of Mata Hambre and 30 de Mayo.

Collado said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that citizens feel safer at night.

Collado gave the details at a press conference on Monday, 10 October 2016 accompanied by the general manager of the Edesur electricity distribution company, Radhames del Carmen and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) representative in the country, Lorenzo Jimenez.

Edesur will be in charge of the technical side and the UNDP will carry out the tender for light bulbs to ensure transparency.

Collado said that Law 176-07 establishes that the municipality should allocate funds for lighting in residential neighborhoods. Jim?nez stated that the initiative would improve the quality of life of people living in Santo Domingo.

Del Carmen added that this initiative would give city residents something in return for what they are already paying for the electricity service. Edesur will prepare the street plan, provide the workers and install the lights in the lampposts.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...ngo-iluminado-con-dinero-de-brillante-navidad


Cemeteries cleaned in National District
National District Mayor David Collado has begun the task of cleaning up the Cristo Redentor cemetery as part of an operation to clean and rehabilitate all the cemeteries in the city.

Collado said that Cristo Rey would be the first, and he hoped that it would be 70% ready for All Saints Day, 2 November 2016 so that everyone who visits their loved ones? graves would find a clean cemetery.

The cleanup operation by around 200 workers includes cutting trees and grass, cleaning the gravestones and painting as needed. In order to improve security and prevent cemeteries from being used as a meeting place for criminals, Collado has also ordered them to be closed and lit up at night.

The RD$2 million program is being carried out in coordination with Environmental Management, Public Services and Urban Cleaning departments. At the same time a Friends of the Cemetery Committee will be formed, made up of people whose family members are buried there, to look after the area and raise funds.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...collado-inicia-limpieza-en-el-cristo-redentor


Policemen protest for better quality of life
Relatives of police agents in the Dominican Republic protested outside the Presidential Palace on Monday, 10 October 2016 in demand of wage increases to a minimum of RD$25,000 for corporals and RD$5,000 per additional rank in the 2017 National Budget submitted to Congress.

The relatives, who assembled outside the government seat for two hours, pointed out that even in Haiti police are better paid. They say that a police agent in Haiti makes US$500 a month.

One of the spokespersons said that if wages were not increased, half of the members of the police would film videos demanding better wages.

Nevertheless, the protestors who marched from the National Pantheon to Presidential Palace said that more did not take part out of fear of being fired from the Police for protesting, following previous dismissals after protests by members of the police.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADLy7AHf3zg


Ex-President of Uruguay receives doctorate
On Monday 10 October 2016, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) awarded the former president of Uruguay, Jose (Pepe) Mujica an Honorary Doctorate for his support for democracy and the law and for his public service.

The ceremony opened with the national anthems of Uruguay and the Dominican Republic along with the UASD anthem.

UASD Rector Dr. Ivan Grullon Fernandez, who led the ceremony, described Mujica as one of the most prominent men of the 21st Century in Latin America.

Mujica arrived in the Dominican Republic on Sunday. On Monday he paid a visit to President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace before giving a speech at the auditorium of the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henr?quez Ure?a (UNPHU) in the afternoon.

http://eldia.com.do/la-uasd-inviste-como-doctor-honoris-causa-a-jose-pepe-mujica/


Body of 10-year old buried, case unsolved
An autopsy and DNA test on the body of Carla Massiel Cabrera Reyes were able to confirm her identity, but the case is all but closed.*

On Monday, 10 October 2016, the little girl who was reported missing in June 2015 and whose remains were found in August 2016 was buried at the Pedro Brand municipal cemetery.*
The remains were located after Darwin Trinidad Infante led the authorities to the site where he had buried her. He said he was paid US$3,600 to bury the body, as reported in Diario Libre.

The reasons for the murder are still unclear.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...-massiel-ya-descansan-en-cementerio-DC5150731


Trial to begin of OISOE four
On Monday, 10 October 2016 the Public Prosecution Service asked a National District court to open the trial of the four people accused of extorting contractors and perverting the course of justice. The accused are Joel Soriano Fabian and Alejandro Isidoro de los Santos, both former employees of the Office of Supervising Engineers of State Works (OISOE), lawyer Julio Rafael Perez Alejo and Juan Ernesto Romero Perez.

According to the Specialized Prosecution Unit for the Persecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), the former OISOE employees abused their positions by extorting money from contractors, threatening to withdraw their contracts if they did not pay. In addition they say that Alejandro Isidoro de Los Santos falsely claimed to be an architect and that he also associated with the other accused to extort contractors. They go on to say that the scale of the extortion led David Rodriguez to kill himself in a bathroom at the OISOE offices in 2015.

http://elnacional.com.do/ministerio...acion-formal-contra-ex-empleados-de-la-oisoe/


Six-year old girl caught with crack
A six-year old girl has been taken into the care of the authorities after being found in possession of 53 portions of crack cocaine during a raid carried out in El Ejido in Santiago.

The girl?s name has not been released for legal reasons but according to reports, the drugs were found in her pocket. She is being questioned to find out who owned the drugs.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/10/10/ocupan-53-porciones-crack-una-nina-6-anos-santiago


Nicole may become hurricane again
According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Nicole is likely to become a hurricane again and is around 810 kilometers south of Bermuda, moving in a northerly direction.

Although Nicole is not currently a threat to land, some of the outer bands are expected to reach the north coast of the Dominican Republic leading to clouds and isolated thunderstorms. According to the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) the effects will be felt in the provinces of Puerto Plata, Santiago, Montecristi, Espaillat (Moca), Hermanas Mirabal (Salcedo), Duarte (San Francisco de Macor?s), Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez (Nagua), Saman?, Monse?or Nouel (Bonao), Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, El Seibo and La Altagracia (Higuey, including the Punta Cana tourist area).

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...ada-a-nicole-provocara-chubascos-hoy-y-manana

http://eldia.com.do/tormenta-nicole-recobra-fuerza-y-puede-convertirse-hoy-en-huracan-de-nuevo/


Nick Hardt wins all age group tennis meets
16-year old Nick Hardt has become the first Dominican to win the three leading Dominican tennis cups ? Merengue, Mang? and Mangulina. On Saturday, 8 October 2016, he defeated Vikash Singh 6-2, 6-3 to win the Mangulina Cup, making him the best tennis player in the country for his age group. Puerto Plata-born Hardt described the past two weeks when he played the tournaments as the ?two best weeks in my life,? as reported in MetroRD.*


7 Mujeres back at the National Theater
The comedic play 7 Mujeres (7 Women) returns to the Sala Ravelo of the National Theater in Santo Domingo for performances on 14, 15 and 16 October 2016. The play, directed by Ivan Mej?a, is already being hailed as the ?comedy of the year? by audiences and critics. The leading roles are played by actresses Yanela Hern?ndez, Chabela Estrella, Rosa Aurora L?pez, Katyuska Licairac, Johanny Garc?a, Susy Aquino Gautreau, Paloma Cristina and guest actor Patricio Le?n.

The play, by Mexican playwrights Humberto Robles and Juan R?os Cant?, is based on a real-life story and depicts a modern-day family and the lack of communication.*

Tickets are for sale at Uepa Tickets and the box office of the National Theater.


Children?s theater festival
Six international groups are taking part in the Seventh International Children and Youth Theater Festival (FITIJ 2016) that will be held from 17-30 October 2016 at venues around the country. The event is being organized by the Fundaci?n Teatro C?cara-M?cara Inc. headed by actor and theatrical director Basilio Nova.

This year?s participants are:
5 Sesiones, Teatro de T?teres from Argentina
Compa??a Aranwa, Jabr? T?teres, La Factor?a Teatro, La Escalera de Tijera from Spain.*
Taller Colectivo Actoral from Puerto Rico.
The performances will be staged at:
Ravelo and Aida Bonnelly de D?az halls of the National Theater, the Teatro Laura Bertr?n at the Colegio Babeque Secundaria and the auditorium of the Centro Cultural Mauricio B?ez in Santo Domingo.
The Sala Julio Alberto Hern?ndez of the Gran Teatro Regional del Cibao in Santiago.
The Teatro Escuela Iv?n Garc?a in Puerto Plata.
Anfiteatro del Parque Tropicana San Juan Shopping Center in Punta Cana.


Electric Paradise returns to Cap Cana
A mix of music of different genres, the arts, gastronomy, design and technology is planned for the Electric Paradise festival at Cap Cana, Punta Cana on Saturday, 17 December 2016. The event is sponsored by Barcel? Gran A?ejo rum. In previous years the festival focused on electronic music, but this year there will be pop, dance, rap and other musical genres.

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


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http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/92-Travel-amp-Tourism-News