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Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 5 August 2019
34-year old named Minister of Economy
Francisco Pagán: OISOE to deliver all 56 renovated hospitals
Environment issues "Red List" of endangered fauna species
Work begins on Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road
Gonzalo Castillo to run for President
Environmentalists back Domínguez Brito for PLD presidential candidate
Medina pre-candidates have to September to campaign
Jose Ignacio Paliza: PRM needs unity!
Miguel Vargas favors unifying elections in 2020
Rosario Espinal: Room for a third force in politics
Nelson Espinal Báez: Alerts against constitutional reform
European Union: EUR5 million for sustainable development in Miches
Warning to take extra care for sicknesses that come with heavy rains
Cavada apologizes for an outburst on TV
83-year old murdered in suspect home robbery
McAfee says he is now in Lithuania
Rains forecast to continue
Nala is the baby lion at the Zoo
Baseball season opens 12 October 2019
Audrys Nin Reyes wins gold in vault jump in Pan Am Games
Long Night of Museums on Saturday, 3 August
Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 5 August 2019
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 5 August 2019. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the DR1 Forums. See DR1 Forum at https://dr1.com
34-year old named Minister of Economy
Juan Ariel Jiménez Núñez was appointed Minister of Economy, replacing Isidoro Santana. The appointment is in Decree 264-19 issued on 31 July 2019. Jiménez Núñez has been a career government employee in the PLD governments of former President Leonel Fernández and President Danilo Medina.
Jiménez worked at the Presidency in the role of vice minister of the Presidency. He is an economist and a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School.
Jiménez is the son of long-time leading figure in the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Felix (Felucho) Jiménez. His father is a former Minister of Tourism who is now the president of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery.
Jiménez Núñez’s predecessor, economist Isidoro Santana, had spoken up against changing the Constitution to enable a new term for President Danilo Medina and the unifying of the municipal elections with the congressional and presidential elections. Santana had openly stated that constitutional reform should not be promoted in an electoral period. Before his removal from office, Santana had announced the DR would grow 5%, coinciding with the forecast by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
https://z101digital.com/medina-dest...stro-de-economia-nombra-a-juan-ariel-jimenez/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...y-fue-viceministro-de-politicas-de-desarrollo
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...stro-que-se-opuso-a-otra-reeleccion-de-danilo
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...enez-el-nuevo-ministro-de-economia-AE13606024
https://www.cepal.org/en/publicatio...d-caribbean-2019-new-global-financial-context
Francisco Pagán: OISOE to deliver all 56 renovated hospitals
The Medina administration will complete the public hospital renovations that are still underway at 14 public hospitals. The director of the Office of Public Works Supervisory Engineers (OISOE), Francisco Pagán made the announcement. He said the government had finished works at 42 of 56 public hospitals that have undergone renovations during the Medina administration.
Renovations continue at the Ciudad Sanitaria Luis Eduardo Aybar (former Morgan), and the regional hospitals José María Cabral y Báez and Arturo Grullón in Santiago, Antonio Musa in San Pedro de Macorís and Jaime Mota in Barahona. Also at the Padre Billini hospital in the Colonial City. There are no dates for the completion of these important public hospitals.
Meanwhile, inaugurals are planned for the Juan Pablo Pina in San Cristóbal, the Engombe in Santo Domingo West and the Vinicio Calventi in Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo North, within the next two months.
Pagán mentioned that six other public hospitals that were demolished would be delivered at the end of the year. These are the San Vicente de Paúl in San Francisco de Macorís, the Pedro Emilio de Marchena in Bonao, and hospitals in Nisibón, Boca Chica and Restauración.
He also said construction is advancing at the municipal hospitals in Guerra, Jarabacoa, Esperanza and Bánica.
Pagán was interviewed for the Weekly Lunch Program of Multimedios del Caribe by journalists Osvaldo Santana, Héctor Linares and Héctor Marte.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...a-hospitales-antes-de-concluir-este-gobierno/
Environment issues "Red List" of endangered fauna species
The Ministry of Environment issued Resolution 0017-2019 with the "Red List" of species in danger of extinction, threatened or protected, according to the standards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The document specifies that "hunting, fishing, capture, harassment, mistreatment, death, trafficking, import, export, trade, manufacture or manufacture of handicrafts of these species and/or illegal possession thereof is not allowed.
The Red List includes 69 critically endangered, 95 endangered and 260 vulnerable species.
Among the protected species are corals, including starfish, oysters, sea snails, conch (lambí), bulgao, sea cucumbers, crabs, tarantulas, beetles, butterflies, giant Hispaniolan sea horse, sharks, rays, eels, groupers. Also protected are marlin, parrotfish, blue tuna, sea horse, toads, snakes, turtles, ducks, herons, partridges, pigeons, hawks, owls, crows, swallows, canaries, ciguas (Dulus dominicus), Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, parrots, parakeets, bats, hutia, solenodon and manatee, among others.
https://z101digital.com/medio-ambie...de-especies-de-fauna-en-peligro-de-extincion/
Work begins on Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road
The Ministry of Public Works announced the reconstruction of the Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road in Puerto Plata province. The 23 km road will make getting to the Cayo Arena sandbank, and La Ensenada beach easier and safer and quicker. The two-lane way connects the provinces of Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi. Consorcio Asfaltos y Construcciones (Asfalcon) is the contractor. The road links the communities of Villa Elisa, Agua de Palma, El Papayo, Punta Rucia and La Ensenada.
https://elnacional.com.do/mopc-inicia-trabajos-de-reconstruccion-carretera-villa-elisa-punta-rucia/
Gonzalo Castillo to run for President
Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo announced he would resign the position effective 5 August 2019. Castillo said he would then dedicate himself full time to campaign for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) presidential candidacy.
Castillo had been a strong advocate of President Danilo Medina seeking a third term in 2020. After Medina declined to seek a second reelection, Castillo now announcing his aspirations to be the candidate of the ruling party. He launched his campaign at the Blue Mall on Wednesday, 31 July 2019. He said he would work to be a great President.
He said he is convinced that he will win the PLD's primary in October 2019 and that, later, that political organization would defeat its opponents in the 2020 general elections, scheduled for the month of May 2020.
Earlier, the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation, Rubén Jiménez Bichara had announced he would be Castillo’s campaign manager.
Political analyst, Altagracia Salazar speculates that Castillo is President Danilo Medina’s chosen candidate.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-presidencial-y-su-renuncia-de-obras-publicas
https://hoy.com.do/lea-aqui-el-discurso-completo-de-gonzalo-castillo/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...efe-de-campana-de-gonzalo-castillo-AE13601230
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FebE0bZ-w8
Environmentalists back Domínguez Brito for PLD presidential candidate
Ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) pre-candidate Francisco Domínguez Brito received the backing of leading environmentalists, scientists and ecologists. The support comes as a result of the ties he made during his term at the Ministry of Environment. Domínguez Brito is accredited with having taken many actions that had been avoided by his predecessors in order not to tamper with the establishment. He resigned the position to campaign for President.
Ecologists stated that Domínguez Brito held firm during his term in the Ministry of Environment, fighting against interests and powerful groups that have reaped much wealth at the expense of the conservation of natural resources.
The group recognized Domínguez Brito for his defense of the environment.
Signing the document backing Domínguez Brito are: Milcíades Mejía, Eleuterio Martínez, Ricardo García, Yvonne Arias, Andrés Ferrer, Belkis García, Omar Shamir Reynoso, Celeste Mir, Ginny Heinsen, Adolfo López B., Eladia Gesto, Francis Jiménez, Eladio Fernández, Yolanda León, Víctor Almánzar, Nelson Bautista, Ramón Anibal Almonte, Franklin Toribio, Lourdes Tapia, José Alejandro Álvarez, Domingo Rodríguez H., Sterling Ureña, Cau Bautista, Amadeo Petilú Escarramán , Eduardo Rodríguez S., Enrique Pugibet, Olga Lidia Rojas, María Isabel Serrano, Sesar Rodríguez, José Dolores Hernández, among others.
https://z101digital.com/dominguez-brito-recibe-apoyo-de-ambientalistas-cientificos-y-ecologistas/
Medina pre-candidates have until September to campaign
Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramón Peralta said on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 that the pre-candidate endorsed by President Danilo Medina that will compete in the PLD primary would be announced in September.
The winning pre-candidate would then receive the backing of the others and the full support of President Danilo Medina. Peralta is confident that the chosen pre-candidate will defeat former President Leonel Fernández in the 6 October 2019 primary.
Peralta spoke at the end of a meeting with 400 members of the Central Committee of the PLD. Peralta said the meeting was routine.
With the announcement on 31 July by Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo that he would run for President, seven men have officially launched their campaigns. These are Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo, former Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez Brito, former Education Minister Andres Navarro, former Industry & Commerce Minister Temístocles Montás, former Interior & Police Minister Carlos Amarante Baret, president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Pérez and former executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) Radhamés Segura.
https://n.com.do/2019/07/30/corrien...tiembre-precandidato-que-enfrentara-a-leonel/
Jose Ignacio Paliza: PRM needs unity!
The president of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) José Ignacio Paliza called for PRM politicians to deal with their differences inside the party. Former President Hipólito Mejía has marked a distance from the anti-constitutional reform position expressed by the party’s leading contender for the presidential nomination, Luis Abinader. Mejía has called for constitutional reform to allow President Danilo Medina to seek reelection as of 2024. Mejía also seeks the PRM presidential candidacy.
"There is only unity in the Modern Revolutionary Party between its leaders and its pre-candidates, even though at times there may be proposals in different directions," said Paliza.
He made his comments after a third pre-candidate, Winston Arnaud, expressed a firm position against reinstating Medina as a political candidate. For this, the 2015 Constitution would need to be amended. Arnaud had criticized the positions of the other two pre-candidates, former President Hipólito Mejía and businessman Luis Abinader regarding the proposal to rehabilitate President Danilo Medina for the 2024 election.
Arnaud thundered that Hipólito Mejía be subject to a disciplinary hearing for not abiding by the PRM's guidelines and for bringing uncertainty to the party membership. Arnaud also criticized Luis Abinader for his ambiguity on constitutional reform. Arnaud called for Abinader to be transparent regarding whether he backs or not the proposal to rehabilitate President Medina. Abinader had said that while he is against constitutional reform, he would adhere to the party's position. In Arnaud's opinion, no one in the PRM should flirt with the government because who gives their blessing will have to guarantee impunity afterward.
https://hoy.com.do/paliza-pide-diferencias-sean-dirimidas-a-lo-interno-prm/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-a-hipolito-mejia-y-luis-abinader-BP13583714
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noti...o-contra-hipolito-mejia-lo-califica-de/82390/
Miguel Vargas favors unifying elections in 2020
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado spoke up on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 in favor of unifying the municipal, presidential and congressional elections. The Social Christian Reformist Party and former President Hipólito Mejía of the PRM both back constitutional reform to rehabilitate Medina in 2024 and unify the elections.
To unify the municipal elections with the presidential and congressional elections, the Constitution would have to be modified. The Constitution establishes that the municipal elections be held on 16 February 2020. The date for the presidential and congressional elections 17 May 2020.
On 22 July 2019, President Danilo Medina announced to the nation that he would not seek reelection in 2020. His supporters now seek the Constitution be amended anyway to unify the elections and reinstate Medina as a possible candidate in 2024.
Vargas made the statement when speaking to the press after participating in a conference on people trafficking in Latin America that is taking place at the convention center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
https://acento.com.do/2019/politica...nificacion-de-las-elecciones-del-proximo-ano/
https://n.com.do/2019/07/30/miguel-vargas-favorece-unificacion-de-las-elecciones-del-proximo-ano/
Rosario Espinal: Room for a third force in politics
Political scientist Rosario Espinal says a third political force could become a significant alternate force to reckon with in the 2020 general elections. She said there is still time. Polls repeatedly have shown nothing is decided regarding the 2020 presidential election.
Espinal said that the third force might not win this election but could prove that the stronghold of the ruling political parties can be defeated.
The sociologist made the comments when interviewed by Ramón Núñez and Jaqueline Morel for the Telematutino talk show on Channel 11.
Espinal lamented that in the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) the presidential candidacy is not clear, even when polls show Luis Abinader is most likely to be the candidate. Espinal said that the party needs to gain 15% to win the 2020 presidential election. She remarked that the PRM brand does not have the historical weight as did the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) brand in its time.
She remarked that the fact there are 30 parties registered in the Central Electoral Board (JCE) is not a demonstration of democracy or dispersion of votes, but rather that people see political parties as money-making ventures.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...era-fuerza-politica-de-cara-a-2020-NE13601268
Nelson Espinal Báez warns against constitutional reform
MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program Associate Nelson Espinal Baéz warns the higher echelons of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) that they would be making a big mistake if they back constitutional reform to enable President Danilo Medina to run again in 2024. The Medina administration also seeks to unify the municipal, congressional and presidential elections, a change that also requires a constitutional amendment.
Writing in Diario Libre opinion page on 31 July 2019, Espinal Báez says that if the PRM backs the rehabilitation of President Danilo Medina for 2024, the party is risking a repeat of what the PLD did with the PRD in 2009, the so-called “Blue Ties Pact”. At the time, he recalls the opposition party, represented by engineer Miguel Vargas, "naively agreed with President Leonel Fernández the constitutional reform of 2010." He said that reform brought with it "a poisoned gift for Vargas and for the PLD itself: The rehabilitation of Hipólito Mejía within his party and the habilitation of Fernández, after the end of his term of office in 2012."
"To try to rehabilitate Danilo Medina is to try to give the PLD its own medicine. But the strategy is not bi-univocal. What works for one in certain circumstances does not necessarily work for the other in reverse and in different circumstances. There are variables. The strategy involves mathematics, but the results are not exactly mathematics," writes the negotiations expert.
He warns that the PRM source of power is not exclusively what it can or cannot influence within a part of the PLD, but how much it can influence people to vote for the party. The people, he stresses, do not want constitutional reform and do not want more tensions or national solutions to internal conflicts of the PLD, he writes. The people want the basic problems of the country to be solved, he states.
He warns that in politics, objectives are not found, they are defined and never lost sight of. "The fact that the PLD is divided is not an objective, it is a means. Moreover, you cannot set yourself an objective that your opponents can redefine or that you cannot control," he writes.
He warns the PRM to not touch the Constitution. That the three leaders with a caudillista vocation (Leonel, Hipólito and Danilo) may end their historical cycle mentoring leaders with statement vocations, he writes.
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion...-conviene-concertar-rehabilitacion-OO13595597
European Union: EUR5 million for sustainable development in Miches
The European Union will provide EUR5 million euros to back a development program in the Miches River Basin, in the eastern province of El Seibo. The funds are in addition to the 77 million euros already allotted to the Dominican Republic in 2019 by the European Union.
"Building resilience in a coastal mountain gradient through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) and Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)" is the name of the project that seeks to re-inhabit coastal and terrestrial ecosystems and improve the capacity to respond to the occurrence of natural disasters through coastal management practices. The sustainable development and climate adaptation project will be carried out as of January 2020.
European Union Ambassador Gianluca Grippa and Environment Minister Angel Estévez for the Dominican government signed the agreement that will be executed by the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
Grippa explained that the Dominican Republic is a country very exposed to extreme natural phenomena, which is reflected in longer periods of drought and flooding, and that for this reason it is necessary to unite public and private wills to reduce the impact of climate change on populations.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...millones-de-euros-mas-para-proyecto-en-miches
https://n.com.do/2019/07/31/impulsa...adaptacion-al-cambio-climatico-en-rio-miches/
https://www.iucn.org/es/node/24798
Warning to take extra care for sicknesses that come with heavy rains
Infectious disease doctor Josefina Fernández warns the population to take additional measures to avoid ailments that heavy rainfall can bring. She alerted to respiratory and gastric illnesses, and others such as dengue, malaria and leptospirosis and called for preventive measures.
13 provinces are under possible flooding alert due to the passing tropical wave and trough this week.
She urged parents to avoid permitting their children to bath in the rain and walk barefoot in stagnant rain puddles, where they could pick up bacteria spread by the urine of infected animals.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...vierte-que-lluvias-pueden-causar-enfermedades
Cavada apologizes for outburst on TV
Telesistema Channel 11 TV news host Roberto Cavada became the talk of the town when he bad-mouthed the operator of the teleprompter during the broadcasting of the news earlier this week. When apologizing later, he said that more training is needed for the technical TV staff.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2spSE9sev28
83-year old murdered in suspect home robbery
An 83-year old was found dead in her residence on Av. Rómulo Betancourt in Bella Vista on Tuesday, 30 July 2019. She had retired after a long career as a pediatrician at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital. She lived alone.
Preliminary reports are that the woman had cashed her RD$60,000 monthly pension check and had kept RD$20,000 in cash at home. Police Criminal Investigations (Dicrim) agents suspect the motive was robbery because they found a deposit slit for RD$40,000. A bank savings book was found indicating the woman had RD$6 million in savings.
Angélica Mercedes de los Santos was strangled to death. Her body was found around 6pm by an employee from a nearby shop. He visited to check on the woman at the request of her nephew who lives abroad. The shop employee immediately called 911. The nephew said he had not been able to get through to his aunt on the phone.
The Police said that they found a woman’s bag outside the residence and an empty purse the robbers could have left behind as they fled.
The woman’s body was sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for the forensic autopsy. Police continue to investigate the case.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-vista-le-habrian-robado-rd-20000-en-efectivo
McAfee says he is now in Lithuania
Continuing with the John McAfee saga… the controversial creator of the McAfee antivirus software posted a tweet saying that he traveled from London to Vilna, Lithuania with his wife Janice McAfee. He said he will be hiding out to avoid the US Department of Justice getting to them. McAfee had docked in Puerto Plata earlier this month. He was deported and weapons seized for illegally bringing them into the country.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...no-ser-capturado-por-las-autoridades-de-eeuu/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...uida-luego-de-aterrizar-en-londres-OO13599997
Rains forecast to continue
The local weather office (Onamet) explains that the tropical wave moving our way from Puerto Rico will continue to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The disturbance is moving northwestward to northward and is producing heavy rainfall over the Dominican Republic.
The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) has declared 12 provinces and the National District on green alert for flooding. These are: Duarte (San Francisco de Macorís), Sánchez Ramírez (Cotuí), Hato Mayor, San Cristóbal, El Seibo, La Vega, Monte Plata, Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), Samaná, María Trinidad Sánchez (Nagua), La Altagracia and Greater Santo Domingo (National District and Santo Domingo province).
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...reve-aguaceros-durante-las-proximas-48-horas/
Nala is the baby lion at the Zoo
A baby lion was born this July 2019 at the National Zoo. The Zoo chose the name Nala (from Disney’s “The Lion King” character) from options suggested on their Instagram page.
The Zoo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are sold until 4pm. Adults are RD$150, children 2 to 12 are RD$100. The Children’s Zoo area is RD$30 per person, Zooshow is RD$30 per person.
http://Zoodom.gov.do
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0llDxSBzh3/
https://listindiario.com/la-vida/20...eona-del-zoologico-nacional-tiene-nombre-nala
Audrys Nin Reyes wins gold in vault jump in Pan Am Games
He did it. He became the first Dominican to win a gold medal in the Lima Pan American Games in gymnastics. He won in the vault category. To win the gold, he dared to do the Dragulescu vault, one of the most difficult in the sport.
Nin Reyes will now participate in the World Gymnastics Championship (4-13 October 2019) in Stuttgart, Germany, a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He needs to win a medal or qualify by placing in the top 12 in the championship.
His Pan Am medal is the third gold won by the Dominican Republic. Others are the gold won by Beatriz Pirón in weightlifting, and the gold won by skier Roberto Pigozzi.
The Dominican Republic is now in 10th place of 15 medalist countries with 16 medals. The country has won three gold, four silver and nine bronze medals. The Pan Am Games began on 26 July and will continue through 11 August 2019.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...es-tras-ganar-oro-este-premio-es-para-ustedes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1IA9QY5G_I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnastics_at_the_2019_Pan_American_Games#Men's_events
https://www.facebook.com/OlympicChannel/videos/the-dragulescu-vault/2184757001778701/
Long Night of Museums on Saturday, 3 August
The Ministry of Culture announces the summertime Long Night of Museums event. There will be free admission at government-funded museums in the Colonial City from 9am to midnight. In additional special programs with live music, exhibitions, films showing, creativity workshops, recitals, story reading are on Saturday, 3 August 2019 program. Activities are programmed for all the family.
Merengue singer Manny Cruz will close the event with a show at the Plaza España in the evening to commemorate the 507th anniversary of Santo Domingo.
See the program at:
http://cultura.gob.do/index.php/not...iles-este-sabado-en-noche-larga-de-los-museos
34-year old named Minister of Economy
Francisco Pagán: OISOE to deliver all 56 renovated hospitals
Environment issues "Red List" of endangered fauna species
Work begins on Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road
Gonzalo Castillo to run for President
Environmentalists back Domínguez Brito for PLD presidential candidate
Medina pre-candidates have to September to campaign
Jose Ignacio Paliza: PRM needs unity!
Miguel Vargas favors unifying elections in 2020
Rosario Espinal: Room for a third force in politics
Nelson Espinal Báez: Alerts against constitutional reform
European Union: EUR5 million for sustainable development in Miches
Warning to take extra care for sicknesses that come with heavy rains
Cavada apologizes for an outburst on TV
83-year old murdered in suspect home robbery
McAfee says he is now in Lithuania
Rains forecast to continue
Nala is the baby lion at the Zoo
Baseball season opens 12 October 2019
Audrys Nin Reyes wins gold in vault jump in Pan Am Games
Long Night of Museums on Saturday, 3 August
Next DR1 Daily News Update: Monday, 5 August 2019
The next DR1 Daily News update will be published on Monday, 5 August 2019. The Monday issue will compile headline news for the previous Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Breaking news can be followed 24/7 in the DR1 Forums. See DR1 Forum at https://dr1.com
34-year old named Minister of Economy
Juan Ariel Jiménez Núñez was appointed Minister of Economy, replacing Isidoro Santana. The appointment is in Decree 264-19 issued on 31 July 2019. Jiménez Núñez has been a career government employee in the PLD governments of former President Leonel Fernández and President Danilo Medina.
Jiménez worked at the Presidency in the role of vice minister of the Presidency. He is an economist and a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School.
Jiménez is the son of long-time leading figure in the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Felix (Felucho) Jiménez. His father is a former Minister of Tourism who is now the president of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery.
Jiménez Núñez’s predecessor, economist Isidoro Santana, had spoken up against changing the Constitution to enable a new term for President Danilo Medina and the unifying of the municipal elections with the congressional and presidential elections. Santana had openly stated that constitutional reform should not be promoted in an electoral period. Before his removal from office, Santana had announced the DR would grow 5%, coinciding with the forecast by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
https://z101digital.com/medina-dest...stro-de-economia-nombra-a-juan-ariel-jimenez/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...y-fue-viceministro-de-politicas-de-desarrollo
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...stro-que-se-opuso-a-otra-reeleccion-de-danilo
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...enez-el-nuevo-ministro-de-economia-AE13606024
https://www.cepal.org/en/publicatio...d-caribbean-2019-new-global-financial-context
Francisco Pagán: OISOE to deliver all 56 renovated hospitals
The Medina administration will complete the public hospital renovations that are still underway at 14 public hospitals. The director of the Office of Public Works Supervisory Engineers (OISOE), Francisco Pagán made the announcement. He said the government had finished works at 42 of 56 public hospitals that have undergone renovations during the Medina administration.
Renovations continue at the Ciudad Sanitaria Luis Eduardo Aybar (former Morgan), and the regional hospitals José María Cabral y Báez and Arturo Grullón in Santiago, Antonio Musa in San Pedro de Macorís and Jaime Mota in Barahona. Also at the Padre Billini hospital in the Colonial City. There are no dates for the completion of these important public hospitals.
Meanwhile, inaugurals are planned for the Juan Pablo Pina in San Cristóbal, the Engombe in Santo Domingo West and the Vinicio Calventi in Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo North, within the next two months.
Pagán mentioned that six other public hospitals that were demolished would be delivered at the end of the year. These are the San Vicente de Paúl in San Francisco de Macorís, the Pedro Emilio de Marchena in Bonao, and hospitals in Nisibón, Boca Chica and Restauración.
He also said construction is advancing at the municipal hospitals in Guerra, Jarabacoa, Esperanza and Bánica.
Pagán was interviewed for the Weekly Lunch Program of Multimedios del Caribe by journalists Osvaldo Santana, Héctor Linares and Héctor Marte.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...a-hospitales-antes-de-concluir-este-gobierno/
Environment issues "Red List" of endangered fauna species
The Ministry of Environment issued Resolution 0017-2019 with the "Red List" of species in danger of extinction, threatened or protected, according to the standards of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The document specifies that "hunting, fishing, capture, harassment, mistreatment, death, trafficking, import, export, trade, manufacture or manufacture of handicrafts of these species and/or illegal possession thereof is not allowed.
The Red List includes 69 critically endangered, 95 endangered and 260 vulnerable species.
Among the protected species are corals, including starfish, oysters, sea snails, conch (lambí), bulgao, sea cucumbers, crabs, tarantulas, beetles, butterflies, giant Hispaniolan sea horse, sharks, rays, eels, groupers. Also protected are marlin, parrotfish, blue tuna, sea horse, toads, snakes, turtles, ducks, herons, partridges, pigeons, hawks, owls, crows, swallows, canaries, ciguas (Dulus dominicus), Black-crowned Palm-Tanager, parrots, parakeets, bats, hutia, solenodon and manatee, among others.
https://z101digital.com/medio-ambie...de-especies-de-fauna-en-peligro-de-extincion/
Work begins on Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road
The Ministry of Public Works announced the reconstruction of the Villa Elisa-Punta Rucia road in Puerto Plata province. The 23 km road will make getting to the Cayo Arena sandbank, and La Ensenada beach easier and safer and quicker. The two-lane way connects the provinces of Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi. Consorcio Asfaltos y Construcciones (Asfalcon) is the contractor. The road links the communities of Villa Elisa, Agua de Palma, El Papayo, Punta Rucia and La Ensenada.
https://elnacional.com.do/mopc-inicia-trabajos-de-reconstruccion-carretera-villa-elisa-punta-rucia/
Gonzalo Castillo to run for President
Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo announced he would resign the position effective 5 August 2019. Castillo said he would then dedicate himself full time to campaign for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) presidential candidacy.
Castillo had been a strong advocate of President Danilo Medina seeking a third term in 2020. After Medina declined to seek a second reelection, Castillo now announcing his aspirations to be the candidate of the ruling party. He launched his campaign at the Blue Mall on Wednesday, 31 July 2019. He said he would work to be a great President.
He said he is convinced that he will win the PLD's primary in October 2019 and that, later, that political organization would defeat its opponents in the 2020 general elections, scheduled for the month of May 2020.
Earlier, the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation, Rubén Jiménez Bichara had announced he would be Castillo’s campaign manager.
Political analyst, Altagracia Salazar speculates that Castillo is President Danilo Medina’s chosen candidate.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-presidencial-y-su-renuncia-de-obras-publicas
https://hoy.com.do/lea-aqui-el-discurso-completo-de-gonzalo-castillo/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...efe-de-campana-de-gonzalo-castillo-AE13601230
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FebE0bZ-w8
Environmentalists back Domínguez Brito for PLD presidential candidate
Ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) pre-candidate Francisco Domínguez Brito received the backing of leading environmentalists, scientists and ecologists. The support comes as a result of the ties he made during his term at the Ministry of Environment. Domínguez Brito is accredited with having taken many actions that had been avoided by his predecessors in order not to tamper with the establishment. He resigned the position to campaign for President.
Ecologists stated that Domínguez Brito held firm during his term in the Ministry of Environment, fighting against interests and powerful groups that have reaped much wealth at the expense of the conservation of natural resources.
The group recognized Domínguez Brito for his defense of the environment.
Signing the document backing Domínguez Brito are: Milcíades Mejía, Eleuterio Martínez, Ricardo García, Yvonne Arias, Andrés Ferrer, Belkis García, Omar Shamir Reynoso, Celeste Mir, Ginny Heinsen, Adolfo López B., Eladia Gesto, Francis Jiménez, Eladio Fernández, Yolanda León, Víctor Almánzar, Nelson Bautista, Ramón Anibal Almonte, Franklin Toribio, Lourdes Tapia, José Alejandro Álvarez, Domingo Rodríguez H., Sterling Ureña, Cau Bautista, Amadeo Petilú Escarramán , Eduardo Rodríguez S., Enrique Pugibet, Olga Lidia Rojas, María Isabel Serrano, Sesar Rodríguez, José Dolores Hernández, among others.
https://z101digital.com/dominguez-brito-recibe-apoyo-de-ambientalistas-cientificos-y-ecologistas/
Medina pre-candidates have until September to campaign
Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramón Peralta said on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 that the pre-candidate endorsed by President Danilo Medina that will compete in the PLD primary would be announced in September.
The winning pre-candidate would then receive the backing of the others and the full support of President Danilo Medina. Peralta is confident that the chosen pre-candidate will defeat former President Leonel Fernández in the 6 October 2019 primary.
Peralta spoke at the end of a meeting with 400 members of the Central Committee of the PLD. Peralta said the meeting was routine.
With the announcement on 31 July by Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo that he would run for President, seven men have officially launched their campaigns. These are Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo, former Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez Brito, former Education Minister Andres Navarro, former Industry & Commerce Minister Temístocles Montás, former Interior & Police Minister Carlos Amarante Baret, president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Pérez and former executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) Radhamés Segura.
https://n.com.do/2019/07/30/corrien...tiembre-precandidato-que-enfrentara-a-leonel/
Jose Ignacio Paliza: PRM needs unity!
The president of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) José Ignacio Paliza called for PRM politicians to deal with their differences inside the party. Former President Hipólito Mejía has marked a distance from the anti-constitutional reform position expressed by the party’s leading contender for the presidential nomination, Luis Abinader. Mejía has called for constitutional reform to allow President Danilo Medina to seek reelection as of 2024. Mejía also seeks the PRM presidential candidacy.
"There is only unity in the Modern Revolutionary Party between its leaders and its pre-candidates, even though at times there may be proposals in different directions," said Paliza.
He made his comments after a third pre-candidate, Winston Arnaud, expressed a firm position against reinstating Medina as a political candidate. For this, the 2015 Constitution would need to be amended. Arnaud had criticized the positions of the other two pre-candidates, former President Hipólito Mejía and businessman Luis Abinader regarding the proposal to rehabilitate President Danilo Medina for the 2024 election.
Arnaud thundered that Hipólito Mejía be subject to a disciplinary hearing for not abiding by the PRM's guidelines and for bringing uncertainty to the party membership. Arnaud also criticized Luis Abinader for his ambiguity on constitutional reform. Arnaud called for Abinader to be transparent regarding whether he backs or not the proposal to rehabilitate President Medina. Abinader had said that while he is against constitutional reform, he would adhere to the party's position. In Arnaud's opinion, no one in the PRM should flirt with the government because who gives their blessing will have to guarantee impunity afterward.
https://hoy.com.do/paliza-pide-diferencias-sean-dirimidas-a-lo-interno-prm/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...a-a-hipolito-mejia-y-luis-abinader-BP13583714
https://lanaciondominicana.com/noti...o-contra-hipolito-mejia-lo-califica-de/82390/
Miguel Vargas favors unifying elections in 2020
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado spoke up on Tuesday, 30 July 2019 in favor of unifying the municipal, presidential and congressional elections. The Social Christian Reformist Party and former President Hipólito Mejía of the PRM both back constitutional reform to rehabilitate Medina in 2024 and unify the elections.
To unify the municipal elections with the presidential and congressional elections, the Constitution would have to be modified. The Constitution establishes that the municipal elections be held on 16 February 2020. The date for the presidential and congressional elections 17 May 2020.
On 22 July 2019, President Danilo Medina announced to the nation that he would not seek reelection in 2020. His supporters now seek the Constitution be amended anyway to unify the elections and reinstate Medina as a possible candidate in 2024.
Vargas made the statement when speaking to the press after participating in a conference on people trafficking in Latin America that is taking place at the convention center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
https://acento.com.do/2019/politica...nificacion-de-las-elecciones-del-proximo-ano/
https://n.com.do/2019/07/30/miguel-vargas-favorece-unificacion-de-las-elecciones-del-proximo-ano/
Rosario Espinal: Room for a third force in politics
Political scientist Rosario Espinal says a third political force could become a significant alternate force to reckon with in the 2020 general elections. She said there is still time. Polls repeatedly have shown nothing is decided regarding the 2020 presidential election.
Espinal said that the third force might not win this election but could prove that the stronghold of the ruling political parties can be defeated.
The sociologist made the comments when interviewed by Ramón Núñez and Jaqueline Morel for the Telematutino talk show on Channel 11.
Espinal lamented that in the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) the presidential candidacy is not clear, even when polls show Luis Abinader is most likely to be the candidate. Espinal said that the party needs to gain 15% to win the 2020 presidential election. She remarked that the PRM brand does not have the historical weight as did the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) brand in its time.
She remarked that the fact there are 30 parties registered in the Central Electoral Board (JCE) is not a demonstration of democracy or dispersion of votes, but rather that people see political parties as money-making ventures.
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...era-fuerza-politica-de-cara-a-2020-NE13601268
Nelson Espinal Báez warns against constitutional reform
MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program Associate Nelson Espinal Baéz warns the higher echelons of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) that they would be making a big mistake if they back constitutional reform to enable President Danilo Medina to run again in 2024. The Medina administration also seeks to unify the municipal, congressional and presidential elections, a change that also requires a constitutional amendment.
Writing in Diario Libre opinion page on 31 July 2019, Espinal Báez says that if the PRM backs the rehabilitation of President Danilo Medina for 2024, the party is risking a repeat of what the PLD did with the PRD in 2009, the so-called “Blue Ties Pact”. At the time, he recalls the opposition party, represented by engineer Miguel Vargas, "naively agreed with President Leonel Fernández the constitutional reform of 2010." He said that reform brought with it "a poisoned gift for Vargas and for the PLD itself: The rehabilitation of Hipólito Mejía within his party and the habilitation of Fernández, after the end of his term of office in 2012."
"To try to rehabilitate Danilo Medina is to try to give the PLD its own medicine. But the strategy is not bi-univocal. What works for one in certain circumstances does not necessarily work for the other in reverse and in different circumstances. There are variables. The strategy involves mathematics, but the results are not exactly mathematics," writes the negotiations expert.
He warns that the PRM source of power is not exclusively what it can or cannot influence within a part of the PLD, but how much it can influence people to vote for the party. The people, he stresses, do not want constitutional reform and do not want more tensions or national solutions to internal conflicts of the PLD, he writes. The people want the basic problems of the country to be solved, he states.
He warns that in politics, objectives are not found, they are defined and never lost sight of. "The fact that the PLD is divided is not an objective, it is a means. Moreover, you cannot set yourself an objective that your opponents can redefine or that you cannot control," he writes.
He warns the PRM to not touch the Constitution. That the three leaders with a caudillista vocation (Leonel, Hipólito and Danilo) may end their historical cycle mentoring leaders with statement vocations, he writes.
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion...-conviene-concertar-rehabilitacion-OO13595597
European Union: EUR5 million for sustainable development in Miches
The European Union will provide EUR5 million euros to back a development program in the Miches River Basin, in the eastern province of El Seibo. The funds are in addition to the 77 million euros already allotted to the Dominican Republic in 2019 by the European Union.
"Building resilience in a coastal mountain gradient through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) and Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)" is the name of the project that seeks to re-inhabit coastal and terrestrial ecosystems and improve the capacity to respond to the occurrence of natural disasters through coastal management practices. The sustainable development and climate adaptation project will be carried out as of January 2020.
European Union Ambassador Gianluca Grippa and Environment Minister Angel Estévez for the Dominican government signed the agreement that will be executed by the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
Grippa explained that the Dominican Republic is a country very exposed to extreme natural phenomena, which is reflected in longer periods of drought and flooding, and that for this reason it is necessary to unite public and private wills to reduce the impact of climate change on populations.
https://listindiario.com/economia/2...millones-de-euros-mas-para-proyecto-en-miches
https://n.com.do/2019/07/31/impulsa...adaptacion-al-cambio-climatico-en-rio-miches/
https://www.iucn.org/es/node/24798
Warning to take extra care for sicknesses that come with heavy rains
Infectious disease doctor Josefina Fernández warns the population to take additional measures to avoid ailments that heavy rainfall can bring. She alerted to respiratory and gastric illnesses, and others such as dengue, malaria and leptospirosis and called for preventive measures.
13 provinces are under possible flooding alert due to the passing tropical wave and trough this week.
She urged parents to avoid permitting their children to bath in the rain and walk barefoot in stagnant rain puddles, where they could pick up bacteria spread by the urine of infected animals.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...vierte-que-lluvias-pueden-causar-enfermedades
Cavada apologizes for outburst on TV
Telesistema Channel 11 TV news host Roberto Cavada became the talk of the town when he bad-mouthed the operator of the teleprompter during the broadcasting of the news earlier this week. When apologizing later, he said that more training is needed for the technical TV staff.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2spSE9sev28
83-year old murdered in suspect home robbery
An 83-year old was found dead in her residence on Av. Rómulo Betancourt in Bella Vista on Tuesday, 30 July 2019. She had retired after a long career as a pediatrician at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital. She lived alone.
Preliminary reports are that the woman had cashed her RD$60,000 monthly pension check and had kept RD$20,000 in cash at home. Police Criminal Investigations (Dicrim) agents suspect the motive was robbery because they found a deposit slit for RD$40,000. A bank savings book was found indicating the woman had RD$6 million in savings.
Angélica Mercedes de los Santos was strangled to death. Her body was found around 6pm by an employee from a nearby shop. He visited to check on the woman at the request of her nephew who lives abroad. The shop employee immediately called 911. The nephew said he had not been able to get through to his aunt on the phone.
The Police said that they found a woman’s bag outside the residence and an empty purse the robbers could have left behind as they fled.
The woman’s body was sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for the forensic autopsy. Police continue to investigate the case.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-vista-le-habrian-robado-rd-20000-en-efectivo
McAfee says he is now in Lithuania
Continuing with the John McAfee saga… the controversial creator of the McAfee antivirus software posted a tweet saying that he traveled from London to Vilna, Lithuania with his wife Janice McAfee. He said he will be hiding out to avoid the US Department of Justice getting to them. McAfee had docked in Puerto Plata earlier this month. He was deported and weapons seized for illegally bringing them into the country.
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...no-ser-capturado-por-las-autoridades-de-eeuu/
https://www.diariolibre.com/actuali...uida-luego-de-aterrizar-en-londres-OO13599997
Rains forecast to continue
The local weather office (Onamet) explains that the tropical wave moving our way from Puerto Rico will continue to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The disturbance is moving northwestward to northward and is producing heavy rainfall over the Dominican Republic.
The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) has declared 12 provinces and the National District on green alert for flooding. These are: Duarte (San Francisco de Macorís), Sánchez Ramírez (Cotuí), Hato Mayor, San Cristóbal, El Seibo, La Vega, Monte Plata, Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), Samaná, María Trinidad Sánchez (Nagua), La Altagracia and Greater Santo Domingo (National District and Santo Domingo province).
https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2019/07...reve-aguaceros-durante-las-proximas-48-horas/
Nala is the baby lion at the Zoo
A baby lion was born this July 2019 at the National Zoo. The Zoo chose the name Nala (from Disney’s “The Lion King” character) from options suggested on their Instagram page.
The Zoo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are sold until 4pm. Adults are RD$150, children 2 to 12 are RD$100. The Children’s Zoo area is RD$30 per person, Zooshow is RD$30 per person.
http://Zoodom.gov.do
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0llDxSBzh3/
https://listindiario.com/la-vida/20...eona-del-zoologico-nacional-tiene-nombre-nala
Audrys Nin Reyes wins gold in vault jump in Pan Am Games
He did it. He became the first Dominican to win a gold medal in the Lima Pan American Games in gymnastics. He won in the vault category. To win the gold, he dared to do the Dragulescu vault, one of the most difficult in the sport.
Nin Reyes will now participate in the World Gymnastics Championship (4-13 October 2019) in Stuttgart, Germany, a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He needs to win a medal or qualify by placing in the top 12 in the championship.
His Pan Am medal is the third gold won by the Dominican Republic. Others are the gold won by Beatriz Pirón in weightlifting, and the gold won by skier Roberto Pigozzi.
The Dominican Republic is now in 10th place of 15 medalist countries with 16 medals. The country has won three gold, four silver and nine bronze medals. The Pan Am Games began on 26 July and will continue through 11 August 2019.
https://listindiario.com/el-deporte...es-tras-ganar-oro-este-premio-es-para-ustedes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1IA9QY5G_I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnastics_at_the_2019_Pan_American_Games#Men's_events
https://www.facebook.com/OlympicChannel/videos/the-dragulescu-vault/2184757001778701/
Long Night of Museums on Saturday, 3 August
The Ministry of Culture announces the summertime Long Night of Museums event. There will be free admission at government-funded museums in the Colonial City from 9am to midnight. In additional special programs with live music, exhibitions, films showing, creativity workshops, recitals, story reading are on Saturday, 3 August 2019 program. Activities are programmed for all the family.
Merengue singer Manny Cruz will close the event with a show at the Plaza España in the evening to commemorate the 507th anniversary of Santo Domingo.
See the program at:
http://cultura.gob.do/index.php/not...iles-este-sabado-en-noche-larga-de-los-museos