JCE: Political parties have 75 days to decide on primaries
Passport director suffers sudden cardiac death
New Chinese ambassador is Zhang Run
New landfill site for Puerto Plata
300 police put on a diet
Plea to stop the donation of the Cave of Wonders
“I” mentioned 172 times in President’s recent TV conversation
“It’s the garbage!”
Angel Rondon billed US$101.8 million to Odebrecht
Remittances rise
Calm at the border, gates closed on Haitian side
Judge that ordered house arrest for Quirinito gets her wages restored
Cabarete ex-mayor jailed
Thunderstorms and rain forecast
How to vote for Da Republik on America’s Got Talent
Free National Symphony Orchestra concert
Special Olympics benefit
JCE: Political parties have 75 days to decide on primaries
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) announced political parties now have 75 days to notify them of the modality they will use to select their candidates for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections in May 2020. The announcement comes after the passing of the Political Parties Law 33-18 that overrides present statutes and bylaws of the party and delegates to each party’s higher up echelons the choosing of the modality and voting registry that will be used for selecting the elective candidates.
http://jce.gob.do/DesktopModules/Br..._Download&language=es-ES&PortalId=1&TabId=190
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-que-comuniquen-la-modalidad-de-sus-primarias
Passport director suffers sudden cardiac death
The director of the Passport Agency, Ramón Rodríguez (Monchy) suffered a massive heart attack that took his life early on Wednesday, 22 August 2018. He was the municipal president of the ruling PLD party in Santiago. He had contended to be the PLD candidate to mayor in Santiago, when he accepted instead the position of director of the Passport Agency in Santo Domingo.
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...io-el-director-de-pasaportes-monchy-rodriguez
New Chinese ambassador is Zhang Run
The Ministry of Foreign Relations announced it has received credentials for the new People’s Republic of China ambassador, Zhang Run. Run was previously deputy director general for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The Dominican Republic and PRC established diplomatic relations on 30 April 2018. While ambassadors traditionally have presented credentials to the President at the Presidential Palace, the credentials ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The Chinese government has announced it is preparing for the visit of President Danilo Medina to China later this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations reported that Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas spoke with Ambassador Zhang Run on existing favorable expectations for strengthened trade, investment and cooperation ties and the opening of new markets for Dominican exports.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations highlighted that at present, China is the second largest trading partner with the Dominican Republic in terms of imports. Vargas also spoke about the importance of China in regards to tourism.
Run replaces Fu Zinrong, who ended her three-year term in the country with the establishing of new diplomatic relations.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noticias/canciller-miguel-vargas-recibe-copias-estilo-embajador-china
New landfill site for Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata mayor Walter Musa Meyreles has announced that the central government will buy the land necessary to build a waste landfill and recycling plant that will cost RD$550 million. He said that President Danilo Medina had told him and that the project would be carried out as part of an agreement between the Ministry of Tourism and Puerto Plata City Hall.
Musa Meyreles, said that Tourism Minister, Francisco Javier García, would be travelling to Puerto Plata this week to give all of the project details which would solve the problems at the current garbage dump.
He explained that President Medina had asked on several occasions about the purchase of the land where the dump operates but the option was rejected as the land owners are asking for RD$298 million, although at the last minute they had reduced it to RD$110 million.
Meyreles said that both prices were too high, as owners had originally offered the land to City Hall for RD$82 million. However, the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia) valued the property at a mere RD$23 million.
Given that stalemate the authorities decided to look for another location near the current dump at a more sensible price that would at last provide a definitive solution to the garbage situation in Puerto Plata.
Paul Imbert Brugal, vice president of the Blue Jack Tar hotel said that the problem had to be solved as the garbage dump is on the way from Amber Cove cruise ship terminal into the city and the smoke caused by the burning of the garbage was affecting the population and the visitors. For decades, the business community in Puerto Plata has lobbied for a solution to the waste situation. The government had committed to resolve the situation prior to the start of operations of the Amber Cove terminal.
http://hoy.com.do/gobierno-invertira-rd550-millones-en-resolver-problema-vertedero-puerto-plata/
300 police put on a diet
Three hundred Dominican police are participating in a 12-week long “Your Ideal Weight” program seeking to put their body, mind and emotions into better shape. The program includes sessions with experts on nutrition, body training, and mental conditioning. Colonel Licurgo Evangelista Yunes Perez, in charge of human development at the force, said the program was developed to teach the agents how to live a healthy life. Lab tests in support of the program will be carried out at the National Police General Hospital. There they will work with nutrition expert, Dr. Mery Ogando. The challenge is for the agents to lose at least 10% of their current weight. Studies show that 32% of the Dominican population is obese.
http://hoy.com.do/policias-pasados-de-libras-inician-programa-de-salud-tu-peso-ideal/
Plea to stop the donation of the Cave of Wonders
In the Superior Administrative Court (TSA), Public Defender Zoila Martínez Guante has filed an objection to the donation of the Cueva de las Maravillas site to the board of the Fundación Cueva de las Maravillas. The appeal looks to annul the act of 15 August 2014, by means of which the State Sugar Council (CEA), representing the Dominican state, transferred free of charge the title deed of 10,401 square meters in the municipality of Ramón Santana, province of San Pedro de Macorís, to the non-profit.
In addition Martínez is requesting the cancellation of the power of attorney granted by the Executive to the executive director of the CEA in March of 2010, by means of which it was authorized to modify the contract so that the amount of land donated was reduced to 16,000 tareas instead of 44,000.
The Cumayasa River and Cueva de las Maravillas sites have been a protected area since 3 July 1996, and a year later the anthropological reserve was increased to the status of protection for a national park.
http://almomento.net/piden-ante-tsa-la-nulidad-de-donacion-de-cueva-las-maravillas-a-fundacion/
Doctors plea for hospital to be reopened
Doctors from the Padre Billini Hospital and representatives from the Union of Neighborhood Groups in the Colonial City, where the hospital is located, protested in front of the hospital to urge the authorities to reopen the facility. They said it has been closed for over a month since the Office of Supervising Engineers of State Works (OISOE) declared that the facility was at risk of collapse.
However the doctors and neighbors doubt the official version as there has been no technical report submitted despite the request for this having been made on several times and no land studies have been carried out.
The protesters assured that no personnel from OISOE had been there for over 20 days, contrary to what the director of OISOE had said and he had promised to hand over the results of the studies this week.
There has been speculation in the press that errors during a OISOE renovation some seven years ago could have caused structural problems to the hospital.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...reapertura-de-servicios-sanitarios-JG10610393
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08/22/panorama/pais/exigen-la-reapertura-del-padre-billini/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/el-hospital-que-resistio-ciclones-y-piratas-FN10595356
“I” mentioned 172 times in President’s recent TV conversation
News commentators, social media and YouTubers have been highlighting the repeated mention of “I” in the Sunday, 19 August 2018 interview by TV host Jatna Tavarez at the Presidential Palace. The interview lasted 1:17 minutes.
As reported in Hoy, sociologist Antinoe Fiallo observed that the communication style of the President when referring to government actions reflects he has “an inflated ego.” He said the President’s humble beginnings and sustained ascent as a politician to become President could have influenced his self-esteem.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08...-medina-uso-el-pronombre-yo-en-172-ocasiones/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXTo5WhkAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSxF3KIF2I8&t=190s
“It’s the garbage!”
Editorial writer Ines Aizpun of Diario Libre highlights today that garbage, and not re-election is the national problem. The managing editor of the leading newspaper writes:
“The problem is not re-election because the Constitution prohibits it and Danilo swore "before God" and before those around him in a public activity that would not be presented to a third election. (The networks broadcast the video so we do not forget it.)
“The problem, then, is not the re-election of Medina or the hasty policy of an untimely campaign. The problem is the inability to articulate a system of education, waste management and landfills that allows us to be, as we dream, the preferred destination of the Caribbean.
“It no longer amazes us, but travelers are scandalized by the naturalness with which we coexist with scattered garbage, with the ease with which we throw it to the street from a SUV, from the window of the house, from the balcony of a tower,” she writes.
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/es-la-basura-OG10611861
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKo4OSuRZgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74HBEaWSkdY
Angel Rondon billed US$101.8 million to Odebrecht
The defense of commercial representative of Odebrecht in the Dominican Republic, businessman Angel Rondon presented in court on Monday, 20 August 2018, documentation to prove that his businesses moved RD$14.7 billion from 2001 to 2017, including US$101.8 million billed to Odebrecht. The defense argued that in the agreement signed between Odebrecht and the Public Ministry the company admits to having paid bribes but does not mention anyone else and thus the charges against their client cannot be sustained.
The defense says the funds received were for consulting services and processing of projects in the Dominican Republic. The documentation indicates he had been paid US$79,782,998 and is owed US$22,081,601.
Recently, documentation has been published establishing a debt for the fees for the securing of the Punta Catalina power plant contract. The defense lawyers, Jose Miguel Minier, Jose de los Santos Hiciano and Guillermo Garcia Cabrera say that none of the witnesses identify Angel Rondon as a middleman or accomplice of Odebrecht in their criminal activities in the Dominican Republic.
Rondon is one of seven the Attorney General has accused in the US$92 million Odebrechts bribes scandal.
http://eldia.com.do/rondon-le-facturo-a-odebrecht-us101-8-millones-por-servicios/
Remittances rise
Remittances sent by Dominicans residents overseas have increased by 10.6% between January and June this 2018, compared to the same time period in 2017, according to data from the Central Bank. In the first half of this year some US$3.2 billion was sent to the country that is US$307.4 million more than the first half of last year.
Some 77.13% of the total came from the United States, where the majority of Dominicans overseas live, and 10.75% came from Spain, again where there are many Dominicans.
According to data published last year by the National Migration Institute (INM) more than 2 million Dominicans live overseas, the vast majority of whom reside in the United States.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/las-remesas-a-rd-aumentaron-106-en-el-primer-semestre-de-este-ano/
Calm at the border, gates closed on Haitian side
The director of the border security corps (Cesfront), General Sugar Fruguis Martinez said that on the Dominican side of the border all is back to normal, not so on the Haitian side where the gates are closed. He said this is due to differences between the groups that have the control of the Haitian customs, as reported in Diario Libre. The general said that additional troops have been posted after the incident of a Haitian mob penetrating to the Dominican side last Saturday, 18 August 2018 in a confrontation over a cement load that did not comply with legal requirements for its export to Haiti.
He said that on the Haitian side they are not allowing vehicles to pass, only people on foot, he said. On the Dominican side there is no impediment to those that comply with the laws.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/la-zona-fronteriza-se-mantiene-en-calma-GG10612271
Judge that ordered house arrest for Quirinito gets her wages restored
San Francisco de Macoris Judge Aleida Jiménez Acosta, who had been suspended without pay, is again receiving her wages after the Judicial Branch Council so decided. Her wages had been suspended since October 2017 for her authorization of house arrest “for humanitarian reasons” to convicted Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua (Quirinito).
At the time she defended the decision saying Castillo Paniagua had presented the medical certificates indicating he was terminally ill. Reportedly he had mouth cancer. Despite the restoring of her wages, the judge is still ordered her not to work as a judge.
Short time after the approval of house arrest, it was reported that Quirinito had died. A legal death certificate was issued and signed by physician Orlando Herrera Robles, who also is suspended. The corpse was never found.
The National Investigations Agency (DNI) has declared it is on the lookout for Quirinito.
Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua was first sentenced to 30 years that was later changed to 20 years, and then to house arrest in San Francisco de Macoris for murder of a Spanish citizen related to drug trafficking charges.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...ueza-suspendida-por-caso-quirinito-PH10609464
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-dice-que-actuo-apegada-a-las-leyes-CI8318163
Cabarete ex-mayor jailed
On Monday, 20 August 2018, the former directors of the Municipal District Board of Cabarete, Puerto Plata province, Gabriel Antonio Mora Ramírez (Canoa) and Eddy Ramón Morfe, were arrested following the decision by the Supreme Court of Justice to confirm the two-year prison sentence following their conviction for embezzling RD$185 million while they were in charge of the district of Cabarete from 2004 and 2010.
The Specialized Prosecution Service for the Persecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) said in a press release that the Supreme Court had rejected an appeal to annul the ruling.
The two were convicted last year by a Puerto Plata appeals court after a previous court had found them not guilty.
http://hoy.com.do/exdirectores-cabarete-arrestados-para-cumplir-dos-anos-de-prision/
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...tal-de-cabarete-por-malversacion-de-rd-185-mm
Thunderstorms and rain forecast
The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) has forecast heavy rains and thunderstorms due to the passing of a tropical wave across the country.
On Wednesday, 22 August, it is expected to be cloudy across much of the country with electric storms in the northeast, southeast, central mountain area and the border region.
Temperatures will continue to be high due to the warm wind coming from the east southeast and the population is reminded to stay out of the sun between 11 am and 4pm, drink sufficient liquids and wear lightweight clothing.
http://eldia.com.do/meteorologia-preve-aguaceros-para-este-martes-por-vaguada-2/
How to vote for Da Republik on America’s Got Talent
Da´Republik dance group from the Dominican Republic received the vote of the jurors to hang in the quarterfinals of the competition for the 13th season of America’s Got Talent reality show that aired on NBC on Tuesday, 21 August 2018. The hiphop dance group performed danced to "WTF (Where They From)" by Missy Elliot and "Hit The Floor" by Twista featuring Pitbull.
Another Dominican, Amanda Mena, is also competing in the quarter finals.
The performers, need the general public’s vote to move ahead.
Da’ Republic has shared how to vote:
In the United States and Puerto Rico:
1. By telephone (toll free line only on the evening of the show)
2. America’s Got Talent app
3. XFinity remote control.
4. Online on the web site www.nbc.com/agtvote
From the Dominican Republic and the rest of the world:
1. Go to Google Play or Apple Store
2. Download and install “VPN Master”
4. Open the app, start and insert the optimal location
5. Choose “free” and United States
6. Go to the vote link
The vote for Da Republik is open through Wednesday, 22 August at 7pm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP0qaCpiHHo
https://www.listindiario.com/entret...para-llegar-a-la-final-de-americas-got-talent
Free National Symphony Orchestra concert
The Dominican Postal Institute (Inposdom) is inviting the public to a free concert on Wednesday, 22 August 2018, at 8pm with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Carlos Piantini hall of the National Theater. The concert marks the issuing of a stamp commemorating the National Symphony Orchestra.
On the program for the evening is the Divertimento for Clarinet and Strings Orchestra” composed by Francois Bahuaud, directed by Santy Rodríguez and with the performance of soloist Darleny Gonzalez. Also Romeo and Juliet, Overture – Fantasy by Pyotr Ilytch Tchaikovsky, directed by Maestro Jose Antonio Molina. For ticket information, call 809 687-0504, exts. 2213 and 2214.
Special Olympics benefit
José Peña Suazo, Eddy Herrera, Alex Matos, Manny Cruz, Miriam Cruz, Dioni Fernández, Krisspy and Mark B will be together for a 17 September 2018 performance: Red Party for the Special Olympics. The event that will be held at Hard Rock Live beginning at 8pm, is a fundraiser for the Dominican team to the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi 2019. Hosts for the evening will be Josema Rodríguez, Domingo Bautista, Juan Esteban de la Rosa, Dahiana Jose and Adderlin Betances.
Tickets can be obtained by calling 809 683-5985 and 1 809 481-2401 or by email: olimpiadasespecialesrdenm@gmail.com
Passport director suffers sudden cardiac death
New Chinese ambassador is Zhang Run
New landfill site for Puerto Plata
300 police put on a diet
Plea to stop the donation of the Cave of Wonders
“I” mentioned 172 times in President’s recent TV conversation
“It’s the garbage!”
Angel Rondon billed US$101.8 million to Odebrecht
Remittances rise
Calm at the border, gates closed on Haitian side
Judge that ordered house arrest for Quirinito gets her wages restored
Cabarete ex-mayor jailed
Thunderstorms and rain forecast
How to vote for Da Republik on America’s Got Talent
Free National Symphony Orchestra concert
Special Olympics benefit
JCE: Political parties have 75 days to decide on primaries
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) announced political parties now have 75 days to notify them of the modality they will use to select their candidates for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections in May 2020. The announcement comes after the passing of the Political Parties Law 33-18 that overrides present statutes and bylaws of the party and delegates to each party’s higher up echelons the choosing of the modality and voting registry that will be used for selecting the elective candidates.
http://jce.gob.do/DesktopModules/Br..._Download&language=es-ES&PortalId=1&TabId=190
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...-que-comuniquen-la-modalidad-de-sus-primarias
Passport director suffers sudden cardiac death
The director of the Passport Agency, Ramón Rodríguez (Monchy) suffered a massive heart attack that took his life early on Wednesday, 22 August 2018. He was the municipal president of the ruling PLD party in Santiago. He had contended to be the PLD candidate to mayor in Santiago, when he accepted instead the position of director of the Passport Agency in Santo Domingo.
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...io-el-director-de-pasaportes-monchy-rodriguez
New Chinese ambassador is Zhang Run
The Ministry of Foreign Relations announced it has received credentials for the new People’s Republic of China ambassador, Zhang Run. Run was previously deputy director general for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The Dominican Republic and PRC established diplomatic relations on 30 April 2018. While ambassadors traditionally have presented credentials to the President at the Presidential Palace, the credentials ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The Chinese government has announced it is preparing for the visit of President Danilo Medina to China later this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations reported that Foreign Relations Minister Miguel Vargas spoke with Ambassador Zhang Run on existing favorable expectations for strengthened trade, investment and cooperation ties and the opening of new markets for Dominican exports.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations highlighted that at present, China is the second largest trading partner with the Dominican Republic in terms of imports. Vargas also spoke about the importance of China in regards to tourism.
Run replaces Fu Zinrong, who ended her three-year term in the country with the establishing of new diplomatic relations.
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noticias/canciller-miguel-vargas-recibe-copias-estilo-embajador-china
New landfill site for Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata mayor Walter Musa Meyreles has announced that the central government will buy the land necessary to build a waste landfill and recycling plant that will cost RD$550 million. He said that President Danilo Medina had told him and that the project would be carried out as part of an agreement between the Ministry of Tourism and Puerto Plata City Hall.
Musa Meyreles, said that Tourism Minister, Francisco Javier García, would be travelling to Puerto Plata this week to give all of the project details which would solve the problems at the current garbage dump.
He explained that President Medina had asked on several occasions about the purchase of the land where the dump operates but the option was rejected as the land owners are asking for RD$298 million, although at the last minute they had reduced it to RD$110 million.
Meyreles said that both prices were too high, as owners had originally offered the land to City Hall for RD$82 million. However, the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (Codia) valued the property at a mere RD$23 million.
Given that stalemate the authorities decided to look for another location near the current dump at a more sensible price that would at last provide a definitive solution to the garbage situation in Puerto Plata.
Paul Imbert Brugal, vice president of the Blue Jack Tar hotel said that the problem had to be solved as the garbage dump is on the way from Amber Cove cruise ship terminal into the city and the smoke caused by the burning of the garbage was affecting the population and the visitors. For decades, the business community in Puerto Plata has lobbied for a solution to the waste situation. The government had committed to resolve the situation prior to the start of operations of the Amber Cove terminal.
http://hoy.com.do/gobierno-invertira-rd550-millones-en-resolver-problema-vertedero-puerto-plata/
300 police put on a diet
Three hundred Dominican police are participating in a 12-week long “Your Ideal Weight” program seeking to put their body, mind and emotions into better shape. The program includes sessions with experts on nutrition, body training, and mental conditioning. Colonel Licurgo Evangelista Yunes Perez, in charge of human development at the force, said the program was developed to teach the agents how to live a healthy life. Lab tests in support of the program will be carried out at the National Police General Hospital. There they will work with nutrition expert, Dr. Mery Ogando. The challenge is for the agents to lose at least 10% of their current weight. Studies show that 32% of the Dominican population is obese.
http://hoy.com.do/policias-pasados-de-libras-inician-programa-de-salud-tu-peso-ideal/
Plea to stop the donation of the Cave of Wonders
In the Superior Administrative Court (TSA), Public Defender Zoila Martínez Guante has filed an objection to the donation of the Cueva de las Maravillas site to the board of the Fundación Cueva de las Maravillas. The appeal looks to annul the act of 15 August 2014, by means of which the State Sugar Council (CEA), representing the Dominican state, transferred free of charge the title deed of 10,401 square meters in the municipality of Ramón Santana, province of San Pedro de Macorís, to the non-profit.
In addition Martínez is requesting the cancellation of the power of attorney granted by the Executive to the executive director of the CEA in March of 2010, by means of which it was authorized to modify the contract so that the amount of land donated was reduced to 16,000 tareas instead of 44,000.
The Cumayasa River and Cueva de las Maravillas sites have been a protected area since 3 July 1996, and a year later the anthropological reserve was increased to the status of protection for a national park.
http://almomento.net/piden-ante-tsa-la-nulidad-de-donacion-de-cueva-las-maravillas-a-fundacion/
Doctors plea for hospital to be reopened
Doctors from the Padre Billini Hospital and representatives from the Union of Neighborhood Groups in the Colonial City, where the hospital is located, protested in front of the hospital to urge the authorities to reopen the facility. They said it has been closed for over a month since the Office of Supervising Engineers of State Works (OISOE) declared that the facility was at risk of collapse.
However the doctors and neighbors doubt the official version as there has been no technical report submitted despite the request for this having been made on several times and no land studies have been carried out.
The protesters assured that no personnel from OISOE had been there for over 20 days, contrary to what the director of OISOE had said and he had promised to hand over the results of the studies this week.
There has been speculation in the press that errors during a OISOE renovation some seven years ago could have caused structural problems to the hospital.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...reapertura-de-servicios-sanitarios-JG10610393
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08/22/panorama/pais/exigen-la-reapertura-del-padre-billini/
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/el-hospital-que-resistio-ciclones-y-piratas-FN10595356
“I” mentioned 172 times in President’s recent TV conversation
News commentators, social media and YouTubers have been highlighting the repeated mention of “I” in the Sunday, 19 August 2018 interview by TV host Jatna Tavarez at the Presidential Palace. The interview lasted 1:17 minutes.
As reported in Hoy, sociologist Antinoe Fiallo observed that the communication style of the President when referring to government actions reflects he has “an inflated ego.” He said the President’s humble beginnings and sustained ascent as a politician to become President could have influenced his self-esteem.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/08...-medina-uso-el-pronombre-yo-en-172-ocasiones/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXTo5WhkAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSxF3KIF2I8&t=190s
“It’s the garbage!”
Editorial writer Ines Aizpun of Diario Libre highlights today that garbage, and not re-election is the national problem. The managing editor of the leading newspaper writes:
“The problem is not re-election because the Constitution prohibits it and Danilo swore "before God" and before those around him in a public activity that would not be presented to a third election. (The networks broadcast the video so we do not forget it.)
“The problem, then, is not the re-election of Medina or the hasty policy of an untimely campaign. The problem is the inability to articulate a system of education, waste management and landfills that allows us to be, as we dream, the preferred destination of the Caribbean.
“It no longer amazes us, but travelers are scandalized by the naturalness with which we coexist with scattered garbage, with the ease with which we throw it to the street from a SUV, from the window of the house, from the balcony of a tower,” she writes.
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/am/es-la-basura-OG10611861
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKo4OSuRZgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74HBEaWSkdY
Angel Rondon billed US$101.8 million to Odebrecht
The defense of commercial representative of Odebrecht in the Dominican Republic, businessman Angel Rondon presented in court on Monday, 20 August 2018, documentation to prove that his businesses moved RD$14.7 billion from 2001 to 2017, including US$101.8 million billed to Odebrecht. The defense argued that in the agreement signed between Odebrecht and the Public Ministry the company admits to having paid bribes but does not mention anyone else and thus the charges against their client cannot be sustained.
The defense says the funds received were for consulting services and processing of projects in the Dominican Republic. The documentation indicates he had been paid US$79,782,998 and is owed US$22,081,601.
Recently, documentation has been published establishing a debt for the fees for the securing of the Punta Catalina power plant contract. The defense lawyers, Jose Miguel Minier, Jose de los Santos Hiciano and Guillermo Garcia Cabrera say that none of the witnesses identify Angel Rondon as a middleman or accomplice of Odebrecht in their criminal activities in the Dominican Republic.
Rondon is one of seven the Attorney General has accused in the US$92 million Odebrechts bribes scandal.
http://eldia.com.do/rondon-le-facturo-a-odebrecht-us101-8-millones-por-servicios/
Remittances rise
Remittances sent by Dominicans residents overseas have increased by 10.6% between January and June this 2018, compared to the same time period in 2017, according to data from the Central Bank. In the first half of this year some US$3.2 billion was sent to the country that is US$307.4 million more than the first half of last year.
Some 77.13% of the total came from the United States, where the majority of Dominicans overseas live, and 10.75% came from Spain, again where there are many Dominicans.
According to data published last year by the National Migration Institute (INM) more than 2 million Dominicans live overseas, the vast majority of whom reside in the United States.
https://elnuevodiario.com.do/las-remesas-a-rd-aumentaron-106-en-el-primer-semestre-de-este-ano/
Calm at the border, gates closed on Haitian side
The director of the border security corps (Cesfront), General Sugar Fruguis Martinez said that on the Dominican side of the border all is back to normal, not so on the Haitian side where the gates are closed. He said this is due to differences between the groups that have the control of the Haitian customs, as reported in Diario Libre. The general said that additional troops have been posted after the incident of a Haitian mob penetrating to the Dominican side last Saturday, 18 August 2018 in a confrontation over a cement load that did not comply with legal requirements for its export to Haiti.
He said that on the Haitian side they are not allowing vehicles to pass, only people on foot, he said. On the Dominican side there is no impediment to those that comply with the laws.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/la-zona-fronteriza-se-mantiene-en-calma-GG10612271
Judge that ordered house arrest for Quirinito gets her wages restored
San Francisco de Macoris Judge Aleida Jiménez Acosta, who had been suspended without pay, is again receiving her wages after the Judicial Branch Council so decided. Her wages had been suspended since October 2017 for her authorization of house arrest “for humanitarian reasons” to convicted Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua (Quirinito).
At the time she defended the decision saying Castillo Paniagua had presented the medical certificates indicating he was terminally ill. Reportedly he had mouth cancer. Despite the restoring of her wages, the judge is still ordered her not to work as a judge.
Short time after the approval of house arrest, it was reported that Quirinito had died. A legal death certificate was issued and signed by physician Orlando Herrera Robles, who also is suspended. The corpse was never found.
The National Investigations Agency (DNI) has declared it is on the lookout for Quirinito.
Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua was first sentenced to 30 years that was later changed to 20 years, and then to house arrest in San Francisco de Macoris for murder of a Spanish citizen related to drug trafficking charges.
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...ueza-suspendida-por-caso-quirinito-PH10609464
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...-dice-que-actuo-apegada-a-las-leyes-CI8318163
Cabarete ex-mayor jailed
On Monday, 20 August 2018, the former directors of the Municipal District Board of Cabarete, Puerto Plata province, Gabriel Antonio Mora Ramírez (Canoa) and Eddy Ramón Morfe, were arrested following the decision by the Supreme Court of Justice to confirm the two-year prison sentence following their conviction for embezzling RD$185 million while they were in charge of the district of Cabarete from 2004 and 2010.
The Specialized Prosecution Service for the Persecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) said in a press release that the Supreme Court had rejected an appeal to annul the ruling.
The two were convicted last year by a Puerto Plata appeals court after a previous court had found them not guilty.
http://hoy.com.do/exdirectores-cabarete-arrestados-para-cumplir-dos-anos-de-prision/
https://www.listindiario.com/la-rep...tal-de-cabarete-por-malversacion-de-rd-185-mm
Thunderstorms and rain forecast
The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) has forecast heavy rains and thunderstorms due to the passing of a tropical wave across the country.
On Wednesday, 22 August, it is expected to be cloudy across much of the country with electric storms in the northeast, southeast, central mountain area and the border region.
Temperatures will continue to be high due to the warm wind coming from the east southeast and the population is reminded to stay out of the sun between 11 am and 4pm, drink sufficient liquids and wear lightweight clothing.
http://eldia.com.do/meteorologia-preve-aguaceros-para-este-martes-por-vaguada-2/
How to vote for Da Republik on America’s Got Talent
Da´Republik dance group from the Dominican Republic received the vote of the jurors to hang in the quarterfinals of the competition for the 13th season of America’s Got Talent reality show that aired on NBC on Tuesday, 21 August 2018. The hiphop dance group performed danced to "WTF (Where They From)" by Missy Elliot and "Hit The Floor" by Twista featuring Pitbull.
Another Dominican, Amanda Mena, is also competing in the quarter finals.
The performers, need the general public’s vote to move ahead.
Da’ Republic has shared how to vote:
In the United States and Puerto Rico:
1. By telephone (toll free line only on the evening of the show)
2. America’s Got Talent app
3. XFinity remote control.
4. Online on the web site www.nbc.com/agtvote
From the Dominican Republic and the rest of the world:
1. Go to Google Play or Apple Store
2. Download and install “VPN Master”
4. Open the app, start and insert the optimal location
5. Choose “free” and United States
6. Go to the vote link
The vote for Da Republik is open through Wednesday, 22 August at 7pm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP0qaCpiHHo
https://www.listindiario.com/entret...para-llegar-a-la-final-de-americas-got-talent
Free National Symphony Orchestra concert
The Dominican Postal Institute (Inposdom) is inviting the public to a free concert on Wednesday, 22 August 2018, at 8pm with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Carlos Piantini hall of the National Theater. The concert marks the issuing of a stamp commemorating the National Symphony Orchestra.
On the program for the evening is the Divertimento for Clarinet and Strings Orchestra” composed by Francois Bahuaud, directed by Santy Rodríguez and with the performance of soloist Darleny Gonzalez. Also Romeo and Juliet, Overture – Fantasy by Pyotr Ilytch Tchaikovsky, directed by Maestro Jose Antonio Molina. For ticket information, call 809 687-0504, exts. 2213 and 2214.
Special Olympics benefit
José Peña Suazo, Eddy Herrera, Alex Matos, Manny Cruz, Miriam Cruz, Dioni Fernández, Krisspy and Mark B will be together for a 17 September 2018 performance: Red Party for the Special Olympics. The event that will be held at Hard Rock Live beginning at 8pm, is a fundraiser for the Dominican team to the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi 2019. Hosts for the evening will be Josema Rodríguez, Domingo Bautista, Juan Esteban de la Rosa, Dahiana Jose and Adderlin Betances.
Tickets can be obtained by calling 809 683-5985 and 1 809 481-2401 or by email: olimpiadasespecialesrdenm@gmail.com