DR1 Daily News - Monday, 24 October 2016

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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CELAC foreign ministers meet in Santo Domingo
Dominican humanitarian mission returns Wednesday
Surveillance increased at border with Haiti
“The ugly American”
Cost of transport in DR is 3x Central America
Truck topples light posts on Lope de Vega
Two robbers shot dead in Santiago
More guns seized at Haina Port
Ram?n Orlando and Coco Band
Jerry Rivera starts at Hard Rock Live
Wines and spirits tasting at Hotel InterContinental
The Night of the Jackal for Halloween



CELAC foreign ministers meet in Santo Domingo
The Ministry of Foreign Relations has announced that all preparations are complete for the Meeting of Foreign Ministers and 48th Meeting of High-Ranking Officials of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union in Santo Domingo. The meeting takes place from 24-26 October 2016. Representatives from 59 countries will be gathering at the Ministry of Foreign Relations convention center on the Malec?n in Santo Domingo.

Minister of Foreign Relations Miguel Vargas will host the event that formally opens with the foreign ministers meeting at 3pm on Tuesday, 25 October. President Danilo Medina will attend the opening ceremony. The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini will represent the European Union.

In parallel to the event, there is an agenda of high-interest topics including the “Women, Peace and Security” meeting on gender issues and another, “Art and Transatlantic Connectivity,” on IT and cultural issues. The Cariforum ministerial meeting is also being held.

The event is being hosted by the Dominican Republic, as part of its commitments while it holds the temporary presidency of the CELAC. It is a preparatory phase for the Summit of Heads of State and Government CELAC-EU scheduled for January 2017 in Punta Cana.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations announced the suspension of services at the Ministry during the course of the international meeting.

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=503943
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=504006


Dominican humanitarian mission returns Wednesday
The remaining personnel sent with a 500-truck convoy to Haiti a week after Hurricane Matthew, a category-4 storm, devastated southern Haiti, will be returning by Wednesday, 25 October 2016 after two weeks carrying out humanitarian work in the neighboring country. The Ministry of Public Works says that 80% of the 200-member team has already returned to the country.

As reported in the media, the humanitarian mission caused a political storm in Haiti after opposition legislators objected to the presence of the Dominican military personnel accompanying the convoy for security reasons. The legislators also said that the Prime Minister should be questioned for allowing Dominican armed forces into Haitian territory. Afterwards, the Cassation Court of Haiti, described as the maximum justice authority, called for acting President Jocelerme Privert to resign.

Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo told Listin Diario reporters that the Dominican aid has not yet been quantified, while making it clear that if the Haitian authorities had contracted private companies to carry out the task of reestablishing communications on the Le Cayes-Tiburon and Port-au-Prince-Les Cayes roads, it would have cost much more. Gonzalo Castillo described the Dominican aid as “gigantic.” In addition to crews and machinery to reopen roads in the affected areas, the Dominican government sent in generous emergency food supplies.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...brigadas-de-rd-en-haiti-regresan-el-miercoles
http://www.ipsnews.net/2016/10/learning-from-past-mistakes-rebuilding-haiti-after-hurricane-matthew/
http://lawstreetmedia.com/issues/world/haiti-history-dissappointments/


Surveillance increased at border with Haiti
Following a prison riot in Haiti on Saturday, 22 October 2016 during which one guard was killed and several firearms were stolen, the Dominican Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ruben Paulino Sem says that the Army (ERD) and the Specialized Border Corps (Cesfront) have been instructed to increase controls and surveillance at the border with Haiti to prevent any of the 172 inmates who escaped from crossing into the Dominican Republic.

He said that the military and security forces are on alert for the heavily armed inmates. The prisoners escaped from a jail in Arcahaie, a coastal town around 50 km north of Port-au-Prince.

Surveillance at the border had already been stepped up in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which hit Haiti as a category-4 storm.

http://acento.com.do/2016/actualida...-ordena-sellar-la-frontera-fuga-presos-haiti/


“The ugly American”
Diario Libre’s editorial on Monday 24 October 2016 focuses on US Ambassador James (Wally) Brewster, describing his behavior as unprecedented in the history of Dominican-American relations, comparable to the days of former ambassador Robert Pastorino.

“Even when the envoy and his husband want to say that everything is about their sexual orientation, the truth is that it has been more about their conduct than their nature that has affected relations with our country and with leading sectors of national life, some of which cannot be called intolerant, let alone anti-American,” writes Adriano Miguel Tejada, the executive editor of the daily.

In the editorial, Tejada compares the US ambassador’s forceful imposition of his opinions to the style of the Spanish conquistadors.

The editorialist goes on to recall that it made no sense to tell business leaders that whoever was not in agreement with the ambassador’s opinions could return their visa, and neither did the recent statement by Ambassador Brewster’s “arrogant” husband about life in the United States.

“Given those and other behaviors, the ambassador perfectly qualifies to be ‘the ugly American,’ which is sad because our countries deserve more cordial relations and the United States better representatives,” writes Tejada.

On Friday, 21 October 2016, US ambassador Brewster’s husband Bob Satawake responded to a statement by the former president of the Central American Parliament Manolo Pichardo that the United States was the largest consumer of drugs in the world and their banks were laundries. This statement was made in support to a recent President Danilo Medina comment that the US was “a 10-lane highway for drug trafficking,” responding to Brewster calling the Dominican Republic a major bridge for drug trafficking to the United States.

Satawake said: “If we are such a horrible country why did 80,000 Dominican immigrants travel to the US in 2015?”

Last week, Brewster was a hot topic in social media for speculation he could be removed from the post. He was prompt to respond that if he did leave the country it would be to watch the Chicago Cubs playing in the World Series.

http://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/el-americano-feo-AX5264424
http://hoy.com.do/bob-satawake-si-s...e-80000-dominicanos-viajaron-a-ee-uu-en-2015/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...dejaria-el-pais-solo-a-ver-los-cubs-FF5263016


Cost of transport in DR is 3x Central America
The Dominican Association of Free Zones (Adozona) is backing an initiative by the National Business Council (Conep) aimed at opening up the cargo transport business in the country. Adoexpo says that Dominican businesses pay 2.7 times more than their Central American counterparts due to the strong cargo transport cartel. The figure is quoted in an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report released in 2015.

The business group says this increases the cost of exports and the final price to consumers. Dozens of business organizations are mounting a legal challenge against the Fenatrado business group affiliates’ control of cargo.

As reported in 7Dias, the IDB report states that it costs US$4.75 per kilometer to transport a freight container in the DR compared to US$1.75 per kilometer regional average and US$1.42 in Mexico and US$1.85 in Panama.

According to Adozona the monopoly allows the transporters to set their fares without taking real costs or market factors into account.

Adozona says that non-government monopolies are prohibited by the Constitution. The constitution also establishes that the government should be responsible for encouraging free and fair competition and that it must take the necessary measures to prevent the harmful and restrictive effects of monopolies and abuse of dominant position, except in cases of national security.

This has not been the case in transport of passengers and cargo in the Dominican Republic where the governments have been lax and have given in to pressure from members of the transport and cargo cartels.

http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/201...-casi-tres-veces-mayor-que-centroamerica.html
https://publications.iadb.org/handle/11319/6885


Truck topples light posts on Lope de Vega
Traffic along Santo Domingo’s Av. Lope de Vega was affected on Saturday, 22 October 2016 after a truck crashed into the lampposts. Traffic was blocked at the intersection of Av. Lope de Vega and Porfirio Herrera Street in one of Santo Domingo’s busiest commercial areas.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority (Amet) reported that it responded promptly to clean up the debris and closed down a lane while the damaged light post was removed.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...stes-del-tendido-electrico-en-la-lope-de-vega
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/10/22/camion-derriba-poste-luz-lope-vega
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...el-tendido-electrico-y-obstruye-via-IA5255965


Two robbers shot dead in Santiago
According to witnesses, an SUV driver killed two men who had robbed a woman in Santiago on Saturday, 22 October 2016. The unnamed man shot the alleged thieves at around 4:15pm in the Camboya neighborhood in northern Santiago. The two men were on a motorcycle and one had tried to steal a handbag and cellular phone from a woman pedestrian.

A man in an SUV who was driving by responded by shooting at both the thief and the driver of the motorcycle. On Sunday, the Police had not yet released the names of the deceased.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/10/22/hombre-mata-dos-que-intentaron-asaltar-una-mujer-santiago


More guns seized at Haina Port
Since the change at the helm of the Customs Agency (DGA), a series of illegal consignments of firearms have been detected at Dominican ports. The DGA is now reporting that a seventh firearms shipment has been seized.

The Ministry of Defense J2 intelligence unit and Customs Agency announced the discovery of three Sig-Sauer and Crossman guns, and two telescopic viewers in a box of food that had arrived from the United States. Two machines for the manufacture of bullets and ammunition were also uncovered in a non-commercial shipment made by Sandy Cargo Express from Miami, Florida. A shipment with eight high-caliber firearms had been sent via this same company and was seized on 14 September 2016.

The person to whom the shipment was consigned has been arrested. The shipment was seized at the dock at Haina Oriental Port. Since the change of management at Customs Agency, more than 40 firearms have been detected in food items consignments shipped by Dominicans from the United States at the Haina Oriental, Puerto Plata and Punta Caucedo and Las Americas airport cargo terminals.

http://hoy.com.do/autoridades-decomisan-mas-armas-en-muelle-de-haina/
http://acento.com.do/2016/actualidad/8394598-confiscan-armas-contrabando-paquete-enviado-desde-eeuu/


Ram?n Orlando and Coco Band
Hard Rock Live at Blue Mall in Santo Domingo presents the romantic music of Ram?n Orlando alongside the beats of the Coco Band merengue group on Wednesday, 26 October 2016 at 9pm. Tickets range from RD$3,450 to RD$6,900.


Jerry Rivera starts at Hard Rock Live
The new show hall, the 2,000 person capacity Hard Rock Live at the Blue Mall in Santo Domingo presents Jerry Rivera on tour with his Romance World Tour on Thursday, 27 October 2016 at 10pm. Tickets: RD$2,490 to RD$6,495.


Wines and spirits tasting at Hotel InterContinental
El Catador is inviting oenophiles to celebrate the wine and spirits importer’s 40th anniversary with La Gran Cata, a wine tasting event on Thursday, 27 October 2016 starting at 7pm at the Hotel InterContinental on Av. Winston Churchill in Santo Domingo.

The event includes tastings and lectures on 100 wines from more than 50 wineries from Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, the United States and Australia. The event starts with a benefit dinner at Restaurant Vesuvio on the Malec?n.Tickets are RD$5,000 for two including the dinner and tasting. A separate private tasting of a prime selection of wines and spirits will be held at the Gran Salon de Catas at the Hotel Jaragua on 27 October. Tickets for that event are RD$2,500. Tickets for the tasting (Gran Salon de Catas) are RD$1,500.

Reservations: 809 540-1644.


The Night of the Jackal for Halloween
Symphonic, electronic, urban and rock music come together on the Warehouse stage in Manoguayabo this Halloween. On 28 October 2016, a Goth-style stage with five platforms has been prepared for simultaneous performances by 20 musical acts.

The event stars popular Venezuelan group Caramelos de Cianuro, Toque Profundo, Poolpo, Auro S?nico, Playa O Radio, Villano Sam, Ramos, Viva La Percusi?n, Beto Pel?ez and Jean Eric Massena.

Also Jc The Bear (Sound Electric), Lui (Phantom Deck) – Laura Pilarte (003) – Francisco P?rez (003) and Hyper. The Cage, The Library by Bocanegra, The CK2 Lab, The Graveyard, The Cinema by Cineasta.

DJs include dOP (live), Thuger, Atish, Satori, Frank & Tony.

There will be a food court for lovers of creative cooking.

Music starts at 9pm. Tickets are RD$1,600.

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


Archived News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/91-Daily-Headline-News

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

Garyexpat

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Sep 7, 2012
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Brewster truly is the "ugly American". Hopefully he gets a one way ticket before too long.