DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

President Luis Abinader and First Lady Raquel Arbaje addressed the Dominican nation with an emotional Christmas message, highlighting the importance of unity, solidarity, and the fundamental values that guide the country, while also warning against the dangers of ambition and an excessive love for wealth.

In a video broadcast, the President reflected on the true meaning of the holiday, emphasizing that “it is a time to reaffirm the values we learned in our homes: respect, honesty, and humility.”

He further underscored that Christmas should be “like that simple and silent night in which Jesus was born, without ostentation or grandeur.”

First Lady Raquel Arbaje joined the President in the address, stating, “I am here, not only as his life partner but as an ally in the cause of serving and positively transforming our nation.” She called on Dominicans to engage...

The Dominican Weather Institute (Indomet) forecasts excellent weather conditions for outdoor activities as the country approaches the New Year celebrations, with a high-pressure system dominating the local forecast.

According to Indomet, the atmosphere is currently characterized by low humidity, favoring mostly sunny skies and scarce rainfall across the majority of the national territory. The overall trend is one of stability.

For Monday and Tuesday (29 and 30 December 2025), the weather conditions will remain highly favorable for outdoor festivities. The prevailing high-pressure system will maintain sunny conditions with very limited cloud cover.

Indomet notes that while the chance of rain is minimal, widely isolated and weak showers cannot be entirely ruled out for the Atlantic coast and mountainous systems due to local geographical effects on the northern coast...

A feature in Hoy newspaper on 28 December 2025 explains the white phenomenon that coats the Valle Nuevo, the mountain plateau that sits between 2,200 and 2,400 meters above sea level in central La Vega province. The area’s highest peak, Alto de la Bandera, reaches an elevation of 2,842 meters. The area is frequented by those who want to experience the coldest it gets in the Caribbean.

For years, around this time of the year, social media regularly shares images of Valle Nuevo covered in a pristine white layer. These often leave Dominicans in awe, as the landscape appears to be a Nordic country rather than a scene from a Caribbean island. While the scenery frequently sparks rumors of snowfall in the tropics, meteorologists clarified for Hoy newspaper that the white blanket is actually a distinct phenomenon known as cencellada blanca, or rime ice.

Rime ice...

Monsignor Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán warns that prioritizing profit over patient care leaves the vulnerable without hope. The Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo in his Sunday, 28 December 2025 sermon, voiced deep concern regarding what he describes as the dehumanization of the healthcare system, warning that the prioritization of economic interests over patient care is stripping hope from the most vulnerable sectors of society.

Morel Diplán cautioned that when medical attention is governed by profit rather than human dignity, the value of a sick person’s life diminishes in the eyes of society.

During his address, Monsignor Morel Diplán lamented that hospitals and health services often place financial goals above the care of the individual. He asserted that a society failing to protect its sick is, fundamentally, a society without hope.

He...

Despite the government sending over 48,000 men and women into the streets and highways to prevent tragic happenings, this holiday season has again been very deadly. The government effort is called “Christmas and New Year’s Awareness of Life 2025-2026” and is being manned by thousands of volunteers and members of the armed services and the National Police. Over 1,000 aid stations have been located around the country. Just like during Easter Week, these aid stations are supported by hundreds of ambulances, dozens of rescue trucks and mobile workshops, and even two triage centers and three helicopters.

In the very first bulletin, the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) reported three fatalities, 26 accidents and more than 30 injured, just hours after the operation began. The second bulletin came just after Christmas Eve, and the numbers climbed: six...

A five-foot water pipe leading to the filtering and distribution station of La Noriega that serves the Santiago Water and Sewer Corporation (Coraasan) as well as the Dura Moca water treatment plant in Moca, exploded in the hamlet of La Zanja in the municipality of Sabana Iglesia in Santiago province.

The massive break partially destroyed or damaged at least four houses in the area, cut off ground communications in the immediate area, and knocked out the water supply for the Central Cibao System that supplies water to Moca, Tamboril and Santiago de los Caballeros.

The break happened near noon on Christmas Day. There were no human injuries or fatalities. Authorities immediately declared the area to be a disaster zone and heavy equipment and technicians were on the scene in the shortest of time.

Close to a million people were left without water. Coraasan has...

Airlines accepted passengers to board without their e-ticket with the Dominican Migration Agency suffered technological downtime on 27 December 2025. The e-ticket is the online migration form all travelers to the Dominican Republic need to fill out for entering and departing the country. There is no charge for the submitting of the form that needs to be filled out and filed online prior to traveling.

Read More:

• Presidency
• Noticias SIN
• E Ticket
• Diario Libre

Eight years ago, almost half of the houses in the Dominican Republic had electricity service between 20 and 24 hours a day. Today, that figure is closer to 80% (79.91 to be exact), in spite of the blackouts. The National Statistical Office (ONE) has just released the Yearly Environmental Statistics for 2025.

The reports indicates that in 2024, 57.7% of houses received the service 24 hours, and 8.5% received electricity for 20 hours a day. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of houses connected to the different electricity distributors rose from 2.9 million to 3.7 million.

According to the report, 2021 was the best year for electricity service, when 85.7% received between 20 and 24 hours of service (69% received 24 hours service). However, blackouts are still a very bothersome and persistent issue, as many will recall the near-nationwide blackout that occurred last...

The major winter storm that blanketed the northeast of the United States over the Christmas holidays also caused major flight delays and many cancellations for flights in and out of the airports in and around New York City: Newark, La Guardia, and John F. Kennedy (the famous JFK International).

JetBlue, which serves Las Americas, Santiago, Puerto Plata, and Punta Cana, announced 14 cancelled flights. American and United also had major delays leaving airports in the New York area.

It is always a wise move to check with the airlines before leaving to the airport to pick up a friend or a family member.

The winter storms caused well over a thousand flights to be delayed and over 300 flights were cancelled just over Christmas. And, there are more storms headed towards the Northeast of the United States this week. Just be careful.

Read more in...

As part of its commitment to support stability efforts in neighboring Haiti, the Dominican government has provided emergency medical evacuations and tertiary care to 47 personnel attached to the international security mission, according to the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex).

Data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to Noticias SIN indicates that between 31 July 2024 and 1 November 2025, Dominican authorities have assisted 46 soldiers from the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. The majority of these personnel were Kenyan nationals.

Following the mission’s recent transition into the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), mandated by the United Nations Security Council, an additional Kenyan soldier was evacuated to Dominican territory on 12 November for specialized medical attention.

Officials reported that two of the...

The Dominican Republic’s free zone sector ends the year with around US$7.9 billion in exports from traditional manufacturing free zones export physical goods, and service sector free zones, known as call centers “export” services, and this revenue is calculated into the sector’s total contribution to the GDP.

Miguel Lama, president of the Santiago Free Zone Corporation (CZFS), announced the sector has reached a historic milestone, surpassing 200,000 direct manufacturing and service jobs. The sector currently registers 200,134 positions, marking the highest employment figure in its history.

The 200,134 job figure includes the approximately 36,000 to 40,000 direct jobs generated specifically by call centers and BPOs. The jobs in call centers have attracted thousands of young people. The call centers and BPOs are typically the third or fourth largest employer within...

For years, gambling has been woven into the fabric of daily life in the Dominican Republic, a reality fostered by a permissive regulatory environment that has allowed betting shops to saturate the national geography. From lottery bancas on nearly every street corner and slot machines in low-income barrios to the unchecked rise of mobile betting apps, the state has effectively covertly supported an ecosystem where wagering is not just accessible, but inescapable, Diario Libre reports.

While this proliferation generates some tax revenue, it has birthed a devastating, less visible public health crisis: a surge in gambling addiction, Diario Libre warns.

According to health experts, the normalization of gambling has masked a pathology that is destroying mental health, household economies, and social stability. What appears to be harmless entertainment, a culturally sanctioned...

The Dominican Republic honors the life of outstanding plastic arts painter Ada Balcacer who passed away in Miami, Florida where she had relocated to Miami when she was 70 years ago. She died on Christmas Day. She was 95 years old.

Ada Balcácer is celebrated for her ability to translate the blinding luminosity and rhythmic chaos of the Caribbean into a distinct visual language. Renowned for her mastery of “tropical light,” her canvases have featured fractured, prism-like compositions where folklore, flora, and the female form dissolved into vibrant washes of color and energetic lines.

Due to her outstanding performance and continuity in her contribution to the art world, she won the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 2011, being declared by the jury as “an artistic personality of Caribbean dimension, whose aesthetic and theoretical approaches, and the quality of its...

The New York Knicks defeated the Hawks, 128-125 in a thriller of a game in Atlanta on 27 December 2025 that could have gone either way. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a team-high 36 points along with 15 rebounds and 3 three pointers for the Knicks, while Jalen Brunson tallied 34 points, 5 assists and 4 three pointers in the game. Onyeka Okongwu recorded 31 points, 14 rebounds and 6 three pointers. The Knicks improved their record to 22-9 with the win, while the Hawks fall to 15-18 for the season.

Follow the game: NBA Listin Diario Knicks vs Hawks game 27 December 2025

29 December 2025

Juan Soto, the Dominican outfielder who in 2025 secured the most lucrative contract in professional sports history, has reaffirmed his commitment to represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March 2026.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on the program “Siendo Honestos,” hosted by Katherine Hernández on CDN Channel 37, the New York Mets star discussed the unique pressure of his new status, his desire to play alongside fellow Dominican superstars, and the family traditions that keep him grounded.

Despite his massive success in Major League Baseball, Soto was unequivocal about the significance of the WBC. “Nothing compares to the World Baseball Classic,” Soto stated. “You see an entire stadium full of the Dominican Republic flag. That is something truly beautiful.”

For Soto, the tournament represents a unique convergence of talent and patriotism. He...

The Aguilas Cibaeñas was tops in the standing for most of the regular season of the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship. But the semifinal round to decide the playoff teams starts it all over. Any of the four teams in the round robin can be the 2025-2026 championship team.

The round robin began on 27 December 2025 and continues through 17 January 2026. There will be rest days on 31 December and 1, 6 and 12 January 2026.

The ultimate winner will earn the opportunity to represent the Dominican Republic at the 2026 Caribbean Series in Guadalajara, Mexico from 1 to 7 February 2026.

The round robin began on 27 December 2025 with a clash in Santiago, where the Leones del Escogido defeated the Aguilas Cibaeñas at Estadio Cibao, a great disappointment for the loyal Aguilas fans.

In the nightcap, the Toros del Este delighted their fans with a win against...